1 . Amid global efforts to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, Chinese scientists and engineers are working on a bright idea — soaking up abundant energy from the sun and then beaming it back to Earth.

Multiple teams in China are currently focused on technologies needed for building and running a space-based solar power facility, which will allow the sun’s energy to be captured nonstop, something that isn’t possible from Earth, said Hou Xinbin, a senior researcher.   

After collecting solar energy, the space facility will transform it into electromagnetic radiation, such as microwaves, and laser beams and send it wirelessly back to the Earth’s surface. Receiving stations will, then turn these electromagnetic waves and laser beams into electricity for distribution to power grids (电网).

“As a key step to testing the workability of space-based solar power generation,   we want to make and place into orbit a pair of satellites — a large one that will collect solar power and transform it to microwaves and laser beams, and a smaller one responsible for receiving laser beams, Meanwhile, a ground station will be in charge of receiving the microwaves. The two satellites will form an in-orbit testing system for wireless power transfer, ”Hou said.

However, a host of technical issues must be solved before any commercially viable solar power project can take shape in space, Hou said. The challenges include developing high-performance components with acceptable sizes and weights these cannot be too big or too heavy — and integrating them into a satellite; and also ensuring that the power beams reach ground receiving stations with great accuracy, he said.

Hou noted that there is an urgent need in China to develop new sources of clean energy, which are sustainable, affordable and secure, and can be widely used, as China has announced that it aims to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and realize carbon neutrality before 2060. The power generated in this manner will be free of pollution and limitless, and this source of energy could also be used to power any spacecraft within its beaming range.

1. What is the advantage of a space-based solar power facility over an earth-based one?

A．It will capture the sun’s energy continuously.

B．It will capture the sun’s energy cheaply.

C．It will capture the sun’s energy directly.

D．It will capture the sun’s energy conveniently.

2. What’s the third paragraph mainly about?

A．Why the space facility will be built.

B．How the space facility will work.

C．What parts the space facility will consist of.

D．What benefits the space facility will bring.

3. Which will Hou probably agree with?

A．The construction of this space facility means a lot in China’s efforts to go green.

B．The construction of this space facility will soon become commercially available.

C．The construction of this space facility faces both support and protest.

D．The construction of this space facility is more of a dream than of a reality.

4. What is the best title?

A．China aiming to realize carbon neutrality by promoting clean energy

B．China aiming to shine in space-based solar power tech to boost clean energy

C．China aiming to take the lead in exploring solar power for clean energy

D．China aiming to become a space power by building a space-based facility

2 . BBYY, as the adult female was known, made a wild dash of more than 388 kilometers in 49 days—the longest distance ever recorded among hares, rabbits or any other relatives—researchers report online December 22 in Ecology.

“To think that such a small animal living under such extreme conditions averaged about eight kilometers per day across seven weeks is truly amazing,” says Joel Berger, a scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

Arctic hares, also known as North-Pole hares—which weigh more or less the same as house cats, about four kilograms—are desirable targets for foxes and wolves on the tundra (苔原). Given the hares’ important role in the Arctic food chain, scientist Dominique Berteaux wanted to know how the animals move across the dry landscape where very few plants can grow.

In 2019, Berteaux and colleagues fixed satellite tracking rings on 25 hares caught near the northern tip of Ellesmere Island in Nunavut, Canada. As the hares quickly ran away, the researchers had no idea the creatures were beginning a mind-blowing journey across the tundra, Berteaux says. That’s because hares and their relatives, typically spend their lives within a familiar area where food is plentiful and easy to find.

The Arctic hares behaved quite differently, with most traveling anywhere between 113 and 310 kilometers. None came close to BBYY, who died of unknown causes about a month after reaching her final destination.

For a hare to complete such a dangerous journey, it must balance the need to find food without becoming food, says Dennis Murray, a scientist. That makes BBYY’s adventure even more impressive, he says.

Berteaux and colleagues hope data from BBYY and the other hares can help shape conservation strategies for the desert system near the North Pole. But even at this early stage, it’s exciting to find “something unknown in an animal that we thought we knew quite well,” Berteaux says.

1. Why did Berteaux and colleagues do research on Arctic hares?

A．Because of their amazing ability to travel a long distance.

B．Because of their weighing more or less the same as house cats.

C．Because of their important role in the Arctic food chain.

D．Because of their extreme living conditions.

2. What does the underlined word “mind-blowing” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．Amazing.

B．Challenging.

C．Demanding.

D．Upsetting.

3. What do we know about BBYY?

A．BBYY was an adult male with the longest distance record among hares.

B．BBYY died of tiredness from traveling the longest distance.

C．BBYY, like other Arctic hares, typically lived within a familiar area.

D．BBYY managed to balance the need to find food without becoming food.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．The findings of Berteaux and colleagues are good for nothing.

B．The findings of Berteaux and colleagues just confirm what people believe about hares.

C．Berteaux and colleagues have discovered an unknown species—Arctic hares.

D．Berteaux and colleagues will go on with their research on Arctic hares.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A recent study found that kindergarten children who are exposed     1     electronic screens for more than an hour a day have a     2     (significance) increase in mental health risk regardless of the content viewed, and the risk worsens as the duration of screen exposure increases.

According to the study     3     (conduct) by experts from the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, children     4     (watch) entertainment and non-child-directed programs have     5     (great) mental health risks than those who watch educational programs.

A paper about the research,     6     involved nearly 16, 000 kindergarten children from Shanghai for three continuous years,     7     (publish) on the website of the journal JAMA Pediatrics early this month.

The new study was designed     8     (find) whether the associations between excessive screen time and mental health risks differ by the content viewed.   Screen exposure time was collected when the children were aged 3, 5 and 6, and their mental health was reported by parents using     9     standard questionnaire. Experts reminded parents and guardians that children under 2 should only use electronic     10     (device) to conduct video calls when necessary. They also suggested that for children between 2 and 5, parents should accompany and communicate with them when they are in front of screens.

4 . Not long ago, Linda Khan was sitting by a hospital bed in Houston, feeling ill at ease. Beside her lay her 88-year-old father, who needed surgery.

What troubled her almost as much as his health was the fact that all day the two of them had engaged in nothing but depressing small talk. She and her father had always had good conversations, but now his once wide-ranging interests seemed to have shrunk to the size of the room. He talked about the terrible hospital food, the tests, the doctors, the diagnosis, the potential outcomes. “It is really hard to sit with a person in a hospital,” Khan says. “It feels like there’s nothing to talk about except their medical situation.”

That day in the hospital, her eye fell on a pile of books that people had brought as gifts. Her father had always been a reader, but lately he didn’t have the energy or focus. She picked up Young Titan, Michael Shelden’s biography of Winston Churchill, and started to read it out loud. “Right away it changed the mood and atmosphere,” she says. That afternoon, Khan read to her father for an hour. It was a relief and a pleasure for both of them. Reading gave the daughter a way to connect with her father and help him in a situation that was otherwise out of her hands. Listening allowed the father to travel on the sound of his daughter’s voice, and back into the realm of mature, intellectual engagement, where he felt himself again.

“He’s in and out of the hospital a lot now,” Khan says, “and I always read to him. ”That may be just what the doctor ordered. In a 2010 survey in the United Kingdom, elderly adults who joined weekly read-aloud groups reported better concentration, less anxiety, and an improved ability to socialize. The survey authors believed these improvements were in large part due to the “rich, varied, nonprescriptive diet of serious literature” that group members consumed, with fiction encouraging feelings of relaxation and calm, poetry promoting focused concentration, and narratives of all sorts giving rise to thoughts, feelings, and memories.

1. What do we know about Khan’s father from paragraph 2?

A．He stuck to a wide range of interests.	B．He had no small talk with Khan.
C．His mood suffered quite a lot.	D．All his hope was lost.

2. Which statement is true?

A．Khan got inspiration from Young Titan.

B．Khan had specially prepared Young Titan for her father.

C．Reading was a win-win way for Khan and her father.

D．Khan’s father had had no interest in reading.

3. Joining weekly read-aloud groups can benefit elderly adults in the following aspects EXCEPT     .

A．the tolerance of loneliness.	B．the capability of socializing.
C．the relieving of anxiety.	D．the promoting of concentration.

4. What can we infer about the elderly adults’activity of group reading?

A．All kinds of literature worked equally.	B．A specific kind of literature worked better.
C．It was the amount of reading that counted.	D．It was the variety of reading that counted.

5 . In Singapore, it seems like art can be seen at every turn. Throughout the year, festivals, live performances, and concerts add to the vibrancy (活力) of the creative community. Here are some of the biggest art festivals.

SINGAPORE ART WEEK

When: January

Over the course of 10 days, this massive visual art celebration organizes more than 130 art events — at museums, galleries, independent art spaces, and public places across Singapore from the city center to the heartland neighborhoods. Visitors can have discussions with artists, and attend art exhibitions and workshops that explore art and culture in Asia. Whether you’re interested in Sudanese architecture or cute Japanese paintings, there’s an event for everyone,

ART SG

When: January

During the biggest art fair in Southeast Asia, more than 150 of the world’s best galleries will showcase their collection of more than 1,000 artists at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. From 12-15 January, this large-scale art show highlights paintings, sculptures, and photography from galleries like the influential Gagosian and London’s White Cube.

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS

When: May

This annual performance art festival pushes the boundaries of physical and virtual spaces and explores The Anatomy of Performance through music, film, dance, musicals, and plays. The festival’s lineup includes a broad range of programs from local and international artists, ranging from orchestral performances to different styles of modern and traditional dances.

SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL

When: August

For one week each August, the Bras Basah Bugis district lights up for this multi-dimensional art festival, with more than a dozen light installations (装置), stage   shows, and   theater   performances. The National Museum of Singapore sponsors the event. It also acts as a major venue for various performances and demonstrations along with the Singapore Art Museum and the Peranakan Museum.

1. What can visitors do at SINGAPORE ART WEEK?

A．Watch orchestral performances.

B．Appreciate works of photography.

C．Discuss with artists.

D．Admire Sudanese paintings.

2. How long does the biggest art fair in Southeast Asia last?

A．Three days.

B．Four days.

C．A week.

D．Ten days.

3. Which would you like to choose if you want to attend it at night?

A．SINGAPORE ART WEEK

B．ART SG

C．SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS

D．SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL

6 . Encourage Your Teens to Play More

Parents are generally aware of the importance of play for younger kids. But when kids hit the teen stage, it can be confusing to know what play looks like because kids of this age don’t engage in“play“the way younger kids do. Obviously, play changes as kids grow. And parents begin to wonder whether they should continue to encourage their teens to play.     1    

Playfulness doesn’t go away in childhood; creativity is just as important in adolescence. Adolescence is a time of rapid brain development and self-inquiry — a stage where people can figure out who they are and where the opportunity to stretch in different directions really builds intelligence.     2     Furthermore, play allows people to mess up and recover and learn how to do better next time.

    3    A 2011 article in the American Journal of Play evaluated the decline of play and the rise of mental health issues in adolescents. It noted that as play declined, instances of depression, anxiety, and suicide increased. Research found that play can have a positive impact on kids’mental health by helping them to learn to make decisions, solve problems, exhibit self-control, and follow rules.

How to Encourage Play in Teens? Teens feel the tension of being pulled toward adulthood while also wanting to regress (退回) toward childhood.    4     So, one thing adults can do is model vulnerability (脆弱)and playfulness. When parents are willing to engage with teens in play, it can go a long way in encouraging them.    5    There are so many kids who are highly scheduled with lots of activities, and often what kids really need is a little downtime.

A．Mental health is another benefit of play for teens.

B．When engaged in play, teens typically feel joyful.

C．In the end, play will look different from teen to teen.

D．Sometimes it’s like they need permission to be silly again.

E．In addition, parents can offer up raw materials and the time and space to use them.

F．During this period, play can help teens grow and discover things about themselves.

G．Actually, people of all ages benefit from play, including and especially teenagers.

7 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the talk mainly about?

A．Old people’s lives.

B．A supermarket chain.

C．Services for the elderly.

2. What was the problem with Robert Smith’s mother?

A．She lost her phone by accident.

B．She was cheated through phone.

C．She was unable to make calls.

3. Which company has trained the staff to provide safer and friendlier service?

A．True Call.

B．Safeway.

C．Red & Yellow Care.

4. Who might benefit from Safeway according to Martin Bateman?

A．Businessmen.

B．Sick people.

C．Senior customers.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Where is the conversation probably taking place?

A．Over the phone.

B．On a highway.

C．At the man’s home.

2. How is the woman’s computer now?

A．Its keyboard is full of glass.

B．Its fan can make a sound.

C．Its screen can be turned on.

3. What is the man’s suggestion?

A．Charging the computer.

B．Drying out the computer keyboard.

C．Bringing the computer to his shop.

4. What information does the woman seek?

A．How to get to the repair shop.

B．Whether the computer can be fixed.

C．How much it will cost to fix the computer.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the man come to the restaurant?

A．It serves tasty meat.

B．He heard the food was healthy.

C．His friend recommended it.

2. What change will the restaurant make next month?

A．It will use more natural food.

B．It will provide more snacks.

C．It will move closer to the farm.

3. What will the man probably do next?

A．Pay the bill.

B．Order his meal.

C．Praise the menu.

10 . 阅读下面材料，在题后空白处填入适当的内容(每空一词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Chinese Calligraphy is a traditional form of writing characters from the Chinese language through the use of ink and a brush. It is a tradition     1    (root) in China through centuries of practice. Over the past thousands of years, numerous script forms     2    (arise) as a result of the transformation of Chinese characters, including the seal script. official script, regular script, and running script.

Calligraphy holds a     3    (center) position in Chinese culture, which has developed into special high-level art apart from     4    (satisfy) the needs of daily writing. It turns Chinese characters     5     images through pressure and speed variations of the pointed Chinese brush. It emphasizes the expression of emotions as well as mental exercise,     6     combines the body and the mind to select the best style for the presentation of the passage content.

In English, “calligraphy”     7    (literal) means” beautiful writing.” As a cherished traditional art form in China, calligraphy functions     8     a written medium that bridges the diverse languages spoken throughout the country. Picasso, the world-famous master of art, once     9    (express): “If I had ever lived in China, I must have become     10     calligrapher”.