1 . Ways to fight the flu
The flu is annoying enough on its own. In order to keep yourself from it, follow these tips.
★Get the flu vaccine (疫苗). It’s the best way to protect yourself against the flu.
★Wash your hands often. Hand washing is an important way to protect against germs (细菌) like flu viruses.
★
★Cough or sneeze into a tissue (手巾纸) –not into your hands. That way, you’re not spreading the virus when you touch surfaces that other people may touch too.
★
You also can fight the flu by getting enough sleep, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and getting regular exercise.
Don’t let the flu ruin your fall and winter fun. Fight back!
| A．Stay home if you have the flu. |
| B．Rest can help the body recover faster. |
| C．Keep your distance if someone is sick. |
| D．Take some medicine as soon as you have the flu. |
| E．It also helps protect against other germs and illnesses. |
| F．Getting vaccinated doesn’t just protect your own health. |
| G．Don’t let the flu fall at one of the most exciting times of the year. |
2 . A new study establishes that environmental damage caused by corn production results in 4,300 premature deaths annually in the United States, representing cost of $39 billion.
The paper, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Sustainability, presents how researchers have estimated for the first time the health damages caused by corn production using detailed information on pollution emissions, pollution transport by wind, and human exposure to increased air pollution levels.
The study also shows how the damage to human health of producing a litre (升) of corn differs from region to region and how, in some areas, the health damages of corn production are greater than its market price.
“The deaths caused per litre in western corn belt states such as Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska tend to be lower than in eastern corn belt states such as Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio,” said lead researcher Jason Hill.
It’s important for farmers to have this information so that they can carry out practices that reduce the environmental influence of the crops they grow. Farmers can greatly improve the environmental profile of their corn by using precision agriculture tools and switching to fertilizers that have lower ammonia (氨) emissions. The study’s results also suggest potential benefits from improving nitrogen use efficiency, switching to crops requiring less fertilizer, and changing the location where corn is grown.
Aware that changes in practices can take time and planning, Hill suggests farmers could be offered motivation to switch to crops that demand less applied nitrogen while still offering market and nutritional benefits.
Hill said, “The number of deaths related to corn production could be reduced through these key strategies”.
1. Which of the states has the lowest death rate caused by corn production?| A．Nebraska. | B．Illinois. |
| C．Indiana. | D．Ohio. |
| A．Improve nitrogen use efficiency. |
| B．Plant crops with no fertilizer. |
| C．Change the corn’s location. |
| D．Using precision agriculture tools. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Pessimistic. | D．Neutral. |
| A．Health and lifestyle. |
| B．Art and design. |
| C．Science and environment. |
| D．Fashion and business. |
3 . Even though these monuments are extremely well known, they hold secrets that not many people are aware of.
Empire State Building
On the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building in New York, there is a secret observation deck that not a lot of people know about. To access the balcony, you have to take a series of elevators and then a very steep, narrow staircase. The observation deck isn’t open to the public, but many celebrities have been photographed there.
Eiffel Tower
There is a secret apartment and office at the very top of the Eiffel Tower that has just recently become open to the public. In 1889, Gustave Eiffel, the engineer of this famous Paris landmark, built himself a private apartment and office. It has been restored and has wax models of Gustave, his daughter, and American inventor Thomas Edison on display.
Statue of Liberty
There is actually a room in the torch of the Statue of Liberty that showcases breathtaking views of the city. People used to be able to visit that room until 1916 when German agents blew up a nearby wharf (码头). The explosion sent broken pieces into the raised arm of Lady Liberty, making the staircase up to the hidden room unsafe.
Disneyland
Hardcore Disney fans might think they know all of the secrets of the park, a famous U.S. landmark, but many haven’t heard of Club 33. This exclusive restaurant is hidden behind an unmarked door in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square. If you want to dine here on your next trip to Disneyland, don’t get your hopes up. It costs $25,000 to join the club, plus an annual fee of $12,000.
1. What do the monuments have in common?| A．They are all in Europe. |
| B．They all have skyscrapers. |
| C．They are all the best-known. |
| D．They all hide little-known secrets. |
| A．Disneyland. | B．Eiffel Tower. |
| C．Statue of Liberty. | D．Empire State Building. |
| A．Attractive. | B．Expensive. |
| C．Wonderful. | D．Beautiful. |
4 . “May 17, 2157
Dear diary,
Today, Tommy found a real book!...”
“What’s it about?” Margie asked.
“School.” replied Tommy, turning the yellow pages.
“Why would anyone write about school? I hope they can take my geography teacher away.”
“It’s not our school. This is the old sort that they had centuries ago.”
“Anyway, they had a teacher.” Margie said, reading the book over his shoulder.
“Sure, they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”
“A man? How could a man be a teacher?”
“Well, he just told the boys and girls things and gave them assignments and asked them questions.”
“A man isn’t smart enough.”
“Sure, he is. My father knows as much as my teacher.”
Margie wasn’t prepared to argue about that. She said, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”
Tommy laughed. “The teachers didn’t live in the house. They had a special building and all the kids went there.”
“And all the kids learned the same thing?”
“Sure, if they were the same age.”
“But my mother says a teacher has to be adjusted to fit the mind of each boy and girl it teaches and that each kid has to be taught differently.”
“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to read the book.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it,” Margie said quickly.
They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!”
“Not yet, Mamma.”
“Now!” said Mrs. Jones.
Margie said to Tommy, “Can I read the book some more with you after school?”
“Maybe,” Tommy said.
Margie went into the schoolroom, right next to her bedroom, and the mechanical teacher was on waiting for her.
The screen was lit up, and it said, “Please insert yesterday’s assignments in the proper slot.”
Margie was still thinking about the old schools they had when her grandfather’s grandfather was a little boy. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, laughing and shouting in the schoolyard, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. They learned the same things, so they could help one another on the assignments and discussed them.
And the teachers were people…
1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?| A．Margie doesn’t like her school. |
| B．It’s common to read paper books in 2157. |
| C．Online learning is what Margie wants. |
| D．Tommy feels his father is smarter than his teacher. |
| A．There are only female teachers at school. |
| B．Teachers give no assignments to students. |
| C．A special building is constructed for teachers. |
| D．Students learn different things at their own pace. |
| A．Envelope. | B．Opening. |
| C．Screen. | D．Schoolroom. |
| A．Longing. | B．Objection. |
| C．Suspicion. | D．Tolerance. |
5 . The Guide to the Lively Arts
Free CountryWednesday, June 21 at 7 pm
Marine Band summer concerts are back now! Enjoy outdoor & live-streamed concerts around the DMV. This week Free Country takes the stage for a lineup of Motown, Classic Rock & the like. Check out full programs and the diverse schedule of performances for the summer online. No tickets required.
Dance to the MusicFriday, June 23 at 8 pm
Friday night Concerts at the Capitol are back! This week, the pop/rock group, Downrange, presents a program of upbeat popular hits. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy world-class music under Washington, DC skies.
Price: $19-$39.
Summer Concert SeriesSaturday, June 24 at 7 pm at National Harbor
Tuesday, June 27 at 8 pm at the U. S. Capitol Steps
Join the Concert Band for two FREE concerts in the Summer Concert Series on Saturday evening at the National Harbor Waterfront and Tuesday evening on the West Lawn at the steps of the U. S. Capitol.
C. S. Lewis on StageJune 28 — 30 three shows only!
Award-winning actor Max McLean’s outstanding performance captures C. S. Lewis’s charming personality and astonishing eloquence (口才) to create an onstage experience exploring deep into the soul of one of the most influential thinkers of the century. With McLean’s talent for humor, expect plenty of laughs in this show.
Price: $79-$99.
The Guide to the Lively Arts appears: ·Sunday in Arts. ·Monday — Thursday in Style. ·Friday in Weekend. ·Saturday in Culture.
For information about advertising, call: Raymond Boyer 202-334-4174
To reach a representative, call: 202-334-7006| guidetoarts@washpost.com
1. What do Free Country and Dance to the Music have in common?| A．They charge ticket fees. | B．They are broadcast online. |
| C．They feature classic music. | D．They are performed outdoors. |
| A．Free Country. | B．C. S. Lewis on Stage. |
| C．Dance to the Music. | D．Summer Concert Series. |
| A．Arts. | B．Style. | C．Weekend. | D．Culture. |
6 . Walk into any waiting area and you will see people of all ages on the phone. It is rare to see people sitting and simply thinking while waiting for the next part of the day or night. We have also observed people playing with their mobile phones while having dinner with others or in the presence of their families. It seems that everyone is experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) or a strong addiction to electronic devices.
Why do adults, middle school students, and even young children turn to electronics while waiting? A recent study by Hatano et al. (2022) found that in different cultures people underestimate how enjoyable and attractive simply thinking might be. In a series of studies on university students in both Japan and the United Kingdom, the participants rated their level of expected enjoyment and engagement in simply thinking and then rated their actual level of enjoyment and participation in thinking after the waiting period. During the waiting period, the participants only had the option to think. They were not allowed to take electronics into the waiting area. The participants were not necessarily happy about thinking. Instead, they underestimated the benefits related to thinking and thought that thinking was aversive before the waiting period, which only allowed thinking without electronic products. After this waiting period, they admitted that thinking was more interesting and easier than expected.
Thinking can include problem-solving, goal-setting, and a variety of other creative tasks. These outcomes can be extremely productive and satisfying. Perhaps it is time for parents and educators to teach children about the importance of paying attention to one’s thoughts. We need to be better role models and put down our own phones when there is an opportunity to simply wait and think. We need to provide these opportunities for both ourselves and our children.
1. What’s the purpose of the author describing the scene about people’s using electronics?| A．To introduce the importance of electronics. |
| B．To tell what bad influences electronics have. |
| C．To voice his views on thinking while waiting. |
| D．To explain why we should have better ways of communication. |
| A．Satisfactory. | B．Boring. | C．Worried. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．Provide opportunities for children. |
| B．Pick up the phones while waiting. |
| C．Underestimate the benefits of thinking. |
| D．Tell children about the significance of thinking. |
| A．Why should we put our phones down? |
| B．How can electronic products affect us? |
| C．How do we think freely by using phones? |
| D．Why does thinking while waiting make people smart? |
7 . With gas prices rising and airport security lines snaking longer than ever, why not book your next domestic vacation on a train? Compared to other alternatives, it’s comfortable and relaxing. Here is some advice on how to make a trip by rail as pleasant as possible.
Plan ahead. Most long-distance trains, especially the sleeping car accommodations, sell out very quickly.
Use a travel agent. Consider turning your travel plan over to a travel agent and letting him double-check all the details, make suggestions, and then handle the actual reservations. A good one can sometimes find you discounted tickets.
Bring a blanket. When you’re riding on trains, you won’t be provided with a blanket for free, even if your trip is an overnight one.
Arrive early. Most trains operate just once a day and some run only three times a week, so missing yours can be a disaster.
Have fun.
| A．Train trips aren’t for impatient types. |
| B．You’ll have views from both sides of the train. |
| C．The temperature on rail cars is often hard to control. |
| D．That’s particularly true during busy summer months. |
| E．You might have to wait longer than 24 hours to catch the next one. |
| F．Chances are the cost will be a lot less than the cost of one bedroom. |
| G．He may also book you in a sleeping car that’s right next to the diner. |
8 . In the American workplace, all the machines are no longer monitored by human labor. High-powered computers and robots are increasingly taking over more complicated tasks--from bookkeeping to research--with surprising efficiency. Over the next 15 years, machines will be likely to take the place of truck drivers as self-driving vehicles become the norm, putting millions of people around the world out of a job. Already, about 5.5 million jobs which are connected with manufacturing have been lost to automation (自动化) since the year 1990. And the trend shows no signs of stopping: In the first quarter of 2017, American companies bought 32 percent more robots than they did in the same period last year.
But human work is far from obsolete . A 2013 study found just 5 percent of all jobs can be completely done by high-powered computers and robots. And while automation takes the place of certain kinds of jobs, particularly in manufacturing, it generates others as well.
As robots are growing in numbers, more and more human labor is needed to operate and repair these machines. What’s more, the higher productivity of mechanized work can cut down the cost and make the prices low and increase demand in some industries, creating the need for more robots to increase output and thus more human labor to man them.
In the last seven years, American manufacturers have created almost a million new factory jobs, according to a recent report in Associated Press. As of this year, still 390000 of these jobs are still remaining open. And experts have estimated that factories will add another two million jobs in the next decade, many of which will make human workers work together with robots. The challenge will be equipping American workers with the more advanced skillsets needed for this new cyborgian (生控体系的) partnership.
1. What does the author want to tell in Paragraph 1?| A．The unemployment rate is raising in America. |
| B．More tasks will be done by robots in America. |
| C．Robots can work more efficiently than humans. |
| D．Robots are becoming more important than human labor. |
| A．Useless. | B．Powerful. |
| C．Popular | D．Challenging. |
| A．Learning to live together with robot. |
| B．Being skilled in designing a new robots. |
| C．Having more advanced skills for new robot. |
| D．Learning more skills to cooperate with robots. |
| A．The advantages of robot workers. |
| B．The development of robot workers. |
| C．The influence of robots on human workers. |
| D．The comparison between robots and human workers. |
9 . The earth has many mysteries for people to explore and we live on the earth for protection. Did you know that the earth has two North Poles? There’s the geographic North Pole, which never changes. And there’s the magnetic North Pole, which is always on the move. Over the past 150 years, the magnetic North Pole has casually wandered 685 miles across northern Canada. But right now it’s racing 25 miles a year to the northwest. This could be a sign that we’re about to experience something humans have never seen before: a magnetic polar flip. And when this happens, it could affect much more than just your compass.
Right now on the surface of the planet; it looks like it’s just a bar magnet. Our compasses are just pointing to one pole at a time because there’s mainly a two-pole system. But sometimes, the earth doesn’t just have a single magnetic North and South Pole. Evidence suggests that, for hundreds to thousands of years at a time, our planet has had four, six, and even eight poles. This is what has happened when the magnetic poles flipped in the past. And when it happens again, it won’t be good news for humans.
Now you might think, eight poles must be better than two. But the reality is that multiple magnetic fields would fight each other. This could weaken the earth’s protective magnetic field by up to 90% during a polar flip.
The earth’s magnetic field is what protects us from harmful space radiation which can damage cells and cause cancer. With a weaker field in place, some scientists think this could expose planes to higher levels of radiation, making flights less safe.
This could also disrupt the internal sense of direction in many animals that use the magnetic field for navigation. Even worse, it could make certain places on the planet too dangerous to live in. But what exactly will take place on the surface is less clear than what will undoubtedly happen in space.
Satellites and space missions will need extra shelter that we’ll have to provide ourselves. Without it, intense universal and solar radiation will fry circuit boards and increase the risk of cancer in astronauts.
1. Which of the following can best describe the earth’s magnetic field?| A．The protective umbrella of humans. | B．The navigation of satellites. |
| C．The center of the universe. | D．The focus of scientific research. |
| A．Being unable to find directions exactly. | B．Bearing very loud noise day and night. |
| C．Losing the ability to hunt for food. | D．Being unable to protect themselves from danger. |
| A．Astronauts are more likely to suffer from cancer. |
| B．The magnetic North Pole is moving faster than before. |
| C．There are always more than two magnetic poles on the earth at a time. |
| D．Flights aren’t allowed to travel as usual when the magnetic poles flip. |
| A．How and when will the poles flip? | B．The reasons why scientists research poles |
| C．What will happen when the poles flip? | D．The ways that scientists research poles |
10 . Humans are developing new places to live in. In the south of Silicon Valley sits the Monterey Peninsula, where you’ll find a moveable community that’s being designed as a rest region for the region’s tech elites(精英).
Walden Monterey was founded in 2016 by developer Nick Jekogian, who set out to turn the 609-acre land into a coastal “agrihood” community, a growing trend among the tech elites in which they avoid the idea of belonging to golf communities, unlike what the previous generations have done, and instead enjoy agricultural neighborhoods that focus on nature, farms, and outdoor living.
The property plans to build 22 homes in total, with the lots they sit costing about $1 million each(three lots have been sold, as of September 2018). After the sales are made, buyers can work with a team of more than 20 architects assembled by Jekogian to then pay additional millions each for home construction.
A key step in the buying process involves potential buyers actually visiting the land. Jekogian invites people to stay in “moveable rooms” or small moveable glass houses, which allow them to experience what living on the land would actually be like.
But now, Walden Monterey will soon provide a new way to try out the land. The design studio DFA, founded by Laith Sayigh, was approached by Walden Monterey to design a house for potential buyers to stay each in while they think about purchase decisions.
The 3D-printed houses, named Galini Sleeping Pods, are 300 square feet in size, can be moved anywhere, are powered by solar panels, wind turbines and Tesla batteries, and will cost about $250,000 each. Sayigh told Business Insider that they’ re not just a future staple for the Walden Monterey community, but that they represent the next generation of construction technology.
1. What life do the tech elites like according to the text?| A．Getting close to nature. | B．Playing golf after work. |
| C．Living in a big house. | D．Having a house in Silicon Valley. |
| A．To attract more people to visit the design studio DFA. |
| B．To give a rule for the future construction technology. |
| C．To call on architects to build more moveable communities. |
| D．To offer buyers chances to try living in a moveable house. |
| A．Solar panels. | B．The 3D-printed houses. |
| C．Tesla batteries. | D．The Walden Monterey Community. |
| A．The style of the houses depends on buyers’ own ideas. |
| B．Buyers should pay off the expense of the houses in one attempt. |
| C．The money spent on constructing the houses is more than the cost of the lots. |
| D．Buyers of the houses are forbidden to get involved in the process of constructing. |
