1 . Christmas 2020 was shaping up to be a heartbreaker for Melanie Lee. A few weeks earlier, her 33-year-old son had lost his battle with a long illness. Then the engine of her car conked down. She had no means of paying for it to be fixed.

“When it broke down, I broke down,” Lee told CNN. “Now I don’t have my baby, now I don’t have transportation. How am I supposed to stay active in my grandchildren’s lives?”

Middleton, 38, the owner of a barbecue restaurant and former auto mechanic who, in his free time, repairs and gives away used cars. He’d heard about Lee’s predicament from Frank, the mayor of South Carolina. On Christmas morning, Middleton showed up at Lee’s home with a gift: a white 1993 Oldsmobile.

“I had no idea what was going on,” said Lee. “He handed me the keys and didn’t ask for anything.” Once again, she’s able to pick up her granddaughters from school and take them to dance class. “I got my freedom back. ”

The idea for the used-car giveaway came to Middleton a year earlier during a food drive he’d organized. Many of those who’d lined up for a meal walked up to four miles to get there because they didn’t have cars.

Cars are a lifeline in this part of South Carolina, Middleton told CBS. “There’s no public transportation, no Ubers, no taxis to take people to job interviews, doctor appointments, even food shopping. ”So he posted on Facebook an offer to trade his restaurant’s barbecued ribs for broken-down vehicles. Since then, friends and strangers have dropped off more than 100 cars in various states of disrepair. Many sit in Middleton’s yard waiting to be repaired and donated, usually to those he’s heard about through word of mouth. It’s a list of names that grows daily.

“People think Middleton is an angel,” Mayor Frank told the Washington Post. “And I do too.”

1. Why was Christmas 2020 a heartbreaker for Melanie Lee?

A．Her car was stolen.

B．She was in financial trouble.

C．Her son was beaten in a battle.

D．She lost one of her families.

2. What does the underlined word “predicament” in Paragraph3 probably mean?

A．Adventure.

B．Difficulty.

C．Failure.

D．Hesitation.

3. What inspired Middleton to give away used cars?

A．He saw many people lining up for meals.

B．He learnt about the huge profit of his restaurant.

C．He noticed the inconvenience of the people with no cars.

D．He witnessed many abandoned cars around his restaurant.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．An angel ready to help those in need.

B．A mechanic repairing cars for neighbors.

C．A kind-hearted chef offering food for free.

D．An official calling on environment protection.

2 . For people who are interested in sound, the field of sound technology is definitely making noise. In the past, sound engineers worked in the back rooms of recording studios, but many of today’s sound professionals are sharing their knowledge and experience with professionals in other fields to create new products based on the phenomenon we call sound.

Sound can be used as a weapon. Imagine that a police officer is chasing a thief. The thief tries to escape. And the officer can’t let him get away. he pulls out a special device points it at the suspect, and switches it on. The thief drops to the ground. This new weapon is called a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD, 远程定向声波发射器). It produces a deafening sound so painful that it temporarily disables a person. The noise from the LRAD is directed like a ray of light and travels only into the ears of that person, but it is not deadly.

For those who hunger for some peace and quiet, sound can now create silence. Let’s say you are at the airport, and the little boy on the seat next to you is humming（哼唱）a short commercial song. He hums it over and over again, and you are about to go crazy. Thanks to the Silence Machine a British invention, you can get rid of the sound without upsetting the boy or his parents. One may wonder how the Silence Machine works. Well, it functions by analyzing the waves of the incoming sound and creating a second set of outgoing waves. The two sets of waves cancel each other out. Simply turn the machine on, point it at the target, and your peace and quiet comes back.

Directed sound is a new technology that allows companies to use sound in much the same way spotlights（聚光灯） are used in the theater. A spotlight lights up only one section of a stage; similarly, a “spotsound” creates a circle of sound in one targeted area. This can be useful for businesses such as restaurants and stores because it offers a new way to attract customers. Restaurants can offer a choice of music along with the various food choices on the menu, allowing customers more control over the atmosphere in which they are dining. Directed sound is also beginning to appear in shopping centers and even at homes.

1. What could be inferred from Paragraph 2 about the effect of the LRAD?

A．It causes temporary hearing loss	B．It slows down a running man
C．It makes it easy to identify a suspect	D．It keeps the suspect from hurting others

2. The Silence Machine is a device specially designed to ________.

A．silence the people around you	B．remove the sound of commercials
C．block the incoming sound waves	D．stop unwanted sound from affecting you

3. What feature do spotsounds and spotlights share?

A．They travel in circles	B．They clear the atmosphere.
C．They can be transformed into energy	D．They can be directed onto a specific area

4. Directed sound can be used for ________.

A．creative designs of restaurant menus	B．ideal sound effects on the theater stage
C．different choices of music for businesses	D．strict control over any suspicious customer

3 . Convincing someone to change their mind is really the process of convincing them to change their tribe (部落). If they abandon their beliefs, they run the risk of losing social ties. You can’t expect someone to change their mind if you take away their community too.

The way to change people’s minds is to become friends with them, to combine them into your tribe, to bring them into your circle. Now, they can change their beliefs without the risk of being abandoned socially.

The British philosopher Alain de Botton suggests that we simply share meals with those who disagree with us: “Sitting down at a table with a group of strangers has the incomparable and odd benefit of making it a little more difficult to hate them without punishment. Prejudice and conflict between groups of people from different nations or races feed off abstraction. However, during a meal, something about handing dishes around, unfolding napkins (餐巾纸) at the same moment, even asking a stranger to pass the salt makes us less likely to hold the belief that the outsiders who wear unusual clothes and speak in distinctive accents deserve to be sent home or attacked. For all the large-scale political solutions which have been proposed to ease racial or cultural conflict, there are few more effective ways to promote tolerance between suspicious neighbours than to force them to eat supper together.”

Perhaps it is not difference, but distance that produces tribalism and unfriendliness. As proximity increases, so does understanding. I am reminded of Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.” Facts don’t change our minds. Friendship does.

The Japanese writer Haruki Murakami once wrote, “Always remember that to argue, and win, is to break down the reality of the person you are arguing against. It is painful to lose your reality, so be kind, even if you are right.”

When we are in the moment, we can easily forget that the goal is to connect with the other side, cooperate with them, befriend them, and integrate them into our tribe. We are so caught up in winning that we forget about connecting. It’s easy to spend your energy labeling people rather than working with them.

The word “kind (family and relatives)” originated from the word “kin (old fashion of family and relatives).” When you are kind to someone, it means you are treating them like family. This, I think, is a good method for actually changing someone’s mind. Develop a friendship. Share a meal. Gift a book. Be kind first, be right later.

1. People are likely to change their mind when they ________.

A．change their beliefs	B．are made friends with
C．move to a new community	D．are given somewhere to go

2. According to the passage, sharing meals is effective in building connections because it ________.

A．pleases people with different beliefs or accents

B．makes people focus on eating rather than conflicts

C．brings benefits to the people having dinner together

D．promotes understanding and tolerance among people

3. What does the underlined word “proximity” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Nearness.

B．Action.

C．Communication.

D．Politeness.

4. The author quotes from Haruki Murakami to imply(暗示） that ________.

A．breaking down one’s reality is easy

B．kindness is more important than right

C．arguing and winning are not important

D．losing one’s identity is a painful process

4 . Every experience that American business woman Leigh-Ann Buchanan remembers has come from travel. Her early trips to the countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas were no small thing — they assisted her to make connections with community organizations abroad, build leadership skills and find a greater purpose in her voluntary work. All of these experiences played an important part in her becoming a mentor (导师) to high school students in Miami, US.

She saw that many of her students from underserved communities had never left the country. This not only shut them out from having life-changing experiences, but they often missed out on college scholarships (奖学金) because their resumes (简历) couldn’t compete with those from higher-income backgrounds.

Then she saw a program founded by her friend in Ghana. It offered US students the opportunity to experience cultural exchanges abroad. Buchanan wondered why the kids she mentors in Miami couldn’t have these life-changing experiences. So, she started the Nyah Project in 2014.

Since then, the project has provided money for 10-day leadership trips to 57 high-performing high school students throughout underserved communities in Miami. All 57 have gotten into colleges around the country, and over 90 percent have received full scholarships to college. Nyah fellows have traveled to countries including Indonesia, Namibia, Costa Rica and South Africa.

The trips bring cultural exchange opportunities, like learning about traditional Balinese dance in Indonesia and teaching younger students in Namibia. Kemoni Alexander, who is studying at Ohio Wesleyan University, was a Nyah fellow in 2017, and traveled to Namibia and South Africa for her first time out of the country.

“The neighborhood that I grew up in wasn’t the most resourceful and my schools were short of money,” Alexander said. “I could hardly believe that I was able to have that opportunity because other people saw that potential (潜力) in me and believed in me.”

1. What does the underlined word “assisted” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Required.	B．Helped.
C．Trained.	D．Reminded.

2. Why did Buchanan set up the Nyah Project?

A．To offer students scholarship.	B．To share her travel experiences.
C．To support her friend’s program.	D．To provide chances for poor children.

3. How do the children benefit from the Nyah Project?

A．They are sure to be mentors in the future.

B．They can enjoy traveling worldwide for free.

C．They can experience cultural exchanges on trips.

D．They can all receive full scholarships to college.

4. What can we infer from Alexander’s words?

A．She was thankful for the opportunity.

B．She was more confident of her ability.

C．She regretted having joined the project.

D．She felt embarrassed about her background.

5 . What do employers want from business graduates?

Prospective employers have always expected business-school graduates to possess a certain set of skills, such as strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities. Today, employers are looking for even more一technical expertise paired with interpersonal and intrapersonal（内在） skills.

    1     You can learn the technical skills on the job or in school, but the soft skills are more challenging to get.

    2     That can make you the type of employee that companies want to hire and promote. Recent data in The Financial Times 2018 Skills Gap Study agrees that soft skills, like the ability to work well in a team, were rated as "most important" by 64 percent of respondents.

During your business-school experience, you'll have the opportunity to build these skills as you work on group projects, interact with teachers, and participate in internships（实习）.When you reflect on your personal and professional lives, the people who have mastered skills like communication, listening, and cooperation are the people who stand out to you.    3    

But that doesn't mean that there aren't other skills on the top of many companies' wish lists.    4     The first is "combine", which is the ability to combine and deal with information from multiple sources to solve complex problems. The second is "organize", or the ability to organize information to see relationships and to solve multiple, interrelated problems.     5    

A．Market yourself as someone with soft skills.

B．And they stand out to prospective employers too.

C．So these skills in high demand have great value in the hiring market.

D．What you may not realize is the lasting impact of developing skills like leadership.

E．Soft skills like flexibility and teamwork are in high demand among employers.

F．The skills you gain while earning your MBA help prepare you for various careers.

G．The skills that employers have the most difficulty finding often have the most value in the marketplace.

6 . Rescue workers and thousands of volunteers are not the only ones who have won hearts and minds for their heroic efforts in the search for survivors after Tuesday's powerful earthquake in

Mexico. Fifteen dogs from the navy's canine（军犬）unit have assisted this week in the rescue efforts at the sites of collapsed buildings across Mexico City, where more than 50 people have been pulled alive from the ruins.

Of the canine heroes none is more famous or loved than Frida, a six-year-old white Labrador who in her distinguished service has won praise for her ability to detect people who have been trapped by various natural disasters. Over her admirable career she has found 52 people including 12 survivors in Mexico and other Latin American countries.

This week, Frida and Evil and Echo—two Belgian Shepherds that have also been specially trained for rescue efforts一were sent to the site of the collapsed Enrique Rebsamen School in southern Mexico City.

Equipped with goggles that protect her eyes from dust and smoke, boots to prevent damage to her paws while she climbs over rough ruins, Frida took to her work looking every bit the part of the ruins.

If Frida detects the presence of a survivor, she is trained to bark to alert rescue workers but if she detects a corpse she stops suddenly before proceeding, her handler explained.

Eleven children were rescued from ruins at the school but this time human rescue workers rather than the dogs were the ones who located them.

However, that hasn't stopped Frida from becoming a social media star and reaching a new level of fame this week. Videos and other social media posts that highlight the work of Frida and her impressive record of detecting people trapped by natural disasters spread quickly online.

While she has yet to detect anyone trapped in the ruins this week, she and other rescue dogs are continuing to work tirelessly, searching through spaces that humans cannot reach. With the possibility that there are still people trapped alive, time will tell whether she adds to her rescue record.

1. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A．Severe earthquakes in Mexico	B．Undertaking rescue work.
C．People waiting for rescue	D．Special rescuers in Mexico.

2. What makes Frida a social media star?

A．Her rescue records and tireless work.

B．Her cooperation with the rescue team.

C．Her cool appearance with some special devices.

D．Her ability to search spaces beyond humans' reach.

3. What does the underlined word "corpse" in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．An article of clothing.	B．An unconscious animal.
C．A dead person.	D．A special signal.

4. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that_______ .

A．Frida will achieve nothing

B．Frida will probably work miracles

C．more dogs will be sent to the area

D．the rest of the rescue will be done by dogs

7 . Hybrid cars, also called hybrid electric vehicles （HEVs）, are cars that use more than one source of energy to run. They differ from the majority of cars on the road today in several ways. The main difference is that HEVs run on gasoline and electricity. An HEV car has a battery-powered motor as well as an engine that runs on gasoline.

A hybrid car is a bit more expensive to produce than a regular car even though its engine is smaller. The reason for the greater expense is that the engine is more complex. It has specialized mechanisms that allow it to operate using gasoline and electric power. It also contains a computer that works differently from those of regular cars. Even though it is more expensive to purchase, it costs less to own than gas-powered cars. When an HEV car is at a stoplight or going at a speed below 15 miles per hour, its special computer tells it to run just on electric power. When the computer senses that the car needs more power, it puts the gasoline engine back to work. The computer is constantly deciding whether the car will use electricity, gas, or a combination of the two.

Because the HEV has electric power to help it run, it uses much less fuel than most cars. In fact hybrid cars are the most fuel-efficient cars that exist today. They can get from 50 to 60 miles per gallon on average. The high mileage saves money for the car owner and conserves precious supplies of petroleum. Hybrid cars help the environment in other ways too. For example, when

the HEV is using electric power, it does not send out poisonous smoke that pollute the air.

Despite the differences between hybrid cars and regular cars, HEVs offer the same feel as regular cars. They handle the same way and speed up and stop in the same way too. HEVs, though, are generally smaller than gasoline-powered cars. Their rounded, aerodynamic frame helps add to their fuel efficiency but unfortunately does not add to the amount of space inside the vehicle.

1. Which statement best explains the characteristics of an HEV?

A．Safe and reliable.	B．Expensive but long-lasting.
C．Smaller engine, greater power.	D．High price, low carbon.

2. The transformation between the gasoline and electricity in an HEV is operated by ________.

A．the engine	B．the battery
C．the computer	D．the driver

3. For what purpose was the HEV invented?

A．To save energy.	B．To provide better service.
C．To lower the expense of purchase.	D．To give the drivers a different feeling.

4. Where does the passage probably come from?

A．A health report.	B．A science magazine.
C．A vehicle advertisement.	D．A travel journal.

8 . Have you ever wished you didn’t have to wake up early and go all the way to school? For 700,000 American kids, this wish comes true.    1    This kind of learning has different names: online learning or distance learning. Regardless of what it is called, this idea may create an impression of a lonely kid reading pages of information on a computer screen rather than from a book or an image of another kid spending the day playing video games instead of learning mathematics or reading a book. Where online education is concerned, both of these are false! Actually, online learning simply means learning differently.

    2    Flexibility is the main advantage. Students can attend school wherever and whenever they desire. Homework can be turned in from anywhere the student has Internet access. Additionally, many online schools will allow students to work at their own pace.

Another advantage of online schooling is with the variety of courses. Most online schools teach the same basic classes like English, math, science, and history.    3    However, traditional schools are often unable to offer these types of classes if there are not enough students.

Online schools also have different types of learning tools for kids to use. For example, many online schools have special Web sites where only students registered in online classes can watch videos, see lessons presented, or chat with teachers and other students. Some online schools have live class times where students can call and talk with the teacher directly.     4    

Computer technology is amazing, and we use computers for chatting with our friends, listening to music, and playing games.    5    Since 2012, at least 38 states either have had their own online schools or made rules for students attending them. It looks like online schools are here to stay, but only you can decide if this type of learning is right for you.

A．Online schools offer many benefits for the learners.

B．Of course, there are some disadvantages of going to school online.

C．Almost every part of our lives is affected by it, and school is no exception.

D．They attend school over the Internet using ordinary home or library computers.

E．Other online schools even have online clubs where kids can talk about their hobbies.

F．Some online schools also offer specialized classes in subjects such as space science, French, or zoology.

G．For some students, online school may be ideal, but for others, traditional school may better meet their needs.

9 . Why go to Madrid？

There may be a slight chill(寒冷) in the air, with temperatures staying around 15℃ in March, but Spain’s handsome capital is slowly starting to warm up. Even more attractive are the cultural events.

A new exhibition on the living and working spaces of Spain’s greatest artist, Picasso, has just opened in the studio at the Fundación Mapfre at Paseo de Recoletos 23. It runs until 11 May with rarely seen pieces borrowed from his family.

Later this summer, the 400th anniversary of the death of the Renaissance(文艺复兴) painter El Greco will be marked with an exciting exhibition at the Museo del Prado at Paseo del Prado from 24June to 5 October.

How to go?

The widest range of flights is offered by EasyJet—from Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Liverpool and Luton. British Airways and its sister airline Iberia combine forces from Heathrow and London City. Ryanair flies from Manchester and Stansted; Air Europa flies from Gatwick.

Barajas airport is 13km north-east of the city centre and is served by frequent trains on Metro line 8, but the shortest underground journey is a bit complex with at least one change at Nuevos Ministerios station and takes about 30 minutes. The fare to any station in the city centre is ∈4.50. The airport express bus runs every 15 to 35 minutes around the clock; ∈5 one way. It takes 40 minutes to reach the city centre. A taxi takes half the time. A flat rate of ∈30 covers most of central Madrid.

1. When will the exhibition about Picasso close?

A．On 23 March.

B．On 11 May.

C．On 24June.

D．On 5 October.

2. Which airline operates flights from Manchester to Madrid?

A．EasyJet.

B．Ryanair.

C．Air Europa.

D．British Airways.

3. What is the fastest way to reach central Madrid from Barajas airport?

A．Take a taxi.

B．Take a city bus.

C．Take Metro line 8.

D．Take the airport express bus.

10 . Winslow Homer was a famous American painter. Since Art History class in college，I had always admired his works and I was lucky to see a large exhibition of his works when I was in my early 30s. It was at this event that I bought a print of his painting “Snap the Whip”. It always hung in my classroom until I retired from teaching.

I thought it truly captured the freedom and fun of childhood. In the painting，a group of young boys are playing a game arm in arm on the grass ground in front of a farm house. They are jumping and laughing wildly with great joy. One of the boys is falling down to the ground. They are not even wearing shoes!

During my last year of teaching，there was a young woman in her first year of teaching right next door to me and we got to be good friends. She had been an art student before taking up education. Her eyes were drawn immediately to this print when she entered my room. So on my last day of teaching，after the students had left，I took the painting off the wall and walked next door and gave it to her.

She was really surprised，but very glad to have it. I was delighted that she liked it and all the students she would have would treasure it as much as I had. We found the perfect place for it on one of her walls and hung it together. I was happy that she brought back this wonderful memory for me.

1. Why did the author admire the painting “Snap the Whip”so much？

A．He had a deep love for children and students.

B．It was bought from a famous American painter.

C．He appreciated the freedom and fun in the painting.

D．It had also drawn the attention of the young woman.

2. What is the painting about？

A．Homeless children.	B．The nature of children.
C．Hard-working farmers.	D．The pleasure of working.

3. What does the underlined word“captured”in Paragraph 2 probably mean？

A．Recognized.	B．Controlled.
C．Caught.	D．Influenced.

4. How did the author feel when seeing the painting hung in the woman’s room？

A．Regretful.	B．Painful.
C．Proud.	D．Pleased.