1 . Online learning is now becoming very popular around the world. As we know, it allows people to learn at home and people can learn the courses from anywhere in the world. Anyone who wants to learn something can enroll (注册) into a good school offering online courses and complete their education. Besides being convenient, there is no age limit; one can take a course anytime and at any point in their career.
Online learning also means that people have more time for their own life while continuing their education. They are able to learn when it’s convenient for them, and in many cases the courses can be completed in less time than at a traditional school. People can go to work during the day and finish their homework at night. Parents can spend time with their children and then complete online classes when their children are at school or asleep. Since people don’t have to take part in any classroom activities, it does not do any harm to their lives. They can work and learn at any time of the day and at their own speed.
Many people find that online courses are less expensive than traditional ones. Classroom teaching is usually expensive and not suitable for a lot of people. Through online learning, one can save a lot. People don’t have to spend more money on traveling, staying in hotels or eating in restaurants. Online courses are a good choice for those who are short of money but want to learn something and improve themselves. According to the U.S. Department of Education, students learning online have not only saved a lot of money but also performed better than those learning in traditional schools.
Of course, online learning requires a regimented lifestyle and the ability to learn on one’s own. For people who are not strict with themselves, online learning can be a real challenge. For busy people who take online classes, time management can be a challenge. They have to decide for themselves when to work on class tasks and how long they will need in order to finish the work. So, people must think about all of these things before making a choice.
1. In the author’s opinion, online learning ________.| A．is easy to get for anyone | B．should be made fun |
| C．is a good choice for anyone | D．may disappear in the near future |
| A．how to find time to learn | B．the future of online learning |
| C．how to make use of online learning | D．the problems of online learning |
| A．Online learning is going to replace traditional schools. |
| B．People can learn more quickly through online learning. |
| C．Online learning has both advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．More and more people are now choosing to learn online. |
2 . Like many six-year-olds, Sam Pointon loves trains and dreams of working with them when he grows up. However, when the position for Director of the National Railway Museum in England was offered, Sam couldn’t help applying for it. And he got the job finally!
It all began during a family vacation, when Sam’s dad noticed the job opening. He joked that it would be the perfect position for little Sam when he grew up. But Sam thought he was able to do the job. After all, he had been on several train rides, owned an electric train and had mastered the technique of controlling two trains at once.
Little Sam’s handwritten letter caught the eye of the museum staff, who were so impressed by his enthusiasm that they decided to hire (雇用) him.
While the job doesn’t pay anything, it does have its perks (补贴). But young Sam doesn’t care about it. He thinks it would be an important experience for him. Therefore, he has been doing his job quite seriously and has already suggested that the museum should set up a model train area to attract more children.
In order to encourage Sam, his family was invited for a special VIP, behind-the-scenes tour of the museum, which covers more than 400 years of railroad history and houses over 100 old trains. They were also given free tickets to see a stage adaptation (版) of the popular kids’ book The Railway Children.
Sam is so serious about his new position that the six-year-old believes he doesn’t even have to go to school anymore — which of course, is not the case. His parents just haven’t had the heart to tell him yet!
1. Sam learned about the job offer from ________.| A．the museum | B．the director | C．his father | D．his teacher |
| A．his attitude | B．his ability | C．his experience | D．his family’s support |
| A．He is kept busy. | B．He gets good pay. |
| C．He is the only child working there. | D．He does a good job. |
| A．Quiet and creative. | B．Careful and confident. |
| C．Brave and friendly. | D．Kind and clever. |
3 . Alpha, Beta, Delta…these Greek letters used to only appear in our math classes but are now popping up in news headlines.
Now, it’s Lambda. As the Delta variant spreads throughout communities in Asia, Europe and the United States, another variant, Lambda, is spreading rapidly throughout South America, Forbes reported on Aug 10.
On May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a naming system for variants of the coronavirus that uses letters of the Greek alphabet. Before that, the public had to call a variant its scientific name or refer to it based on where it was identified.
For example, a strain (菌株) of COVID-19 identified in South Africa in late 2020 was called variant 501Y. V2 or B. 1.351. Media also called the same virus. “the South African variant”. Now, everyone calls it “Beta”.
Compared to complicated scientific names, the Greek letters are much easier to remember. “It is a lot easier for a radio newsreader to say ‘Delta’ than bee-one-six-one-seven-two,” Jeffrey Barrett, a UK statistical geneticist told Nature.
WHO hopes this change will help combat the stigma (污名) associated with geography-based names. “I can understand why people just call it the South African variant-they don’t mean anything by it,” Salim Abdool Karim, an epidemiologist in South Africa, told Nature. “The problem is, if we allow it to continue, there are people who have an a goal and will use it.”
“No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants,” Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead, wrote on Twitter.
As the virus is still evolving, 11 mutations (变种) have been named as recently as Sept 1. What if the 24 Greek letters are not enough? “We will possibly run out of the Greek alphabet, but we’re already looking at the next series of names,” Van Kerkhove told The Telegraph. “We’re actually considering star constellations (星座).”
Currently, the Virus Evolution Working Group and WHO’s legal team are double checking proposals to “make sure we don’t upset anyone with these names”, Van Kerkhove told The Telegraph.
In the future, will there be a “Virgo variant” or an “Orion variant”? Let’s hope not, but only time will tell.
1. How did the Lambda variant get its name?| A．It was named after the place where it’s widespread. |
| B．It was named after a letter of the Greek alphabet. |
| C．It was named for a scientific term. |
| D．It was named after the place where it was identified. |
| A．Problems scientific variant names can cause. |
| B．The importance of reporting variants immediately. |
| C．Reasons for no longer naming variants after places. |
| D．Advantages of naming the variants after Greek letters. |
| A．The current naming system can cause legal problems. |
| B．There might be more variants than Greek letters. |
| C．People prefer to name variants after stars. |
| D．The current naming system caused confusion. |
| A．Renaming of COVID-19 variants |
| B．Greek letters that appear in the math classes |
| C．A strain of COVID-19 identified in South Africa |
| D．A battle of fighting against the stigma associated with geography-based names |
4 . Air fryers are quickly becoming popular in the US these years, with many people having the idea that air fryers are a great way to make quick, healthy meals.
An air fryer can be used to get the crispness of deep-fried food without actually deep frying the food in oil. Breaded foods are among the most popular dishes in America. Instead of placing something like breaded chicken into oil, the air fryer blows hot air around the chicken and causes it to crisp up and brown, creating a crunchy texture (松脆的口感) that is similar to fried chicken.
Nutritionist Bellatti said, “When you are just using a teaspoon of oil in an air fryer, it’s going to be a lot less caloric than something in a real fryer where a lot more oil is being taken in. It’s a way to lower your calorie intake greatly. Additionally, for those who are watching fat intake for medical reasons, air fryers can help them create fried foods that are lower in total fat content.”
Reducing fat and calorie intake can help a person lose weight and eat healthier when compared to eating fried foods. But some experts say there is no guarantee that air frying is a healthier way to cook.
If you’re turning to an air fryer every day to cook every meal, you’re not necessarily eating healthier, according to nutritionist Hartley. Air frying makes some dishes healthier, but it doesn’t add nutritional value. Similarly, it doesn’t make an unhealthy dish a smart choice. At the end of the day, air-fried breaded chichen is still breaded chichen—grilled chichen would be the healthier choice.
“Air frying is just an easy and low mess way to cook dishes that have the satisfying crispness of fried foods,” Hartley said. “Instead of thinking of them as a dieting tool, think of them as a tool for cooking simple and satisfying meals.” Hartley also added air fryers would probably not help you lose weight, saying there was “zero research” to back that up.
And cutting oil out of your diet completely isn’t always for the best. “Although a low-fat, air-fried diet sounds attractive, you’d end up missing out on the wonderful advantages of plant-based fats such as avocado oil and olive oil,” said nutritionist Cucuzza.
1. What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 2?| A．How the air fryer improves the taste of fried chichen. |
| B．Why many American people love breaded foods. |
| C．Why the air fryer enjoys popularity in America. |
| D．How the air fryer works to make foods crisp. |
| A．People should have a calorie-controlled diet. |
| B．Eating fewer calories may lead to a healthier life. |
| C．Air fryers can be more useful than traditional fryers. |
| D．Air fryers can help people cut down on calories and fat. |
| A．expectation | B．possibility |
| C．certainty | D．suggestion |
| A．He is against it. | B．He is hopeful of it. |
| C．He is uninterested in it. | D．He is uncertain about it. |
5 . There is no such thing as a “bad memory”, and everyone can improve their memory, as long as you are not suffering from memory loss as medical condition.
Stop thinking that you have a “bad memory”. Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves their memory is bad so what they need to remember just slip out of their minds for some reason. What should you do?
Use association (联想) to remember facts.
Involve multiple (多种的) senses. You can stimulate (刺激) more parts of your brain by using as many senses as possible when memorizing information.
| A．Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. |
| B．Give yourself some time to form a memory. |
| C．Exercise your brain as often as possible. |
| D．When a larger part of your brain is active |
| E．If you want to improve your memory, there are a number of things you can do. |
| F．You can create a picture in your mind to help you remember a word or an image. |
| G．This concrete image in your mind will help you link the president with this event. |
6 . It was 1994, and a new mother took her sick baby to the doctor. After being tested, the child was diagnosed (诊断) with CF (包囊纤维化), a serious disease. The girl would be lucky to survive into her twenties. The woman and her husband did not know what to do.
She turned to two friends — football star Boomer Esiason and his wife Cheryl, who knew a lot about CF since they had a son with it. They’d been trying to raise money for the CF Foundation (基金会), and they were heading their own foundation then. The woman called the Esiasons right away and they shared with her everything they knew about the illness.
She was changed, and put her whole heart into understanding CF. She learned how to use the treatments that would best give her daughter hope. She learned about other challenges about CF. Though 30,000 Americans suffer from the illness, the number was too small to motivate(激励) drug companies to do research. The CF market could not get enough investment (投资) for the government to make up the millions needed to develop new drugs.
So she gave up her job and jumped into the CF business full time. She now takes part in events organized by the CF Foundation, and gives speeches wherever she can. The money she raises goes to the CF Foundation, letting it employ scientists to study the disease. Her name is Angela Kinney. Thanks to the many people just like her, the average lifespan (寿命) of a child born with CF has jumped to 36.5 years.
1. From the passage we can learn that Cheryl was ________.| A．a doctor studying CF | B．a member of the CF Foundation |
| C．a person with CF | D．a football star |
| A．They told her what they knew about CF. | B．They offered her a job. |
| C．They offered her money. | D．They taught her how to comfort the child. |
| A．The government was unwilling to invest in it. |
| B．There were no researchers studying it. |
| C．Drug companies found it hard to do research. |
| D．The number of CF patients was too small. |
| A．Clever and changeable. | B．Responsible and honest. |
| C．Brave and warm-hearted. | D．Helpful and open-minded. |
7 . Thanks to its harsh environment, Antarctica remained largely untouched by humans for many millennia, allowing a thriving (旺盛的) ecosystem to evolve. However, since the 1990s, the last true wilderness on the planet is becoming an increasingly popular destination for adventure-seeking tourists. Now, a new study declares that the visitors may be leaving behind harmful bacteria which could devastate the area’s native bird population.
Humans can infect animals with illnesses such as the flu. Researchers, however, believed that the Antarctic animals were immune to the danger due to the continent’s extreme weather. However, microbiologist Marta Cerda-Cuellar was not convinced.
She and some colleagues decided to examine waste samples from Antarctic birds for evidence of human bacteria. To ensure the waste was not polluted, the scientists had to collect it from the birds themselves.
The results of their study revealed the presence of several types of human bacteria in the bird waste. This included a common strain (品种) of bacteria that causes food poisoning in humans. The researchers say the bacteria strains were resistant to commonly-used human antibiotics (抗生素)，indicating they were brought in by the visitors, rather than migratory birds (候鸟).
“These strains, which are a common cause for infections in humans and livestock, do not usually cause death outbreaks in wild animals,” says Gonzalez-Solis. “However, the emerging or invasive pathogens (病原体) that arrive to highly sensitive populations could have severe consequences and cause the local collapse and extinction of some populations. “The researcher also fears the presence of these bugs could foreshadow the arrival of other, more deadly, pathogens as the number of tourists people increases.
Experts believe the only way to prevent the mass destruction of the birds is to impose stricter regulations or, at least, put the ones already in place into effect. For example, while the Antarctica Treaty requires visitors to carry their waste back home to safeguard the pristine environment, the regulation is rarely enforced. Nowadays, some officials are taking steps to save the vulnerable birds before it’s too late.
1. What problem is Antarctica facing according to Paragraph 1&2?| A．The increasing number of tourists. |
| B．The worsening wilderness. |
| C．The replaced native bird population. |
| D．The spread of infectious illnesses. |
| A．To treat their illness. | B．To get their waste. |
| C．To raise them as pets. | D．To study their lifestyles. |
| A．Bacteria can be killed by human antibiotics. |
| B．Extreme weather keeps Antarctic animals healthy. |
| C．Humans bring bacteria to Antarctica. |
| D．Antarctic animals are immune to human bacteria. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Doubtful. | C．negative. | D．Optimistic. |
8 . Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy. His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, one of the most successful movies of all time. Following that big success, James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become a sea explorer.
In 2012, James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench, known as Challenger Deep. And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film, named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D.
In James Cameron’s fantasy films, such as Avatar and The Abyss, the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger. But on his dive into Challenger Deep, the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull.
“I felt like I had gone to another planet,” Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean, nearly 7 miles below the surface.” I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place. “Cameron captured the moonlike landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean.
James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’s journey. It is a film about determination, danger and the ocean’s greatest depths. The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet.
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore.
1. When did James Cameron really decide to start exploring the sea?| A．When he was in his childhood. |
| B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic. |
| C．Before he achieved great success in movies. |
| D．After he made the 1989 undersea adventure. |
| A．Putting his film career away for the moment. |
| B．Firmly holding on to his film career. |
| C．Giving up his film career forever. |
| D．Never taking up his film career again. |
| A．Colorful and dangerous | B．Boring and deserted |
| C．White and attractive | D．Small and dull |
| A．a film about scientists’ exploration of the deep ocean. |
| B．a story about the colorful deep ocean and creatures. |
| C．a film about Cameron’s own experience to the deep ocean. |
| D．a film that stars some famous actors and actresses. |
9 . Have you ever heard of the phrase “we just can’t communicate”? Most people communicate with the ability to read or write well. This might not be the case as you will soon find out.
How many times have you been to the doctor’s office and listened to an educated professional explain something to you that is just unintelligible? These people keep asking you, “Do you understand?” and sometimes out of embarrassment because you don’t want to look like stupid, you tell them. “Yes, I do understand.” This isn’t a good way to communicate, either.
How do we communicate in a positive way to get our points across? Ask the people you are communicating with if they understand what you just said. In another case, if someone is talking to you, use the statement, “Just to make sure that I understand what you just said” and then repeat back your understanding of their conversation. Sometimes just asking a few simple questions and clarifying your understanding can bring great benefits to any communication.
In some countries like Japan, you might find them reading your body language more than the words you are communicating with. Sometimes just by the way someone stands or reacts to something you said, you can get a valuable insight to what the other person means in this conversation. Don’t forget, however, this could also lead to a misunderstanding. Again if you think someone is communicating with their body language, try not to assume that you know exactly what message they are trying to get across. Always ask them if they understand what you are talking about.
A person is responsible for what he says and to make sure that the other person completely understands the point he is trying to get across. Why not start using some of the simple skills in this article to help with your communication skill? You will start to see the benefits within a short period of time.
1. Which of the following words best describe the underlined word “unintelligible”?| A．Rarely heard. | B．Easy to understand. |
| C．Difficult to imagine. | D．Not clearly understood. |
| A．That’s OK. | B．It doesn’t matter. |
| C．Don’t look like stupid. | D．You’d better ask more to understand it. |
| A．Keeping asking a few simple questions. |
| B．Making sure you understand and are understood. |
| C．Listening carefully and silently what the speaker is saying. |
| D．Keeping silent if you have understood what other people are saying. |
| A．Reading their body language is useful. |
| B．Body language is more important than words themselves. |
| C．Try to guess what they mean according to their body language. |
| D．Use body language to make them understand what you are saying. |
10 . How fit are your teeth? Are you lazy about brushing them? Never fear: An inventor is on the case. An electric toothbrush senses how long and how well you brush and it lets you track your performance on your phone.
The Kolibree toothbrush was exhibited at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It senses how it is moved and can send the information to an Android phone or iPhone via a Bluetooth wireless connection.
The toothbrush will be able to teach you to brush right (don’t forget the insides of the teeth!) and make sure you’re brushing long enough. “It’s kind of like having a dentist actually watch your brushing on a day-to-day basis,” says Thomas Serval, the French inventor.
The toothbrush will also be able to talk to other applications on your phone, so developers could, for example, create a game controlled by your toothbrush. You could score points for beating monsters among your teeth. “We try to make it smart and fun,” Serval says.
Serval says he was inspired by his experience as a father. He would come home from work and ask his kids if they had brushed their teeth. They said “yes,” but Serval would find their toothbrush heads dry. He decided he needed a brush that really told him how well his children brushed.
The company says the Kolibree will go on sale this summer, from $99 to $199, and the U. S. is the first target market.
1. What’s new about the new toothbrushes?| A．It can move by itself. | B．It can track your performance. |
| C．It senses how long and how well you brush. | D．It can make you brush your teeth every day. |
| A．The introduction of the new special toothbrushes. | B．How the toothbrush teaches you to brush right. |
| C．What the toothbrush can do on your phone. | D．How a dentist watches your brushing. |
| A．Because he thinks it smart and fun. |
| B．Because he needed to keep his teeth healthy. |
| C．Because he found his children’s teeth brushes quite dry. |
| D．Because he wanted to know how well his children brushed. |
| A．A New Electric Toothbrush is on Sale |
| B．A Father Invented a New Electric Toothbrush |
| C．A New Electric Toothbrush is Going onto the Market |
| D．A New Electric Toothbrush Makes Your Teeth Healthy |
