1 . The cost of living in countries like the US, Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed in recent years. However, if you’re willing to leave your country and explore life in other areas, there are many countries boasting an extremely cheap and low cost of living. Check out the following countries when planning your next move.

Ecuador

Ecuador is similar to the United States in many ways, and as a result has become a popular American getaway. They even use the US Dollar for their currency. In this country, it’s cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the US. You can even buy a building for around $ 50, 000 and hire someone to look after it while you’re away.

Mexico

Although the country is known for its poverty ridden streets, there $are many wealthier areas that provide every facility you might need. You can live off a mere $ 700 to $ 800 a month in Mexico, and this includes rent for a nice place, facilities, food, and any sightseeing.

Argentina

Argentina has been a popular tourist destination for many years. It has great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. Not to mention, it’s not very expensive to live here. A decent sized home can cost around $ 139, 000, which is relatively cheap in relation to homes in the United States.

Vietnam

Vietnam has also become a popular tourist destination in recent years. There are many million-dollar luxury homes by the beach, but you can find a modest flat or a small home for around $ 25,000 to $ 50,000 if you search in the right areas.

1. In which country is the US Dollar used for its currency?

A．Argentina.	B．Mexico.
C．Ecuador.	D．Vietnam.

2. How much does it cost to live in Mexico for a year?

A．About $ 7,000.	B．About $ 8,000.
C．About $ 8,800.	D．About $ 12,000.

3. What do Argentina and Vietnam have in common?

A．They have great restaurants.

B．The cost of living is expensive.

C．The middle-sized homes cost around $ 139,000.

D．Tourists enjoy travelling in the two countries.

2 . It can be tough to pull kids away from their computers and mobile devices these days. While they’re playing games, wouldn’t it be great if they could be learning at the same time? Good educational apps offer fun challenges that teach specific grade-level skills. Here are four that combine fun and learning.

Understanding Math($3.99; iOS)

Understanding Math goes beyond basic comprehension to gain a deeper understanding of the whys and hows of math. The app tracks your child’s progress to determine strengths and weaknesses in different skill areas, and you can customize(订制)your child’s learning experience to suit the needs.

Word Creativity Kit($2.99; iOS)

Word Creativity Kit aims not only to make creative writing fun but also build up grammar rules. The app presents a series of words from seven categories, such as space or fantasy. Kids add their own words to finish the complete thoughts that these words have inspired.

Barefoot World Atlas($4.99; iOS)

Barefoot World Atlas helps kids learn about geography and world cultures with a touch of the screen. Each region features a set of sub-topics, from wildlife and natural features to native people, landmarks, and architecture. These facts and illustrations are delivered in photographs, sounds, and hundreds of mini videos.

My Grades & Homework($0.99; iOS)

A combination of grades and homework tracker, My Grades & Homework can help your child stay organized and on top of the progress in school. A convenient calendar and course list format and offer a glance at your child’s assignment schedule that he or she might not normally get from standard homework planners.

1. Which app is beneficial to children’s writing skills?

A．Understanding Math.	B．Word Creativity Kit.
C．Barefoot World Atlas.	D．My Grades & Homework.

2. What is the common part of the four apps?

A．They need purchasing when downloaded.

B．They help children improve their grades.

C．They make studies fun because of mini videos.

D．They inform parents of their children’s progress.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To wish readers to bring in more similar apps for children.

B．To encourage parents to allow their students to play apps.

C．To design the educational apps to combine fun and learning.

D．To introduce four educational apps for readers to buy and use.

4 . That youngsters were glued to online games on their smart phones was a great concern for Ngurang Meena, a school teacher in Nirjuli.The 30­year­old social science teacher, who ran the Ngurang Learning Institute, an adult literacy centre, said that she felt disheartened when she read student papers.“The graph of student performance is falling every year.It breaks my heart whenever I see answer sheets — basic grammar skills are missing and there’s an absence of any cohesive (连贯的) expression.They lack guidance and their reading culture is almost zero,” Meena said.When her school and the centre she ran had to close due to infectious diseases, she planned to do something to address the   problem.

Inspired by a similar proposal in Mizoram, Meena set up a bookshelf with around 80 books as well as some benches on the side of the road in Nirjuli on 30 August 2020, where passers­by could spend time reading.The selections included motivational books, biographies and novels as well as comics for young children.“I have to please the minors with sweets to sit and read, but that is okay,” she laughed.

Meena’s bookshelf became a hit among youngsters who spent hours in the reading corner.Within two months, her effort became the talk of the town.

Now, generous contributions of books come in from the public and she is even receiving requests to set up such libraries in other parts of the state, including one in the capital, Itanagar.Since the tiny libraries are far from the main town, she also lends books out to those who want to read at home.

“I never thought that this would become such a big inspiration,” Meena said.“Since childhood, we have been told that books are our best friends.The next generation of kids is focused on games and other things.I don’t want them to head on the wrong track,” she added.

1. What’s the aim of Meena’s reading program?

A．To care for youngsters lacking in reading.

B．To help adults learn some cohesive expression.

C．To keep Ngurang Learning Institute running well.

D．To highlight the importance of reading for adults.

2. What did Meena do to encourage young kids to read more?

A．She offered some rewards to them.

B．She provided them with transportation.

C．She chose novels with beautiful covers.

D．She selected books covering every category.

3. Which words can best describe Meena’s libraries?

A．Small and useless.

B．Influential and meaningful.

C．Large but impractical.

D．Widespread but unwelcome.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Books：Sources of Knowledge

B．The Roadside Reading Corner

C．The Library：an Ideal place for the Young

D．New Ideas about Setting a Reading Plan

5 . Do you want to go to take a vacation in Northern Ireland? If you do, here are some places where you can go.

The Sperrins, County Derry and Tyrone

The Sperrins are Northern Ireland’s largest mountains and also its least explored. Starting from Strabane in County Tyrone to the shores of Lough Neagh in the east, Northern Ireland’s largest upland area is a designated (指定的)Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The Mournes, County Down

The wild scenery of the Mourne Mountains sweeps down to the sea. It is the place where C. S. Lewis found his fantastic winter-land of Narnia come to form in his mind, which inspired him to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Mourne Mountains in County Down are famous for a lot of things such as challenging peaks and clear lakes.

Dunluce Castle, County Antrim

The ruin of Dunluce Castle sees a long and amazing history. The castle was first built on the amazing coastal cliffs (悬崖)of north County Antrim by the MacQuillan family around 1500. The earliest written record of the castle was in 1513. The amazing history of Dunluce is matched by tales of how the castle kitchens fell into the sea one stormy night in 1639.

Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, County Antrim

Connected to the cliffs by a rope bridge across the Atlantic Ocean . Carrick-a-Rede Island (home to a single building- a fisherman’s small house) is the final destination (目的地). Suspended (悬空的)almost 100 ft (30m) above sea level，the rope bridge was first made by a fisherman 350 years ago. In 2016, Carrick-a-Rede welcomed the highest number of visitors ever to this exciting rope bridge experience.

1. Who would most probably be attracted to the Sperrins?

A．People loving local cultures.

B．People loving historic places.

C．People interested in natural scenery.

D．People interested in meeting new people.

2. After C. S. Lewis saw the wild scenery of the Mourne Mountains, he got ______.

A．disappointed	B．puzzled
C．frightened	D．inspired

3. What is the writer’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To encourage readers to take a vacation.

B．To explain the value of visiting Northern Ireland.

C．To compare some places of interest in Northern Ireland.

D．To introduce some places of interest in Northern Ireland.

6 . There is a popular saying in the English language: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Well, that is not true. Unkind words, name-calling or even the so-called “the silent treatment” can hurt children as much as being physically hit, sometimes even more so. A recent study of middle school children showed that verbal (言语的) abuse by other children can harm, the development in the brain. The study was a project of researchers at Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts. Researcher Martin Teicher and his team studied young adults, aged 18 to 25. These young men and women had not ever been treated in a cruel or violent way by their parents. The researchers asked the young people to rate their childhood exposure to verbal abuse from both parents and other children. Then the researchers performed imaging tests on the brains of the subjects.

The images showed that the people who reported suffering verbal abuse from peers in middle school had underdeveloped connections between the left and right side of the brain. The two sides of the brain are connected by a large bundle of connecting fibers called the corpus callosum. This was the area that was underdeveloped.

The middle school years are a time when these brain connections are developing. So, unkind, hurtful comments from children or adults during this period have the greatest effect. The researchers tested the mental and emotional condition of all the young people in the study. The tests showed that this same group of people had higher levels of fear, depression, anger and drug abuse than others in the study.

The researchers published their findings online on the American Journal of Psychiatry's website.

Parents cannot control what other people say to their children, but they can prepare their children.

1. Why does the author use the popular saying at the beginning?

A．To show the power of words.

B．To introduce an opposite view.

C．To prove the author's argument.

D．To show ancient people's wisdom.

2. What did the people studied in the research have in common?

A．They were hurt by unkind words.

B．They performed poorly in imaging tests.

C．They had their brain slightly damaged.

D．They experienced no physical abuse at home.

3. What will be discussed in the next paragraph?

A．Comments on the findings.

B．Approaches to further studies.

C．Suggestions to parents.

D．Different opinions on the matter.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Unkind words hurt the brain.

B．Verbal violence should be stopped.

C．The way we speak matters.

D．Words are worse than sticks and stones.

7 . Thanks to YouTube, Streaming first caught on in 2005. Today nearly three quarters of American households subscribe to at least one video streaming service. With almost 200 million subscribers worldwide and a billion hours of content viewed each week, Netflix is by far the biggest paid service. No. 2 is Amazon Prime Video. But for every Goliath, there are a hundred Davids. Many smaller streaming services show nothing but sports, classic movies, or Japanese anime.

In the early days of streaming the appeal was the lower cost, and it still is. The average streamer spends $37 a month and subscribes to three streaming platforms, while the average cable ser pays more than $200 per month. Still streaming has become more expensive in recent years. In 2019, Netflix raised the price of its basic service 12. 5 percent to $8.99 a month. A quarter of its subscribers, who protested price increases, said they would cancel their subscriptions. Few did.

A major reason: streaming networks have become home to many of the most popular TV series, including recent Emmy winners. They offer full-length feature films as well, and last year, Netflix received more Oscar nominations than any other media company. In fact, streaming has changed the Oscar competition, at least for this year. Usually only films shown in theaters are considered, but because of the coronavirus, all movies released online in 2020 are qualified for the 2021 Oscar Academy Awards. That shift is especially good news for Disney, which is putting the much anticipated movie Mulan on a new streaming service, Amazon Prime Video. But watching Mulan from your own home will cost $29.99 — on top of the service’s monthly fee of $6.99.

Too much streaming can have its disadvantages, however. There are those who binge-watch, a term Merriam-Webster added in 2017 with the definition “to watch many or all episodes of a TV series on end.” Alejandro Fragoso from New York holds the Guinness World Record: 94 straight hours.

1. What do the underlined words “Goliath” and “David” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．TV viewers.	B．TV programs.
C．Streaming services.	D．Streaming subscribers.

2. Why did most Netflix subscribers continue their subscriptions?

A．They cannot go without it.	B．They think it is good value for money.
C．Netflix has controlled the market.	D．They think the low cost is a thing of the past.

3. What does the good news in Paragraph 3 mean to Disney?

A．The movie Mulan will win an Oscar award.

B．The movie Mulan will generate great profits.

C．The movie Mulan can be released on Amazon Prime Video.

D．The movie Mulan can compete for an Oscar.

4. What do binge-watchers tend to do?

A．They watch TV series continuously.	B．They start a new life.
C．They break world records.	D．They watch TV series aimlessly

8 . You probably know who Marie Curie was, but you may not have heard of Rachel Carson. Of the outstanding ladies listed below, who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?

Jane Addams (1860-1935)

Anyone who has ever been helped by a social worker has Jane Addams to thank. Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She encouraged a sense of community by creating shelters and promoting education and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

If it weren’t for Rachel Carson, the environmental movement might not exist today. Her popular 1962 book Silent Spring raised awareness of the dangers of pollution and the harmful effects of chemicals on humans and on the world’s lakes and oceans.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930-present)

When Sandra Day O’Connor finished third in her class at Stanford Law School, in 1952, she could not find work at a law firm because she was a woman. She became an Arizona state senator (参议员) and, in 1981, the first woman to join the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor gave the deciding vote in many important cases during her 24 years on the top court.

Rosa Parks (1913-2005)

On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks would not give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. Her simple act landed Parks in prison. But it also set off the Montgomery bus boycott. It lasted for more than a year, and kicked off the civil-rights movement. “The only tired I was, was tired of giving in,” said Parks.

1. What is Jane Addams noted for in history?

A．Her social work.	B．Her teaching skills.
C．Her efforts to win a prize.	D．Her community background.

2. Who made a great contribution to the civil-rights movement in the U.S.?

A．Jane Addams.	B．Rachel Carson.
C．Sandra Day O’Connor.	D．Rosa Parks.

3. What can we infer about the women mentioned in the text?

A．They receive higher education.	B．They are truly creative.
C．They make great achievements.	D．They are peace-lovers.

9 . A clever technologist took steamboat inventions and turned them into the first commercial steamboat service.

Although Robert Fulton did not invent the steamboat, as is commonly believed, he played an important role in making steamboat travel a reality. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1765. As a young man, he set out to make his name as a portrait painter. His career took him to Europe and into the orbit of people with the power to support him politically and financially.

Fulton entered London society after he painted Benjamin Franklin’s portrait. While abroad, Fulton left the arts for a career in shipbuilding. He was interested in the recently-invented steam engine, and thought it could be used to power ships. Fulton’s vision was not original; many others had entered the field, and the unfortunate inventor John Fitch had built a working steamship already. But like Henry Ford, Fulton’s talent lay not in the invention but in the product’s application in the marketplace.

Fulton didn’t focus entirely on the steamboat. In 1804, he tested the first submarine successfully, which he had built for the British Royal Navy. His invention would make him a celebrity upon his return to the United States two years later. Fulton’s partner Robert Livingston obtained an exclusive license for steamboat services on New York’s Hudson River. It was time for Fulton to deliver.

To build an efficient, reliable steamboat, Fulton used a special English steam engine. The ship’s bottom was flat and its stern was square. The steamboat Clermont made its debut(首次亮相)on August 17, 1807, steaming up the river from New York to Albany, and it soon entered commercial services. The hilly terrain of New York made water transport faster than land transport, and Fulton’s boat—formerly known as the “North River Steamboat”—was a hit. Within five years, Fulton would be running services on six major rivers plus the Chesapeake Bay, and bring in great profits.

1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A．Henry Ford was as unfortunate as John Fitch.

B．Henry Ford was talented in product application.

C．Fulton left the arts as he couldn’t support himself.

D．Fulton was the first to create a working steamship.

2. When did Fulton become a celebrity in the United States?

A．In 1804.

B．In 1806.

C．In 1807.

D．In 1802.

3. What is mentioned about Clermont?

A．It operated for five years.	B．It earned Fulton much money.
C．It had an American steam engine.	D．It was not accepted by people at first.

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．Robert Fulton and His Steamboat

B．Robert Fulton: A Great Inventor

C．Steamboats Changing Water Transport

D．The History of Commercial Steamboats

10 . When we think of bicycles, we think of fun and the outdoors. Bicycles give riders the freedom to explore and enjoy the environment and its surroundings.     1    

Most people know that riding bicycles is environmentally friendly.     2     If you are riding a bike, you are helping to reduce air and noise pollution.

Bikes are becoming more and more popular across the world. In fact, they are becoming more than just a fun pastime (娱乐).     3     For many people around the world, access to markets and schools would not be accessible without a bike.

    4     Some cities, such as Paris and Barcelona, have not only built bicycle lanes but also have introduced a system of renting bikes. You can rent, or use a bicycle in one area of the city and drop it off in another area of the city. Paris now has thousands of bikes for public use, with bicycle stations located throughout the city.

Some South American cities, such as Bogota in Colombia, have a weekly car-free day.     5     On these days, the traffic-related air pollution from old buses and trucks is greatly reduced.

It seems that the bike is a force for good, providing solutions for cleaner cities without leaving a serious environmental footprint.

A．Riding bicycles is a healthy, cheap activity and good exercise.

B．Cities are taking this love and demand for bicycles seriously.

C．People are encouraged to buy bicycles to go to and from work.

D．Daily use of a bicycle has very low effect on the environment.

E．It is cheap and convenient to travel around the world on bicycles.

F．They are also used as a daily transport to work, school or shopping.

G．More than 2 million people bicycle, skate, or jog along the closed roads.