1 . Shein exemplifies a new style of Chinese multinational

Xu Yangtian founded Shein in 2008. The creator of the fashion world's latest hit is a specialist in search-engine optimisation (最优化). This year Shein's gross merchandise value (GMV) is forecast to surpass $20 billion. By 2022 analysts expect Shein's (GMV) to overtake Zara's revenues.    1    

The first is a turbocharged version of the fast-fashion formula of offering a constantly updated range of garments at bargain-basement prices. Whereas Zara launches about 10, 000 new products a year, Shein releases 6, 000 fresh “stock-keeping units” every day.

Shein tests the new designs simultaneously (同时地) on its app. If a new design is popular, the company quickly orders more.    2    

    3    . Besides handing out products free of charge to influencers, it has recruited local designers in America and several other countries. As well as dreaming up new clothes, they market its products and backstories on social media.

The third ingredient is brilliant avoidance of geopolitical controversy. Shein wears its Chineseness lightly. Unlike other Chinese brands such as Huawei, it sells next to nothing domestically.     4    . Western consumers assume that like most of their clothing, Shein clothing is made in Asia.

    5    . The company relies on collecting lots of data from American shoppers. Shein's Western competitors may use national security as a reason to fight against its relentless (不留情面的) rise. That would be a compliment — after a fashion.

A．Shein is a huge success.

B．Shein's success has three threads.

C．That makes them gain support from Chinese citizens.

D．That weakens its association with China in Western eyes.

E．If consumers shrug (耸肩) at the new style, no more orders are placed.

F．For all its stupendous (惊人的) success, Mr Xu's formula is not without risks.

G．Shein has used digital understanding also in sales and marketing — the second thread of its success.

2 . At about 4, I was sitting around when my mum put a headphone around my ears so that I could listen to classical music for the first time. The _________ she put it on, I stopped everything I was doing, _________ in what was going on between my ears.

I started to take piano lessons and _________ my first piece of music. By the time I was in high school I was in a _________ with my friends and it had become a huge part of my life and _________.

However, in college as all of us in the band began to pursue our _________ life paths, the once budding flower of music began to wilt (枯萎) and disappear. Music and piano took a back _________ in my life from that point until one day in 2017.

It was a _________ Sunday afternoon, I went in the room and played a bit on the piano. But this time was a little different. Something somewhere deep got a little spark (火花). How could I _________ music and passion? Something changed in me that day and I was motivated for __________. From that day on, I played __________, writing and posting my compositions to YouTube. Music made me feel alive. Free to be myself, free to express every __________ of emotion.

As more people began to listen to my music I got __________ feedback (反馈). For some it was a good sleep aid, or a good way to __________ stress from work. I began realizing my music wasn’t just for me-it could have a healing __________ on people too.

1.

A．occasion

B．point

C．moment

D．stage

2.

A．absorbed

B．trapped

C．enveloped

D．concerned

3.

A．fancy

B．revise

C．compose

D．export

4.

A．band

B．choir

C．union

D．studio

5.

A．faith

B．charm

C．virtue

D．identity

6.

A．previous

B．individual

C．smooth

D．flexible

7.

A．side

B．seat

C．ground

D．end

8.

A．usual

B．regular

C．lunar

D．special

9.

A．cut back

B．respond to

C．give up

D．complain about

10.

A．operation

B．action

C．tryout

D．performance

11.

A．crazily

B．passively

C．virtually

D．briefly

12.

A．clue

B．style

C．feature

D．range

13.

A．inner

B．moral

C．positive

D．original

14.

A．reflect

B．reduce

C．reject

D．replace

15.

A．belief

B．advantage

C．reaction

D．impact

3 . Standing in his boat, Andrew had just finished lunch when he spotted a boat which was headed directly toward his boat and didn’t change course as it got closer. Andrew couldn’t see anybody behind the wheel. “It’s a ghost (幽灵) boat!” he shouted. Andrew controlled his boat alongside the mystery boat. “Hey! Hey!” he screamed. No reply. A horrifying new thought took shape: the captain had gone below deck (甲板) and suffered a heart attack.

As Andrew eased his boat alongside the ghost boat, Andrew’s son, Jack leapt onto the deck of the mystery boat. Getting to his feet, he stepped into the pilothouse and threw the engine into neutral (空挡) as Andrew tied the two boats together.

On the ghost boat, Jack called the Coast Guard after finding a wallet with the ID of a man named Sascha Scheller. “Can you see his GPS?” the operator asked. They told the GPS coordinates (坐标) by using the build-in display beside the wheel, which had tracked Scheller’s course and marked waypoints of his route.

After the operator signed off, Jack and Andrew resolved to do something to help. According to the GPS, they reached Scheller’s final waypoint. Unexpectedly, Jack spotted something in the water — a boot! He fished it out, and, moments later, he found another one. Jack shouted “A pair of fishing boots!” Meanwhile, something clicked in Andrew’s mind. “If I fell overboard, I’d kick off my boot s to swim. So, we are looking for a swimmer, not a body.”

Suddenly, they heard someone was screaming and slamming in the water. Andrew slowed the boats and turned them directly toward that sound. After releasing the ghost boat, Andrew rushed forward. “Glad to see you,” Andrew said, pulling the man onto the deck, who had been in the water for several hours, “Are you Scheller?” “Yes. I couldn’t believe my own boat had come to rescue me,” the man replied.

1. Why did Andrew think of the boat as a “ghost boat”?

A．It had no one on board.	B．It charged towards his boat.
C．It was in a mysterious design.	D．Its captain suffered a heart attack.

2. Which measure did Andrew and Jack take when rescuing Scheller?

A．Attaching two boats together.

B．Marking waypoints of Scheller’s course.

C．Throwing the engine of their boat into neutral.

D．Asking Coast Guard for their GPS coordinates.

3. What is the significance of finding “the boots”?

A．It revealed the mystery of the ghost boat.

B．It indicated the sailing route of the ghost boat.

C．It clarified the occupation of the ghost boat owner.

D．It implied the survival of the ghost boat owner.

4. Which of the following words best describe Andrew and Jack?

A．Helpful and good-tempered.	B．Warm-hearted and considerate.
C．Cautious and ambitious.	D．Determined and adventurous.

4 . Possible discovery of the first planet outside our galaxy

Signs of a planet transiting (经过) a star outside of the Milky Way galaxy may have been detected for the first time. This intriguing result, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, opens up a new window to search for exoplanets at greater distances than ever before. The possible exoplanet candidate is located in the spiral galaxy Messier 51 (M51), also called the Whirlpool galaxy because of its distinctive profile.

“We are trying to open up a whole new arena for finding other worlds by searching for planet candidates at X-ray wavelengths, a strategy that makes it possible to discover them in other galaxies,” said Rosanne Di Stefano of the Center for Astrophysics I Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA), who led the study, which was published Monday in Nature Astronomy.

Because the region producing bright X-rays is small, a planet passing in front of it could block most or all of the X-rays, making the transit easier to spot because the X-rays can completely disappear. This could allow exoplanets to be detected at much greater distances than current optical light transit studies, which must be able to detect tiny decreases in light because the planet only blocks a tiny part of the star.

The team used this method to detect the exoplanet candidate in a binary system (双星系统) called M51-ULS-1, located in M51. This binary system contains a black hole or neutron star or biting a companion star with a mass about 20 times that of the sun. The X-ray transit they found using Chandra data lasted about three hours, during which the X-ray emission decreased to zero. Based on this and other information, the researchers estimate the exoplanet candidate in M51-ULS-1 would be roughly the size of Saturn, and orbit the neutron star or black hole at about twice Saturn’s distance from the sun.

While this is a tantalizing (引起好奇心的) study, more data would be needed to confirm the understanding as an extragalactic (银河系外的) exoplanet. One challenge is that the planet candidate’s large orbit means it would not cross in front of its binary partner again for about 70 years, thwarting (阻碍) any attempts for a confirming observation for decades.

1. What is the significance of the new finding for future study?

A．It has distinctive result.

B．It opens up exploration at longer distance.

C．It uses NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

D．It detects a star outside of the Milky Way for the first time.

2. According to Rosanne Di, how did they try to find exoplanets?

A．By using X-ray wavelengths to look for exoplanets.

B．By discovering exoplanets in other galaxies.

C．By opening up a whole new arena.

D．By finding other worlds.

3. What does this refer to in paragraph 4?

A．Chandra data.	B．X-ray emission.
C．The decrease of X-ray.	D．The X-ray transit that lasted three hours.

4. What’s the team’s future focus?

A．Thwart attempts.	B．Tantalize the study.
C．Confirm observation.	D．Find more information.

5 . It’s hard to say what is normal and what is weird where food is concerned — it all depends on the taste of the individual and which part of the world you come from. One person’s nightmare is another person’s delicacy. Here are a few of the strangest types of food from around the world.

Haggis (Scotland)

A world-famous dish, haggis is made from the parts of a sheep many people would throw away. The heart, lungs and liver are mixed together with onion, spices and oatmeal, then put inside a sheep’s stomach and boiled for three hours.

Sannakji (Korea)

Now that Japanese sushi is popular around the world, many people are used to eating raw fish. But Sannakji is different. It consists of octopus which is sliced up while alive. The octopus is then cooked in sesame oil and served with a dipping sauce. If you don’t chew the octopus carefully, it’s possible that the tiny suction cups on tentacles (触须) can stick to your throat.

Fugu (Japan)

Fugu is a famous Japanese fish filled with enough of the poison substance to be deadly. Chefs have to be trained before they can prepare the fish. Fugu actually tastes quite mild. The excitement is in surviving the experiences of eating it.

Frogs’ legs (France)

Frogs’legs are a popular dish in France, usually served with garlic. They’re said to taste like chicken, but some people find them to be too chewy. If you’re feeling brave, you can try frogs’ legs for yourself — just be sure to remove the skin and bones before you eat them.

1. What do you need to pay attention to while eating Sannakji?

A．Eating carefully and slowly.	B．Boiling it with dipping sauce.
C．Slicing up the dead octopus.	D．Preparing a cup of sesame oil.

2. Which dish offers diners a thrill of danger?

A．Haggis from Scotland.	B．Sannakji from Korea.
C．Fugu from Japan.	D．Frogs’legs from France.

3. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A special menu.	B．A cooking recipe.
C．A food magazine.	D．A nutrition guidebook.

6 . “Merry Christmas from the Family”, a country song by Robert Earl Keen, tells the tale of a festive get-together. Many listeners will recognize the chaos (混乱) the singer describes; even more than that, they will definitely identify with his struggle to recall how he is related to the various guests. “Fred and Rita drove from Harlingen,” Mr. Keen sings, “Can’t remember how I’m kin (有亲属关系的) to them.”

That may have something to do with the English language. It is often joked that anyone around your age is a “cousin” and anyone older is an “uncle” or “aunt”. English is rather bare in its terms for family members. Other languages pay far more attention to the details.

Take “brother” and “sister” for instance. Societies that value age-order highly often have different terms for older brother, older sister, younger brother and younger sister. These are ge, jie, di and mei in Chinese or ani, ane, ototo, imoto in Japanese.

Chinese even requires the speakers to remember whether a relative is older or younger than they are, whether relatives of their parents are older or younger than they, and so on. There are many armchair theories about the relationship between language and culture that do not hold up to careful examination. The East Asian languages’ focus on seniority (年长), however, is actually related to the importance Confucianism places on the virtue of respecting your elders.

Actually, all languages permit you to describe relationships in any amount of detail your listener would like. The focus that some cultures put on labelling every possible relation with a distinct term does not mean that those who lack those terms do not pay attention to family networks. Every English-speaking family seems to have at least one member who can sort out the complicated relations and tell you that Henry Ford was a great-great-great uncle. But each family also has members who couldn’t care less, waving a hand and saying “uncle” or “cousin”.

1. How does the author introduce the topic of the text?

A．By criticizing a forgetful guest.	B．By praising a recognized singer.
C．By illustrating a shared experience.	D．By presenting a chaotic get-together.

2. Why does the author mention the examples of Chinese and Japanese?

A．To indicate their respect for the elders.

B．To make a contrast with English language.

C．To emphasize the influence of Confucianism.

D．To make an analysis of East Asian languages.

3. What does “armchair theories” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Baseless assumptions.	B．Detailed descriptions.
C．Contradictory thoughts.	D．Convincing explanations.

4. What does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Labelling every relation is no easy.

B．English speakers value family networks as well.

C．Some people enjoy sorting out complicated relations.

D．General terms for relatives indicate weaker family bond.

7 . In recent years, much of my life as a consumer has shifted to what I like to call background spending. As I’ve subscribed to more apps and streaming platforms, significant sums of my money tend to drift away each month without my ever thinking about it.

Think of it as automated capitalism (资本主义). Spending without the hassle of spending. Purchase without action or thought. Indeed, economists estimate that buyers forgetting to cancel subscriptions can increase a business’s income by as much as 200 percent. We’re too lazy or busy to even notice or cancel!

“Hand over your credit card details and let us take care of the rest,” these companies assure us. But by agreeing to this trade, we’ve become passive consumers who are allowing the balance of capitalism to shift away from us. We have given up one of our key powers as individuals: our control. And this laziness generates more laziness because most of us can’t be bothered with conducting regular review s of our subscription spending.

If we’re going to rebalance the wheels of capitalism just a little, we could do worse than to support a recently proposed rule from the Federal Trade Commission. In March, the organization suggested a “click to cancel” condition that would require companies to make it just as easy to end a subscription as to sign up for one. No more being forced to go into the gym to end your membership if you were able to join online! Additionally, under this extra layer of consumer protection, businesses would need to remind subscribers annually about their membership before these are automatically renewed. This rule would mean any background spending would, if only just for one moment a year, be at the forefront of your mind.

If all that doesn’t work, I have another idea: an app designed to keep track of your various subscriptions and background spending so you can better control your finances. Oh wait, those already exist—for a recurring (再发生) fee, of course.

1. What does the underlined word “hassle” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Consideration.

B．Approval.

C．Trouble.

D．Rejection.

2. What do passive consumers tend to do?

A．Subscribe to various apps.	B．Ignore subscription review.
C．Lose the balance between earning and spending.	D．Reach an agreement with credit card companies.

3. What are subscription service providers expected to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Remind consumers to renew their membership.	B．Allow customers to cancel subscription easily.
C．Reconsider the proposal of federal government.	D．Discontinue releasing new subscription services.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Background spending needs to be controlled.

B．Subscriptions to apps are generally hard to end.

C．Apps for tracking subscriptions should be designed.

D．Proposals to prevent automated capitalism are supported.

8 . 听下面一段较长独白，回答以下小题。
1. In which year did Ritchie Valens make his first record?

A．1950.

B．1958.

C．1959.

2. What was Ritchie Valens’s most famous song?

A．La Bamba.

B．American Pie.

C．Donna.

3. Who got a seat on the plane because of illness?

A．Don Maclean.

B．Buddy Holly.

C．J.P Richardson.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers talking about?

A．Their trip abroad.

B．Vacation plans.

C．Cultural differences

2. Why doesn’t the woman want to go to Mexico?

A．She’s afraid of flying.

B．She hates the food there.

C．She went there with her cousin last summer.

3. What does the man say about Spanish?

A．It’s not easy to learn.

B．He’s been learning it for a year.

C．He can only say a few words.

4. What probably makes the woman change her mind?

A．The beauty of the beaches in Mexico.

B．The possibility of learning some Spanish.

C．Many people speaking English in Mexico.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the man’s aunt and uncle leave their home?

A．To visit family.

B．To have a vacation.

C．To escape the natural disaster.

2. How do they find what the volcano is doing?

A．They call their relatives.

B．They read the newspaper.

C．They watch news programs.

3. What do the man’s aunt and uncle think about San Francisco?

A．It isn’t very fun.

B．It’s too cold.

C．It’s scary to visit.