1 . Questions are based on the following passage.
1.

A．Because the sound of waves is too noisy.

B．Because the experiment may pollute the water.

C．Because the sound of waves may harm sea animals.

D．Because the sea animals may disturb the experiment.

2.

A．To help track the sea animals being tested.

B．To attract more sea animals to the testing site.

C．To drive dangerous sea animals away from the testing site.

D．To determine how sea animals communicate with each other.

3.

A．They were frightened and distressed.

B．They swam away when the speaker was turned on.

C．They swam closer to the speaker when the speaker was turned off.

D．They swam near the speaker whether the speaker was turned on or off.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. critical       B. disproportionately        C. distancing        D. gaps        E. headaches F. hugging     G. typical        H. remotely       I. restart        J. ship          K. worth

Disrupted Schooling Spells Worse Results and Deeper Inequality

The first meeting between teachers in Montpelier, Vermont, before the start of the autumn term is usually festive —     1     over breakfast and coffee. This year they had to make do with an online video conference. After a scramble in the spring (to set up online learning, pack lunches for poor pupils who relied on them and     2     computers to those without them), the district plans to let younger pupils return for in-person learning on September 8th. High school will remain partly online because the building is too small to allow enough room in between. The young pupils who can return will need to wear masks, keep their social     3     and have temperature checks before entering school buses or buildings. Setting up these protocols took many 60-hour weeks over the summer holidays, says Libby Bonesteel, the superintendent.

Of the 50 largest school districts in America, 35 plan to start the coming term entirely     4    . The opportunity to control the virus over the summer has been lost, upending(颠覆) plans for “hybrid” education (part-time in-person instruction). This means more than just child-care     5     for parents. The continued disruption to schooling will probably spell permanent learning loss,     6     hurting poorer pupils.

“Achievement     7     will become great achievement differences,” warns Robin Lake, director of the Centre on Reinventing Public Education, a research group. Analysts at McKinsey, a consultancy, think that the     8     American pupil would suffer 6.8 months of learning loss if in-person instruction does not     9     until January 2021 (which looks possible). This would fall heaviest on black pupils, who would lose over ten months’     10     of instruction, and poor ones, who would fall behind by more than a year. Most likely, there could be 648,000 more high-school dropouts.

3 . It is understandable that the plan to raise the retirement age has sparked debates, because the move involves individuals’ interests and delayed retirement has been on countries’ ________ for a long time.

The wider the debate is, the clearer the issues will be. The first misunderstanding is that the government is thinking over raising the retirement age to ________ the so-called shortfall in pension funds. The fact is, there is no such thing as a nationwide shortfall in the pension funds, because the situation varies from region to region. So we need a ________ pension system to ensure all regions have adequate pension funds.

Many countries with extra pension insurance are drawing up plans for raising the retirement age. Nowadays, people start working at a later age. So the retirement age should be extended ________ the structural changes of individuals’ life-cycle. For example, many born in the 1980s and 1990s started working at 25 or 30 due to their ________ of higher education. If such people retire at 60, they would have worked for only 35 or 30 years. And given their longer life expectancy, they’ll receive pensions for a longer period of time, putting extra ________ on the pension system.

But since delayed retirement ________ people’s interests, it must be planned carefully. First, the retirement age should be raised, once the leadership decides to do so, ________ across the country. Although rolling out pilot programs before ________ economic and social reforms made them more effective, the retirement age cannot be raised in different regions in a targeted manner, because that’ll not be helpful to ________ development in different regions.

Second, some people are against raising the retirement age because they feel they may be forced to work for a few “extra years”. As has been learned from other countries’ ________, some policies can be adopted to help accept the delayed retirement plan. ________, it should be made clear to employees that the longer they contribute to the pension funds, the higher pension they’ll draw after retirement—and early retirement will result in ________ pension.

Third, it is important to balance the interests of different groups. China’s current retirement system distinguishes between men and women, and the employees of State-owned enterprises and privately-owned companies have different opinions on delayed retirement. The new retirement policy needs to be ________ to all groups.

The debate on delayed retirement shows that reforms of social policies will face more challenges and the challenges need political wisdom and practical strategies to________.

1.

A．agenda

B．conflict

C．decision

D．problem

2.

A．result from

B．make up

C．bring about

D．break out

3.

A．unique

B．targeted

C．united

D．different

4.

A．in addition to

B．as a result of

C．ever since

D．in line with

5.

A．aim

B．access

C．admission

D．pursuit

6.

A．effect

B．debt

C．pressure

D．dependence

7.

A．arouses

B．concerns

C．satisfies

D．improves

8.

A．uniformly

B．widely

C．extensively

D．intensively

9.

A．implementing

B．introducing

C．improving

D．promoting

10.

A．rapid

B．balanced

C．effective

D．constant

11.

A．strengths

B．experiences

C．practices

D．attitudes

12.

A．In addition

B．In fact

C．Instead

D．For instance

13.

A．enhanced

B．considerable

C．reduced

D．worthwhile

14.

A．related

B．considerate

C．fair

D．different

15.

A．make

B．resolve

C．introduce

D．practice

4 . “Uncle Chuchu, look!” Uncle Chuchu turns to where Preet is pointing. She quickly eats up the chips on his plate. He always falls for this trick！

Chuchu is the pet name Preet has given him. Uncle Chuchu is the kindest person in Preet’s world. He is also her best friend. One day, Preet sees Uncle Chuchu scoop (抓起) handfuls of candies from a jar and drop them from his bedroom window. She watches in amazement as he ducks under the windowsill, trying hard not to laugh.

Cries of delight float up from the street!

At the end of the lane is a school. When the lunch bell rings, Uncle Chuchu secretly drops candies down to the school children as they pass under his window.

After lunch, Uncle Chuchu walks back to his office with his briefcase. When he passes the children playing, he doesn’t look at them. So, the children never guess that the hand that sends them candies every day belongs to this thin, solemn man!

But one day, Uncle Chuchu has a terrible pain in his stomach. As he’s taken to the hospital, he presses Preet’s hand one last time...

Now, Preet sits in Uncle Chuchu’s empty room. His yoga mat is on the floor. She remembers that long ago one day when she had walked in and found a pair of long legs poking into the air.

“Help!” Preet had yelled. “Uncle Chuchu is hurt!” Mom and Grandma had rushed into the room and burst out laughing! “He’s not hurt.” Mom said. “He’s doing yoga!” Grandma said. “Yoga,” repeated Preet. She had watched with wondering eyes as Uncle Chuchu lifted his body on the palms of his hands, like a bird about to fly away!

Preet’s eyes are wet. Nobody can fill the Uncle Chuchu-shaped hole in her heart.

…

1. The scene described in the first paragraph is intended to show readers ________.

A．that Uncle Chuchu is easily fooled by others

B．what fun Preet used to have with Uncle Chuchu

C．how Preet enjoyed eating snacks such as chips

D．that Uncle Chuchu always treated Preet equally

2. The underlined word “duck” in the second paragraph means _________.

A．hide

B．hang

C．drag

D．mark

3. Why did Uncle Chuchu drop candies from his bedroom window?

A．He didn’t want to eat up all the candies.

B．He was too shy to greet the children directly.

C．He wanted to bring delight to the children.

D．He took pity on the homeless children in the street.

4. What is the best title for the story?

A．Uncle Chuchu’s Yoga Mat	B．Preet’s Farewell to Uncle Chuchu
C．Preet’s Innocent Childhood	D．Uncle Chuchu’s Jar of Candies

5 . Holidays can be enjoyable and relaxing. But sometimes a holiday can change your life completely, which is what happened two years ago to Victoria Smith and Sally Gook.

Victoria Smith, six years ago, was working as a manager at Next, a British chain store. Then she went on holiday to Borneo. “It was a working holiday,” said Victoria, “where you could study the orang-utan in the wild — I have always been interested in apes, so I thought it would be fun. ” The holiday was wonderful, and when Victoria came home she found it very difficult to return to her old life. Although everybody told her she was mad, she decided to go back to university and study biology. Four years later she became a chimpanzee keeper.

For the last two years Victoria has been working at Monkey World, a centre in southwest England that looks after apes which used to be ill-treated. She works long hours, and the pay isn’t very good, but she loves it. “I’m really happy now. Since I started working here I feel that I’ve been doing something important, not just wasting my life.”

Sally Gook wakes up every morning to a deep blue sky and blazing sun. For the last two years she has been living on the tiny Greek island of Lipsi, which is only 16 square kilometers in size and has a population of just 650.

But until a few years ago she lived in London. “I was working for American Express and I had a good social life and earned a lot of money. But I had to get up very early every morning, often in horrible weather, and got a train and the tube to work.”

Then one day she and a friend decided they needed a relaxing holiday, and they came to Lipsi. “I loved it — the people, the mountains, the sun, and the delicious food. Suddenly I knew there was a different life waiting for me here.” A few months later she applied for a job at the travel company which had organized her holiday. Since then she has been living on Lipsi and working as a tourist guide. Sally said, “I’ve only been back to London once, and I can’t imagine ever living there again.”

1. “The orang-utan” (in paragraph 2) most probably refers to ________.

A．a chain store	B．a holiday resort
C．a kind of animal	D．a zoo for wildlife

2. What can be learned from the passage about Victoria Smith?

A．She hesitated over whether to become a chimpanzee keeper.

B．She quit her job as a manager regardless of others’ objection.

C．She finally chose to work and live in Borneo.

D．She felt it unnecessary to work long hours.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Sally Gook’s former job?

A．She didn’t earn much.

B．She worked as a tourist guide.

C．She often went to Greece on business.

D．She spent much time on the way to work.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How the two girls’ holidays changed their life.

B．Why the two girls preferred to live outside cities.

C．How the two girls planned their holidays.

D．Why holidays were enjoyable and relaxing for the two girls.

6 . PAGE ONE

Water Supply of the World

The Antarctic Icecap is the largest supply of fresh water, nearly 2 % of the world’s total of fresh and salt water. As can be seen from the table below, the amount of water in our atmosphere is over ten times as large as the water in all the rivers taken together. The fresh water actually available for human use in lakes and rivers and the accessible ground water amounts to only about one third of one percent of the world’s total water supply.

	Surface area (square miles)	Volume (cubic miles)	Percentage of total
Salt Water The oceans Inland seas and saline lakes	139,500,000 270,000	317,000,000 25,000	97.2 0.008
Fresh Water Fresh water lakes All rivers (average level) Antarctic Icecap Arctic Icecap and glaciers Water in the atmosphere ......	330,000 -- 6,000,000 900,000 197,000,000 ......	30,000 300 6,300,000 680,000 3,100 ......	0.009 0.0001 1.9 0.21 0.001 ......
Total (rounded)		326,000,000	100.00

PAGE TWO

Top Eight Most Visited National Park Sites, (2019)

Rank	Name and Location	number of visitors
1	Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia - North Carolina	19,030,550
2	Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California	14,046,600
3	Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee	9,989,000
4	Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada - Arizona	8,788,055
5	Gateway National Recreation Area, New York - New Jersey	7,134,022
6	George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia - Maryland - DC	6,584,801
7	Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi - Alabama -Tennessee	5,803,094
8	Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York - New Jersey	5,200,633

1. According to the information on Page One, ________ provide(s) us with the largest quantity of fresh water.

A．the Atlantic Icecap	B．the Arctic Icecap and glaciers
C．the water in the atmosphere	D．the Antarctic Icecap

2. According to Page One, we are pretty sure that ________ account for the lowest level of the total water supply on the earth.

A．glaciers	B．fresh water lakes
C．rivers	D．inland seas and saline lakes

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Page Two?

A．Page Two is a list of some of the most popular national waterways in the U.S.A.

B．The annual visitors to Blue Ridge Parkway are almost a third of the number of visitors to George Washington Memorial Parkway.

C．California is the only state that does not share national park with other states.

D．Lake Mead National Recreation Area and Statue of Liberty National Monument are located in the same state.

7 .
1. On which day of the tour, do travalers get to experience the rainforest in the day and stay in Pacific Coast for the night?

A．Day 3.

B．Day 4.

C．Day 5.

D．Day 6.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about the Panama 8-Day Tour?

A．It is priced at $1295 including tax.	B．It is only available to domestic travelers.
C．It was first launched to the public in 1952.	D．The tour package includes airport transfers.

3. The purpose of the advertisement is to_________.

A．remind travelers of key information	B．promote the Panama& Canal Tour
C．advertise a series of Caravan Tours	D．describe the appeal of Panama City

8 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Pop-up Shops Are Gaining Popularity

The retail business may be suffering in Hong Kong, but pop-up shops have become popular with the brands looking to reconnect with the local consumers.

Although the pop-up is not a new concept, the market is welcoming it with open arms. It     1     (regard) as a testing ground for promoting new products, while offering shoppers a more personalized brand interaction. It is believed that the pop-up effect primarily benefits small retailers and young designers, both of       2     expect to connect with their customers for lack of a physical store. On the other hand, they try to avoid long-term contract.

“As we are a young brand, it’s difficult for customers to find us. We’re     3     (likely) to have a permanent store since the barriers to entry are so high,” says the founder of fashion label PT’A. “With the pop-up, we sell in person and have that one-to-one contact with our customers. We see our sales soar dramatically     4     we do pop-ups.”

It is not just small retailers and young designers that are benefiting. With the market     5     (shift) from physical retail to e-commerce, online-only brands such as Grana have used pop-up shops as a way to complement their brand. Customers are able to try out the products firsthand, and then shop online at their convenience. Additionally, established brands are also using pop-ups to excite shoppers. Shiseido, for example, once did a pop-up     6     (promote) one of their specific line of lipsticks. It is otherwise difficult to do in their current retail spaces     7     they have to accommodate their entire product line.

While some industry insiders insist that it is a short-term trend       8     (drive) by a bad economy, others see benefits in the long run. Landlords are also changing their minds. In essence, pop-up shops are mutually beneficial to both the landlord and the retailer.

“Personally, I don’t think pop-ups are a passing trend. From what we       9     (learn) from our customers so far, they are always looking for unique products and experiences, exactly       10     that pop-up shops can offer. I believe they will remain an enduring experiential marketing platform,” says the manager of a small retailer.

9 . In 2018 biologist Jann Vendetti published a paper that described the discovery of five species of non-native snails and slugs（蜗牛和鼻涕虫）in Southern California. The research would not have been possible without some 1,200 volunteers who uploaded nearly 10,000 photos to the SLIME project (Snails and Slugs Living in Metropolitan Environments) on an app called iNaturalist.

“So the entire existence of that paper is dependent upon these citizen scientists. How do you credit those people?” said Greg Pauly from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. “There are some very specific requirements that a lot of journals and a lot of academic societies use. And those requirements largely would exclude nonprofessional scientists. And to me, that’s absurd.” That’s why Pauly, together with Vendetti, and several Australian biologists are arguing that criteria must change to recognize citizen scientists as authors on scientific journal articles.

They propose what they’re calling “group co-authorship.” The author list on Vendetti’s snail-and-slug paper includes the phrase “citizen science participants in SLIME.” But the phrase is absent when you look up the paper on Google Scholar. The publication software simply isn’t equipped to handle that kind of authorship, and so it erases the group’s vital contribution.

In another case, several years ago in Australia, a team of researchers tried to condition native lizards not to eat the poisonous cane toads. The only reason it was successful was because they partnered with the traditional landowners in northwestern Australia, and this group was called the Balanggarra Rangers.

Several journals flat-out refused to allow for the inclusion of the Rangers as group co-authors. Eventually, the researchers did convince the editors of some journals to allow it, but the group’s title was shortened, as if it was a first and last name, in online indexing software: “B. Rangers.”

The researchers argue that these errors and omissions don’t only make the critical contributions of a native community as invisible, they could also be seen as showing prejudice.

“If the person who had made that contribution was a graduate student who was trying to pursue a career in the sciences, we would all say, ‘Oh, of course that person should be a co-author’. But we don’t necessarily extend that same line of reasoning to citizen scientists.”

Allowing for group co-authorship is not a new idea. In 2004 the journal Nature published a paper titled “Initial Sequencing and Analysis of the Human Genome.” It listed as the sole author the “International Human Genome Sequencing Association.” “So let’s just choose this group-authorship model and turn it into group co-authorships. This really shouldn’t be that hard.”

1. What can be learned about Vendetti’s snail-and-slug paper?

A．It is the first paper to credit citizen scientists on the title page.

B．It describes snails and slugs living in metropolitan environments.

C．It is available on the publication software Google Scholar.

D．It includes 10,000 photos of snails and slugs in Southern California.

2. What can be inferred about Balanggarra Rangers?

A．They are familiar with native animals and plants.

B．They make a living by hunting native lizards.

C．They are good business people.

D．They are world famous as B. Rangers.

3. Why is the example of a graduate student mentioned in the 7th paragraph?

A．To point out the omissions in the line of reasoning.

B．To highlight the contribution of a native community.

C．To argue against showing favor for a particular group.

D．To prove that not crediting citizen scientists is unfair.

4. The author’s purpose of writing the article is to ________.

A．expose the unfair practice in the scientific community

B．call for the wide recognition of group co-authorship

C．call on more people to become citizen scientists

D．explain the origin of the term group co-authorship

10 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Understanding the Closeness-Communication Bias（偏见）

Most of us assume that we communicate better with our friends and loved ones than we do with strangers. However, it is often the case that the closer we are to     1    , the less likely we are to listen carefully to them. This phenomenon is called closeness-communication bias, and it has been known to affect personal relationships.

The reason     2     many people unconsciously “tune out” their family members or close friends is that they think they already know what the other person       3     (say). It’s similar to the way in which you might not notice signs, landmarks, or scenery on a path you have travelled down numerous times.

Researchers have repeatedly demonstrated closeness-communication bias in experiments. In one such study, subjects were paired up in a room with friends or spouses,     4     (follow) by being paired up with complete strangers. Researchers then asked the subjects to interpret     5     their friends and spouses were saying to them. In the majority of cases,     6     most subjects assumed they would better understand those they were close to, they actually understood them no better than strangers. In some cases, they understood their close friends and spouses even less.

Another study showed that people are more likely to share their most worrisome troubles with people they were     7     (close) to rather than with their spouses or close friends. By sharing secrets with strangers, people are able to avoid       8     (judge) and prevent creating unnecessary conflict within their close relationships.

Unfortunately, the closeness-communication bias is a reality that most people live     9     whether they know it or not. Not only     10     this prevent people from listening to those they love, but it also means their loved ones aren't listening to them, either.