1 . When it comes to having fun in the sun, it’s easy to lose track of time. If you’re not careful, this can be quite dangerous.
Several other companies were quick to release their own sunscreens. Perhaps the biggest advancement in the world of sunscreen came in the 1970s, when scientists started looking at the sun protection factor, or SPF.
The advantages of using sunscreen are obvious. It limits the painful effects of sunburn.
Unfortunately, there are many mistaken ideas about sunscreen.
A.And it can even save your life. |
B.Sunscreen is not exactly a recent invention. |
C.Choosing a sunscreen isn’t as simple as it used to be. |
D.In direct sunlight, sunburn can occur in less than 15 minutes. |
E.This rating is a number that shows how effective a sunscreen is. |
F.It’s believed that you don’t need much sunscreen if you have dark skin. |
G.Some think a good method is to cover as much as possible with protective clothing. |
2 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.
Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial strains, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution(内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.
“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.
“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?A.Warned. | B.Punished. | C.Amused. | D.Touched. |
A.Improvements in living conditions. |
B.Growing pressure from family and social life. |
C.Increasing material possessions from families. |
D.Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
A.Understanding. | B.Intolerant. | C.Supportive. | D.Unclear. |
A.They never really drop their responsibilities. |
B.They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
C.They find their dreams far beyond their reach. |
D.They would rather escape than take challenges. |
The easy way out isn't always easiest. I learned that lesson when I decided to treat my father to a special meal. I glanced through the cookbook and chose a menu which included homemade bread. Knowing the bread would take time, I started on it as soon as he left for work.
As I was not experienced in cooking, I thought if a dozen was good, two dozen would be better, so I doubled everything. As Dad loved oranges, I also opened a can of orange and poured it all into the bowl. Soon there was sticky dough (面团) covered with ugly yellowish marks. Realizing I had been defeated, I put the dough in the rubbish bin outside so I wouldn't have to face him laughing at my work.
I went on preparing the rest of the meal, and, when Dad got home, we sat down to Cornish chicken with rice. He tried to enjoy the meal but seemed disturbed. Twice he got up and went outside, saying he thought he heard a noise. The third time he left, I went to the windows to see what he was doing.
Looking out, I saw Dad standing about three feet from the rubbish bin, holding the lid up with a stick and looking into the container. When I came out of the house, he dropped the stick and explained that there was something alive in the rubbish bin. Picking up the stick again, he held the lid up enough for me to see. I felt cold. But I stepped closer and looked harder.
Without doubt it was my work. The hot sun had caused the dough to double in size and the. fermenting yeast (酵母) made the surface shake and sigh as though it were breathing. I had to admit what the "living thing" was and why it was there. I don't know who was more embarrassed by the whole thing, Dad or me.
注意:1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My dad tapped me gently on the shoulder, and we went inside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________At a party three months later, everyone wanted to try my bread.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Global warming does more than just kill plant species — it also changes the way plants grow. Researchers at Martin Luther University Halle — Wittenberg(MLU) joined forces with the Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry(IPB) to discover the molecular (分子) process of plant growth. In Current Biology, a scientific journal, they presented their findings on high-temperature plant growth. This could lead to developing plants that can survive global warming.
Plants react to even small temperature changes, but they are unable to move to new locations. “When temperatures rise, plants grow taller ... to cool themselves off. Their stems become taller, and their leaves become narrower and grow farther apart. Yet, this makes the plant more unstable overall,” explains Professor Marcel Quint, an agricultural scientist at MLU. Unstable plants bend faster in the rain and produce less food that’s also less nutritious.
There’s still lots to learn about plant reactions to temperatures. “We are just starting to understand how plants feel the changes in temperature ...,” Quint says. Earlier studies have shown that the protein (蛋白质) PIF4 directly controls plant growth and is also dependent on temperature. When it’s cold, PIF4 is less active, meaning the plant doesn’t grow. At higher temperatures, PIF4 activates growth-promoting genes, and the plant grows taller. This is new information, says Quint.
To understand it, they studied the growth of thale cress (拟南芥) seedlings. Normally, its seedlings form short stems at 20℃. These stems become much longer at 28℃. They discovered a hormone (荷尔蒙) that activates the PIF4 at high temperatures, thus producing the protein.
The findings may help to develop plants that remain stable even at high temperatures and produce many crops.
1. Why did the researchers at MLU and IPB conduct their research?A.To study the negative effects of global warming. |
B.To find out how plants help reduce global warming. |
C.To observe how global warming affects plant growth. |
D.To understand the ways that plants cause global warming. |
A.Low temperatures have little impact on plants. |
B.Plants prefer dry weather to rainy weather. |
C.Plants are very sensitive to change in soil. |
D.High temperatures reduce crop production. |
A.It mainly exists in thale cress seedlings. |
B.It works differently at different temperatures. |
C.It is a kind of gene that controls plant growth. |
D.It is a plant hormone that works at high temperatures. |
A.Farmers. | B.Teachers. |
C.Researchers. | D.Environmentalists. |
5 . Until April 2, 2011, everything in my life was perfect. I was sitting tight like every other
I took the train to reach home early that day to watch the match. I caught the
I always dreamt of becoming a professional sportsman one day. But after this, I was in despair as I
I spent a year looking for
A.parent | B.athlete | C.student | D.fan |
A.lift | B.imagine | C.relay | D.quit |
A.life | B.body | C.country | D.study |
A.steaming | B.packed | C.cheap | D.late |
A.burning | B.bleeding | C.suffering | D.reacting |
A.forget | B.miss | C.accept | D.welcome |
A.gradually | B.rudely | C.immediately | D.accidentally |
A.power | B.confidence | C.order | D.consciousness |
A.time | B.bounds | C.colors | D.surprise |
A.part | B.dance | C.struggle | D.meet |
A.agreed | B.joked | C.guaranteed | D.thought |
A.praised | B.arranged | C.restored | D.nailed |
A.believe | B.object | C.afford | D.permit |
A.funds | B.volunteers | C.coaches | D.receivers |
A.injury | B.pleasure | C.talent | D.career |
6 . Six "sacrificial pits (祭祀坑)", dating back 3,200 to 4,000 years, were newly discovered in Sanxingdui Ruins site in Guanghan, Southwest China's Sichuan province. Over 500 artifacts, including gold masks, bronze wares, ivories, jades, and textiles, were unearthed from the site.
Sanxingdui site, first found in 1929, is generally considered as one of the most important archaeological sites along the upper reaches of the Yangtze River. However, large-scale excavation on the site only began in 1986, when two pits — widely believed for sacrificial ceremonies — were accidentally discovered.
Investigation in the area around No 1 and 2 pits was relaunched in October 2019, and No 3 pit was found in December 2019, according to Lei Yu, a researcher of Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute who heads the ongoing excavation. Thirty-four research universities and research institutes have cooperated in this project. He said the new discoveries will help to better understand many unexplained findings in 1986.
More excavation followed in March 2020, and five more pits were found last year. And detailed research began in October. Excavation capsules with hi-tech equipment were set up in the pits to better conserve the site.
Sanxingdui site covers an area of 12 square kilometers, and its core zone of an ancient city covers nearly 4 square kilometers. According to the National Cultural Heritage Administration, studies of Sanxingdui site will become a crucial project in an ongoing program Archaeology China, which tries to explain the origins of Chinese civilization and how diverse cultures communicate and come together.
1. What does the underlined word “excavation” in paragraph 2 probably mean?A.Discovery | B.Dig |
C.Exploration | D.Expansion |
A.By dividing the task of excavation into several parts. |
B.By cooperating with research universities and institutes. |
C.By using excavation capsule armed with hi-tech equipment. |
D.By conducting more investigations around the site. |
A.All sacrificial sites were discovered in the meantime. |
B.The excavation of Sanxingdui site only began in 1986. |
C.There were altogether six sacrificial pits discovered in Sanxingdui site |
D.The size of the core zone is approximately 1/3 times that of Sanxingdui site. |
A.Sacrificial pits were unearthed in Sanxingdui Site. |
B.Sanxingdui Site needed to be conserved. |
C.Sanxingdui discoveries cast light on ancient China. |
D.Hi- tech helped to excavate Sanxingdui Site. |
7 . A year of lockdown has brought about some questionable fashion trends. In US suburbs, bathrobes and slippers are now socially-acceptable clothing for a trip to the grocery store.
Ugly shoes are also having moment. Crocs the maker of plastic clogs(木屐) now with market worth of $5. 3 billion, had a record 2020. The distinctive shoes, with their punch(打孔机) hole design, have long been popular with hospital staff. During the COVID-19 outbreak, they have become a sought-after item for those looking for something easy to wear and clean.
The company sold more than 69 million pairs of shoes in 2020 and pulled in nearly $1. 4 billion, a 13% jump from 2019. The share price, up 650 percent from its pandemic low, has set repeated new highs this year.
Birkenstock is another brand riding high on the shift to a more casual lifestyle. The German group recently sold itself to a LVMH-backed group in a 4 billion deal.
The two brands' popularity shows no sign of fading. Poshmark, the second-hand clothing app, said Crocs and Birkenstock remained top trending brands on its site in March. Sales are up sharply for both compared with the year-ago period. Cooperation with celebrities (Justin Bieber for Crocs, women's brand Proenza Schouler for Birkenstock) should help maintain the trend.
The same cannot be said for dress shoes, which were already falling out of fashion. Office closures and fewer special occasions such as weddings and graduations have accelerated the trend. Sales for the category plummeted last year, according to market researchers The NPD Group. These accounted for only 8% of total fashion footwear dollar sales in 2020, compared with 17% in 2017.
People will soon reach again for going-out clothes, more formal than pyjamas. But the market for dress shoes will never recover entirely. The ugly shoe movement is here to stay.
1. What does the underlined word "plummeted" in paragraph 5 probably mean?A.Increased sharply. | B.Increased slightly. |
C.Decreased sharply. | D.Decreased slightly. |
A.Uncertain | B.Pessimistic. | C.Cautious. | D.Confident. |
A.Crocs give dress shoes a kicking. | B.Casual clothes are making a comeback. |
C.Punch hole design becomes a trend. | D.Dress shoes are falling out of fashion. |
A.To recommend new shoes. | B.To present a new tendency. |
C.To change people’s lifestyle. | D.To question a fashion trend |
8 . Too much screen time for kids can lead to poor health the American Heart Association (AHA) says. A scientific statement published by the AHA in the medical journal Circulation said screen time from smartphones, tablet computers and other devices can lead kids to a sedentary(惯于久坐不动的) lifestyle ,increasing the possibility that they grow up as overweight or obese(肥胖的).
The AHA is the latest organization urging parents to limit how much time their kids spend in front of screens. It recommends children get one to two hours of screen time each day. Although television viewing among children and teens has dropped, the use of smartphones and tablet computers has surged.
“Although the mechanisms(机制) linking screen time to obesity are not entirely clear, there are real concerns that screens influence eating behaviors, mainly because children don’t notice when they are full when eating in front of a screen,” said Tracie Barnett, a researcher at the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier Research Centre,in a statement.
Barnett, one of the authors of the statement, also urges parents to keep screens out of kids’bedrooms, raising the fear that too much screen time can affect sleep.
Many studies have warned about the potential (潜在的) negative effects of too much screen time. Last year, a study from researchers at San Diego State University(SDSU) found nearly half of teens who spent five or more hours in front of screens every day experienced long periods of hopelessness or sadness.
Apple, who makes the iOS mobile platform, plans to introduce new tools to devices to help users cut back on screen time. As for iOS 12,iPhones will include a screen time feature where users can control and review how they spend time on their mobile devices. Another company that makes the Android platform will introduce “digital well-being” tools such as screen time limits and a “wind down” option to encourage users to put down their phones before bed.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “surged” in paragraph 2?A.Increased suddenly. | B.Decreased slowly. |
C.Stayed the same. | D.Lost the balance. |
A.By changing the time they eat. | B.By changing their taste for food. |
C.By influencing how fast they eat. | D.By influencing their feeling of fullness. |
A.It affected children’s sleep. | B.It led to children’s obesity. |
C.It resulted in diet problems. | D.It negatively influenced moods. |
A.Reduce its products’ battery life. |
B.Provide a screen time feature. |
C.Introduce “digital well-being” tools. |
D.Add a “wind down” option to its products. |
9 . Do you often listen to music at loud volumes? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing, according to the World Health Organization(WHO).
Over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to listening to loud noises for long periods of time, WHO said.
The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 decibels (dB,分贝) for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB.
Some people might think that their music isn't all that loud.
WHO said the “safe level” for most sound is below 80 decibels for up to 40 hours a week.
A.This is what causes hearing loss. |
B.But this can depend on where you are. |
C.Loud noises are harmful to the inner ear. |
D.There are different ways to protect your hearing. |
E.A level of 80 decibels is roughly equal to the noise of a subway. |
F.Young people are more sensitive to different sounds than elder people. |
G.Listening to music or watching a TV show at loud volumes can harm your hearing. |
10 . Stuck at home? These famous museums offer virtual tours you can take on your sofa. According to Fast Company, Google Arts&Culture teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring you virtual tours and online exhibits.
Guggenheim Museum, New York
Google’s Street View lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral (螺旋式) staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary times.
Pergamon Museum,Berlin
As one of Germany’s largest museums, Pergamonhas a lot to offer — even if you can’t physically be there. This historical museum is home to plenty of ancient works including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and, of course,the Pergamon Altar.
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
Anyone who is a fan of this tragic, gifted painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close) by virtually visiting this museum — the largest collection of artworks by Vincent Van Gogh, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
European artworks from as far back as the 8th century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.
To see more of Google Arts&Culture’s collection of museums, visit the collection’s website.
1. Which one will you visit if you like modern art?A.Pergamon Museum. |
B.Guggenheim Museum. |
C.The J. Paul Getty Museum. |
D.Van Gogh Museum. |
A.One who is fond of tragic films. |
B.One who enjoys European artworks. |
C.One who likes paintings of Van Gogh. |
D.One who is interested in ancient artworks. |
A.It is one of the largest museums in the USA. |
B.It is the only home to artworks in California. |
C.It includes all forms of artworks in the world. |
D.It exhibits European artworks from the 8th century. |