1 . Brain aneurysms (脑动脉瘤) affect about one in every 50 Americans and can lead to serious medical emergencies, including stroke, brain damage and death if they burst. Existing treatment options are limited and often invasive(扩散), and surgical outcomes can vary widely from person to person.

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have become the first team to produce a living, bioprinted aneurysm outside of the human body, perform a medical procedure on it and observe it respond and heal as it would in an actual human brain.

“While there are a lot of promising treatment options, some still have a long way to go,” said Moya, the project’s principal investigator. One common treatment is “clipping”-attaching a metal clip to the base of the aneurysm to redirect blood flow away and keep it from bursting. The procedure is highly invasive, requiring surgeons to open up the skull and expose the brain. A more common and less invasive treatment is the metal coiling (缠绕) approach. The downside to “coiling” is that success is highly dependent on a variety of factors, including the geometry of the patient’s blood vessels, which differ from one person to the next, researchers said.

Animal models aren't necessarily the best way to try out these options, as they lack direct observation of treatment effects and have uncontrollable aneurysm geometries. Unlike animal models, LLNL’s platform allows scientists to directly measure the liquid.

To take some of the guesswork out of aneurysm treatments, Hynes, the original principal investigator, realized researchers would need a way to validate more predictive 3D models that take patient geometry into account by bioprinting with human cells.

By combining the 3D-printed platform with computational models, researchers said they've developed a potential tool for surgeons to pre-select the best coil types, and perform “testruns” of procedures before attempting them on the human patient “What’s exciting is that this platform copies the actual blood vessels and also is strong enough to handle a coiling procedure. This makes it ideal to be used as a training platform for surgeons.” Moya said.

In addition to a testbed for surgical training, researchers said the platform has potential for improving the understanding of basic biology and the post-surgery healing response. While early results are promising, the researchers cautioned there's a long way to go before the platform sees application in the clinical environment.

1. What is the living, bioprinted aneurysm?

A．It’s a set of surgical instrument.

B．It’s a tissue transplanted in human body.

C．It’s a training platform for surgeons.

D．It’s a treatment option for brain aneurysms.

2. What’s the disadvantage of the “coiling” treatment option?

A．The procedure is highly invasive.

B．It may lead to serious medical emergencies.

C．Surgical outcomes vary widely from person to person.

D．It completely depends on the geometry of the patient’s blood vessels.

3. What makes animal models imperfect to try out the treatment options?

A．It’s difficult to observe and gather data on them.

B．They are not strong enough to handle a coiling procedure.

C．Their aneurysm geometries are totally-different from human's.

D．The potential response to the treatment options are uncontrollable.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．The previous experiments have been in vain.

B．The platform has improved the understanding of basic biology.

C．Brain aneurysms can be cured without any risk with the platform.

D．More needs to be done before applying the platform in the clinical environment.

2 . In the past few decades, great progress has been made in the field of space exploration, which has enabled mankind to have a deeper understanding of the Solar System, our place in it and in the universe. “We sent probes(探测器) to every planet in the Solar System. This is by far the best one,” said Clayton, vice president of Blue Origin. “Let's focus right now on protecting the Earth environment, and then we'll go from there. Space science and technology should be people-centric and application-centric, and focus on improving human life. We need to have a strong footing on the Earth, learn to solve the day-to-day problems of the society.”

“Space technology can help achieve the 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030 set by the United Nations. Satellite monitoring can really help with agriculture. ” said Victoria, CEO of a company working on sustainable development, “Through Global Navigation Satellite System, animals' movement information recorded on self-recharging devices can be transmitted to the company server. Farmers can be alerted in real time if anomalies(异常现象）are detected. We can use it to ensure the traceability of the entire meat chain. As a result, it enables consumers to know that the beef they are eating does not come from protected areas or the cattle don't contribute to deforestation. ”

As early as 2007, Michael Griffin, former Administrator of NASA, put forward the concept of the “space economy” in a speech. He is very optimistic about the market prospect of commercial space and said, “According to the latest data, the global space industry could reach $1 trillion in 2040, up from $ 378 billion currently. I believe more business models and space activities will be created in the future to achieve the economic scale of $1 trillion. ”

As an entrepreneur(创业者）herself, Victoria thinks the thriving space market will bring countless opportunities for entrepreneurs. She mentioned future settlements on Mars or on the Moon. “If we are going to develop a new society outside the Earth, we will need all types of applications and all types of startups. But coming back to the Earth, there are so many problems that need to be solved, and space technology can really help with that.”

1. What does the underlined word “This” in Paragraph 1 refer to ?

A．A successful space exploration.

B．A probe sent to other planets.

C．The planet people are living on now.

D．The solar system people are exploring.

2. In Clayton's opinion, what should be the first concern about space technology?

A．Providing more financial support.

B．Improving people's life on earth.

C．Sending more probes in the universe.

D．The development of related technology.

3. How does Victoria support her statement about satellite monitoring in Paragraph 2?

A．By making reasoning.

B．By providing accurate figures.

C．By making comparison.

D．By illustrating from different aspects.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Necessities of space exploration.

B．Breakthroughs in space exploration.

C．Possible application of space technology.

D．Controversial issues about space technology.

3 . Some of the world's most important scientists think the idea of people living on Mars will come true one day. Stephen Hawking believed humans must move into space to survive. “Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe,” he said.

However, scientists will need to terraform Mars for people to be able to live. One of the main goals of terraforming Mars is to warm it up because the average temperature there is about -60. One idea for warming Mars is to build factories there that produce greenhouse gases. This could take many centuries. However, it should lead to rainfall and the growth of plants, resulting in more air that people can breathe.

Another big concern for scientists is whether humans can move to Mars and still stay healthy in mind and body. As a test, six people lived in a Mars-like environment in Hawaii for a year before “returning to Earth” recently. It was a 1,200-square-foot room that was on the side of a volcano and used the sun for energy. Christiane Heinicke, one of the people who lived there, said that one of the biggest issues was feeling bored. So humans on Mars would always need to keep themselves busy with various activities. Another important finding was that the people living together should all be able to get along and work together.

One particular organization based in Europe is planning to send the first humans to Mars before 2030. The organization believes that its project is giving people worldwide the chance to be part of the first human crew ever to live on Mars for good. However, many experts think the project’s cost of US$6 billion is too low for it to be successful. The American space agency NASA believes that sending people to Mars would cost about US $100 billion, although this estimate is based on bringing them back to Earth, too. Regardless, it seems that humans living on Mars may well happen a lot sooner than most people believe.

1. What's Stephen Hawking’s opinion about settling on Mars?

A．It makes sense to live on Mars.

B．There is no need to spread out into space.

C．Moving into space is a dream impossible to fulfill.

D．Our future will not be secure unless independent kingdoms are built.

2. What does the underlined word ‘'terraform” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Warm up Mars.

B．Make Mars more like Earth.

C．Build more factories on Mars.

D．Accelerate the growth of plants on Mars.

3. What does the author think about living to Mars?

A．Living on Mars is boring but good.

B．It is too costly to send humans to Mars.

C．Humans' health will be greatly affected.

D．Moving to Mars is expected in the near future.

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Safe on Mars?	B．Boring on Mars?
C．Homes on Mars?	D．Challenges on Mars?

4 . 阅读短文，按照题目要求用英语回答问题。

Nowadays even your grandmother is not likely to call you on your landline. Evidence indicates that the elderly are in fact adapting to new technology quite easily, especially as digital technology continues to become ever more user-friendly. For those who do have difficulty, help is at hand.

In many countries, the elderly can receive free training in the use of computers, and learn how to correspond by email, how to send photos and voice messages, and how to use the Internet for shopping and other services. Across the world, centres for the elderly report that their most popular classes are in the use of smartphones and tables. It is clear that the elderly have already come to rely on digital technology to help them remain independent and keep in touch with friends and relatives.

Elderly people enjoy using technology for the same reasons as the rest of us: entertainment and leisure. Having plenty of free time, many elderly people like to find out new things or write down their experiences. Being able to use a computer, smartphone or tablet makes this easier to do, and can open the door to interesting hobbies. Many social media sites developed for the younger generation are now being enjoyed by the elderly, too. And for elderly people who may be unable to leave their homes without assistance, communication with the outside world is essential to prevent loneliness and to allow them to call for help in emergencies. In Singapore, the elderly are even turning to robots to keep them in good physical shape.

So it would seem that rather than being afraid of new technology, the elderly have much to gain from it, and are embracing it fully. As digital technology comes down in price, and becomes easier to operate, it could help to transform old age for millions of people.

1. Why are elderly people less likely to call our landlines? (no more than 15 words)
________________
2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 2 mean? (1 word)
________________
3. What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? (no more than 10 words)
________________
4. According to the text, how could digital technology change elderly people’s life in the future? (no more than 10 words)
________________
5. If you were old, what would you like the technology to help you with in daily life? Please explain why. (no more than 20 words)
________________

5 . It is possible that interstellar（星际的）space explorers could face problems communicating with all the arrivals, their spoken language having changed in isolation（与世隔绝）along the way.

Therefore, a new paper by two American scholars Andrew McKenzie and Jeffrey Punske recommends that such crews include members with knowledge of what is likely to occur and how to adapt. They co-authored the article “Language Development During Interstellar Travel”, in which they discuss the concept of language change over time.

In a recent interview, McKenzie gamed it out.

“If you’ re on a spaceship for 10 generations; new concepts will emerge, new social issues will come up, and people will create ways of talking about them,” McKenzie said, and these will become the vocabulary particular to the ship. People on Earth might never know about these words. And the further away you get, the less you’re going lo talk to people back home.

So if we have Earth English and spaceship English, you will have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back, or to read the information that came with the spaceship.

“Also, keep in mind that the language back on Earth is going to change, too. So they may well be communicating like we’d be using Latin-communicating with this version of the language nobody uses.”

The authors also point out that an adaptation in the form of sign language will be needed for use with and among crew members who, genetics tell us，are sure to be born deaf.

“Every new spaceship will essentially offload linguistic（语言学）immigrants to a foreign land. Given the certainly that issues such as whether they will be discriminated will arise, and the uncertainty of exactly how they will progress, we strongly suggest that any crew exhibit strong levels of linguistic training in addition to simply knowing the required languages. There will be need for an informed linguistic policy on board that can be maintained without referring back to Earth-based regulations.”

If a study of the linguistic changes aboard ship could be performed, it would “add to its scientific value,” McKenzie and Punske conclude.

1. What does the underlined phrase “game it out” mean?

A．Offer a new concept.	B．Make a further study.
C．Give a detailed explanation.	D．Lose the game completely.

2. What will happen to space travellers?

A．They will forget Earth English.	B．They will be using sign language.
C．They may have their own language system.	D．They may make adaptations to Earth English.

3. How can we solve the problem of interstellar immigrants?

A．Through Earth-based linguistic policy.	B．Through adequate language training.
C．By knowing the required language.	D．By referring to informed rules.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Why space travelers change their language.

B．How language is changed in the future time.

C．The language challenge during interstellar travel.

D．New concepts of language created in a spaceship.

7 . Since time immemorial, people have been searching for the fountain of youth. Surprisingly, the dream of human immortality is, according to some scientists, not so far out of reach.

Professor Brian Cox, Google's Ray Kurzweil, and Tesla head Elon Musk all agree on not only the possibility of human immortality but also that it is not too far away. The solution, they say, is something called the “technological singularity”.

The singularity is a combination of humankind with computers, namely uploading the contents of one's brain onto a hard drive. In that way, a person's consciousness can stay alive after a physical body gets worse. This is based on the idea that a human brain is simply a machine, and there is, according to Professor Cox, “no reason at all why we cannot simulate (模拟) human intelligence,” using a computer.

Although Professor Cox did not say when the singularity would occur, Google's Ray Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will happen as early as 2045. By 2100, he says, human body parts will be replaceable by machine parts. Further, by uploading our brains onto a computer, we will be able to toy with it, and become “able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion fold. ”

Elon Musk agreed with the asessments of the other scientists, even going so far as saying that the chances that we are not in a computer simulation right now are “one in billions” .

Google is preparing for a future where you can download personalities onto robots. For example, you might be able to download onto your robot a celebrity personality, or of the personality of your deceased grandmother.

The search engine giant filed a patent for this download process recently. So they definitely believe that the singularity is just around the corner. All you have to do is hold on until 2045, and soon you can effectively live in the cloud.

1. What does the underlined word “immortality” in paragraph 1 probably mean?

A．Living forever.	B．Rebirth after death.
C．Being perfect.	D．Continuous improvement.

2. How did the writer illustrate the idea of human immortality in the text?

A．By giving examples.	B．By presenting quotations.
C．By logically reasoning.	D．By making a description.

3. Which of the following can Elon Musk most probably agree with?

A．Computers are much smarter than humankind.

B．Computers can never surpass humankind at all.

C．Computers and humankind are quite different.

D．Computers can be another version of humankind.

4. How can humankind improve by 2100 according to the text?

A．Physically and intelligently.	B．Individually and corporately.
C．Psychologically and spiritually.	D．Emotionally and materially.

8 . If you think of the jobs that robots could never do, you would probably put doctors and teachers atop of the list. It’s easy to imagine robots and factory workers. But are we underestimating what robots can do?

In some cases, they already do better than doctors at diagnosing illness. Also, some patients might feel more comfortable sharing personal information with a machine than a person. Could there be a place for robots in education after all?

British education expert Anthony Seldom thinks so. He even has a date for the robot takeover of the classroom:2027. He forecasts that robots will do the main job of disseminating knowledge and teachers will be like helpers. Intelligent robots will read students’ faces, movements and even brain signals. Then they will pass the information on to each student in the way he or she can understand.

However, it’s not a popular opinion. Most people think it’s impossible that robots will have the ability to really connect with humans like another human can.

One thing is certain, though. A robot teacher is better than no teacher at all. In some parts of the world, there aren’t enough teachers and 9%-16% of children under the age of 14 don’t go to school. That problem could be partly solved by robots because the owners can teach anywhere.

Being a teacher is a difficult job and teachers often feel overworked. Perhaps the question is not “Will robots replace teachers?” but “How can’t robots help teachers?” Teachers spend a lot of time doing non-teaching work, including more than 1 hour a week marking homework. If robots could cut the time teachers spend marking homework and writing reports, teachers would have more time and energy for the parts of the job humans do best.

1. What does the author mainly intend to show in the first paragraph?

A．Robots can do creative work.

B．Robots will replace doctors soon.

C．Robots work better than humans.

D．Robots can do more jobs than imagined.

2. What does the underlined word “disseminating” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Storing.	B．Spreading.
C．Analyzing.	D．Replacing.

3. Which word best describes the public’s attitude to Anthony Seldom’s forecast?

A．Unacceptable.	B．Uncreative.
C．Unconcerned.	D．Reasonable.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．What robots are never able to do.

B．What the weaknesses of robots are.

C．Whether robots will evolve by themselves.

D．Whether robots will completely replace human teachers.

9 . “Human activity has wiped out two-thirds of the world’s wildlife since 1970,” CNN reported on September 10, 2020. Later that month, the Guardian reported that “40 percent of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction”. Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich and his colleagues argued that “the ongoing sixth mass extinction may be the most serious environmental threat to the persistence of civilization”. Around the same time, the Daily Mail warned that “human civilization stands a 90 percent chance of collapse within decades due to deforestation”.

These horrible calculations and projections come from authoritative-sounding reports issued by international agencies, conservation groups, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. But is the future of wild nature and human civilization really so poor?

Data from uncontroversial mainstream sources strongly indicate that both humanity and the natural world are likely to be flourishing rather than collapsing at the end of this century. Humanity is becoming an urban species, and that’s good for the environment, since urban dwellers generally use less electricity, produce less globe-warming carbon dioxide, and have smaller land footprints than people living in the countryside. By 2100, it is estimated that 85 percent of people will be city dwellers, which would leave only 1.2 billion still living in the countryside. That means more space for the wildlife and less pollution from the agriculture.

The global tree-covering area increased by 865,000 square miles between 1982 and 2016. The researchers found that gains in forest area in the mild, subtropical and northern climatic zones are offsetting declines in the tropics. The Maryland researchers owe much of that increase to “natural afforestation on abandoned agricultural land”. “Furthermore, forests in mountainous regions are expanding as climate warming enables trees to grow at higher altitudes,” they added.

Humanity does face big environmental challenges in the coming century. But the scientific and economic evidence shows that most of the trends are positive or can be turned in positive direction by human wisdom. Rather than an age of extinction, the 21st century promises to be an era of environmental renewal.

1. Why does the author mention the reports in Paragraph 1?

A．To give examples.	B．To introduce the topic.
C．To make a contrast.	D．To support his opinion.

2. What will happen according to Paragraph 3?

A．No one will choose to live in the countryside.

B．More space will be available for the wildlife.

C．Neither humanity nor the natural world will develop quickly.

D．Urban residents will do more walking than those in the countryside.

3. Which of the following statements will the researchers agree with about forest area?

A．The expanding and disappearance in forest area aren’t evenly matched.

B．The forest area in the mild, tropic and northern zones is increasing.

C．There are more forests in mountainous regions due to the climate warming.

D．The plan of “natural afforestation on abandoned agricultural land” is unfavorable.

4. What might be the best title of the passage?

A．The Bright Future of Humanity

B．The Challenges in the Coming Century

C．Better Environment, Better Future of Human

D．21st Century: An Era of Environmental Renewal

10 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.

Will Experimentation on Animals End?

One of the most debatable issues in science is the use of animals in research. Scientists experiment on animals for different reasons, including basic research to explore how organisms function, investigating potential treatments for human disease, and safety and quality control testing of drugs, devices and other products.

    1    However, opponents believe it is cruel and meaningless, as observations in animals often do not translate directly to humans.

In 1959, William Russell and Rex Burch proposed their “3Rs” guidelines for making the use of animals in scientific research more humane: restrict the use of animals; refine experiments to minimize distress; and replace tests with alternative techniques.     2     Around 29 million animals per year are currently used in experiments in the U.S. and Europeans Union countries. This is less than half the total in the mid-1970s —— a significant drop.

    3    Improvements in imaging methods that offer a look inside the bodies of animals allow scientists to get more and better data from each experiment than before.

For example, researchers previously had to do experiments with multiple mice at different stages of cancer development, but now they can watch the disease develop in a single living animal using a dye. Similarly, as brain-imaging techniques become more advanced, some questions that were addressed with experiments in monkeys before may be better answered by looking into the human brain now. “    4    ” says Larry Carbone, a senior veterinarian(兽医) at the University of California in San Francisco.

A．Over the course of five decades their guidelines have become widely accepted worldwide.

B．The awareness of animal protection contributes to the decline of the number.

C．Human volunteers must be able to replace monkeys more and more in the next 10 to 20 years.

D．New experimental techniques help to push numbers down.

E．Its supporters point to the long list of medical advances made possible with the help of animal research.

F．The number of the animals used in research is still considerable.