1 . In the past decade, the use of social media has grown in a way that no one could have guessed. It has turned some teenagers into celebrities and turned the famous into the infamous, overnight.

A key feature of social media, however, is its volatility. Trends come and go, disappearing almost as quickly as they appeared.

Short video apps such as TikTok and its Chinese equivalent (等同物) Douyin, took the world by storm. The Telegraph reported that TikTok was ranked 8th on Apple’s App Store in April. And Douyin had more than 300 million domestic monthly active users in June, CNBC said.

Why are these short videos — which are rarely longer than a few minutes — so popular? Jiang Yige, Singapore-based analyst at FengHe Fund Management, has a theory. “Short videos are just right to fill in the little gaps in our busy schedules,” he told CNBC.

These videos — apart from being very convenient — are important to teenagers because they allow them to express themselves, according to Teen Vogue.

Liza Koshy, a user of the US app Musical, who has over 2 million followers, said, “The sense of community that users of short video apps get is another appealing feature.”

Live streaming (直播) is a feature of our social media life that now seems as natural as sunrise. It’s a pretty neat idea: You can watch anyone, anywhere, live. However, China has taken live streaming to a whole new level. In China, more than 100 million viewers monthly watch a live streaming video. Forbes thought that a number of factors had led to the popularity of the live streaming. Among them is viewers’ ability to interact with unknown names.

However, the quick development of social media may be having side effects too. Fake news is one serious problem it causes. Materials shared on these platforms are often not checked for accuracy. The most basic content can be false and can mislead users one way or another. We use social media all the time, which doesn’t mean that we understand the influence it is having on us. We should be mindful of both the time we spend on it and its impact on our minds.

1. What does the underlined word “volatility” in Paragraph 2 possibly mean?

A．Being changeable.	B．Being steady.
C．Being promising.	D．Being violent.

2. According to Liza Koshy, why are short video apps very popular?

A．They are very convenient.	B．They help people kill time.
C．They provide a sense of community.	D．They allow people to express themselves.

3. What do we know about social media?

A．The information from social media is totally reliable.

B．When it comes to social media, people only know short videos.

C．People can’t communicate with each other without social media.

D．There is still much room for social media to make improvement.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the quick development of social media?

A．Objective.	B．Subjective.
C．Favourable.	D．Disapproving.

2 . 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.

2. What does the phrase “in their way” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Go to a place.

B．Be in favour of something.

C．Reject something.

D．Give in to something.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

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.

4. What kind of person do you think Fan is?

A．Considerate.	B．Kind.
C．Humorous.	D．Devoted.

4 . Ants know when an earthquake is about to strike, researchers have discovered. Their behavior changes greatly before the quake and they resume normal functioning only a day after it. Gabriele Berberich of the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany presented these findings according to Live Science.

Berberich and her team discovered that red wood ants preferred to build their homes right along active faults (断层)in Germany. They counted 15,000 mounds (土堆)lining the faults. These faults are the places where the earth breaks in earthquakes.

Using a special camera that tracked changes in activity, Berberich and her team tracked the ants round the clock for three years. They found that the ants’ behavior changed only when the quake was over magnitude 2.0. There were 10 earthquakes between magnitude 2.0 and 3.2 during this period, and many smaller ones. Humans can also sense quakes over magnitude 2.0 only.

According to Berberich, normal ant activity is made up of going about collecting food during the day and resting in the night. But before an earthquake, the ants didn’t go back to their mound in the night and moved around outside it. This strange behavior continued till a day after the earthquake, Berberich told a news conference, according to Live Science.

How do ants know an earthquake is coming? Berberich suggested that they could either be picking up changing gas or noting small changes in the earth’s magnetic fields (磁场). “ Red wood ants have special cells which can sense changes in carbon dioxide levels. They also have special cells for discovering electromagnetic fields,” she said. Berberich and her team are planning to continue the research in areas where there are more and bigger earthquakes.

1. The underlined word “resume” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”

A．present

B．recover

C．quit

D．improve

2. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To bring in the main topic.

B．To make the text interesting.

C．To introduce a famous researcher.

D．To tell how to predict an earthquake.

3. What happens to the ants before an earthquake?

A．They are too excited to rest.

B．They don’t collect their food.

C．They get lost on their way home.

D．They refuse to go inside their mound.

4. What can be learned about the ants from the passage?

A．They can only sense smaller earthquakes.

B．They have two ways to predict earthquakes.

C．They can be depended on to warn people of earthquakes.

D．They like to build their homes where earthquakes happen.

5 . Most teens are trying to find their purposes in life. However, Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old girl has been coming up with creative solutions to worldwide problems since she was 10. It is, therefore, not surprising that the teen has won the honor of “America’s Top Young Scientist”.

In the 3rd grade, Rao was inspired to do something after seeing the city’s primary water supply in her hometown was polluted by a factory nearby and that high levels of lead (铅)made its way into people’s drinking water.

After 2 months’ research, Rao designed a tool that used sensors to instantly discover lead in water. Called Tethys, after the Greek Goddess (女神)of freshwater, it informs the residents via an app if their drinking water contains lead. The design earned her the 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017. She is now working with scientists and medical professionals to test Tethys’ potential and hopes the device will be ready for market in the near future.

Later, Rao took on another social issue — drug (毒品)addiction. Her app, called Epione, which won the Health Pillar Prize in May 2019, is designed to catch drug addiction in young adults before it’s too late.

More recently, the teen has developed an app named Kindly, which uses AI technology to find possible signs of cyberbullying (网络欺凌). When users type in a word or phrase, Kindly is able to pick it up if it’s bullying, and then it gives the choice to edit it or send it the way it is. It gives them the chance to rethink what they are saying so that they know what to do next time.

Gitanjali Rao has been selected from 5, 000 equally impressive nominees (被提名人)for TIME’s first-ever “Kid of the Year”.

1. What led to Rao’s inventing Tethys?

A．The accident of lead pollution.

B．The issue with drug addiction.

C．The shortage of water supplies.

D．The high cost of making water clean.

2. What is Rao expecting of Tethys?

A．It’ll be fitted to cellphones.

B．It’ll win her a higher prize.

C．It’ll be put on the market soon.

D．It’ll remove lead from water.

3. What will Kindly allow users to do?

A．Receive warning signals of threat.

B．Input words into a computer directly.

C．Choose from safe social networking sites.

D．Consider their words before posting online.

4. Which of the following words can best describe Rao?

A．Professional and positive.	B．Creative and productive.
C．Inspiring and adventurous	D．Determined and amazing

6 . Take time to walk in Shakespeare’s footsteps, without the usual crowds. Your visit to Shakespeare’s Birthplace will help us to make sure that Shakespeare’s heritage survives this difficult period for future visitors to enjoy.

To keep our visitors and staff safe, we have introduced a timed ticket system. All tickets must be booked in advance. Groups larger than 6 are not allowed to book unless they are part of the same household. See below for more details and read about the extra safety measures we’ve put in place.

Please note that Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, Shakespeare’s New Place, Mary Arden’s Farm and Hall’s Croft are closed.

Pre-booking

We’ll be unable to allow you entry without a pre-booked timed entry ticket. Tickets will be sold every Friday, up to 2 weeks in advance.

Before your visit

Please remember the following things, and check our website and social media for updates before travelling.

●If showing COVID-19 symptoms (症状), please stay at home.

●Wear a mask in indoor spaces (unless noted).

●We conduct temperature checks.

●Bag checks are in operation.

●We do not offer baggage store facilities.

●Be ready for cashless payment.

NHS COVID-19 Test and Trace app

Visitors are encouraged to download the NHS COVID-19 Test and Trace app before arrival at Shakespeare’s Birthplace and “check-in” by scanning the QR code available at the ticket desk and entrance to the shop.

1. Which of the following places can you visit now?

A．Mary Arden’s Farm.	B．Shakespeare’s Birthplace.
C．Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.	D．Shakespeare’s New Place.

2. Which kind of ticket can ensure your entry?

A．A ticket released on Friday.	B．A pre-bought season ticket.
C．A pre-booked timed entry ticket.	D．An online booked yearly ticket.

3. What should you do before visiting?

A．Get your bag checked.	B．Take cash with you.
C．Have your face covered.	D．Stay at home for two weeks.

7 . The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “Drive LAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.

Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated and inactive.

Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.

These include custom-made navigation (导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country driving is important for keeping their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”

“But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.”

Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The Drive LAB is helping us to understand what the key stress points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to solve these problems.”

“For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.”

“We hope that our work will help with technological solutions to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”

1. What is the purpose of the Drive LAB?

A．To explore new means of transport.	B．To design new types of cars.
C．To teach people traffic rules.	D．To find out older driver’s problems.

2. Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe?

A．It keeps them independent.	B．It helps them save time.
C．It builds up their strength.	D．It cures their mental illnesses.

3. What do researchers hope to do for older people?

A．Ensure their safety with the help of technology.

B．Improve their diving skills.

C．Provide advice on repairing their cars.

D．Organize regular physical checkups.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A New Model Electric Car	B．Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
C．A Solution to Traffic Problems	D．Driving Services for Elders

8 . When making choices, people assume that they pick what they like. However, research suggests that we like something strictly because we have chosen it. In other words, we dislike things we don’t choose. And this phenomenon has existed since we were babies.

In an experiment, US researchers brought several 10 to 20-month-old babies into a lab and gave them two same bright and colorful soft blocks to play with. They set each block far apart, so the babies had to crawl to one or the other—a random choice. After the baby chose one of the toys, the researchers took it away and came back with a new option. The babies could then pick either the toy they didn’t play with before, or a brand-new toy.

It turned out that the babies reliably chose to play with the new toy rather than the one they had not chosen.

In follow-up experiments, when researchers instead helped choose which toy the baby would play with, the phenomenon disappeared. “As if they were saying, ‘Hmm, I didn’t choose that object last time, because I guess I didn’t like it very much” said Lisa Feigenson, co-author of the study.

This is a very important phenomenon in life, Feigenson noted. Adults will less like the thing they didn’t choose, even if they had no real preference in the first place. It looks like babies do just the same.

It shows that the act of making choices changes how we feel about our options. The random choices might become our preferences. “They are really not choosing based on whether they are novel or what they prefer,” said Alex Silver, co-author of the study.

This new finding explains why adults build unconscious preference when they make choices between the same things. Justifying(证明有道理) choice is somehow fundamental to the human experience. “I chose this, so I must like it. I didn’t choose this other thing, so it cannot be so good. Adults make these inferences unconsciously,” Feigenson said.

Such tendency makes sense to us as we live in a consumer culture and must make so many choices every day, between everything from toothpaste brands to styles of jeans.

Next, researchers will look at whether too many choices could be a problem for babies as they certainly are for adults.

1. What is the purpose of the experiments?

A．To test whether people choose what they like.

B．To see why babies prefer new toys to old ones.

C．To explain how babies and adults make choices differently.

D．To study if too many choices could create problems for people.

2. What can be learned from the experiments?

A．Babies prefer bright and colorful toys.

B．Babies’ preference largely affects their choices.

C．Babies prefer adults to help them make choices.

D．Babies’ previous random choices affect their preference.

3. Why is the new finding important in life?

A．It entirely changes our styles to choose.

B．It helps us make wise decisions in a consumer culture.

C．It promotes the relationship between adults and babies.

D．It helps us understand our unconscious preference for choices.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Babies like what they choose	B．Random choices matter
C．Too many choices puzzle the adults	D．Preference affects the choice

9 . 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

When I was an little boy, I was always looking forward the dinner on the eve of the Spring Festival. It was not only for the delicious food that we seldom got to eat， and also for the opportunity to had our whole family together. I was used to run around the house, listening to the adult chatting about their passing year. I’d follow my mother to the kitchen, watching she making dumplings. She’d put coins or candies in some dumplings. In the evening, all of us would sit around the table, enjoying the food happy together. The homemade dishes tasted most delicious than anything cooking by a tip cook.