1 . The Mona Lisa is the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting of a woman with a mysterious smile. This week, the painting gave up a secret.
Scientists using X-rays to examine the chemical structure of a small part of the painting discovered a technique Leonardo used in the work. An oil paint used for it was a special, new chemical mixture, which suggests that the Italian artist was in an experimental mood when he worked on the painting in the 16th century.
“He loved to experiment, and each of his paintings is completely different technically,”said Victor Gonzalez, a chemist who has studied the chemical element (成分) of several works by Leonardo and other artists. The researchers found a rare lead compound (铅化合物) — plumbonacrite, in Leonardo’s first layer of paint. The discovery proved that da Vinci most likely used lead oxide to thicken and help dry his paint. The paint in the study is about the thickness of a human hair, lying in the top right area of the painting.
The scientists looked into its atomic structure using X-rays, moving particles at the speed of light, permitting researchers to look deeper into the paint structure. “ Plumbonacrite is really a fingerprint of his recipe, as it’s the first time we can chemically confirm it,” Gonzalez said.
Dutch artist Rembrandt may have used a similar mixture when he was painting in the 17th century. Gonzalez and other researchers have found plumbonacrite in his work, too. Leonardo is thought to have put lead oxide powder, which has an orange color, in the oil to make it thicker and dry faster. “What you will get is an oil that has a very nice golden color,” Gonzalez said. “It flows more like honey.”
But the Mona Lisa — said by the Louvre to be a portrait (肖像) of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk businessman — and additional works by Leonardo still have other secrets to tell. “What we are saying is just a little brick in the knowledge,” Gonzalez said.
1. What’s the new discovery about the Mona Lisa?| A．A new explanation of the secret smile. |
| B．A new chemical element used in the painting. |
| C．The secret of the woman in the painting. |
| D．The structure of the paint da Vinci used. |
| A．Open secret. | B．Widespread use. | C．Hidden element. | D．Long-term dream. |
| A．It helps to make many things into paints. |
| B．It helps to make paints easy to deal with. |
| C．It helps to keep the paintings last long. |
| D．It helps to make paintings rich in color. |
| A．It has more secrets to tell the world. |
| B．It’s the portrait of a silk businessman. |
| C．It’s well kept in bricks in the Louvre. |
| D．It has a mixture of different art styles. |
2 . “I like pigs,” Winston Churchill supposedly once said. “Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” Whether Churchill’s contemporary George Orwell also liked pigs is less clear. But he, too, surely saw something in them that was lacking in many domestic (驯养的) animals, for it was they who ended up running the show in his novel, Animal Farm. Pigs, then, are intelligent social creatures.
And, like all animals, they sometimes fight. Some pigs tend to be attackers; others tend to be victims. Who is what depends largely on weight. Among pigs, pounds mean power. The attacker might bite, kick or push the victim. Most conflicts end in seconds, but some last a minute or two.
In most animal species fights would be like that. However, many of the conflicts among pigs Dr Norscia, a biologist, observed had interested parties beyond the fighters. He therefore wanted to understand the role of these bystanders in solving conflicts—and what this says about pigs’ cognitive (认知的) abilities.
Since there was usually not enough time for a bystander pig to become involved in the heat of a conflict, though this did occur, Dr Norscia looked at what happened in the three minutes immediately following a fight. Sometimes, he found, the fighters reconciled with each other on their own. The more distantly related the fighters were, the more frequently this happened. Dr Norscia guessed that relations between close relatives are more secure to start with, so rebuilding friendly relations rapidly is less necessary for them.
On other occasions, however, a third pig stepped in. Sometimes this bystander interacted with the attacker, which reduced the number of attacks coming after. Sometimes, the bystander interacted with the victim. This appeared to calm the victim down, for it reduced anxiety-related behavior.
Social intelligence need not, though, be entirely selfless. Pigs are more likely to step in after a conflict if they are closely related to either the attacker or the victim. This is probably an example of kin selection (亲属选择), which favors the development of behavior.
1. Why are Churchill and Orwell mentioned at the beginning?| A．To show their preference for pigs. | B．To add some related backgrounds. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. | D．To present their attitude to animals. |
| A．They aim to show power. | B．They have audiences. |
| C．They last a little bit longer. | D．They happen more often. |
| A．Caught up. | B．Kept in touch. | C．Made up. | D．Changed in tune. |
| A．Offering comfort to victim pigs. | B．Forming special bonds with strangers. |
| C．Sticking to their behavior. | D．Caring for others with selfless devotion. |
3 . When my daughter completes a task, I can’t help but praise her. It’s only natural to give praise where praise is
According to psychologist Katherine Phillip, children don’t
Does this mean we should
So how do we break the
| A．normal | B．intelligent | C．due | D．grateful |
| A．analyze | B．define | C．profit | D．reflect |
| A．convincing | B．believing | C．claiming | D．debating |
| A．Therefore | B．Moreover | C．Meanwhile | D．However |
| A．merely | B．rarely | C．gradually | D．repeatedly |
| A．constructed | B．understood | C．prized | D．evaluated |
| A．curiosity | B．potential | C．virtue | D．expectation |
| A．lack | B．fear | C．infection | D．presence |
| A．do away with | B．get away with | C．look up to | D．give way to |
| A．other than | B．rather than | C．or rather | D．more than |
| A．emotional | B．remarkable | C．essential | D．accessible |
| A．pattern | B．custom | C．tendency | D．response |
| A．identify | B．confirm | C．clarify | D．classify |
| A．annoying | B．disturbing | C．great | D．crucial |
| A．completion | B．objective | C．consequence | D．acknowledgement |
4 . Cyberattacks are like thievery in the dark-mostly invisible and highly dangerous. As proved on Sept 5, the cyberattack on the email system of Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, was launched by the US National Security Agency.
The cyberattack was launched against the university on April 12. The university is known for its education and research programs in the fields of astronautics and marine technology engineering, reported China Daily.
The university became aware of the attack by noticing phishing (网络钓鱼) emails with Trojan horse programs. Such emails, which were disguised as research reviews, invitations to academic events and opportunities to study abroad, were sent to teachers and students at the university. By tricking them into clicking the links and giving away their sign-in information, the attacker aimed to steal university data.
However, apart from the phishing emails which were visible to the public, the investigation team, including the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and internet security company 360, revealed in a report that over 40 cyberattack weapons were used. The weapons were used to steal core technology data, such as network management data and core operational data. It thus confirmed that the attack had severely endangered national security.
The incident showed the public a glimpse of cyberattacks between nations. Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360, said in the report that national-level hacker armies and organizations have become the biggest threat to China’s cybersecurity. “Cyberattacks launched by a country have clear targets. Hackers may first penetrate (秘密潜入) key information systems in China and wait for the right opportunities to steal information.” Zhou said.
Cyberattacks may seem far away from our daily activities online, but every internet user, no matter young or old, is a potential victim. For cyberattacks between countries, we may be unknowingly used to breach(破坏) our country’s network security. One simple way of preventing cyberattacks is to be watchful-raising your awareness of cybercrimes and keeping an eye on anything unusual when online.
1. Why did the US National Security Agency launch the cyberattack?| A．To damage key systems. | B．To steal personal information. |
| C．To gain access to sensitive data. | D．To seek certain financial benefits. |
| A．Their origins. | B．Their purpose. |
| C．Their influence. | D．Their characteristics. |
| A．Some people are safe from cyberattacks. |
| B．Cyberattacks are not difficult to detect. |
| C．Anyone can be used to threaten national security. |
| D．Cyberattacks are the biggest threat to national security. |
| A．Watch the news regularly. | B．Be alert to anything strange online. |
| C．Use the internet as little as possible. | D．Learn in-depth about cyber crimes |
Two little birds were happily sitting on the rock, just having finished their lunch. Their parents had allowed them, for the first time, to go and hunt for their lunch by themselves. And they had enjoyed every bit of the freedom.
Suddenly, a net came and fell on both. They struggled to pass through it but in vain. Two boys jumped down from the branch above them. They quickly gathered the net. One of the boys, Eric, shouted to his little brother Max. “We have finally succeeded after ten days of waiting.”
“Yes, what luck! They look much more beautiful than ordinary birds. Let’s go home and put them in our cage,” Eric said joyfully. They ran home with the birds.
The two little birds were terribly frightened. They thought of their mother who must be anxiously waiting for them.
When the two boys got to the house gate, the sweet smell came out of the kitchen. Their mother Amla was baking cakes, which were what the boys couldn’t live without.
Hearing the boys’ footsteps, Amla anxiously asked, “Where have you been? I was getting worried. I’m cooking your favorite cakes.”
“Look, Mom, we have caught two beautiful birds! We are going to cage them. They will play with us.” Max proudly showed them to Amla.
Seeing the young birds shivering (发抖) in the boys’ hands, Amla said, “They are indeed beautiful. But they are so young and look so scared! They need their mother. Set them free.”
The boys said, “We will look after them.” Amla insisted that they shouldn’t keep them. They turned to their father John for help. Similarly,” John said, “It is not good to cage these birds. We should not take away their freedom.”
The boys were in tears and begged, “We love them so much. Please let us keep then.” “Well, just put them in the cage for the time being. Let’s enjoy your favorite cakes.” The boys jumped with joy. In the evening, John said to Amla, “The birds look very rare. We’d better do some research. Maybe we should call the police first.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
The boys woke up only to find a note, “Mom and Dad go to the police station.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Just then Dad and Mom returned. On seeing them, the boys asked, “Why did you see the police?”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
| A．On account of; take | B．Despite; should take |
| C．Account for; should take | D．Due to; took |
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.老师称呼使用Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss ，不能出现老师，学校，班级的具体名称；
3.学生落款已写好。
Dear Mrs Wang ,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
8 . China has announced that couples will be permitted to have up to three children in a major policy shift from the existing two-child limit, after recent data showed a dramatic decline in births in the world's most populated country.
"To actively respond to the ageing of the population…a couple can have three children," state media Xinhua reported on Monday, citing a committee meeting hosted by President Xi Jinping
Early this May, China reported the slowest population growth since the early 1960s, despite scrapping its one-child policy in 2015 to encourage more births and avoid a potential population crisis.
A once-a-decade survey showed that the overall population of China grew to 1,41178 billion in the 10 years to 2020, up by 5. 38%. The increase reflects an average annual rise of 0.53%, down from 0.57% reported from 2000 to 2010.
The announcement drew a chilly response on Chinese social media, where many people said they could not afford to have even one or two children. "I am willing to have three children if you give me 5 million yuan (£554,350)," one user posted on Weibo. As a matter of fact, experiment of the three-child policy in Heilongjiang province in the last few years also resulted less effectively than expected.
It is not only China that is facing such a population challenge. Across east Asia, authorities have, for years, been struggling to persuade couples to have more babies. South Korea and Japan both have used allowance to encourage.
The policy change will come with "supportive measures, which will be beneficial to improving our country's population structure, fulfilling the country's strategy of actively coping with an ageing population and maintaining the advantage of human resources", Xinhua said. It did not specify the support measures.
1. Why did China announce the three-child limit this May?| A．To completely stop the population from ageing. | B．To show concern over the ageing population. |
| C．To increase the birth rate of the country. | D．To remove the two-child limit. |
| A．Issuing. | B．Changing. | C．Adopting. | D．Canceling |
| A．China has a smaller population in 2020 than in 2010. |
| B．Many couples can't afford to raise two or more children. |
| C．Hei Longjiang has the smallest population among the provinces. |
| D．Korea and Japan have managed to cope with ageing population. |
| A．A book review. | B．An online newspaper | C．A travel brochure. | D．A biology textbook. |
9 . It is inevitable (不可避免的) that students will make mistakes. Some teachers think punishing students is the most effective way for them to learn their lessons. Others choose a more moderate (温和的) way, like a face-to-face talk. I support the second.
In my opinion, punishment, especially physical punishment, will harm the students mentally. The students are likely to feel very ashamed. Their confidence may get lost as a result. They may end up locking themselves up and refusing to communicate with even their best friends. In such a situation, it will be very difficult to encourage them to open up again.
Furthermore, punishment is likely to cause additional misunderstandings between the teacher and the student. For example, my cousin once disturbed his teacher in class by talking to another student. The teacher only punished him instead of both of them. He believed the teacher to be partial towards students with better grades. Little by little, he started to dislike this teacher.
To help students learn lessons from their mistakes, there are many better methods for teachers to use than punishment. Here are some suggestions:
① Both the student and the teacher should calm down and then discuss the problem together.
② The teacher should give the student a chance to express his or her thoughts on the problem. In this way, the student may also be more willing to follow the teacher’s advice.
③ The teacher and the student can reach an agreement. For example, if the student promises not to make the same mistake again, the teacher can promise him or her a reward (奖励).
1. According to the writer, if a student gets physical punishment, he or she may ________.| A．understand the teacher | B．lose the confidence |
| C．follow the teacher’s advice | D．learn some lessons |
| A．部分的 | B．热情的 |
| C．偏袒的 | D．聚会的 |
| A．Para.1 and Para. 2 | B．Para. 2 and Para. 3 |
| C．Para. 2, Para. 3 and Para. 4 | D．Para. 3 and Para. 4 |
| A．To call on students not to make mistakes |
| B．To ask both teachers and students to calm down. |
| C．To advise teachers to use a better way instead of punishment |
| D．To advise teachers to use physical punishment |
| A．a nurse | B．not a good student |
| C．a strict teacher | D．a worrying parent |
| A．to write on | B．to be written on | C．to write in | D．to be written |
