1 . In the late 1930s, a collection of 14 gold Roman coins, known as the Chapipi treasure, was also found in the same woodlands. The researchers believe that local people may have buried their coins to keep them safe during a period of intense political instability in the region. The most recent coin in the newly-discovered Grado collection dates to A.D. 430, which was after the Suebi — a group of Germanic people originally from modern-day Germany and the Czech Republic — pushed the Romans out of Spain in A.D. 409, according to El Pais.
What does the underlined word “them” refer to in Paragraph 4?
| A．The Romans. | B．The coins. | C．The woodlands. | D．The researchers. |
2 . 30 years later, Bob and his wife, Jill Welch, decided to turn their wedding into a fundraiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Their wedding guests financed two wishes for local children, more being planned. Many donated generously to the cause, spending more, perhaps, than they might have if it was just to buy the couple a wedding gift like fine china or a kitchen appliance. Bob said their wedding donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation isn’t going to be “one and done”. The two plan on continuing to contribute going forward.
What does the underlined part “one and done” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．Once-only. | B．Non-stop. | C．Sizable. | D．Personal. |
3 . The world is getting greener, according to a new study published in Nature this week.
Chi Chen, lead author of the study, and his colleagues have been mining data collected by an orbiting NASA camera that monitors green vegetation on Earth’s surface, day by day. Even more interesting: They are able to show the exact causes of increasing or decreasing leaf cover in particular areas.
In some cold places, increase in leaf cover apparently resulted from global warming. Since the climate is becoming more and more temperate and the growing season is getting longer and longer, the plants are growing bigger and leafier there.
Which of the following best explains the underlined word “temperate” in paragraph 3?
| A．Warm. | B．Wet. |
| C．Cold. | D．Dry. |
4 . Merebeth’s pet delivery service satisfies her wanderlust. It has taken her to every state in the US except Montana, Washington and Oregon, she says proudly. If she wants to visit a new place, she will simply find a pet with transport needs there. She travels in all weathers. She has driven through 55 mph winds in Wyoming, heavy flooding and storms in Alabama and total whiteout conditions in Kansas.
The word “wanderlust” in paragraph 2 means a desire to_?
| A．make money. | B．try various jobs. |
| C．be close to nature. | D．travel to different places. |
5 . That includes huge savings in maintenance costs and better protection of railway personnel safety. It is calculated that European railways alone spend approximately 20 billion euros a year on maintenance, including sending maintenance staff, often at night, to inspect and repair the rail infrastructure. That can be dangerous work that could be avoided with drones assisting the crews’ efforts.
What does “maintenance” underlined in paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．Personnel safety. | B．Assistance from drones. |
| C．Inspection and repair. | D．Construction of infrastructure. |
6 . As Ginni Bazlinton reached Antarctica, she found herself greeted by a group of little Gentoo penguins (企鹅) longing to say hello. These gentle, lovely gatekeepers welcomed her and kick-started what was to be a trip Ginni would never forget.
Ever since her childhood, Ginni, now 71, has had a deep love for travel. Throughout her career (职业) as a professional dancer, she toured in the UK, but always longed to explore further. When she retired from dancing and her sons eventually flew the nest, she decided it was time to take the plunge.
Which of the following best explains “take the plunge” underlined in paragraph 2?
| A．Try challenging things. | B．Take a degree. |
| C．Bring back lost memories. | D．Stick to a promise. |
7 . Wendy Wilson, extra care manager at 60 Penfold Street, one of the first to embark on the project, said: “Residents really welcome the idea of the project and the creative sessions. We are looking forward to the benefits and fun the project can bring to people here.”
What do the underlined words “embark on” mean in paragraph 7?
| A．Improve. | B．Oppose. | C．Begin. | D．Evaluate. |
8 . A hungry badger (獾) searching for food seems to have uncovered what turned out to be hundreds of Roman coins in a Spanish cave, according to a new study.
Archaeologists (考古学家) first discovered several coins laying on the ground at the entrance to a small cave in the woodlands outside Grado in northern Spain in April 2021. The researchers suspect that the coins were unearthed by a badger from a nearby den (兽窝) after a heavy snow which made it harder for animals to find food. The hungry badger probably got into the cave looking for food but came across the coins instead.
After fully exploring the cave, researchers collected 209 coins dating to between the third and fifth centuries A. D. “To date, this is the largest amount of Roman coins found in the cave in northern Spain,” the researchers wrote in their paper. They described the discovery as an “exceptional find”.
What do the researchers think of the discovery in 2021?
| A．It’s dangerous. | B．It’s timely. | C．It’s meaningless. | D．It’s unusual. |
9 . Now, an increasing number of cities are suspending recycling services, partly out of fear that workers might contact the coronavirus from one another while sorting through used water bottles, food containers and boxes. One solution: Let robots do the job.
Since the coronavirus took hold in the United States last month, AMP Robotics has seen a “significant” increase in orders for its robots that use artificial intelligence to sort through recycled material, and weed out trash. Some facilities that were looking at getting one or two robots are now saying, “We need quite a bit more.” The Colorado company’s chief executive, Matanya Horowitz said, “It’s all moving quite fast.”
Before the pandemic, automation had been gradually replacing human work in a range of jobs, from call centers to warehouses and grocery stores, as companies looked to cut labor costs and improve profit.
But labor and robotics experts say social-distancing directives, which are likely to continue in some form after the crisis become less strong, could cause more industries to accelerate their use of automation. And long-lasting worries about job losses or a broad unease about having machines control vital aspects of daily life could disappear as society sees the benefits of restructuring workplaces in ways that minimize close human contact.
Recycling is one industry that may be altered permanently by the pandemic. Some workers, who earn as little as $10 an hour, have been concerned about coming to work during the crisis and some cities have been competing to find enough protective gear (防护装备) for all of their employees. Federal health officials have assured them that the risks of transmission from household refuse is low. But workers in recycling facilities often work side by side sorting material, making social distancing difficult.
At AMP Robotics, executives like Mr. Horowitz say their robots will enable recycling facilities to space out their employees, who stand at conveyor belts weeding through the used plastic and paper.
1. How do people feel about automation after the pandemic?| A．Panicked. | B．Doubtful. | C．Appreciative. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Sorting out recycled material. | B．Minimizing close human contact. |
| C．Replacing the jobs of cheap labor. | D．Producing enough protective gear. |
10 . Popularity is a well-explored subject in social psychology. Mitch Prinstein, a professor of clinical psychology sorts the popular into two categories: the likable and the status seekers. The likables’ plays-well-with-others qualities strengthen schoolyard friendships, jump-start interpersonal skills and, when tapped early, are employed ever after in life and work. Then there’s the kind of popularity that appears in adolescence: status born of power and even dishonorable behavior.
What did Dr. Prinstein’s study find about the most liked kids?
| A．They appeared to be aggressive. |
| B．They tended to be more adaptable. |
| C．They enjoyed the highest status. |
| D．They performed well academically. |
