1. Why is the store closing?
| A．They have to move far away. |
| B．They want to focus on organic farming. |
| C．They don’t have enough customers. |
| A．60% off. | B．70% off. | C．80% off. |
| A．Monday. | B．Wednesday. | C．Saturday. |
1. What is the speaker mainly talking about?
| A．A search engine. | B．A language program. | C．A free lesson website for teachers. |
| A．Over one hundred million. | B．A few hundred thousand. | C．Several thousand |
| A．Switzerland. | B．Guatemala. | C．Costa Rica. |
| A．By big websites. | B．By an actor. | C．By schools. |
1. According to the poster above, which groups of items will be the best for the Pearson family (father with chronic disease, mother, a 10-month-old infant, and a pet dog) to pack into their limited-size emergency supplies kit besides necessities such as food, water and clothes?
| A．passport, paper cups, whistle, rain gear, flashlights |
| B．formula, blanket, medication, diapers, pet food |
| C．pet food, cottont-shirt, plastic sheeting, books |
| D．medication, bank account records, diaper, can opener, formula |
| A．To provide more appropriate protection. |
| B．To create a sense of security and familiarity. |
| C．To make them feel more physically comfortable. |
| D．To simulate a seemingly school-like environment. |
| A．Families should adjust the contents of the emergency supplies kit every other year based on needs. |
| B．There are no specific items in the poster that address the needs in different natural disasters. |
| C．All of the supplies in the emergency kit should not be stored in waterproof and portable containers. |
| D．Children should not be allowed to include their favorites books and stuffed animals in the kit. |
4 .
Travel Back in Time | |
| TOMORROW THEY WON’T DARE TO MURDER US By Joseph Andras In 1956, National Liberation Front Member Fernand Iveton planted a bomb near Algiers. The hoped-for explosion was intended only to be a piece of symbolism, so he put it in an unused shed. He was arrested before it could go off and then mercilessly tortured and hanged. Andras’s fictionalized retelling of Iveton’s story was published in French in2016 to immediate acclaim, winning the prestigious Prix Goncourt. It’s now been translated into English. The book is just 137 pages long, but every one of them is tense, a nightmare of noble intentions gone horribly wrong. | INSIDE MONEY By Zarchary Karabell Given complete access to the 200-year accomplishment of the U.S.’s oldest private bank, Karabell weaves a fascinating tale of the East Coast WASP establishment includes characters such as Alan Greenspan and Averell Harriman, one-time governor of New York. The firm has remained privately held, so its inner workings have been a mystery until now. |
Or See the Future | |
| THE FLIP SIDE OF FREE By Michael Kende It’s not a new insight that we pay for “free” apps and sites with our personal data, but Kende has a more detailed take than most. The digital development specialist at the World Bank Group looks at how the web came to be free via unified standards and the coming social considerations that will need to be faced once the public understands how much “free” actually costs. | THE CODE BREAKER By Walter Isaacson Isaacson’s previous biographies have focused on such men as Steve Jobs and Leonardo da Vinci. Here he tells the story of Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist who won a Noble Prize for the gene-editing technology known as Crispr. The book is an excellent reader on the complex subject, its benefits (fighting disease) and its ethical hurdles (designer babies). |
Anything Other Than Covid | |
| LETTERS TO CAMONDO By Edmund de Waal There are very few ceramic artists working today and even fewer ceramic artists with a part time as an author. Best known for his exquisitely crafted porcelain and his bestseller The Hare with Amber Eyes, de Waal’s latest piece of fiction combines the two sides of his professional life. This book consists of imaginary letters to the real-life Moise de Camondo, a rich Jewish banker who ran one of the most successful institutions in the Ottoman Empire and was also an art sponsor. | ANTIQUITIES By Cynthia Ozick Most people experienced some form of Covid isolation. Ozick, 92, who’s been shortlisted for the Pulitzer and Man Booker International prizes, has created a character who's similarly tortured, though it’s old age, rather than a pandemic, that finds him holed up indoors. As he recalls his life, he is drawn to memories of his cousin, a famous archaeologist and to a mysterious schoolmate. |
Or More About Plagues | |
| LET THE RECORD SHOW: A POLITICAL HISTORY OF ACT UP NEW YORK, 1987-1993 By Sarah Schulman Michael Lewis is something of a master at the onset of the AIDS crisis that no one, other than the tortured, seemed to care. ACT UP, a political and activist effort, was born from that apathy. Schulman's comprehensive, timely Book records the group’s hundreds of demonstrations, and almost as many political groups. | THE PREMONITION: A PANDEMIC STORY By Michael Lewis Thirty years ago, fear and death played out at capturing complex events in the very recent past. Here he turns the pandemic into a tale of good and evil: Evil, in this case, is the administration; good is a crew of scientists, doctors and public health experts. The narrative follows three central characters-a biochemist, a public health worker, and a U.S. federal employee. |
| A．drew inspiration from something real. |
| B．reveal something ugly about their society |
| C．are works written against a background of war. |
| D．provide thrilling plots even though they are short in length. |
①cybersecurity
②artificial robot
③disease-curing
④economic development
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．③④ |
| A．Both are fictionalized works. |
| B．Both are about artistic creations |
| C．Both deal with the theme of isolation |
| D．Both are written against the background of Covid-19. |
①One is a true story and the other is fictional.
②One is about history and the other focuses on the present.
③One is about the causes of the plague and the other focuses on the results.
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②③ | D．①②③ |
5 .
 New big pack from Sierra Designs The latest pack from Sierra Designs is the Gigawatt 60L. The pack has an adjustable back system that fits back lengths from 40cm to 53cm. It’s made from durable 300D polyester. Features include a zipped top and side access, oversized side and front pockets. The Gigawatt 60L weighs 1.84kg and costs £130. sierradesigns.com |  Scarpa upgrades its Maestrale boots Maestrale Re-Made ski boots are made from Polymer taken from around three tons of leftover materials. Creating a Re-Made boot from Polymer emits 27% less carbon dioxide than creating a “classic” boot from plant-based Pebax Rnew, which emits 32% less carbon dioxide than Fossil-based Plastics. The design and manufacturing process behind the Re-Made boot were developed by Scarpa’s Green Lab, the production department dedicated to sustainable solutions. A pair costs £500. scarpa.co.uk / ellis-brigham.com |
 Vasque Breeze gets sustainable update The well-established Vasque Breeze hiking boot has been modernised with environmentally friendly materials. It’s now made with recycled polyester and is the first boot to have a VasqueDry Waterproof membrane, which is made from 25% recycled materials. The Breeze is also comfortable to wear with its soft footbed. The Breeze weighs 1120 grams and comes in two widths. It costs £140. vasque.com |  The North Face launches new ski touring clothing The Dawn Turn clothing provides a layering system for ski touring designed to keep you warm, dry and freely moving. It includes a shell jacket, midlayers, trousers and accessories. The Dawn Turn 2.0 jacket won the innovation award at ISPO for its breathable layer. The cost is £350. The Dawn Turn 1.0 Jacket is made from waterproof DryVent. It features a windproof hood and oversized front pockets, and costs £325. thenorthface.co.uk |
| A．The ski athletes | B．The outdoor lovers |
| C．The environmentalists | D．The sports retailers |
| A．Both kinds of boots mentioned in the passage have two different widths. |
| B．The latest big pack from Sierra Designs has a fixed back system. |
| C．The Vasque Breeze hiking boot is both eco-friendly and waterproof. |
| D．The Dawn Turn 1.0 Jacket won the innovation award at ISPO. |
| A．Polymer > Pebax Renew >Fossil-based Plastics |
| B．Fossil-based Plastics > Pebax Renew > Polymer |
| C．Fossil-based Plastics > Polymer >Pebax Renew |
| D．Polymer >Fossil-based Plastics >Pebax Renew |
| A. present B. features C. concerned D. reportedly E. commercial F. stretches G. overwhelming H. exceptionally I. routinely J. spared K. broadcasts |
Modern media is awash in advertising clutter(杂乱), and who’s to blame? Modern audiences that hate conventional full-length and full-size ads.
Today’s consumers don’t like to pay for content, which ought to create a rich environment for advertisers. Yet these same consumers are prone to click or turn away when a conventional ad appears. The result is ad clutter.
YouTube
Advertisers integrate plugs(推销) into content to frustrate digital video recorders, which allow viewers to watch programs on a delay and skip regular commercials. If you watch regional telecasts of baseball games, the commercial clutter is so
According to the showbiz paper Variety, several streaming services are about to introduce a new twist: commercials that start running whenever a viewer pauses a program. Hulu intends to launch such ads this year. AT&T’s DirecTV and U-verse units will
There’s a lot at stake. According to Variety, National Football League(NFL) TV broadcasts generate an estimated $4.35 billion in ad revenue during the 17-week regular season. NFL
Interestingly, with no “screen” to work with, radio is one medium that has tried for some time to buck the trend. Many commercial stations trade clutter for clusters--that is, a solid block of commercials running five minutes or more, followed by lengthy commercial-free
But wherever a screen is involved, or a printed page, ad clutter is
But getting limitless content without paying while also being
7 .
TECHNOLOGY SIMPLIFIED— BIGGER AND BETTER | |
WOW COMPUTER! Easy to read. Easy to see. Easy to use. Just plug it in! | |
“I love this computer! It is easy to read and to use! I get photo updates from my children and grandchildren all the time.” – Janet F. | NEW Now comes with … Enhanced Video Chat Faster Email Larger 22-inch hi-resolution screen—easier to see 16% more viewing area Simple navigation—so you never get lost Intel® processor— lightning fast Computer is in the monitor— No bulky tower Text to Speech translation— it can even read your emails to you! U.S. Based Customer Service |
Have you ever said to yourself“I’d love to get a computer, if only I could figure out how to use it.”Well, you’re not alone. Computers were supposed to make our lives simpler, but they’ve gotten so complicated that they are not worth the trouble. If this sounds familiar, we have great news for you. There is finally a computer that’s designed for simplicity and ease of use. It’s the WOW Computer, and it was designed with you in mind. From the moment you open the box, you’ll realize how different the WOW Computer is. The components are all connected; all you do is plug it into an outlet and your high-speed Internet connection. Then you’ll see the screen— it’s now 22 inches. This is a completely new touch screen system. The “buttons” on the screen are easy to see and easy to understand. All you do is touch one of them, from the Web, Email, Calendar to Games—you name it ... and a new screen opens up. Call now, and you’ll find out why tens of thousands of satisfied seniors are now enjoying their WOW Computers, emailing their grandchildren, and experiencing everything the Internet has to offer. Call today! • Send & Receive Emails • Have video chats with family and friends • Surf the Internet: Get current weather and news • Play games Online: Hundreds to choose from! Call now toll free and find out how you can get the new WOW! Computer. Mention promotional code 117238 for introductory pricing. 1-888-864-0512 | |
FREE Automatic Software Updates | |
| A．designed by seniors with great minds |
| B．designed for seniors without enough brains |
| C．tailored specially to the elderly’s needs |
| D．made to ease the elderly’s financial burdens |
| A．it can even read emails to the users |
| B．it has a 22-inch hi-resolution screen |
| C．it has hundreds of online games to choose from |
| D．its buttons are easy to see and understand |
| A．Low-charge Software updates. | B．No put-together task. |
| C．Lightning-fast Microsoft processors. | D．Discounted introductory price. |
8 . If you want to learn something new in your spare time, there are some choices for you.
AR Workshop
615-258-5569 | arworkshop.com/nashville
AR Workshop is a DIY studio that offers hands-on classes for decorating home from raw materials. Join an instructor-led workshop where you can make wood signs, framed signs, round signs, centerpiece boxes and more! AR Workshop will help you take your home decoration to the next level and have fun while creating it!
Artistic Elements Dance
615- 472-9471 | artisticelementsdance.com
Artistic Elements’ aim is to develop dancers with excellent, professional technique, humble character and team spirit. We offer Beginner to Pre-Professional Level Classes to dancers from 18 months to adults in the styles of ballet, jazz, musical theatre, hip hop and more! Our experienced teachers all well-trained are willing to share the love of dance with each student who walks through our doors and ensure our dancers train safely in a positive environment. In addition to group classes, Artistic Elements offers private lessons, open master classes and birthday parties.
Melody Music Studios
615-510-3798| melodymusicstudios.com| musiclessonsnashvilletn. asp Melody Music Studios offers exciting music and voice lessons, in the student’s home or the instructor’s personal studio. We offer all styles, traditional and/or by ear, in a fun and positive environment. There’s a grace period (宽限期) of three business days to cancel after the trial lesson (试课), and if you’re not satisfied, it’s FREE! So you have nothing to lose to sign up today!
My Gym of Brentwoo
615-371-5437| mygym.com/brentwood
My Gym is the expert in children’s fitness. It has good programs and facilities designed to help children 6 weeks through 13 years of age develop physically and mentally. Our structured, age-appropriate, weekly classes include music dance, games, special rides, gymnastics, sports and more. Children have loads of fun as they gain strength, balance, coordination and flexibility while developing social skills and confidence.
1. If Mary wants to make her new home more beautiful, which one suits her best?| A．Melody Music Studios. | B．My Gym of Brentwood. |
| C．AR Workshop. | D．Artistic Elements Dance. |
| A．It provides various courses for dancers of all ages. |
| B．Its teachers can give professional training to learners. |
| C．It provides summer and winter camps for dance lovers. |
| D．It only focuses on developing dancers’ professional dancing skills. |
| A．must pay for it |
| B．must take the courses |
| C．can call off the class at any time free |
| D．have right to decide whether to continue |
| A．Tom, a 6-month old boy, was born with a weak heart. |
| B．Mark, a 12-year-old student, wants to get stronger. |
| C．Tony, a 31-year-old teacher, likes to build up his body. |
| D．John, a 65-year-old retired man, wants to kill his spare time. |
| A．an advertisement | B．an art show review |
| C．an exhibition guide | D．a school announcement |
9 . Like a tired marriage, the relationship between libraries and publishers has long been dull. E-books, however, are causing heartache. Libraries know they need digital services, but many publishers are too cautious about piracy and lost sales to co-operate. Among the big six publishers, only Random House and Harper Collins license e-books with most libraries.
Publishers are wise to be nervous. Owners of e-readers are exactly the customers they need: book-lovers with money. If these people switch to borrowing e-books instead of buying them, what then? Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient. Unlike printed books, which must be checked out and returned to a physical library miles away, book files can be downloaded at home. The files disappear from the device when they are due.
E-lending is not simple, however. There are various incompatible e-book formats, devices and licenses. Most libraries use a company called OverDrive, which secures rights from publishers and provides e-books and audio files in every format. Yet publishers and libraries are worried by OverDrive’s global market dominance, as the company can control fees and conditions. Publishers were annoyed when OverDrive cooperated with Amazon the world’s biggest online bookseller, last year. Owners of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader who want to borrow e-books from libraries are now redirected to Amazon’s website.
According to Pew, an opinion researcher, library users are a perfect market for Amazon. Late last year Amazon introduced is Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which lets its best customers borrow free one of thousands of popular books each month. But a recent Pew survey found that more than half of Americans with library cards say they prefer to buy their e-books It also noted that e-books actually are available at most libraries, and that popular titles often involve long waiting lists, which may inspire people to buy.
So publishers keep adjusting their lending arrangements in search of the right balance. Random House raised its licensing price earlier this year, and Harper Collins limits libraries to lending its titles 26 times. The story of the library e-book is a nail-biter.
1. It can be inferred from Paragraph 1 that ______.| A．several big publishers have sold e-books to libraries |
| B．both libraries and publishers caution the e-book piracy |
| C．some publishers are hesitant to cooperate with libraries |
| D．libraries are eager to keep strong relationship with publishers |
| A．The risk of e-book piracy. |
| B．The possible decline of book sales. |
| C．No time limit for the downloaded book files. |
| D．The availability of the incompatible e-book formats. |
| A．Amazon is adopting measures to win more customers |
| B．OverDrive distributes e-books and audio files to publishers |
| C．over half of Americans are borrowing e-books from libraries |
| D．the fees of lending e-books are under the control of publishers |
10 . Do you find yourself waiting for the next MrBeast video to drop so you can see his latest challenge? Or perhaps the newest experiment from Mark Rober? Maybe you’re wild about Harry Styles or Timothee Chalamet. You follow them on social media, connect with other fans online and maybe even message them now and again. Even though these people are celebrities, you feel like you know them.
Most of us form relationships of some sort with celebrities and fictional characters. We imagine having a conversation with that person or asking for advice. Sometimes we develop a more romantic crush. Embarrassing as it may sometimes feel, this is perfectly normal. Scientists call these faux friendships “parasocial relationships”. Social relationships involve two or more people. Parasocial ones, on the other hand, are completely one-sided.
Decades ago, parasocial relationships happened between TV viewers and the people on screen. This was especially true for talk-show hosts and newscasters who spoke directly to the camera. People watching felt as though these TV personalities were talking directly to them. Over time, they felt a close connection with them. It wasn’t just people on TV. Beatles fans went wild for the band, just as Harry Styles fans do today.
More recently, parasocial relationships have shifted to other types of screens. Many people, from children to adults, have some form of screen that they use for entertainment. Even young children form parasocial relationships with on-screen personalities. Big Bird and Elmo from Sesame Street can seem like friends. So can animated characters or superheroes.
“We root for them,” says Kristin Drogos. “We want them to do well.” Drogos is a communication researcher at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It’s that positive feelings toward these on-screen personalities that cause us to form a parasocial bond with them. And that connection can be powerful.
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?| A．To suggest several ways to kill time. |
| B．To reflect the diversity of people’s interests. |
| C．To show people’s attachment to famous people. |
| D．To confirm the benefits of watching celebrities. |
| A．Innocent. | B．Imaginary. | C．Fashionable. | D．Abnormal. |
| A．They can exist between human beings and non-humans. |
| B．People are more willing to become friends with talk-show hosts. |
| C．Superheroes are more popular among adults as on-screen friends. |
| D．Celebrities make the best of parasocial relationships to attract more fans. |
| A．How parasocial relationships benefit people. |
| B．What can influence a parasocial relationship. |
| C．How to communicate with on-screen friends. |
| D．What people share in parasocial relationships. |
