1 . Take a step back in time and enjoy these once-in-a-lifetime train journeys.

The Rocky Mountaineer

Most notable are the wonderful views from your seat thanks to the big glass windows that bring the outside in along with good meals.

There are four roads to take. A favorite is the Coastal Package, which provides special Pacific Ocean views from Seattle to Vancouver before traveling through the Canadian borders.

One-to-fourteen-night packages are available.

Minimum price: $600.

Seven Stars in Kyushu

Considered one of Japan’s best trains, this service features (以……为特征) only seven carriages and 14 rooms. The train name, Seven Stars, stands for the seven most important aspects of the journey to Kyushu: the quality of the service, food, nature, hot springs, power spot, the friendliness of its people and history. Choose from a one-night trip or a four-day journey that takes you around the island in southern Japan.

Minimum price: $1,600.

The Maharajas’ Express

There’s no better way to take in the Taj Mahal than on Maharajas’ Express. Each of the 14 guest carriages is named after the famous jewels of the various Maharajas. The Presidential Suite includes an entire carriage, while all the other suites feature large windows. There are seven journeys throughout India to choose from, including one of their newest, The Southern Jewels.

Minimum price: $1,100.

The Belmond Andean Explorer

Named as South America’s best sleeper train and one of the most adventurous rail lines in the world, Peru’s Belmond Andean Explorer will take you on a one-or-two-night journey to experience the highlights from Cusco to Arequipa. Each of the 24 rooms on the train has its own bathroom, shower, and oxygen tanks & masks should the altitude start to get to you. There’s even an onboard SPA!

Minimum price : $680.

1. What’s the special use of the big glass windows on the Rocky Mountaineer train?

A．To bring in more fresh air.	B．To light up the meal tables.
C．To give passengers a better view.	D．To make the train more beautiful.

2. What does the train’s name “Seven Stars” represent?

A．The days of journey.	B．The number of the train’s carriages.
C．The important aspects of the train.	D．The features of the trip to Kyushu.

3. For which trip might the tourists need oxygen masks?

A．The Rocky Mountaineer.	B．The Belmond Andean Explorer.
C．Seven Stars in Kyushu.	D．The Maharajas’ Express.

2 . In addition to a list of benefits for a healthy gut, yogurt may greatly reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. A recent study in the American Journal of Hypertension found that men who eat at least two servings of yogurt per week had a 21 percent lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, and risk among women dropped by 17%.

A team of scientists at Boston University's School of Medicine studied more than 740,000 individuals who had previously suffered from high blood pressure. Using health questionnaires administered over the last 30 years, the scientists measured yogurt intake and weighed it against heart-related health problems such as heart attack or stroke.

In a press release, one of the study's authors showed that the team behind the report had initially wanted to see if fermented dairy products could aid poor cardiovascular health. The study shows a relationship between yogurt and heart health—but it's not yet clear whether eating yogurt actually reduces risk, or that overall healthier people tend to eat more yogurt, so more research will have to be done.

Still, recent studies have found health benefits of a variety of probiotic and dairy foods, including the super-food kefir which significantly boosts gut health. And recent scientific research has found heart-healthy benefits from eating small amounts of cheese every day.

While the researchers didn't target a particular variety of yogurt, it's important to recognize that yogurt brands greatly vary in the dairy aisle, and some are better for you than others. It's clear that yogurt can be a great addition to your diet due to probiotics, calcium levels, and a healthy source of fat.

Regardless of which kind you choose to pick up, this new evidence could finally be the final bit of buzz to get you to include yogurt as your daily diet. Added bonus? There's a way you can try a lot of different yogurts for free this month, too.

1. What can we know about yogurt?

A．Its greater influence on men than women.

B．The same influence on women and men.

C．The only benefit to people with cardiovascular disease.

D．The only benefit to reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

2. Which of the following best explains “boosts” underlined in Paragraph 4?

A．Reduces.

B．Improves.

C．Harms.

D．Resists.

3. In which column of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?

A．Education.

B．Culture.

C．Entertainment.

D．Health.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．How Did Scientists Measure the Benefits of Yogurt?

B．Why Could Yogurt Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke?

C．Eating Yogurt Could Lower Your Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

D．Eating Yogurt Is Very Necessary for Old People and Younger Children

3 . Sharks aren't the scariest things in the ocean for scientists who dive to work. Powerful currents, created where the ocean floor drops away, can be just as deadly. “You can get sucked down by the pressure within minutes, ” notes Marcel Jaspars. He's a chemist who once saved himself from such a current. He came across it while taking photos of a sea sponge near Indonesia, in Southeast Asia. Luckily, he inflated his dive vest in time. He was able to float to the surface and escape the potentially deadly current.

Diving has risks. But the scientists who work underwater are trained to deal with these dangers. For Jaspars, the rewards of research and underwater adventure are greater than the risks. He searches for unusual chemicals made by ocean life. Then he analyzes them for components that might serve as medicines for people.

The sea may seem like a strange place to look for new drugs. But organisms （生物体）in the ocean have had to adapt to a tough environment. Some of the chemicals they make for survival might help people, too. More than 50 years ago, scientists discovered a new anti-cancer drug in a sea sponge. Since then, researchers have been hunting the seas for more of such useful natural products.

With the help of underwater robots and small submarines（潜水艇），Jaspars and other scientists are searching the seas— from the shallow to the oceans' great depths. Their goal: finding chemicals made by marine life for use in one day treating human disease.

Now Jaspars directs the Marine Biodiscovery Center. It's at the University of Aberdeen， in Scotland. There he focuses on microbes （微生物）living in very cold environments, such as the Arctic Ocean. “It's too cold and deep to dive there,” he says. So scientists on research ships pull up buckets of mud from the seafloor. Later, they send him small samples of what they've pulled up.

1. Why is Jaspars' experience mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To advise ways of surviving in the sea.

B．To explain his ability and luck in the sea.

C．To show the danger of deadly current to divers.

D．To tell us the value of his underwater adventure.

2. What does the author think of Jaspars' research and underwater adventure?

A．Secure.	B．Unique.
C．Unbearable.	D．Rewarding.

3. What's the purpose of Jaspars' searching the seas?

A．To find chemicals for new medicines.

B．To study all kinds of ocean creatures.

C．To be trained to deal with ocean dangers.

D．To look for new medicines for marine life.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．The risks of searching the seas

B．Risky diving for new medicines

C．The most dangerous things in the sea

D．Jaspars, a chemist inventing medicines

4 . On the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), red tourism has gained popularity among tourists who flood in to visit historic sites with a modern revolutionary heritage.

Jinggangshan

This is one of the most crucial and splendid chapters of history of establishing Red China as well as a unique and wonderful ecosystem, which is covered with rich forest, rugged peaks and several memorials to the Red Army. The best time to visit is between April and October, with the most temperature timing April and May when the large azaleas (杜鹃花) bloom.

Open: 8:00-17:00 (Feb. 16-Nov. 15). 8:00-16:30 (Nov. 16-Feb. 15)

Xibaipo

It is an old revolutionary base where the leadership of the Communist Party of China was stationed, drawing up the blueprint for a new country. A memorial hall was built to honor the memory of this site. The lake and the hill here add brilliance and beauty to each other and form pleasant scenery.

Open: Tuesdays to Sundays 9:30-17:00 (Xibaipo Memorial Hall)

The Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall

A new exhibition is held with updated display approaches, including phantom imaging (全息影像) and oil painting, which are used to improve visitors' experiences. The exhibition shows four stages of the CPC from its establishment to its achievements.

Open: Tuesdays to Sundays 8:30-18:00 (closed on Mondays)

Former Site of the Editorial Department of New Youth

New Youth started the New Culture Movement and spread the influence of the May Fourth Movement. The site was briefly based in Beijing but moved back to Shanghai in 1920 and also served as the office for the Communist Party of China Central Committee in the 1920s.

Open: Thursdays to Tuesdays 9:00 - 11:30, 13:30 - 16:30 (closed on Wednesdays)

1. Where would visitors learn more about the history of the Red Army?

A．Jinggangshan.

B．Xibaipo.

C．The Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall.

D．Former Site of the Editorial Department of New Youth.

2. What do we know about the Nanhu Revolutionary Memorial Hall?

A．It focuses on Chinese achievements in art.

B．It mainly advertises the coming anniversary.

C．It applies modernized methods to the exhibition.

D．It briefly introduces the rise and fall of Nanhu.

3. When can tourists visit Former Site of the Editorial Department of New Youth?

A．At 1:00 p.m. on Mondays.	B．At 9:00 a.m. on Wednesdays.
C．At 2:00 p.m. on Fridays.	D．At 5:00 p.m on Sundays.

5 . If Siri had any feelings, she would know she was being teased. When 10-year-old Belinda and her friends play, they sometimes ask Siri questions in the hope she will say something random and make them laugh. “Do a rap,” they urge Siri, “Tell us a bedtime story.”

Belinda and her friends have grown up interacting with artificial intelligence(AI) in the form of Siri, Alexa and Google. They were born into a world of portable devices.

In 2010 when the first of their generation were born, Apple released the first iPad, internet activist Julian Assange published thousands of classified documents, Mark Zuckerberg was Time s person of the year.

Mark McCrindle, Sydney-based social researcher, first coined the term Generation Alpha to describe those born between about 2010 and 2024 in his book Generation Alpha. He said this generation have access to more technology? information and external influences than any generation before them, and at a younger age.

Belinda has had an iPad since year 3 and is allowed to use her iPad after doing violin and piano practice. "It's always 'Can I use my iPad, I'll do that afterwards7 and the afterwards never happens,” Catherine says, “Change the order and it gets done.”

Belinda is on guard against "stranger danger" and ensures her privacy settings, which mean that only her friends can join her in games. On occasion Belinda has wiped all her apps off her iPad, worried that she has disclosed too much, such as her date of birth and photo. When she downloads apps now she doesn't use her real date of birth.

In his book, McCrindle says, " In some ways, Generation Alpha are part of an unintentional global experiment in which screens are placed in front of them from the youngest age so we should pay attention to the addictive nature of devices and internet security."

1. Why is Siri mentioned in paragraph 1?

A．To prove Siri is very intelligent.	B．To point out kids often feel bored.
C．To indicate Siri needs to be improved.	D．To show Al is part o£ Belinda's life.

2. What distinguishes the Generation Alpha from other generations?

A．They are more independent.	B．They are more willing to help others.
C．They are exposed to more technology.	D．They are more devoted to social activities.

3. Which word can best describe Belinda?

A．Adaptable.

B．Caring.

C．Shy.

D．Cautious.

4. What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?

A．McCrindle5s book.	B．McCrindle's concern.
C．The harm of screens.	D．Ways to deal with devices.

6 . On July 20, Yu Yifei, a 26-year-old medical intern (实习生) at People's Hospital of Zhengzhou, made his way home in a subway train on Line 5 after his first day's training. When downpours struck the city, he ________ about a dozen people trapped in a flooded subway train as the rainfall in Zhengzhou reached a ________ of 201.9 millimeters between 4 pm and 5 pm.

Floodwaters ________ a barrier and entered the underground area. The train came to a sudden stop before the water began ________ in the carriages, trapping passengers inside. Thus Yu, ________ to leave and fearing for his life, made a ________ call to his father.

As water continued to flow into the carriages, passengers’ ________ rose. When subway workers arrived to withdraw them, Yu ________ to get out. As he made his way to safety, he heard a cry for help from someone needing a doctor. He quickly ________ the white medical coat given to him at the hospital ________ and returned to the platform to save him. On seeing him, a number of frightened people were greatly encouraged and their spirits ________. Some even applauded him.

As more passengers were pulled from the ________, Yu instructed others in the key steps to save a victim from drowning. He ________ CPR, or first aid, to those in low-temperature shock from the cold water and near death from drowning. One of the passengers, a female doctor, nearly died. After ________ consciousness and strength, she joined Yu in treating others. Yu was ________ and needed all his concentration to perform another CPR procedure.

That night on a subway station platform, he ________ an exhausting six hours giving CPR to passengers who ________ survived drowning. He also treated the injured. He ________ the subway station at about midnight, with the white coat spotted with blood and ________. Three hours later, he met his father. With tears in eyes, his father and people ________ smiled and gave him the thumbs-up.

1.

A．saw

B．prevented

C．kept

D．saved

2.

A．record

B．height

C．point

D．depth

3.

A．pushed

B．made

C．burst

D．pulled

4.

A．rising

B．falling

C．reaching

D．disappearing

5.

A．uncertain

B．unfortunate

C．unusual

D．unable

6.

A．foolish

B．unique

C．considerate

D．desperate

7.

A．excitement

B．fears

C．adaptation

D．deaths

8.

A．managed

B．failed

C．intended

D．hesitated

9.

A．tried on

B．got on

C．put on

D．looked on

10.

A．later

B．further

C．earlier

D．former

11.

A．gained

B．lifted

C．sank

D．ran

12.

A．platform

B．air

C．boat

D．water

13.

A．began

B．continued

C．explained

D．refused

14.

A．regaining

B．refreshing

C．reminding

D．replacing

15.

A．bored

B．heartbroken

C．energetic

D．exhausted

16.

A．wasted

B．needed

C．obtained

D．spent

17.

A．nearly

B．obviously

C．barely

D．never

18.

A．left

B．approached

C．crossed

D．rescued

19.

A．sweat

B．medicine

C．mud

D．tears

20.

A．on the air

B．on spot

C．on holiday

D．on board

7 . THE BEST FILMS OF 2020

Wolfwalkers

Wolfwalkers is Tomm Moore’s most delightful animation. Its brave heroine is Robyn, the daughter of an English huntsman stationed in Ireland in the mid-1600s. He has the job of clearing the wolves from a forest near Kilkenny, but when Robyn goes exploring, she finds that one of those wolves can transform into a human girl. The girls' battles against destructive adults are exciting and fun, and every frame is a work of art.

Ammonite

Mary Anning, whose 19th-Century discoveries of fossils transformed palaeontology, although the credit went to men. Writer and director Francis Lee's romance finds Mary in middle age, scraping together a living in the seaside town of Lyme Regis.

The Personal History of David Copperfield

This joyous and endlessly inventive film by Armando Iannucci is a brilliant achievement that raises the expectation for Charles Dickens adaptations. And while Iannucci roots it firmly in the poverty and class system of Victorian England. BBC Culture’s review called it “a warm and lively David Copperfield for today”.

The Assistant

Structured as a day in the life, The Assistant stars Julia Garner as the lowly new employee who toils from before dawn until after dusk, answering phones, printing out scripts, unpacking bottles of water: imagine a more authentic, low-key companion piece to The Devil Wears Prada. The film looks beyond one man to focus on a wider corporate culture.

1. Who is the director of Wolfwalkers?

A．Julia Garner

B．Francis Lee

C．Armando Iannucci

D．Tomm Moore

2. Which of the following films was adapted from Charles Dickens’ works?

A．Wolfwalkers	B．Ammonite
C．The Personal History of David Copperfield	D．The Assistant

3. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A guidebook

B．A magazine

C．A novel

D．A report

8 . Nostalgia (怀旧) has become increasingly common in our current climate of accelerated, unexpected change. More and more Americans are turning back with longing to what feels like simpler, sweeter times. They collect cassette tapes, manual typewriters even decades-old video games.

Is it a mistake to get too obsessed with the past? Some psychologists warn that too much devotion to the so-called good old days is an escape from reality; it can indicate loneliness or that a person is having a difficult time coping in the present. Psychologist Stephanie Coontz argues that nostalgia distracts us from addressing the problems of modern life and contribute to anxiety, depression , insomnia etc.

But new studies suggest that a modest dose of nostalgia is not only harmless, but actually beneficial. They suggest it helps strengthen our sense of identity and makes us feel more optimistic and inspired. It is also a tool for self — discovery and memories are a psychological immune response that is triggered when you want to take a break from negativity. Interestingly, those happy memories can be particularly beneficial both to kids in their teens and to society's elders. Recalling our childhood reminds us of “the times when we were accepted and loved unconditionally," says Krystine Batcho, a psychologist. "That is such a powerfully comforting phenomenon, knowing that there was a time in life when we didn't have to earn our love." Nostalgia can transform even the most ordinary past into legends which warms the heart and the body. Let's not forget that nostalgia has been a source of inspiration to innumerable American writers. Mark Twain recalled his boyhood, writing, "after all these years, I can picture that old time to myself now, just as it was then： The white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer's morning."

So go ahead, daydream a little about your best childhood friend, your first car, a long - gone family pct. As Dr. Sedikides says， "Nostalgia is absolutely central to human experience. "But at the same time, keep these words of wisdom from the great inventor Charles Kettering in mind as well： "You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time. "

1. What did some psychologists in paragraph 2 probably agree?

A．Nostalgia will cause some mental problems.

B．Nostalgia makes us devoted to the good old days.

C．Nostalgia shows you are trying to get rid of loneliness.

D．Nostalgia helps us cope with the difficult time we are going through.

2. There are many benefits of nostalgia except   ________

A．It can enable us to know ourselves better.

B．It can bring us some comfort when we recall.

C．We are likely to gain attention if we recall the happy childhood.

D．We can sometimes break away from negativity with happy memories.

3. What will be talked about in the following paragraph?

A．The bad influence of too much devotion to nostalgia.

B．The reasons why we should avoid nostalgia.

C．The bad memories that always stick around you.

D．The great changes nostalgia will bring to you.

4. What's the best title of the passage?

A．We all have a soft spot for nostalgia.

B．Nostalgia is actually good for you.

C．Don't be carried away by nostalgia.

D．There are many times when we like to recall.

9 . There is no such thing as a “safe" level of drinking, with increased consumption of alcohol associated with poorer brain health, according to a new study.

In an observational study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, researchers from the University of Oxford studied the relationship between the self-reported alcohol intake of some 25,000 people in the UK, and their brain scans. The researchers noted that drinking had an effect on the brain's gray matter-regions in the brain that make up "important bits where information is processed," according to lead author Anya Topiwala, a senior clinical researcher at Oxford.

“The more people drank, the less the volume of their gray matter,“ Topiwala said via email. "Brain volume reduces with age and more severely with dementia(痴呆症).Smaller brain volume also predicts worse performance on memory testing,“ she explained. "While alcohol only made a small contribution to this(0. 8%), it was a greater contribution than other "modifiable" risk factors," she said, explaining that modifiable risk factors are “ ones you can do something about, in contrast to aging.”

The team also investigated whether certain drinking patterns, beverage types and other health conditions made a difference to the impact of alcohol on brain health. They found that there was no "safe" level of drinking-meaning that consuming any amount of alcohol was worse than not drinking it. They also found no evidence that the type of drink— such as wine, spirits or beer—affected the harm done to the brain. However, certain characteristics, such as high blood pressure, obesity or binge-drinking, could put people at higher risk, researchers added.

The risks of alcohol have long been known： Previous studies have found that there's no amount of liquor, wine or beer that is safe for your overall health. Alcohol was the leading risk factor for disease and premature death in men and women between the ages of 15 and 49 worldwide in 2016, accounting for nearly one in 10 deaths, according to a study published in The Lancet in 2018.

“It has been known for decades that heavy drinking is bad for brain health," Sadie Boniface, head of research at the UK's Institute of Alcohol Studies, said via email. "We also shouldn't forget alcohol affects all parts of the body and there are multiple health risks. ”

1. What is the function of gray matter?

A．Control the mount of alcohol	B．Process information
C．Scan the brain	D．Predict the performance on memory

2. Which is NOT true in the following statements according to the study?

A．Drinking alcohol is worse than not drinking.

B．With people getting older, brain volume reduces.

C．Alcohol was the major risk factor for disease and premature death.

D．The less people drink alcohol, the more the volume of their gray matter.

3. Which is one of the "modifiable" risk factors?

A．Smoking

B．Aging

C．Death

D．Disease

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．The mount of alcohol is not related to people's health.

B．People drinking alcohol do harm to their brain health.

C．People drinking alcohol lead to dementia.

D．Theresa great deal of liquor, wine or beer that is safe for health.

10 . My mother is 92. Unless I have to be out of town, each week I take my mother to do her _______ and visit the doctor, providing _______ and transportation. During the week, however, she likes to go to a nearby store to _______ some small things she needs.

Last week she walked up to the store, but when she went to pay for her groceries, she was _______ about three dollars. The only _______ to pay for the groceries was to take off the _______ she could do without: a bottle of rubbing alcohol (医用酒精) and a bar of soap. By taking off these, she was able to _______ the new total to the amount of cash she had with her.

At this store, people _______ and then go off to the side to _______ their own groceries. My mother was putting her groceries into shopping bags when a ________ came up to her and said, “Here are the things that you ________ .” handing her the rubbing alcohol and the ________ . My mother, who is never speechless, was speechless. She ________ for the woman’s name and address so that she could ________ her. The woman told her it was her ________ .

My mother was so ________ by her gesture that she decided to go back to the store and give the cashier (收银员) a five-dollar bill to keep on hand ________ the same happened to someone else if they didn’t have enough ________ for all of their groceries.

So, whoever you are, thank you for the random act of ________ that not only helped my mother out, but ________ too.

1.

A．exercise

B．housework

C．cooking

D．shopping

2.

A．reward

B．medicine

C．company

D．shelter

3.

A．return

B．collet

C．order

D．buy

4.

A．short

B．cautious

C．wrong

D．concerned

5.

A．aim

B．way

C．advice

D．reason

6.

A．weight

B．things

C．mask

D．glasses

7.

A．raise

B．add

C．bring

D．switch

8.

A．show up

B．call in

C．check out

D．sit down

9.

A．store

B．select

C．deliver

D．bag

10.

A．stranger

B．cashier

C．friend

D．doctor

11.

A．looked for

B．talked about

C．threw away

D．put back

12.

A．receipt

B．soap

C．cash

D．bottle

13.

A．asked

B．waited

C．cared

D．searched

14.

A．repay

B．trust

C．recognize

D．help

15.

A．luck

B．chance

C．gift

D．turn

16.

A．surprised

B．amused

C．touched

D．convinced

17.

A．in case

B．even if

C．as though

D．so that

18.

A．energy

B．money

C．space

D．time

19.

A．faith

B．courage

C．kindness

D．honor

20.

A．made her day

B．changed her mind

C．caught her eye

D．met her demand