1 . COVID-19 shutdowns forced people out of work and pushed tens of millions into poverty worldwide. Governments tried hard to provide aid. It was easy in a small country, but difficult for a country with large population and vast rural areas.
Researchers have been finding ways to identify areas of wealth and poverty in satellite images. Through some satellite data and aerial images of one town or another, you can sort of tell whether it’s wealthy or not. Wealthier homes tend to have metal roofs while poor homes tend to have thatched roofs. Wealthier neighborhoods have paved roads and bigger plots of lands, more spaced out.
The researchers use the system to identify about 60,000 people to receive benefits. The advantage of the satellite imagery and phone data approach is that it’s extremely fast and very convenient.
| A．It was opposite in a big country. |
| B．How do they locate the neediest people? |
| C．So there’s a lot of information in the images. |
| D．Most importantly, it’s very cheap to carry out. |
| E．Worse still, it’s not so economical as a house-to-house survey. |
| F．However, in general, poorer people will just have feature phones. |
| G．What the researchers did next was to target the neediest people in those regions. |
2 . Hailey Magee rushed home from school crying after seeing that she’d received an A-minus on her grade report card. Growing up she had learned that the way to receive confirmation and love from family members and teachers was to be a high achiever. So to Magee, that A-minus felt like a failure. “I was shattered,” she said. “In that moment, I felt like my self-worth as a human had fallen far below what it would have been if I’d gotten an A or an A-plus.”
Magee’s turning a good grade into a cause of her inferiority (自卑) is a textbook example of a growing trend in recent years: Perfectionist behavior. Perfectionism is now a growing cultural phenomenon. High levels of perfectionism were linked with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, deliberate self-harm and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The constant stress of attempting to be perfect can also leave people stressed and suffering from headaches and insomnia.
Many parents today feel a sense of competitiveness that they may push onto their kids, whether by pressuring them to get perfect grades so they can get into elite schools or signing them up for extracurricular activities that might look good on a college application. But if a child is only rewarded for high achievement, over time they learn that their value as a person depends on being perfect. Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms also fuel unhealthy comparisons.
“It’s a real problem—those social media images end up serving as yardsticks that people can compare themselves to and a perfectionist is always trying to keep up with the Joneses, ”Sherry, a clinical psychologist, said. And it’s never been harder to keep up with the Joneses, because today we are constantly bombed with seemingly perfect images of other peoples’ lives.
Eventually Magee learned that she had to let go a little and allow herself to show up with all her imperfections. She eventually learned to trust that she could show up, not being perfect, and still feel valued. “I can be imperfect and everything can be fine!”
1. Which of the following best explains “shattered” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．Delighted. | B．Frightened. | C．Frustrated. | D．Amused. |
| A．The unhealthy comparisons. | B．The A-plus confirmation. |
| C．The perfectionism phenomenon. | D．The sense of competitiveness. |
| A．It’s cool to be perfect. | B．It’s fine to be imperfect. |
| C．It’s important to get an A-plus. | D．It’s easy to keep up with the Joneses. |
| A．Perfectionism is killing our health. |
| B．Perfectionism is a growing cultural phenomenon. |
| C．Accepting one’s imperfection is becoming a trend. |
| D．Imperfection is temporary and perfection is forever. |
3 . Everybody hates rats. But in the earthquake capitals of the world—Japan, Los Angeles, Turkey—rats will soon be man’s new best friends.
What happens after an earthquake? We send in rescue dogs. Why? Because they can smell people. They help rescuers to find living people. But dogs are big and they can’t get into small spaces. So now a new research project is using a smaller animal to save lives: the rat.
How does it work? First, the rat is trained to smell people. When this happens, the rat’s brain gives a signal. This is sent to a small radio on its back and then the rescuers follow the radio signals. When the rat’s brain activity jumps, the rescuers know that someone is alive. The rat has smelled that person.
Although there are already robots which can do this job, rats are better. Christian Linster at Cornell University, New York, says, “Robots’ noses don’t work well when there are other smells around. Rats are good at that.” Rats can also see in the dark. They are cheaper and quicker to train than dogs, and unlike robots, they don’t need electricity!
The “rat project” is not finished, but Julie Ryan of International Rescue Corps in Scotland says, “It would be fantastic. A rat could get into spaces we can’t get to, and a rat will get out if it isn’t safe.” Perhaps for the first time in history, people will be happy to see a rat in a building, but only after an earthquake, of course.
1. Why are rats used after an earthquake?| A．To get into small spaces. |
| B．To replace man’s rescue jobs. |
| C．To provide food for people trapped in buildings. |
| D．To locate the people alive trapped in buildings. |
| A．The measures taken by the rat. | B．The unusual behavior of the rat. |
| C．The smell given off by the person. | D．The signals sent by the radio on the rat’s back. |
| A．The “rat project” has been accomplished. |
| B．People are now delighted to see a rat in a building. |
| C．Today dogs and robots are still in the use of performing rescues. |
| D．Nowadays rats have substituted for dogs in search of people. |
| A．Rats: people’s enemies | B．Rats: people’s best friends |
| C．Rats: people’s rescuers in daily life | D．Rats: people’s helpers after earthquakes |
4 . The cost of living in countries like the U.S., Britain, Australia or France has skyrocketed in recent years. However, if you are 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. It even uses the U.S. dollar for its currency. In this country, it is cheaper to eat out every day than cook for yourself on a budget in the U.S. You can even buy a property for around $50,000 and hi re someone to tend to it while you are 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 is not very expensive to live there. 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 small home for around $25,000 to $50,000 if you search in the right areas.
1. Which country uses the U.S. dollar as its currency?| A．Ecuador. | B．Mexico. | C．Argentina. | D．Vietnam. |
| A．About $8,400. | B．About $4,800. | C．About $4,200. | D．About $9,600. |
| A．Cheap and low costs of living. | B．Many million-dollar luxury homes. |
| C．Wealthy areas with complete facilities. | D．Great restaurants, a rich history, and many places to explore. |
5 . At 81 years old, Jeanne Daprano is still pushing her body to the limit. She’s still running competitive races, breaking world records and taking on new challenges.“The thing I’m learning about aging is that it’s inevitable,” Daprano said.“I’m not going to escape it. There are two ways to go:You can either press on or give up.”
Daprano grew up in Iowa. Then, she moved to California. As a primary school teacher, she began running in order to keep up with her student.“I was known as a running teacher,” she said.“I had my students do fitness before we studied in the morning and then throughout the day.”Then she began running competitively with 5K and 10K road races before moving to the track. She is now the world record holder in the women’s 75-year-old age group 400 meters and 800 meters. “When I get to the final fi nish line, I want this body to be worn out. I’m not doing this to live to be 100. I’m doing this to be the best I can be today.”
After moving to Atlanta about a decade ago, Daprano met fitness trainer David Buer. Ever since, she’s been coming to his gym, where he tailors workouts for Daprano’s specifc needs.“When she came to me, she was pushing 70 years old,”Buer said.“I’ve worked with other individuals of Jeanne’s age, but she came to me with different goals. She had a unique drive and passion—not just a passion for fitness or athletics but for life in general.”
Last February, Daprano took on a new challenge: her first indoor rowing competition. In classic fashion, she broke the world record in the 80-to-84 age group, rowing 2,000 meters in 9:23:7. For those hoping to either start getting in shape or stay in shape for a long time, she offers this advice: Listen to your body. What are you passionate about? How are you going to keep physically fit and mentally fit? Start where you are. Don’t look ahead or compare yourself to somebody else.
1. What does the underlined word“inevitable” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Invisible. | B．Abnormal. | C．Impossible. | D．Unavoidable. |
| A．working at a primary school | B．taking fitness training classes |
| C．volunteering in a 5K road race | D．moving to Atlanta |
| A．She was a qualified teacher. | B．She was an unusual woman. |
| C．She was too old to run a race. | D．She was hard to get along with. |
| A．Run right now. | B．Live and learn. |
| C．Follow your heart. | D．Be a good listener. |
6 . Donna Strickland was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Arthur Ashkin and Gérard Mourou.It’s the first time in 55 years that a woman has won this famous prize, but why has it taken so long? We look at five other pioneering female physicists — past and present — who actually deserve the prize.
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Perhaps the most famous snub (冷落): the student Bell discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967, when she was a PhD student at Cambridge.The Nobel Prize that recognised this landmark discovery in 1974, however, went to her male supervisor, Antony Hewish.Recently awarded a £2.3 million Breakthrough Prize, which she gave away to help under-represented students, she joked to The Guardian, “I feel I’ve done very well out of not getting a Nobel Prize.”
Lene Hau
Hau is best-known for leading the research team at Harvard University in 1999 that managed to slow a beam of light, before managing to stop it completely in 2001.Often topping Nobel Prize prediction lists, could 2019 be Hau’s year.
Vera Rubin
Rubin discovered dark matter in the 1980s, opening up a new field of astronomy.She died in 2016, without recognition from the committee.
Chien-Shiung Wu
Wu’s “Wu experiment” helped disprove the “law of conservation of parity”.Her experimental work was helpful but never honoured, and instead, her male colleagues won the 1957 Nobel Prize for their theoretical work behind the study.
Lise Meitner
Meitner led groundbreaking work on the discovery of nuclear fission.However, the discovery was acknowledged by the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which was won by her male co-lead, Otto Hahn.
1. When was the discovery of radio pulsars recognised by the Nobel?| A．In 1944． | B．In 1967． | C．In 1974． | D．In 1980． |
| A．Donna Strickland. | B．Jocelyn Bell Burnell. |
| C．Lene Hau. | D．Vera Rubin. |
| A．The five female scientists did greatly in chemistry. |
| B．Vera Rubin had opened up a new field in geometry. |
| C．Lise Meitner’s teacher won a Nobel Prize for her work. |
| D．The five female scientists haven’t been awarded Nobel Prize. |
7 . If it had not been for Fan Jinshi and her team, the world cultural heritage of Dunhuang Mogao Caves in a remote Chinese desert might have long been destroyed by sand, weather or humans.
Born in Beijing and raised in Shanghai, Fan has spent half a century fighting an uphill battle to preserve the ancient Buddhist wall paintings at Dunhuang, in Northwest China’s Gansu Province. The 1,653-year-old Dunhuang Mogao Caves are a huge collection of Buddhist art—more than 2,000 buddha figures and 45,000 square metres of paintings spread among 735 caves. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Archaeologist Fan was sent to Dunhuang after graduating from Peking University in 1963. While in Dunhuang, a remote village in the desert then, Fan lived in an abandoned temple. At first, she did not even dare to go out to the toilet at night. To protect the treasures from sand and dampness, Fan and other workers put doors on the caves, planted trees and started monitoring temperature and humidity in the caves. They also controlled the number of visitors.
In the late 1990s, with tourism booming nationwide since national holidays were extended, the local government planned to go public with Dunhuang Mogao Caves, but found Fan firmly in_their_way. “The heritage would have been destroyed if it had been listed，” she said.
Dunhuang Academy has now photographed and cataloged online all the sculptures and paintings. “Despite our efforts to minimise damage, we can’t completely stop them from being eroded. But the digital database will last.”
Fan was grateful when her husband joined her in Dunhuang in 1986 after 19 years of separation. Her two sons grew up seldom with her accompany. “I have not been a good mother or wife. With regard to my family, I’m full of guilt，” she said. Fan, 81, retired four years ago as the director of Dunhuang Academy but continues her efforts as a national political adviser.
1. When was Fan separated from her husband?| A．In 1963. | B．In 1967. |
| C．In 1986. | D．In the late 1990s. |
| A．Go to a place. |
| B．Be in favour of something. |
| C．Reject something. |
| D．Give in to something. |
| A．The history of Dunhuang Mogao Caves. |
| B．The attractions of Dunhuang Mogao Caves. |
| C．Fan’s devotion to preserving Dunhuang Mogao Caves. |
| D．The appeal for the protection of Dunhuang Mogao Caves. |
| A．Considerate. | B．Kind. |
| C．Humorous. | D．Devoted. |
8 . In July 2021, astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS) planted pepper seeds as part of an experiment to test which plants could be successfully grown in space. The peppers were harvested four months later, and the team celebrated with a party and taste test.
For astronauts living mostly off prepackaged foods for months at a time on the ISS, fresh and flavourful produce is welcomed. With long missions to the Moon and Mars in focus, NASA is working to find sustainable ways for astronauts to enjoy fresh foods, which will add key nutrients to their diets and improve their state of mind.
Astronauts have grown radishes, zinnias and a variety of lettuces on board the ISS before, but this is the first time they grew peppers, which posed a new challenge, reports Elizabeth Howell for Space. com.
Biologists at the Kennedy Space Centre spent two years picking the perfect pepper. They wanted to try peppers because they’re a great source of vitamins and nutrients, and they can be eaten raw or cooked. Plus, peppers are fairly low maintenance to grow.
In June, a carrier delivered supplies to the ISS along with a package of 48 pepper seeds. Astronauts on board planted the seeds in a microwave oven-sized growing container. The conditions in it—such as lighting, watering and air circulation—were controlled by a crew based at the Kennedy Space Centre. On board, the astronauts collected data and offered feedback on the flavour of the peppers.
“This is important because the food astronauts eat needs to be as good as the rest of their equipment,” LaShelle Spencer, a plant scientist at NASA, said over the summer. “To successfully send people to Mars and bring them back to Earth, we will not only require the most nutritious foods, but the best tasting ones as well.”
1. Why did astronauts attempt to plant pepper in space?| A．There were no enough food for astronauts. |
| B．Only pepper can grow in space. |
| C．Pepper can grow better than other plants. |
| D．Humans wanted to test which plants can grow in space. |
| A．It needn’t too much later care. | B．Its nutrients are the highest. |
| C．The vitamins in it are the most. | D．It improves their state of mind most. |
| A．Package. | B．Container. | C．Seed | D．Microwave. |
| A．The idea that pepper is grown in space is silly. |
| B．Astronaut need special nutrition to keep the best state of mind. |
| C．Pepper can’t be eaten cooked in space but it can be eaten raw. |
| D．It is the carrier that is in charge of sending feedback on the peppers. |
9 . Helpful Ways to Deal with a Know-It-All Friend
Sometimes having a friend who thinks she knows everything and always offers her advice can really make one upset. But with some ways to deal with the know-it-all, you can easily deal with that friend. Also a know-it-all friend often acts as if she were the best.
Try to understand. There may be a reason why your know-it-all friend does so. Maybe she has low self-esteem (自尊), or she’s not happy in her life.
Give her a little attention. Giving a little attention is one of the best ways to deal with a know-it-all friend. Show some enthusiasm for what the know-it-all says in order to give her enough attention.
Have a talk with her. If you are tired of her advice, come right out with it. Speak politely and don’t scold her. Try to find a good time to talk to her.
| A．Feel free to ignore her all the time. |
| B．Don’t take her comments seriously. |
| C．However, make sure you don’t overdo it. |
| D．Try not to go to those places where you think she’ll be. |
| E．Try to understand her and understand why she acts this way. |
| F．If you have such a friend, here are a few tips on dealing with her. |
| G．You need to know what you’re going to say and be sure to only use kind words. |
10 . Born in California and representing the United States before switching to China, teenager Gu Ailing decided to represent China in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
The 17-year-old is a freeskier and Grade-A student with an American father and Chinese mother. She grew up and still lives in the United States, but in June 2019 she made the “quite difficult” decision to compete for China. She wrote on Instagram that she was “proud of my heritage and equally proud of my American upbringing”.
As for the decision to compete on behalf of China, she said it is “a valuable opportunity to help inspire millions of young people in China where my mom was born.”
Gu graduated from a San Francisco high school in 2020. It is reported that she scored 1,580 points out of a maximum 1,600 in the SAT, and has been offered a place at Stanford.
Gu started learning to ski at the age of 3, competed in national competitions at 9 and won her first World Cup event at 15. She won two gold medals and a silver at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. On Jan, 30th, 2021, Gu made her debut at the X Games in Aspen, Colorado and won two golds and a bronze. In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, she achieved great success—two golds and a silver.
“My goal is to win Olympic gold,” she said before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
“It’s the top achievement. And that would be rewarding for all the work that I’ve done to achieve greatness in the sport.” Her efforts finally paid off.
1. What do we know about Gu Ailing?| A．She grew up in China. | B．She is an average student. |
| C．She will graduate from a high school. | D．She decided to compete for China. |
| A．Helpful and knowledgeable. | B．Modest and hard-working. |
| C．Clever and ambitious. | D．Creative and confident. |
| A．Gu Ailing had great achievements as a freeskier. |
| B．Gu Ailing began training when she was young. |
| C．Gu Ailing learned to do snow sports in China. |
| D．Gu Ailing won her first World Cup event at 15. |
| A．Gu Ailing-An American Freeskier |
| B．Gu Ailing-A Stanford Graduate |
| C．Gu Ailing-A Talented Chinese Freeskier |
| D．Gu Ailing-A World Cup Champion |
