1 . Emerging economies (新兴经济体) struggled to grow through the 2010s and pessimism clouds them now. People wonder how they will pay debts piling up and grow rapidly. The solution is the fast-spreading digital revolution. The world’s largest emerging market has already demonstrated the enormous effects of digital technology. As China’s old industries have slowed sharply over the past decade, the booming technology industry has kept the economy growing steadily.
Now China’s emerging market peers are getting a push from the same digital engines. Since 2014, more than 10,000 tech firms have been launched in emerging markets. From Bangladesh to Egypt, it is easy to find entrepreneurs (企业家) who worked for Facebook or other US giants before coming home to start their own companies.
How can the emerging market countries adopt common digital technologies faster than the richer countries? In societies filled with stores and services, customers are accustomed to using the providers they have. However, in countries where people have difficulty even finding public facilities, a bank or a hospital, they will jump at the first digital option. Though only 5% of the Kenyans carry credit cards, more than 70% have access to digital banking.
The digital impact on productivity is visible. Many governments are moving services online to make them more transparent (透明的) and less affected by corruption (腐败), perhaps the most feared obstacle to doing business in the emerging world. Since 2010, the cost of starting a business has been steady in developed countries while falling sharply in emerging market countries, from 66% to just 27% of the average annual income. Entrepreneurs can now launch businesses affordably, organizing much of what they need on a smartphone.
The era of rapid digitization has only just begun. This offers many developing economies a revolutionary new path to catching up with the living standards of the developed world.
1. Which is a result of digital technology for China?| A．Stable economic growth. | B．Accumulated debts. |
| C．Struggling new industries. | D．Booming old industries. |
| A．To present emerging markets’ digital technologies. |
| B．To show rich nations abandon what they own unwillingly. |
| C．To present emerging markets accept digital options warmly. |
| D．To show poor nations have difficulty building public facilities. |
| A．The steady annual income. |
| B．The low cost of launching businesses. |
| C．The simplified procedure of setting up a business. |
| D．The thorough removal of the most feared obstacle. |
| A．Emerging Economies Are Seeking Their Fortune |
| B．The Digital Impact Is Huge on Global Productivity |
| C．The Era of Rapid Digitization Is Around the Corner |
| D．Digital Technology Will Save Slow Emerging Markets |
2 . According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term “couch potato” first appeared in print in a December, 1979 edition of the Los Angeles Times. Since then, has become a familiar term for a person who spends a lot of time sitting, and little time exercising. Although there does not seem to be any particular reason why the term “couch potato” is used rather than “couch tomato” , a person may become a “couch potato” because living this way is said to make you round like a potato. The term is also said to have something to do with the high-calorie (卡路里) food like potato chips.
People now would say “couch potato” whenever they talk about overweight and obesity (肥胖). Indeed, “couch potatoes” are believed to have heart disease risks, which can be avoided by regular exercise.
It is true that technology and modern life in general make us sick, fat, lazy and physically/mentally soft. The more time people spend using technology, particularly televisions and computers, the less time they will spend being physically active.
“Couch potato” kids are a particular concern. Media reports repeatedly claim that children today are fatter than their elder generations, but less athletically skilled, less interested in physical activities and more addicted (上瘾的) to “junk food” and technology such as televisions and computers. The message is clear: today’s children are fat because they are lazy and eat too much. Moreover, because technology is becoming more sophisticated (复杂的), children are less able to resist (抵抗，忍得住) technology’s attraction, and are more likely to spend more time using technology, less time doing physical activities and，therefore, more likely to be fat.
1. The first paragraph is mainly about ________.| A．why “couch potato” is used as a term for a person |
| B．when “couch potato” is used as a term for a person |
| C．how “couch potato” is different from “couch tomato” |
| D．what kind of person looks like a potato |
| A．we are more likely to have heart disease risks in modern life |
| B．we spend less time doing exercise |
| C．we needn’t do many things by ourselves any more |
| D．we spend all our time watching TV and playing computer games |
| A．food | B．study |
| C．health | D．hobby |
| A．scientists should stop their technology research |
| B．parents should take better care of their children |
| C．kids should be stopped from using new technology |
| D．people should spend less time using technology |
3 . With the job market becoming increasingly competitive every year, a growing number of fresh university graduates are choosing “delayed employment”.
Relaxation under pressure
Experts say more college students are deciding not to work upon graduation to avoid the pressure in the fight for positions. Some young people who are not faced with a heavy economic burden (经济负担) are simply staying at home, relying on parents.
More knowledge about the world
As the old Chinese saying goes, “traveling thousands of miles is better than reading thousands of books.”
There are more choices for young people born after 1995. But they are not willing to give in and take a job they don’t like.
| A．Personal interest. |
| B．Too many job choices. |
| C．Jobs related to their interests have greater attraction. |
| D．Why do these graduates decide to delay job search? |
| E．They just want to get relaxed before hunting for a job. |
| F．How do these graduates spend their time after graduation? |
| G．University students have learned a lot from books but lack practice. |
4 . It has been shown that watching English movie trailers(预告片) can improve your English vocabulary and thinking skills.
The first step is to find them. Go to YouTube and do a search for something like “official trailer”. Several film trailers will appear.
Make sure the video you choose offers closed captions(字幕), which you will use later. You can find the closed caption mark at the bottom of the video. It may be listed as “CC” or something else. Keep in mind that trailers more than five or seven years old may not offer closed captions on YouTube.
Next, watch the video at a normal speed without closed captions. Try to understand what the story is about overall. Then watch it again to seek more details.
| A．So choose newer videos. |
| B．You can choose some that look interesting. |
| C．They may sound a little strange at a slower speed. |
| D．With this method, you are testing your English skills. |
| E．Then watch the video again, this time with closed captions. |
| F．Besides, try using your notebook as you learn English in your everyday life. |
| G．Now let's talk about steps you can take to get the most out of watching them. |
5 . Starting in early January, 15-year-old Abby Gagne spent some weekends walking through snow in the 330 acres of woods around her house “tapping” trees. Abby’s family are sugar makers. For five generations, her family have collected sap from maple trees. They boil it down into the thick sweet syrup that North Americans love to apply on their pancakes.
Abby’s dad, Jason drills holes 1.5 inches deep into the trunks of maples in the woods. Sugar makers tap only older trees. These are usually at least 40 years old and 10 inches thick at chest height. They stick a tap into each hole, usually one per tree. Taps made of plastic are used for sap to flow through. They will come out at the end of the season, and the holes will return to health.
Plastic tubes hook up to the taps and connect them to one another. The sap flows into a collection tank in the woods. From the collection tank, the Gagnes pump the sap into a ma-chine to remove a lot of the sap’s water.Then it’s moved into an evaporator in a building called “sugar house”. The Gagnes make a fire out of maple wood chips. The fire heats the sap and boils it. When it reaches 219 degrees, the syrup is ready to be made.
Syrup is poured into glass or plastic bottles. But 150 years ago, sugar makers used tin cans. These containers could prevent syrup from seeping out and allowed them to ship it far from home and helped maple become a big business.
Sugar makers should thank native Americans for their knowledge. White settlers as early as 1600s learned the craft from the Ojibwe and other tribes. Early native techniques were similar to those sugar makers use now except that they collected sap in bark bowls before boiling it over an open fire. Either way, the resulting maple syrup was, and is tasty.
1. What did Abby help do on weekends?| A．Collect maple branches. | B．Drill holes in the woods. |
| C．Boil the thick sweet syrup. | D．Get sap from maple trees. |
| A．The need of wood chips. | B．The makeup of maple trees. |
| C．The process of making syrup. | D．The technique of collecting sap. |
| A．Breaking. | B．Blowing. | C．Looking. | D．Leaking. |
| A．Syrup made by native Americans is the tastiest. |
| B．Americans have a long history of making syrup. |
| C．Today’s sugar makers often boil sap over an open fire. |
| D．Native Americans’ techniques of making syrup are lost. |
6 . Tea drinking was common in China for nearly one thousand years before anyone in Europe had ever heard about tea. People in Britain were much slower in finding out what tea was like, mainly because tea was very expensive. It could not be bought in shops and even those people who could afford to have it sent from Holland did so only because it was a fashionable curiosity. Some of them were not sure how to use it. They thought it was a vegetable and tried cooking the leaves. Then they served them mixed with butter and salt. They soon discovered their mistake but many people used to spread the used tea leaves on bread and give them to their children as sandwiches.
Tea remained rare and very expensive in England until the ships of the East India Company began to bring it direct from China early in the seventeenth century. During the next few years so much tea came into the country that the price fell and many people could afford to buy it.
At the same time people on the Continent were becoming more and more fond of tea. Until then tea had been drunk without milk in it, but one day a famous French lady named Madame de Sevigne decided to see what tea tasted like when milk was added. She found it so pleasant that she would never again drink it without milk. Because she was such a great lady her friends thought they must copy everything she did, so they also drank their tea with milk in it. Slowly this habit spread until it reached England and today only very few Britons drink tea without milk.
At first, tea was usually drunk after dinner in the evening. No one ever thought of drinking tea in the afternoon until a duchess found that a cup of tea and a piece of cake at three or four o'clock stopped her getting “a sinking feeling” as she called it. She invited her friends to have this new meal with her, and so tea-time was born.
1. Which of the following is true of the introduction of tea into Britain?| A．The Britons got expensive tea from India. |
| B．Tea reached Britain from Holland. |
| C．The Britons were the first people in Europe who drank tea. |
| D．It was not until the 17th century that the Britons had tea. |
| A．How tea-time was born in Holland. |
| B．The history of tea drinking in Britain. |
| C．How tea became a popular drink in France. |
| D．How the Britons got the habit of drinking afternoon tea. |
| A．In the eighteenth century. | B．In the sixteenth century. |
| C．In the seventeenth century. | D．In the late seventeenth century. |
| A．It tasted like milk. |
| B．It was good for health. |
| C．It became a popular drink. |
| D．They tried to copy the way Madame de Sevigne drank tea. |
7 . Don’t let the heat keep you away from New Orleans. For one thing, the hotel rates are the lowest they’ll be all year. For another, with wonderful events, you’ll barely notice the heat. Come and see what we’re all about in summer.
FESTIGALS
Festigals is an annual festival that celebrates, and supports women of all backgrounds and causes related to women’s well-being. It features a variety of New Orleans-themed activities, designed for women and by women. It usually includes famous female speakers.
DATES: June 5-7, 2020
RED DRESS RUN
The run usually begins in French Quarter, although the exact location is only announced to those who registered. The runners, with drinks in hand, continue their route through the French Quarter and spend the rest of the day celebrating. Participants can sign up online on the official website. Registration usually includes donations to local charities, and beers for the run. You must be 21 or older to participate.
DATE: August 8, 2020
PRICE $65
RUNNING OF THE BULLS
Instead of running from real bulls, New Orleanians gather in the traditional colors of Spain’s bull run and chase runners with plastic bats on their rollerblades (旱冰鞋). Thousands of runners gather early in the morning in Downtown to participate in the run, wearing all white with a bit of red.
DATES: July 10-12, 2020
NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL
This year’s festival has expanded to two weekends, taking place June 19-21 and June 24-28. Guests can enjoy live music performances, local chefs, kids activities, salsa dancing and more. While the official fest takes place June 26-28, there’s plenty to do leading up to and following Caribbean Fest. To learn more about this year’s fest, visit here.
1. What is special about Festigals?| A．It shows great concern for females. |
| B．It features New Orleans’ local food. |
| C．It is celebrated in hot summer. |
| D．It is open to women only. |
| A．Runners have to run all day long. |
| B．Runners can sign up on the spot. |
| C．There is an age limit for runners. |
| D．It provides free food and drinks. |
| A．FESTIGALS. |
| B．RED DRESS RUN. |
| C．RUNNING OF THE BULLS. |
| D．NOLA CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL. |
