1 . Thousands of books are published daily, and book advertisements play a crucial role in increasing awareness about those books. But it’s too easy to be tricked into bad “advertising opportunities” and make the wrong decisions. Here are several forms of digital advertising proven to work well.
Facebook advertising: Facebook provides the perfect advertising platform for authors because it allows targeting very specific categories of people. The other advantage is that it’s easy to test. You can start with a budget as low as $5 and gradually increase your monetary (货币的) commitment if your return on investment is positive.
Amazon advertising: Amazon allows you to show ads about your book directly on other book pages and search result pages. Since their main US rollout in 2017, they’ve become the most effective advertising place for authors.
Bookbub advertising: Bookbub rolled out a self-serve ad platform in 2016, which they’ve greatly improved since. It’s a less competitive playing field than Facebook or Amazon, but it does have its features.
Discount/promotion advertising: If you’re running a discount or free promotion on one of your books, you can apply to have it advertised in the newsletters of platforms such as Freebooksy, Bargainbooksy, etc.
Other types of advertising include search advertising, Goodreads advertising, banner ads on websites, etc. These haven’t produced the same effective results for most authors yet, but they could be just as effective (or more) if you write in a certain field.
1. What is special about the Facebook advertising?| A．It is easy for authors to access. |
| B．It aims at saving money for readers. |
| C．It allows adjusting investment by profit. |
| D．It includes different categories of information. |
| A．Facebook. | B．Amazon. | C．Bookbub. | D．Freebooksy. |
| A．To get readers to buy more books. |
| B．To raise people’s reading awareness. |
| C．To offer authors advertising platforms. |
| D．To help publishers communicate with readers. |
2 . While screen time is known to affect sleep, new research suggests that interactive (互动的) activities, such as texting friends or playing video games, put off and reduce the time spent asleep to a greater degree than passive (被动的) screen time like watching television, especially for teens.
The team studied the daytime screen-based activities of 475 teenagers using daily surveys. They asked the teens how many hours they had spent that day communicating with friends through social media and how many hours they spent playing video games, surfing the internet and watching television or videos. Finally, the researchers asked if they had joined in any of these activities in the hour before bed.
Next, the team measured their sleep time for one week. The researchers found that the teens spent an average of two hours per day communicating with friends via social media, about 1.3 hours playing video games, less than an hour surfing the internet and about 1.7 hours watching television or videos. For every hour throughout the day that they used screens to communicate with friends, they fell asleep about 11 minutes later averagely. For every hour to play video games, they fell asleep about 9 minutes later. Those who talked, texted or played games in the hour before bed lost the most sleep: about 30 minutes later.
Interestingly, David, lead author of the study, said the team found no obvious relations between passive screen-based activities and sleep. “It could be that passive activities are less mentally exciting than interactive activities,” said Anne, co-author of the study. “It’s a tricky situation,” she said. “These screen tools are really important to everyone nowadays, so it’s hard to put a limit on them, but if you’re really looking out for a teenager’s health and well-being, you might consider limiting the more interactive activities, especially in the hour before bed.”
1. Which of the following belongs to interactive screen activities?| A．Seeing movies. | B．Watching videos. |
| C．Texting friends. | D．Surfing the internet. |
| A．Lucy who watched a three-hour movie before going to bed. |
| B．Jack who had a 30-minute video chat with his brother before bed. |
| C．Sam who played computer games for two hours throughout the day. |
| D．Amy who chatted with her friends on WeChat for one hour in the morning. |
| A．Frightening. | B．Awkward. | C．Hopeless. | D．Encouraging. |
| A．Screen time activities cut down our sleep hours |
| B．Interactive screen use reduces sleep time in teenagers |
| C．Passive screen use is better than interactive screen use |
| D．Parents should prevent children from using social media |
3 . Human beings are extremely diverse in many ways. People differ in opinions, races, nationalities, lifestyles and so on. Yet we are all human species, we feel pain and joy despite the differences. Today, it is impossible for any group of people to live without interacting with others outside their group.
Diversity creates richness in opinion. Some problems can’t be solved by a homogenous (同种类的) group of people.
Diversity makes us compassionate (有同情心的) about others. When we interact and try to understand others, we won’t judge them. This instead makes us compassionate about others.
Diversity is a growing trend. Today, there is no country in the world that has only natives living there.
| A．Millions of people move every day. |
| B．They are in search of good lifestyles. |
| C．Diversity opens up new market chances. |
| D．Diversity requires us to respect each other. |
| E．We are then able to love and help one another. |
| F．Cultural diversity, therefore, is very important today. |
| G．Those require people from different backgrounds to work together. |
4 . As newer, more advanced technologies come out, huge amounts of electronics (电子产品) are thrown away, instead of being reused. These goods often end up in landfills, where the chemicals inside them may be a danger to the environment. Electronics can contain harmful materials. If these materials get into the ground or water, the pollution can cause serious problems. Most electronics require metals. These metals must be mined from the Earth. Often the mining process creates serious pollution.
A group known as Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum is trying to make people more aware of the problems of e-waste. Recently, the WEEE Forum asked researchers from the United Nations (UN) to study a kind of e-waste that’s often not noticed because people don’t consider the goods to be electronics. The WEEE Forum calls this kind “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The UN study shows that about 1/6 of all e-waste is “unable-to-be-seen”. Though it’s “unable-to-be-seen”, it’s certainly not a small amount. The “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste weighs about 9 billion kilograms. The WEEE Forum says that if this e-waste were put into 40-ton trucks and the trucks were then lined up, the line of trucks would be about 5,630 kilometers long.
The surprising kind leading the “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste group was toys. Worldwide, roughly 7.3 billion electronic toys are thrown away each year. These include goods like car racing sets, electric trains, and musical toys. They also include toys with electronic parts, like dolls that speak or games with electronic timers. In all, toys make up about 35% of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste. But the problem is far larger than just toys. The report also shows that other everyday goods like home alarms, smoke alarms, power tools, and computer cables (电缆) are also big sources of “unable-to-be-seen” e-waste.
The WEEE Forum is hoping that as more people and governments become aware of e-waste, they will make a much greater effort to make sure electronics get reused.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The amount of electronics. | B．The development of electronics. |
| C．The ways of reusing electronics. | D．The pollution of electronics. |
| A．People’s interest in electronics’ character. |
| B．People’s impression on electronics’ package. |
| C．People’s misunderstanding of electronics. |
| D．People’s struggle to adapt to electronics. |
| A．By showing numbers. | B．By providing examples. |
| C．By making a summary. | D．By making a comparison, |
| A．Designing advanced electronics. | B．Making electronics get reused. |
| C．Stopping giving away electronics. | D．Reducing electronics’ production. |
5 . Over the last century, engineers all over the world have spared no effort to achieve the unachievable in bridge design.
Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge
No bridge is as long as the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in the world. The 164.8-kilometre-long bridge built in 2011 in China serves as part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. The trip from Ningbo to Jiaxing that previously took 4.5 hours has been reduced to two, thanks to this bridge.
Rio-Niterói Bridge
Completed in 1974, the Rio-Niterói Bridge in Brazil is the second-longest bridge in all of Latin America connecting the cities of Rio and Niterói across the Guanabara Bay. The Rio-Niterói Bridge is technically known as a “box-girder (箱形梁)” bridge, made of special concrete. It receives an astonishing 140,000 (or more) vehicles per day.
Hartland Covered Bridge
The Hartland Covered Bridge is the world’s longest covered bridge. The 1,282-foot-long bridge was opened in 1901 and has been on Canada’s list of National Historic Sites since 1980. Although it was originally built without a roof, the bridge was capped with wooden materials during the repairs in 1921.
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge
The newly-built Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China was named “world’s longest bridge over water” by Guinness Book of World Records in 2011, a title previously held by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The dispute was settled when the title of “longest continuous bridge over water” was given to the causeway, with the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge receiving the title of “longest bridge over water”.
1. On which of the following can trains pass?| A．Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge. |
| B．Rio-Niterói Bridge. |
| C．Hartland Covered Bridge. |
| D．Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. |
| A．It is a busy bridge. | B．It was built in 1980. |
| C．It has a roof. | D．It is a wooden bridge. |
| A．In America. | B．In Brazil. | C．In Canada. | D．In China. |
6 . The Price of a Dream
I grew up poor. We had little money, but plenty of love and attention. I understood that no matter how poor a person was, they could still afford a dream. My dream was athletics.
By the time I was sixteen, I was good at baseball and football. My high school coach was Ollie Jarvis. He not only believed in me, but taught me the difference between having a dream and showing conviction (信念).
One summer a friend recommended me for a summer job. This meant a chance for money in my pocket — cash for dates with girls, certainly, money for a new bike and new clothes, and the start of savings for a house for my mother.
Then I realized I would have to give up summer baseball to handle the work schedule, and that meant I would have to tell Coach Jarvis I wouldn’t be playing. I was afraid of this, but my mother said, “If you make your bed, you have to lie in it.”
When I told Coach Jarvis, he was as mad as I expected him to be. “Your playing days are limited. You can’t afford to waste them,” he said.
I stood before him with my head hanging, trying to think of the words that would explain to him why I dream of buying my mom a house.
“How much are you going to make at this job, son?” he demanded.
“Three point twenty-five an hour,” I replied.
“Well,” he asked, “is $3. 25 an hour the price of a dream?”
That question exposed the difference between wanting something right now and having a goal. I devoted myself to sports that summer, and within the year I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates to play rookie-league ball, and offered a $20, 000 contract. I signed with the Denver Broncos in 1984 for $1.7 million, and bought my mother my dream house.
1. Why was the writer grateful to Coach Jarvis?| A．Because Coach Jarvis made him set a goal. |
| B．Because Coach Jarvis supplied him with new clothes. |
| C．Because Coach Jarvis gave him financial support. |
| D．Because Coach Jarvis helped him show conviction. |
| A．Balance summer baseball and the work schedule. |
| B．Refuse the job offer for summer baseball. |
| C．Give up summer baseball for the job. |
| D．Ask his coach Jarvis for advice. |
| A．You must eat the bitter fruit of your own making. |
| B．Believe in yourself, but above all be patient. |
| C．You must rely on yourself first, then others. |
| D．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| A．He failed to buy his mother a house. |
| B．He succeeded as a sportsman. |
| C．He became a successful businessman. |
| D．He made some money in the summer job. |
7 . Your neighbors are probably the first line of defense in case of any problematic situation.
The first step is introducing yourself when you move to a new neighborhood or when a newcomer moves in. Leave them a note under their door to introduce yourself.
Be respectful of your neighbors. It’s in poor taste to have regular insensitive parties at your place causing disturbances. Before your party, it’s good practice to notify your neighbors. Besides, avoid chatting them up for hours on end, which may be inconvenient, especially if you don’t know their schedules.
As Emma Seppälä put it, “social connectedness generates a positive feedback loop (圈) of social, emotional and physical well-being.” It feels so easy to just stay home without having to engage with your neighbors but connecting with them is worth the effort.
| A．Remember every small gesture counts. |
| B．A crisis is a test of communication skills. |
| C．It can actually boost your mood in the long run. |
| D．Slipping it in their mailbox further solidifies friendship. |
| E．It’s essential to ensure you maintain decent relationships with them. |
| F．Alternatively, you can give them a gift while making yourself known to them. |
| G．Only by establishing healthy boundaries will you achieve peaceful coexistence. |
8 . When I woke up, I made myself breakfast, sat and listened to the traffic. Some of my friends asked me how I could stand living somewhere so noisy. It’s true that there’s always some kinds of noise in my neighborhood, but to me, these are the sounds of life.
It was Saturday morning, so I decided to go to the park. The taxi was the fastest way to go but I took the bus instead.
When you ride the bus, you get to see so much more of the city. It can be kind of loud on the bus, with some people talking on their phones, some people chatting with their friends, and others playing music. It’s just like the traffic’s sounds, though the noise on the bus represents people working, relaxing and living.
Once I got to the park, I picked a bench over near the play area where kids played while their parents sat nearby. I could see and hear almost everything from there. Peoplewatching is one of my favorite things to do. However, I like listening even better. The only problem is that there’s so much to see and hear in the park!
Usually, I like to close my eyes. That way, I can pay more attention to the sounds and not get distracted by what I see. With my eyes closed, I could pick out parts of two old men’s conversation. One of them was telling the other about something his grandson said. I couldn’t hear the rest, but it must be hilarious because his friend’s laugh was so loud.
When I’m old, I hope that I will also have a friend who will sit in the park with me, and who will enjoy listening to the sounds of the city as much as I do.
1. Some of the author’s friends think “the sounds of life” are very________.| A．unpleasant | B．unique |
| C．magical | D．interesting |
| A．there was no other transport to go there |
| B．he wanted to see more about people’s life |
| C．it was the most convenient way |
| D．his friend advised him to do so |
| A．have a good rest |
| B．hide himself from view |
| C．enjoy the sounds of life |
| D．avoid talking with the two old men |
| A．truly different | B．quite popular |
| C．rather strange | D．extremely funny |
9 . You might think of it as a scene from martial arts movies when you see people performing graceful moves down the river, all standing on a bamboo strip, but actually it is a form of intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产): bamboo drifting.
Over 2,000 years ago, the high-quality wood, nanmu, in Guizhou was in great demand by the royal court more than 2,000 kilometers to the north. With no better transportation, people had to stand on one log to drift down the river. Later, local people began to compete along the way and the game of wood drifting was born. In the Qing Dynasty, wood drifting became bamboo drifting because of bamboo’s lower price. Due to the great strength and balance it takes for one to master this act, bamboo drifting was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2021.
Yang Liu, a 25-year-old inheritor of bamboo drifting, learned it at seven. “Usually, the bamboo under your feet is about 9 meters long, and the bamboo in your hands is about 5 meters. If the length or diameter of the bamboo is not long enough, it will not be buoyant (有浮力的) enough to float. Keeping our feet firmly positioned on the narrow bamboo pole is the key, so we should fight against the current by constantly changing the angle. I lost my balance and fell in the water many times while practicing. Once I fell, I gave it another try until I knew how to handle the most difficult part,” she said.
The love for the ancient skill keeps Yang going. In the past 18 years, she has drifted all year round, in cold winter and hot summer. As hanfu culture has been on the rise, Yang started wearing hanfu while performing, creating a more beautiful scene. In 2020, Yang began to post her videos on social media. “I’m extremely proud to get responses from viewers that bamboo drifting makes the line between what is possible and impossible unclear. It’s my mission to keep it alive and known to more people,” Yang Liu says.
1. What can be learned from the first two paragraphs?| A．Bamboo drifting involves lots of skills. |
| B．Nanmu was delivered to the north by land. |
| C．Bamboo was costly in Guizhou 2,000 years ago. |
| D．The martial arts movie is a form of cultural heritage. |
| A．Keeping balance. | B．Maintaining a fixed angle. |
| C．Finding the proper bamboo. | D．Holding the bamboo firmly in hands. |
| A．Impossible. | B．Confusing. | C．Unbelievable. | D．Complicated. |
| A．Balancing with Grace | B．Yang Liu: a Creative Performer |
| C．Transporting Bamboo down the River | D．Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guizhou |
10 . Hundreds of millions of birds die every year from crashing into windows, one of the biggest sources of human-caused bird deaths — far greater than wind turbines (涡轮) and airplane strikes put together. In an attempt to help birds see the windows before it’s too late, people may stick decals (贴纸) or coloured films on their windows — often on the indoor side.But a recent study challenges the effectiveness of this practice.
“Putting these window films on the inside really is not giving you the benefit that you would want for protecting the birds,” says John P. Swaddle, lead author of the new study.
To test the films’ effectiveness, Swaddle and his colleagues applied one of two commercially available (可获得的) films to either inside or outside window surfaces. One film reflected shorter light wavelengths that humans cannot see, and the other reflected longer wavelengths (many birds can see both). The researchers also fixed super-fine nets in front of the windows to keep birds from actually hitting the glass. Both films helped to prevent bird strikes by more than 35 percent when put on the outside surface, the study found — but films on the inside had no benefit at all.
“It’s some groundbreaking work about the differences of what can and can’t work in terms of preventing window strikes from birds,” says George Mason University biologist David Luther.
People usually find it much easier to put films or decals on the indoor side of a window, says Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, a conservation ecologist. For taller buildings, to apply something to the outside, “you need scaffolding (脚手架)...you need to clean the windows extra well for them to apply correctly, and they don’t last as long.”
Swaddle assumes that films placed on the inside don’t effectively stop the reflection of outside light. This might also be the case with decals, although those were not tested in this study, he says.
1. What’s the main killer for human-caused bird death?| A．Wind turbines. | B．Air pollution. |
| C．Window strikes. | D．Airplane crashes. |
| A．Types of films. |
| B．Availability of films. |
| C．Places to put films. |
| D．Wavelengths films reflected. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Confused. |
| A．How long the films will last when put correctly. |
| B．What is needed to clean the windows completely. |
| C．How people apply films to the outside of buildings. |
| D．Why people choose to place films inside the window. |
