2 . 听下面一段材料，回答以下小题。
1.

A．To analyze causes and effects of using a credit card.

B．To encourage people to borrow money from banks.

C．To let people know the responsibility in using a credit card.

D．To present the effect of computers in popularizing the use of credit cards.

2.

A．The development of computers.

B．People’s greediness for more money.

C．People’s needs for less paper money.

D．People’s learning to be more responsible.

3.

A．To learn to be responsible by using credit cards.

B．To stop using credit cards and borrow money from friends or relatives.

C．To pay money back as fast as possible after using credit cards.

D．To stop borrowing money and use your own funds for shopping.

3 . Tall, taller, tallest. For much of the 20th century, New York City and Chicago competed to build the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Other cities around the world watched the race between these two cities. From 1913 to 1930 New York’s Woolworth Building was the tallest (241m). From 1931 to 1972, the Empire State Building in New York was the tallest building in the world (381m). Then Chicago built its own Sears Tower, which stood as the tallest building in the world (442m) for 24 years. Until the 1990s, the United States chimed the tallest structures on earth. That is no longer true. Today the tallest buildings are in Asia.

Skyscrapers were originally built by wealthy companies as symbols of their success and power. That is still true today. But skyscrapers are also symbols of local and national pride. Countries compete to build the tallest structure. Since 1998, the race to be the tallest has progressed quickly. Petronas Twin Towers was completed in Kuala, Lumpur in 1997 (452m).   Just one year later, Shanghai completed the Jin Mao Tower (421m). On September 14, 2007, the Shanghai World Financial Center was topped out and is 492m, making it the 8th tallest building in the world. And then Dubai in the Middle East has entered the race. Burj Khalifa is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest building in the world, standing at 829. 8m.

1. In 1920, the world’s tallest building was the         ?

A．Sears Tower.	B．Woolworth Building.
C．Empire State Building.	D．Petronas Twin Towers.

2. Why did wealthy companies build skyscrapers?

A．Because they want to be known by the world.

B．Because they’re symbols of their success and power.

C．Because they want to make money by building them.

D．Because they can represent the spirits of the companies.

3. What can be inferred from the second paragraph?

A．Skyscrapers are a source of pride.

B．All cities want to have the tallest buildings.

C．Asian cities can afford to build skyscrapers.

D．People are eager to have a better living condition.

4. What is the main topic of the passage?

A．Designing skyscrapers.	B．Finding jobs for architects.
C．Comparing American and Asian cities.	D．Competing to build the tallest skyscrapers.

4 . Market traders and street vendors （摊贩）are making a comeback across China, and this time they find themselves equipped with a new set of digital skills essential to navigating the vast consumer market. To revitalize （复兴）retail stands, in a move aimed at stimulating domestic spending and stabilizing employment, the country's leading e-commerce platforms are lending a helping hand, offering services like accessible financing backed by technologies.

Domestic wholesale site 1688. com is among the first group of tech players with such offerings. At the heart of the action plan is an effort to link street vendors directly with factories, effectively avoiding middlemen and saving time and costs.

According to general manager Wang Hai, numerous small-scale merchants on the site have managed to gain the upper hand in price negotiations, while manufacturers are more willing to mass-produce as the economy of scale serves to reduce costs, thus creating a win-win situation.

“Data analytics also kicks in, giving traders some insight into current consumer trends so that they no longer need to operate their business purely based on intuition （直觉），and they can avoid stockpiling,“ Wang said. For instance, the most sought-after categories in markets are daily necessities _? underwear , digital gadgets and beauty products, according to the company, whereas the most passionate buyers come from Guangdong, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces.

Meanwhile, to stabilize employment _, e-commerce major JD. com vowed to add a number of job positions that either require flexible working hours, allow working from home or are designed to promote startup businesses. For posts related to delivery, warehouse management and packaging, priority is given to people from poverty-stricken areas.

“The COVID-19 outbreak will accelerate the digital transformation of the real economy, and individual traders and smaller stores are no exception,^” said Xu Lei, CEO of JD's retail unit. "We have the capability and, more importantly, the responsibility to inject vitality （活力）into these entities, thus contributing to the economic rebound （回弹）and stabilizing employment.

1. What can we learn about e-commerce platforms like 1688. com?

A．They have an advantage in price negotiation.

B．Their efforts help street vendors cut the cost.

C．They increase production through technology.

D．Their services are financed by the government.

2. How does data analytics benefit traders?

A．By improving traders' business intuition.

B．By helping traders find out market trends.

C．By telling traders when to stockpile goods.

D．By aiding traders in controlling the market.

3. Who is more likely to get a delivery job from JD?

A．A person experienced in driving a truck.	B．A person willing to start a new business.
C．A person from an underdeveloped village.	D．A person preferring flexible working hours.

4. Which column of a newspaper is the passage probably taken from?

A．Culture.	B．World.
C．Lifestyle.	D．Business.

5 . The World Heritage application of the ancient Tea Horse Road, jointly carried out by China, Mongolia and Russia, will serve as an example for international cooperation, according to Sergey Kalashnikov, chairman of Russia International Cooperation Association.

The cooperation among China, Mongolia and Russia on this application process will not only promote the cultural and economic development of the countries, provinces, cities and counties along the ancient Tea Horse Road but also provide new perspectives for international cooperation on culture, technology and trade, Sergey said.

Sergey made the remarks at a forum on the application process which was held in the city of Wuyishan in East China's Fujian province on Sunday. Attendees of the forum include scholars from China, Mongolia and Russia, as well as representatives from cities along the road.

The ancient Tea Horse Road, which dates back to the 17th century, was a network of ancient trade routes that came into being after the Silk Road. Starting from the Wuyi Mountain, it passed through Chinese provinces including Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Henan, Hebei and Shanxi and Inner Mongolia autonomous region, and extended to Mongolia and Russia, stretching about 13,000 km and boosting the development of more than 200 cities along the way.

The heritage along the ancient Tea Horse Road includes ancient tea gardens, tea-making techniques, ports and intangible cultural heritage. The ancient Tea Horse Road was inscribed on the "World Heritage Tentative List in China" in March 2019.

1. The cooperation on the application will bring the following benefits EXCEPT:

A．Presenting the cultural development.

B．Promoting the economic development.

C．Developing new perspectives for international cooperation.

D．Providing new platform to strengthen friendship among the countries.

2. Which of the following statement is true?

A．The Silk Road can date back to the 17th century.

B．Wuyishan is where the Tea Horse Road started

C．The Tea Horse Road came into being before the Silk Road

D．There are about 200cities along the Tea Horse Road

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．The Tea Horse Road.

B．The silk Road.

C．A successful cooperation.

D．The World Heritage application.

6 . 下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

China now has the ability    1    (change)the world with its "new four great inventions": high-speed railways, electronic payments, shared bicycles and online shopping.The four new ways are most appealing    2    youths from countries in the Belt and Road Initiative.

“My wallet is no longer in use.I can buy and eat whatever I want    3    (simple) with a fingertip on my phone, "said Lin Jinlong, an overseas Chinese student from Cambodia."Even, pancake    4    (seller) are using Alipay.We can also order food at home,    5    is super convenient.If I     6    (be) at home in Cambodia, I would have to go outdoors."As    7    huge fan of bicycles, he also expressed his love for China’s shared bicycles, "They are making public transport more    8    (attract).”

Chinese people's lives    9    (become)more and more convenient for the past 10 years, Lin concluded,    10    (add) that he hopes to promote economic development in his mother country like China.

7 . In its best times on the nineteenth century, thatch (茅草屋顶) played an important role in protecting British homes from the weather. But new technologies since have led to a rapid decline in thatching and many of the thatched cottages that remain have been changed beyond all recognition by developers or have run into disrepair, a rather upsetting reminder of a bygone age.

A Welsh company, however, is trying to breathe new life into some of the last traditional thatched cottages in western Wales by repairing them and letting them out as holiday homes. Called “Under the Thatch”, the company is run by Greg Stevenson, who lives in his own thatched cottage in Ceredigion. An architectural historians by training, he repairs old buildings in old-fashioned ways.

All the cottages are in attractive locations around southwest Wales. Unlike most holiday homes, the cottages are let all year round---chiefly because Greg prices them lower than many holiday properties( 房屋) and he’d prefer that properties are rented just above cost price than not used at all. And with that comes a bargain or two: it’s common for a property to go for as little as£35 a night. Consequently occupancy for properties with “ Under the Thatch” is at 95 percent( the average in Wales is 35 percent)

Its success has meant that Greg has been able to buy up more old cottages and bring them back into the community. Greg has also diversified from offering only thatched cottages: he now lets out a variety of rare accommodations dotted around western styles , including a renovated(修复的) train carriage and two gypsy caravans which were used by Romanies.

Most of his thirty properties are run using environmentally friendly technologies. Including solar panels and recycled furnishings. But most importantly, what the cottages all have in common is that they bring back life to local communities. Spend a weekend “Under the Thatch” rather than in a holiday home, buy local food and visit nearby restaurants, and you will be contributing to the local economy.

1. How does the author sound when talking about thatched cottages in Paragraph 1?

A．Excited	B．Afraid
C．Sorry	D．Humorous

2. What is the main reason for the success of “Under the Thatch”?

A．The properties’ low prices.

B．The company’s excellent services.

C．The company’s creative designers.

D．The properties’ beautiful locations.

3. Beside thatched cottages, what does Greg’s company provide?

A．Design plans for modern cottages.

B．Other uncommon styles of holiday homes.

C．Environmentally friendly technologies.

D．Advice on developing the local economy.

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

A．Buy Up Traditional Thatched Cottages.

B．Protect British Homes from the weather.

C．Spend a Weekend Under the Thatch.

D．Bring Properties Back into the Community.