2 . The ocean is a huge body of saltwater that covers about 71 percent of Earth’s surface. An estimated 97 percent of the world’s water is found in the ocean. Because of this, the ocean has a considerable impact on weather, temperature, and the food supply of humans and other organisms. Despite its size and impact on the lives of every organism on Earth, the ocean remains a mystery. More than 80 percent of the ocean has never been mapped, explored, or even seen by humans. A far greater percentage of the surfaces of the moon and the planet Mars have been mapped and studied than that of our own ocean floor.

Although there is much more to learn, oceanographers (海洋学家) have already made some amazing discoveries. For example, we know that the ocean contains towering mountain ranges and deep canyons, known as trenches (海沟), just like those on land. The peak of the world’s tallest mountain — Mount Everest in the Himalayas, measuring 8.84 kilometers (5.49 miles) high — would not even break the surface of the water if it was placed in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench or Philippine Trench, two of the deepest parts of the ocean. On the other hand, the Atlantic Ocean is relatively shallow because large parts of its seafloor are made up of continental shelves — parts of the continents that extend far out into the ocean. The average depth of the entire ocean is 3,720 meters (12,200 feet).

It is unknown how many different species call the ocean their home. It could be that more than 90 percent of the ocean’s species are still undiscovered, with some scientists estimating that there are anywhere between a few hundred thousand and a few million more to be discovered. Currently, scientists know of around 226,000 ocean species. Since the ocean is so vast, there is plenty for future oceanographers from all corners of the globe to explore and discover.

1. Why does the author mention the research on the moon and Mars in paragraph 1?

A．To emphasize the wide impact of the ocean.

B．To show how scientists do space exploration.

C．To prove people’s deep fascination with space.

D．To stress how little humans know about the ocean.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．Physical features of the seafloor.

B．Scientists’ discoveries about the ocean.

C．Varieties of landforms on the Earth.

D．Similarities between the land and sea.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．Ocean exploration has great potential.

B．The number of ocean species is declining.

C．Ocean pollution has become more serious.

D．Oceanographers need to do more to protect the ocean.

4. Which is the best title for the text?

A．A Big Discovery in the Deep Sea

B．The Ocean: A Mystery to Mankind

C．A Challenging Exploration of the Sea

D．The Ocean: A Vast Home to Sea Animals

6 . Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World is one of the most important books about climate change to have been written. Hayhoe is a gifted public speaker and Saving Us is a follow-up to her awesome TED talk in 2018, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it. ”        

One of the many refreshing aspects of this book is that Hayhoe recounts both her successes and her failures to communicate, through which she has gathered evidence about what works and what does not. Much of the book's advice is common sense, all backed up not just by Hayhoe's experience but also with convincing research by psychologists and social scientists.

Hayhoe advises against trying to engage with a small minority, the “Dismissives”, who “angrily reject the idea that human-caused climate change is a threat; they are most receptive (易接受的) to misinformation and conspiracy theories (阴谋论)”. There is a warning that offering up more facts about climate change can actually increase polarisation(两极化)   among them.

The book includes amusing examples of her encounters with the “Dismissives” , almost entirely older men — including an engineer who was unconvinced about the evidence but with whom she was able to establish mutual (相互的) respect through a shared passion for knitting (打毛线衣) — and is packed with inspiring accounts of how she has won over even the most suspicious of crowds. Her motto is “bond, connect and inspire” , which represents her approach of always looking for points of commonality.

She also tells of a man who approached her after an event in London in 2019. He had been so inspired by her TED talk that he had started to speak to everybody he could in his neighborhood of Wandsworth. He showed her details of 12,000 conversations that had taken place as a result, claiming that they had helped to convince the government to declare a climate emergency and to switch investments from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

And so, while it may feel difficult to influence the outcome of the COP26, Hayhoe’s uplifting book makes a persuasive case that we can all do our bit to bring about success just by talking about the issue.

1. What does the book mainly focus on?

A．Promoting people's insight into climate change.

B．Introducing presentation skills with TED talks.

C．Sharing communication tips on climate change.

D．Developing critical thinking through literature.

2. Which of the following best describes the advice in the book?

A．Humorous but one-sided.	B．Novel and interesting.
C．Serious and hard to follow.	D．Well-based and workable.

3. What did Hayhoe do to win over the "Dismissives"?

A．She changed their political identity.

B．She sought common ground by bonding.

C．She challenged their fundamental beliefs.

D．She provided more facts about climate change.

4. What does the author intend to say by telling the story in Paragraph 5?

A．Talks can affect climate decision-making.

B．The shift to renewable energy is unstoppable.

C．Policymakers turn a blind eye to climate change.

D．We need to call on people to prepare for the climate crisis.

7 . Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Gwendolyn Brooks wrote hundreds of poems during her lifetime. She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding about black culture in America.

Her poems described conditions in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women. But her skill was more than her ability to write about struggling black people. She was an expert at the language of poetry. She combined traditional European poetry styles with the African American experience.

In her early poetry, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about the South Side of Chicago, where many black people live. In her poems, the South Side is called Bronzeville. It was A Street in Bronzeville that gained the attention of literary experts in 1945. Critics praised her poetic skill and her powerful descriptions of the black experience during the time. The Bronzeville poems were her first published collection.

In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize for her second book of poems called Annie Allen. Annie Allen is a collection of poetry about the life of a Bronzeville girl as a daughter, a wife and mother. She experiences loneliness, loss, death and being poor. Ms. Brooks said that winning the prize changed her life.

Her next work was a novel written in 1953 called Maud Martha, which received little notice when it was first published. But now it is considered an important work by some critics. Its main ideas about the difficult life of many women are popular among female writers today.

In some of her poems Gwendolyn Brooks described what people see in life is affected by who they are. One example is this poem, Corners on the Curing Sky.

By the end of the 1960s, Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry expanded from the everyday experiences of people in Bronzeville. She wrote about a wider world and dealt with important political issues.

1. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．The life of Gwendolyn Brooks.	B．The poems of Gwendolyn Brooks.
C．The struggles of black women.	D．The understanding about black culture.

2. What can we learn about Gwendolyn Brooks from the second paragraph?

A．Her writing skills were a little worse than her ability.

B．She mainly wrote about the struggles of black women.

C．She was good at using the language of poetry.

D．Her poems were mainly about the African experience.

3. The author develops the passage mainly by ______.

A．providing examples	B．using statistics
C．comparing opinions	D．describing her experiences

4. In the next part, the author would most probably talk about ______.

A．the difficulties Ms. Brooks would meet	B．the struggles that the black had to face
C．the awards Gwendolyn Brooks gained	D．the poems related to political issues

8 . Best Places to Visit in England

As the largest part of the United Kingdom, England is home to many great places to visit. The following destinations are some of the best.

London

Of course, most visitors to England will arrive in London. It’s home to a long list of famous sights as well as beautiful green spaces. It also houses some of the best museums on the planet, many of which are free. See the city from above by riding the London Eye or run into famous people at Madame Tussauds (杜莎夫人蜡像馆).

Liverpool

Liverpool is well known as the place that started The Beatles, though you’ll find a lot more to do there than visit The Beatles Museum. Spend time in the pubs chatting with the locals, go shopping at Liverpool One and enjoy the beaches. Art lovers will enjoy Liverpool’s excellent art sight.

Bath

Some people say Bath is England’s most beautiful small city, named for its natural hot springs that served as ancient Roman baths (浴缸) 2,000 years ago. And, today, it’s the only place in the United Kingdom where you can bathe in naturally hot, mineral-rich waters just like the Romans did long ago. Enjoy rooftop baths with wonderful views over this Georgian city, dine in award-winning restaurants and stay in romantic hotels.

Dover

Dover, located in White Cliffs Country, offers a rich history as well as peaceful countryside and a breathtaking coastline. This area has a unique place in history. You could easily spend weeks experiencing this area’s castles, like Dover Castle as well as the Secret War Time Tunnels, once used as an underground hospital.

1. What can visitors do in London?

A．Have a bath in naturally hot water.	B．Visit The Beatles Museum for free.
C．Enjoy the city’s view from the London Eye.	D．Learn about its music at Madame Tussauds.

2. Which place is well known for natural hot springs?

A．Bath.

B．Liverpool.

C．London.

D．Dover.

3. What can we know about the Secret War Time Tunnels?

A．It is in Liverpool.	B．It is a 2,000-year-old art sight.
C．It was an underground hospital before.	D．It looks like Dover Castle.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A text book.	B．A medical magazine.
C．A book review.	D．A travel brochure.

10 . Before uploading a photo of ourselves to social media, the chances are that we’ll use an app to smooth our skin, enlarge our eyes, and sharpen our jawlines. With a couple of ta ps on our mobile phones, we can get a quick fix and present the “best” version of ourselves to the world. However, the problem is that when we simply edit out our imperfections, we’re also changing the way we look at ourselves.

Last month, researchers published the article Selfies — Living in the Era of Filtered Photographs. The article analyzed photo editing apps’ bad influences on people’s self-respect and their possibility of causing anxiety about appearance. The researchers also warned that such apps might make the young generation misjudge themselves. “These apps allow one to change his or her appearance in minutes and follow an unrealistic standard of beauty,” the article read.

In the past, people may have compared their looks to those of famous persons. But for today’s young people, beauty standards are most likely set by what they see on social media. “From birth, they are born into an age of social platforms where their feelings of self-worth can be based purely on the number of likes and followers that they have, which is linked to how good they look,” British cosmetic doctor Tiji on Esho told The Independent. This is why many young people suffer an identity trouble when it comes to appearance.

“Now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to the fake self that you present on social media,” Renee Engeln, professor of psychology, told the HuffPost website. Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons, they might become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like. “Because between you and the world is a mirror, and it’s a mirror that travels with you everywhere. You can’t seem to put it down,” she told The Washington Post. So when we look at ourselves in a real mirror, we shouldn’t think, “Do I look as good as myself in the filtered photos?” Instead, we should think, “I feel good; I have my health.”

1. Before uploading a photo to social media, we probably ______.

A．use an app to fix our photos	B．use a cream to smooth our skin
C．present the best version of the text	D．have an operation to widen our eyes

2. What can we learn about photo editing apps from Paragraph 2?

A．They are beneficial to people.	B．They can make us more beautiful.
C．They tend to trigger appearance anxiety.	D．They help people judge realistic beauty.

3. Why do many young people suffer an identity trouble with appearance?

A．Because they compare their looks to those of celebrities.

B．Because beauty standards are merely set by social media.

C．Because their self-worth is associated with their appearance.

D．Because their self-worth depends on their own likes and dislikes.

4. According to Engeln, we should ______.

A．take a mirror with us everywhere	B．feel content with our actual images
C．compare our real self to the fake self	D．try to look good in the filtered photos