1 . Break a Bad Habit

I used to have a roommate named Heather who wanted to stop smoking. I told her one tip I’d learned from a smoker who had stopped successfully: “    1    ”

She stocked. Replacing a bad habit with a good one is possible—if you’re willing. Here’s how to do it successfully:

Make sure the decision is yours.

    2    It’s even worse (impossible, really) when change is someone else’s idea. You have to be the one to want it. You’re far more likely to be successful if you make the decision for yourself (not your mother, or doctor). What do you most feel ready to change about you right now?

    3    

I used to go to AA with my dad and I remember something often repeated there: “If you don’t want to slip, don’t go where it’s slippery.” This meant: Enjoy “dry” places and activities, like a walk in the woods. Find some friends who you can spend a little more time with who doesn’t share the habit you’re hoping to reduce.

Distract(分散注意力) yourself.

Favourite food is alluring(诱人的) no matter how full we are, am I right? My Favourite food is pancakes.     4    A great technique(技巧) when you aren’t hungry but want to give in is to distract your mind. Instead of opening your fridge, leave the kitchen and start doing something in your bedroom, for example.

Remember to reward yourself.

Rewarding ourselves matters.     5    If you’ve stopped sugar, for example, you can treat yourself to a nice haircut or even a weekend away.

A．Be around the right people.

B．Don’t make any change right now.

C．Change isn’t the easiest thing on earth.

D．Replace an unwanted habit with a good habit.

E．I can even eat them after a five-course dinner.

F．Help yourself to the food that you like most now.

G．It is best if it has nothing to do with the unhealthy habit.

2 . How much sleep do we need? It’s a fundamental question about a basic human function we’ve been practicing for long, but there’s still no simple answer. But whether you’re a morning or evening person could be guided by your genes. That said, your sleeping pattern will change naturally with age, which is also reflected in the National Sleep Foundation recommendations: it suggests 14-17 hours of shuteye a day for newborn babies and only 7-8 hours for over-65s.

But scientists said it’s about more than simple duration. Teens and people in their early 20s do want to go to bed later and get up later too, something researchers suggest might be to do with changing hormones(荷尔蒙). “On average, there’s about a two-hour difference in preferred sleep times of somebody in their late teens or early twenties to somebody in their late 50s or early 60s,” he said. “So asking a teenager to get up at 7 o’ clock in the morning is the equivalent of asking a 55-year-old to get up at five in the morning.”

At the end of the day, the best way to measure how much sleep you each need is to listen to your own body. Do you rely on an alarm clock to wake up? Do you take a long time to feel awake? Are you dependent on coffee drinks to keep you focused during the day? Are you overly impulsive(冲动的) or do you find yourself running a lot of traffic lights, for instance? All these could be signs that you’re not getting enough sleep.

And that, we know today, is bad. The environment can affect your sleep preferences but your genes stay. Scientists said that the understanding of the importance of sleep was “one of the great achievements of modern neuroscience(神经科学),” and that society was moving away from the all-nighter culture to respect the need for sleep.

1. What’s the writer’s intention of writing the passage?

A．To report his research results.	B．To express the importance of sleep.
C．To list some sleeping patterns.	D．To persuade people to have enough sleep.

2. What would not change according to the passage?

A．Age.	B．Genes.
C．Hormones.	D．Sleeping pattern.

3. What does the underlined word “that’ in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Not getting enough sleep.	B．Listening to your own body.
C．Running a lot of traffic lights.	D．Not understanding of the importance of sleep.

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Sleeping Patterns

B．The Importance of Sleep

C．A Great Achievement of Neuroscience

D．Different People Need Different Amounts of Sleep

3 . People made wings and strapped them to their arms. They flapped their arms but couldn’t fly. They built gliders(滑翔机), light aircraft with wings. Some didn’t work, but some did.

The gliders that worked had special wings. These wings were arched on both the top and the bottom. The air pulled the wings from above and pushed the wings from below. When the wings went up, so did the glider! Arched wings help create a force called lift. Lift is the force that keeps the gliders in the air.

Most gliders have long, thin wings. The wings create enough lift to carry the aircraft and its passengers. Gliders usually ride currents of air the same way a hawk soars(飞翔).

Gliders are very light, and long wings and air currents can give them enough lift to fly. But to carry more than just a passenger or two, an aircraft needs a lot more lift. The question is: How do you create more lift?

The engine is the answer!

The engine is a machine that changes energy into movement. The forward movement that an airplane needs to fly is called thrust. More thrust makes an airplane move forward faster. Moving faster creates more lift. And with more lift, an airplane can carry more weight so an aircraft with an engine can carry passengers or cargo.

In 1903 the Wright brothers figured out how to get wings and an engine to work together in order to give an airplane enough thrust to fly. They made the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Since then people have made airplanes that can fly faster than sound can travel. They have made airplanes that can fly all the way around the world without stopping.

Today, thousands of people travel in airplanes every day. People really have learned how to fly!

1. If a flyer wants to stay in the air, it needs enough ________.

A．lift	B．thrust
C．wings	D．engines

2. What made the flyers moving forward in the sky?

A．The air.	B．The lift.
C．The thrust.	D．The wind.

3. An airplane can carry heavy weight and fly very fast mostly because of ________.

A．the lift	B．the thrust
C．the sound	D．the engine

4. The whole passage mainly tells us ________.

A．how gliders were built	B．how important the engine was
C．how people learned to fly	D．how the first airplane was made

4 . I was always pretty independent, but living alone made me even more at peace. Living alone helped me grow as a human being. Caitlin Moscatello had a similar experience:

“I was the queen of my own 400-square-foot-castle for three years, and looking back, I can see that that short stretch of time was crucially important to establish my independence. It started with small things: I negotiated my rent on my own, created a household budget (预算) on my own, hashed out a savings plan on my own. I signed up for half-marathons, and actually ran them. I tried hot yoga, and hated it, but whatever, I tried it. And then, the results had a bigger payoff: I put in late hours at work, because I didn’t have anyone asking me ‘Will you be home for dinner?’ and got promoted. I met a guy on one of many fun, little dates, and he turned out to be the love of my life. I also got gutsier(有勇气的): I traveled abroad alone, several times, without thinking twice about it.”

I also think my time alone makes me a better partner now that I share my life (and my space) with another person. The real secret of living alone? You’re not living alone, you’re living with yourself. And the better you know yourself — what truly makes you happy, melancholy, frustrated or bored — the better you can deal with it without depending on others. Which means you won’t be putting pressure on other people in your life to do that work for you.

Living alone doesn’t mean you become a hermit(隐者, 逸士). In fact, you’ll likely find yourself more excited to see people and go out when your home space is all your own. And studies have shown that single people get out more — to social gatherings, community events, volunteering — than those who are coupled up. Or as Aletheia Luna writes, “It’s human nature to take our friends, family and loved ones for granted. Living alone, devoid of the presence of others, helps us to appreciate these people more when they are around.”

1. According to the 2^nd paragraph, living alone is not good for ________.

A．making decisions	B．keeping up one’s health
C．getting off work on time	D．having one’s independence

2. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Caitlin Moscatello was a queen.	B．The writer got married.
C．Living alone can avoid feeling sad.	D．Aletheia Luna is a hermit.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the last paragraph “devoid of”?

A．full of	B．free of
C．short of	D．because of

5 . Joining Us as a Games Volunteer！

The success of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games depends on your contribution！Join us as a Games Volunteer！

Games volunteers will be directly involved in assisting Games operations before, during and after the Tokyo 2020 Games. Games volunteers will guide athletes around, welcome important people and help lost visitors.
Number of Volunteering Days and Daily Hours

※The Tokyo Olympic Games will be held from Friday 24 July to Sunday 9 August 2020. In principle, Games volunteers will be required to work for at least a fortnight before, during and after the Olympic Games.

※Games volunteers will work eight hours per day including rest breaks. Actual shift lengths depend on event schedules, activities, activity sites, etc.

Age and Residential Requirements

Applicants must fulfill the following two requirements:

※Born on or before April 1, 2002.

※Japanese national or person with valid visa permitting residence in Japan during the volunteer period (temporary visitors included). Native speakers of English will be preferred.

Number of Games Volunteer Opportunities

80,000.

Method and Applicant Categories

※Applications will be submitted online.

※Individuals only.

Offers and Confirmation

Those applicants who attend the training sessions(会议) and are assigned a volunteer role will be offered to become a Tokyo 2020 Games volunteer.

Please note that the above offer will be cancelled in the event of any of the following:

※If the volunteer engages in any activity that damages the image of the Tokyo 2020 Games.

※If the volunteer engages in any activity that severely damages teamwork.

※If any information contained in the original application form is clearly found to be false.

Items and Welfares Provided to Volunteers

Volunteers will be provided with a set of free Olympic Games volunteer uniforms and meals during the work day.

1. How long will a Games volunteer be required to work at least?

A．One week.	B．Two weeks.
C．Three weeks.	D．Four weeks.

2. Who will be more likely to be accepted as a Games volunteer?

A．A Chinese.	B．A Russian.
C．An Australian.	D．A German.

3. What will Games volunteers be provided with for free?

A．Clothing.	B．Accommodation.
C．Transportation.	D．Amusements.

6 .

Science for Kids This month’s most popular books.
1. Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky Price $25 We all know the story of Marie Curie and her many scientific achievements. But many other brilliant female scientists are far less well known. This book is a great introduction to the lives and works of some of the most important and up-to-now unknown women in science. Recommended for Ages: 12-15 【Order Now »】	Special Offer For this month only, all Besthooks Book Club members will pay 20% less for every book ordered. Join our club for free and save big money! Delivery We bring every book you order right to your door within three days. For Bestbooks Book Club members, this is free. Non-members must pay an extra $2 per book.
2. First Big Book of How by Jill Esbaum Price $15 An excellent book about sea life for young children. The book is divided into 4 parts, one for each of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans. It focuses on the different animals found in each of these seas, along with interesting facts and amazing pictures. Ages: 5-10 【Order Now »】
3. A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Price $15 Bill Bryson takes readers on a very funny and educational trip through the history of modern science-from its unexpected successes to its great failures and everything in between. Ages: 14 and over 【Order Now »】
4. National Geographic’s First Big Book of the World by Jan Carn. Price $20 This book is the perfect introduction to the seven continents. It tells young readers about the different animals that live on each of these lands and gives a simple descnption of the people’s history and culture. Ages: 5-12 【Order Now »】

1. How are the books on this webpage listed?

A．By price.	B．By popularity.
C．By reader’s age.	D．By writer’s name.

2. How much will a Bestbooks Book Club member pay in total if he orders First Big Book of How and A Really Short History of Nearly Everything today?

A．$24.	B．$26.
C．$30.	D．$34.

3. A primary school student who needs to write a science report about African elephants should choose ________.

A．Women In Science

B．First Big Book of How

C．A Really Short History of Nearly Everything

D．National Geo-graphic’s First Big Book of the World

4. What is the main purpose of this web page?

A．To sell books to young readers.

B．To attract new book club members.

C．To encourage students’ interest in science.

D．To review books young readers might like.

7 .

News anchors(主播) must have been reluctant to read out the following news: Xin Xiaomeng began working as the world’s first female artificial(人工的) intelligence news anchor at Xinhua News Agency on Sunday, three months after a male robot joined the profession.

Unlike previous news robots though, Xin does not read news like a cold machine; she reads it almost like a human being. The muscles on her face stretch and relax-and her reactions change-as she continues reading. That’s why many news anchors were worried: Will AI replace us in the near future?

To find the answer, we have to analyse the technologies that support Xin at her job. Three key technologies are used to support Xin. First, samples of human voices are collected and synthesized (合成). This is followed by the collection and synthesis of human muscle movement samples. And third the voices and movements are married in a way that when the Al news anchor reads, the micro -electric motors behind her face move to make her expressions seem more human.

Yet we need a thorough knowledge of deep leaning technology to make a robot imitate a person’s voice. The developer needs to collect tens of thousands of pieces of pronunciations, input them Into the machine and match them with the text or the Al to lean and read. The process for imitating facial movements is similar. The developer has to analyse the movements of the 53 muscles in the human face, make a model set from the collected data for the AI news anchor to lean, and imitate the movements of facial muscles via programs

Both the technologies used to make Xin’s performance impressive are mature. The real difficulty lies in the third -the technology to match the pronunciations with facial movements so that Xin expressions vary according to the content of the news report. In fact, Xins expressions don' t always change according to the content. As a result, her expressions look anything but human. Actually. AI is still no match for human qualities.

1. What does the underlined word "reluctant "in the first paragraph mean?

A．Delighted.

B．Unwilling.

C．Confused.

D．Optimistic.

2. What can we infer about previous news robots?

A．They read news without expressions.	B．They looked like a human being
C．They could interview sports stars	D．They could interact with audience.

3. What do we know about the third technology?

A．This technology is very perfect so far

B．This technology is quite popular now

C．This technology remains at the theoretical stage

D．This technology is far from mature.

4. From the last paragraph, we can draw a conclusion that____.

A．human news anchors should learn from AT anchors to save their jobs

B．Al anchors perform much better than human news anchors at present

C．Al news anchors won 't replace human news anchors in the near future

D．Xin Xiaomeng s expressions vary so naturally that they are true to life

8 . The boy sat on his chair, with his hand above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.

He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “ WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.

As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.

Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.

The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed at how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “ 248 ” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.

Then he heard the call of his mother saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost thinking about a topic to write.

Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.

“Perfect,” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.

He went onto Google and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.

1. What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?

A．A new computer.	B．The prize money.
C．His own interest.	D．His mom’s advice.

2. How did the boy finish his earlier writing?

A．His mom helped him.	B．He copied others’ ideas.
C．His friends assisted him.	D．He used his imagination.

3. Why did the boy delay his writing?

A．Because he was terribly lazy.	B．Because he didn’t know what to write.
C．Because he wasn’t confident.	D．Because he read too many stories.

4. Which might be the maximum word limit for each entry?

A．100.	B．250.
C．500.	D．1000.

9 . There are many programs for high school students today that help lonely teenagers deal with loneliness. However, loneliness is not only an issue for teens but also an important and rarely acknowledged one in the elderly.

In Britain, Tracey Crouch was appointed to be the first Minister of Loneliness in order to address the issues caused by loneliness. This is the first time such a position has been created.

In Britain, there are around 9 million people who say they are lonely frequently. In Germany, a study conducted by Ruhr University Bochum found that 20 percent of people over the age of 85 felt lonely, and 14 percent of those between age 45 and 65 felt socially lonely. In the United States, more than 25 percent of the population lives alone, more than 50 percent are unmarried.

Loneliness is generally associated with heart disease, overweight, and anxiety. Additionally, the stress from loneliness can cause your cells to change on a molecular(分子)level that reduces its abilities to defend your body against diseases. In fact, doctors believe having feelings of loneliness is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day in regard to its effect on health!

In Britain, the new Minister of Loneliness will help introduce government policies on the issue and fund a charity—an organization for helping people in need, to devote their efforts towards aiding loneliness. There are charities that link lonely seniors to high school students in order to give them a line of communication whenever they feel lonely!

The possibilities for the new Minister of Loneliness are endless. For example, she can provide education services to household businesses so that they can identify lonely customers if they see one. Loneliness fits into the category of being a social issue that must be monitored by the entire community in order to help those in need. Therefore, government involvement in medical services and care for seniors and others is vital for happy seniors.

1. How does the author develop Paragraph 3?

A．By listing some statistics.

B．By giving examples of lonely people.

C．By pointing out similarities and differences.

D．By comparing different cultures in different countries.

2. What does the underlined word “equivalent” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Relevant.	B．Similar.
C．Opposite.	D．Superior.

3. What will the Minister of Loneliness do?

A．Do housework for lonely people.

B．Develop friendships with the elderly.

C．Help fund charities to aid lonely people.

D．Communicate with anxious school students.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．UK becomes the capital of loneliness.	B．Loneliness affects old people’s life worldwide.
C．Many teenagers suffer from loneliness.	D．UK’s Minister of Loneliness settles loneliness.

10 . How can we keep safe personal information on our computers or cellphones?     1    

View emails with a careful eye

It’s best to view all emails with care. Hackers (黑客) can make emails look like real company emails.     2     It’s best to search for the original source of the information, and try to find the direct link from the site instead of using the link provided in the email.

Use two-factor authentication (双重认证)

Two-factor authentication adds a second level of safety to an account.     3     It’s a safety option that requires a password as well as an additional piece of information only the user would know.

Update apps and operating systems

    4     While these updates may appear to only change the way your phone’s software looks, they often come with safety improvements. There may be a bug (软件漏洞). Those bugs are discovered by cell providers or smartphone makers, so it’s a good idea to upgrade them.

    5    

It’s no surprise that changing your password has always been a basic form of protection. But what we pick as passwords and how we manage them are important. First, passwords should never include your personal information. So stay away from names and birthdates. Ideally, passwords are a combination of lowercase (小写) and uppercase (大写) letters and random characters. It could be a strong, long password that doesn’t have any personal information, making it harder to remember.

A．Manage passwords safety

B．Here are some steps to make it.

C．It can trick readers into clicking on dangerous links.

D．Often users are unwilling to update their mobile devices.

E．Combine your personal information with random figures.

F．Here are some ways to create your online personal passwords.

G．Do it if there’s an option for your email, banking site or social media site.