1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Getting rid of dirt, in the opinion of most people, is a good thing. However, the attitudes to dirt are always changing.

In the early 16th century, people thought that dirt on the skin was a means to block out disease, and washing off dirt with hot water could open up the skin and let ills in. A particular danger was thought to lie in public baths. By 1538, the French king had closed the bath houses in his kingdom. The king of England did something similar in 1546. Thus began a long time when the rich and the poor in Europe lived with dirt in a friendly way. France’s Henry IV was famously dirty. Upon learning that a nobleman had taken a bath, the king ordered that, to avoid the attack of disease, the nobleman should not go out.

Though the belief above was long-lived, dirt has no longer been regarded as a nice neighbour ever since the 18th century. Scientifically speaking, cleaning away dirt is good to health. Clean water supply and hand washing are practical means of preventing disease. Yet, it seems that standards of cleanliness have moved beyond science since World War II. Advertisements repeatedly sell the idea; clothes need to be whiter than white, cloths ever softer, surfaces to shine. Has the hate for dirt, however, gone too far?

Attitudes to dirt still differ hugely nowadays. Many first-time parents nervously try to warn their children off touching dirt, which might be responsible for the spread of disease. On the contrary, Mary Ruebush, an American immunologist(免疫学家) , encourages children to play in the dirt to build up a strong immune system. And the latter position is gaining some ground.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . Stop all the clocks

Two hundred years ago, a device began to dominate the world of work. No, not the steam engine — the gadget was the clock. With the arrival of the factory, people were paid on the basis of how many hours they worked, rather than their material output.

The tyranny (专制的) of time was marked by a number of innovations. As few workers owned watches or clocks in the 19th century, people known as "knocker-uppers" would wander the streets knocking on doors and windows to wake workers at the right time.     1    Eventually, as workers moved farther away from their place of employment, the power of the clock led to daily rush hours, as millions headed to and from work.

The clock's authoritarian rule may at last be weakening.     2    But it only offered employees the ability to choose when in the day they worked their allotted (分配的) hours. Remote working has brought a greater degree of freedom. According to a recent survey, flexible working was viewed very positively, improving both people's work-life balance and productivity. Flexible workers even scored more highly on a sense of "belonging" to their organization than those on a nine- to-five schedule.

    3    Working an inflexible eight-hour schedule is incredibly restricting. Parents on a conventional routine may be able to take their children to school in the morning but are unlikely to be able to pick them up in the afternoon. Many families find themselves constantly juggling schedules and giving up precious holiday time to deal with domestic emergencies.

On reflection, it is also not too shocking that home-workers feel they are more productive. After all, few people have the ability to concentrate solidly for eight hours at a stretch. There are points in the day where people are tempted to stare out of the window or go for a walk; these may be moments when they find inspiration or recharge themselves for the next task. When they do this in an office, they risk the boss's disapproval.     4    

Of course, the new schedule carries dangers: people may lose all separation between work and home life, and succumb to stress. To inject some human contact, companies may embrace a hybrid model in which workers go into the office for part of the week. But overall office-workers' freedom from time's yoke is to be welcomed. The clock was a cruel master and many people will be happy to escape its dominion.

A．It is hardly surprising that workers prefer flexibility.

B．But for many office workers, remote working is perfectly sensible.

C．Flexible working existed well before the pandemic.

D．Instead, at home, they can work when they are most motivated.

E．Later, factories would use hooters and whistles to signal the start and end of shifts.

F．Often, they paid a penalty (罚金) in terms of time wasted in traffic jams.

5 . TRAIN TRAVEL INFORMATION

We offer several distinct options for you to choose the ticket that suits you best.

Ticket type	Discount*	Notes
standard returns	20%	return within 60days of the outward trip
same-day returns	25%	ticket cannot be altered or refunded
children	40%	children between 4 and 11
students	25%	student card must be shown
senior citizens	25%	senior card must be shown
groups （10-25 people）	15%	discount on each section of the trip
globe-trotter tickets	according to the ticket	Railpass, Tourist Card or Econopass must be shown

✿Only one discount may apply to each fare.

CHANGES AND REFUNDS

Tickets may be refunded no later than five minutes before the departure of the train for a charge of 15% of the ticket price, or the journey may be changed to another day for a charge of 10% of the ticket price.（Not applicable to same-day returns.）

CHANGES FOR SAME-DAY TRAVEL

You may change your ticket once without charge for a journey on the same day as the original ticket.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO TRAVELERS

1. When you buy a ticket, you must check that the dates and times of the journey on it are exactly the same as these you requested.

2. Ticket control and access to each train platform will be open until two minutes before the departure of the train.

3. Each traveler may take one suitcase and one item of hand luggage. You may also check in 15 kg of luggage no later than 30 minutes before departure, at no extra charge.

4. If you would like to charter a train or make reservations for over 25 passengers traveling together, please call the Sales Department.

OUR TIMETABLE IS GUARANTEED

If the arrival of your train at the destination is delayed by more than five minutes according to the timetable and if the delay is caused by us, we will refund the full price of your ticket.

1. If two 85-year-old travelers want to buy two "standard returns" tickets, they will receive a________discount in all.

A．20%

B．25%

C．45%

D．50%

2. Which of the following statements is true?

A．A large group of people who want to travel together and reserve seats should visit the Sales Department.

B．Passengers can change their journey to another day for free.

C．The full price of the train ticket can be refunded if the train is delayed.

D．It is the passenger's responsibility to make sure that the dates and times on the ticket are correct.

3. This passage is mainly written to________.

A．introduce the luggage allowance on the train	B．give some key information on train travel
C．describe the policies of changes and refunds	D．compare the discounts of different ticket types

6 . She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been six years old. A beautiful brown-haired, freckle-faced girl, bearing the image of innocence.

It was pouring heavily outside. We all stood there just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others annoyed because nature messed up their hurried day. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Her voice was so sweet that it broke the hypnotic trance (昏昏欲睡) we were all caught in. Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" she repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it lets up a bit," Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.

"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she pulled her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'if God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I dare say you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came in or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now, some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life, a time when innocent trust can be nurtured (培育) so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, maybe we just need washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they rushed past the cars and, yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran, too. I got wet. I guess I just needed washing.

1. Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word "affirmation"?

A．Happiness.

B．Approval.

C．Disagreement.

D．Love.

2. What do we know about the mother in the story?

A．Her husband had been cured of cancer.

B．She was strong-willed and considerate.

C．She was in despair and pretended to forget what she said.

D．Her daughter completely understood the situation her family was in.

3. Which of the following may the author agree with?

A．The mother should not tell her child about the family misfortune.

B．Parents should act more bravely than their children.

C．Parents should grasp every opportunity to influence their children positively.

D．Children must learn to show gratitude and understanding to their parents.

4. The best title for the passage might be "________."

A．Running Through the Rain	B．A Determined Mother
C．Waiting in the Rain	D．A Wonderful Experience

9 . When I was growing up in America, I was ashamed of my mother's Chinese English. Because of her English, she was often treated unfairly. People in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.

My mother has long realized the limitations of her English as well. When I was fifteen, she used to have me call people on the phone to pretend I was she. I was forced to ask for information or even to shout at people who had been rude to her. One time I had to call her stockbroker (股票经纪人). I said in an adolescent voice that was not very convincing (令人相信的)，“This is Mrs. Tan. "

And my mother was standing beside me, whispering loudly, “Why he don't send me check already two week late. "

And then, in perfect English I said: "I'm getting rather concerned. You agreed to send the check two weeks ago, but it hasn't arrived. "

Then she talked more loudly. "What he want? I come to New York tell him front of his boss. "And so I turned to the stockbroker again, "I can't tolerate (容忍) any more excuse. If I don't receive the check immediately, I am going to have to speak to your manager when I am in New York next week. "

The next week we ended up in New York. While I was sitting there red-faced, my mother, the real, was shouting to his boss in her broken English.

When I was a teenager, my mother’ s broken English embarrassed me. But now, I see it differently. To me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It is my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, and full of observation and wisdom. It was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed ideas, and made sense of the world.

1. Why was the author's mother poorly served?

A．She was unable to speak good English.	B．She was often misunderstood.
C．She was not clearly heard.	D．She was not very polite.

2. From Paragraph 2,we know that the author was________.

A．good at pretending	B．rude to the stockbroker
C．ready to help her mother	D．unwilling to phone for her mother

3. After the author made the phone call, ________.

A．they forgave the stockbroker   ·	B．they failed to get the check
C．they went to New York immediately	D．they spoke to their boss at once

4. What does the author think of her mother's English now?

A．It confuses her.	B．It embarrasses her
C．It helps her understand the world.	D．It helps her tolerate rude people.

10 . The Slow Death of Spain’s Menú del Día

Food is at the heart of Spanish culture. From social life to business deals, everything revolves around food---above all, lunch. How did Mariano Rajoy, then prime minister, react in 2018 when faced with an unprecedented (前所未有的) vote of no confidence? He went to lunch ... for eight hours.

The three-course menú del día (menu of the day) has been the cornerstone of Spanish food and social life for generations.     1     Now, though, their existence is partly threatened by changing working hours.

The fixed-price menú del día as we now know it was first introduced in the mid-1960s as the “tourist menu,” which helped to ensure that an affordable meal would be within the financial reach of all Spaniards.     2     These family-run restaurants soon became a fixture for millions of Spaniards who had long days, typically working from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., but who couldn’t go home for lunch.

But now working life has changed. Fewer people split the workday with a two-hour break for lunch. “People are realizing that an hour is long enough for lunch,” says José Luis Casero. Furthermore, a decreasing percentage of Spaniards have full-time jobs. Trade unions (工会) estimate 33 percent of jobs that have been created since 2012 are temporary. New professions such as delivery riders do not receive paid lunch breaks. Throughout many Spanish cities today, what may have once been restaurants serving menú del día have already been reborn as kebab (烤肉串) shops or, in more touristy areas, tapas bars (西班牙小食吧).     3    

These days, the tradition only continues to endure in small numbers of restaurants in Spain. Just around the corner from city hall and with mayor Ada Colau being one of its regulars, Cervantes has been a family-run restaurant since the early 1980s. It is now managed by the Esteve sisters: Glòria, Cristina and Gemma. The C13 menú of classic Spanish dishes is chalked up on a board.     4    

“I cook more or less what my mother cooked,” says Glòria. “I know what I know and people like that. It’s all homemade.” “All kinds of people eat here, from officials to builders,” adds Gemma. “There’re people who come to Cervantes for the first time and say: ‘Wow, I didn’t know this sort of place still existed.’ ‘Well,’ I say, ‘we’ve always been here.’”

A．It changes with the seasons, but only slightly.

B．They are less likely to honor the menú tradition.

C．They often make just enough to maintain the families that run them.

D．People see changes in a place like this as an attack on their lifestyle.

E．All of these types of restaurants had to offer at least one of these on its menus until the law was changed in 2010.

F．Consequently, the restaurants serving these menus — generally low on aesthetics (美观性) and high on value for money — have been a feature of the urban landscape.