1. Who is probably Harold?
| A．The woman’s friend. | B．The woman’s husband. | C．The woman’s neighbor. |
| A．Send her mother-in-law to hospital. |
| B．Look after her daughter. |
| C．Find her a babysitter. |
| A．About 3 days. | B．About 3 weeks. | C．About 3 months. |
| A．He’ll put up a notice. | B．He’ll stay with Suzy. | C．He’ll call Sara later. |
1. What has the woman been busy doing?
| A．Looking for a job. | B．Taking tennis lessons. | C．Preparing for her examination. |
| A．To go sightseeing. | B．To attend a wedding. | C．To get married. |
| A．Having a meal. | B．Meeting at the airport. | C．Chatting in a coffee shop. |
| A．The man. | B．Her roommate. | C．Her brother. |
3 . Nobody enjoys failing.
Figure out where the fear comes from.
Ask yourself what the root cause of your negative belief could be. Write down where you think the fear comes from, and try to understand it as an outsider. If it helps, imagine you’re trying to help one of your best friends. Perhaps your fear comes from something that happened in your childhood, or a deep-seated insecurity.
Learn from whatever happens.
In many cases, you believe what you tell yourself. Your internal dialogue affects how you react and behave.
| A．Understand your fear |
| B．Learn to think positive |
| C．Fear is part of human nature |
| D．Things may not go the way you planned |
| E．The simplest way to do this is never to take a risk |
| F．Naming the source of the fear takes away some of its power |
| G．Even the most successful people encounter failure though our society is obsessed with success |
1. What did the girls learn during the hike?
| A．How to climb rocks. | B．How to read a map. | C．How to make friends. |
| A．Their academic performance. |
| B．Their former outdoor experiences. |
| C．Their intention of participating in the programme. |
| A．To offer girls more opportunities. |
| B．To help girls challenge themselves. |
| C．To encourage girls to study hard. |
5 . Major carmakers are looking to expand the production and sales of electric vehicles (EVs) in the coming years. They’re also seeking new ways to reuse batteries, without which more expenses may be added to EVs, though manufacturers guarantee their batteries for 8 to 10 years. But few batteries are recycled currently, meaning their materials are reused.
Most recycling methods under development involve breaking the batteries down into smaller pieces, whose procedure is complex. Then, different processes are used to separate the metallic elements. That means more labors are needed.
However, the International Energy Agency (IEA) release d a report about the development of the EV market in 2020. The IEA noted that in most cases, the main elements of end-of -life EV battery systems can be repurposed, or used in a new way. In addition, the IEA said used batteries that still hold between 70 to 80 percent of their power capacity could be reused for “less demanding stationary storage”. This could include using old EV batteries to store power for a main electricity system.
Nevada-based Redwood Materials, one of the main American businesses, seeks to recycle the most common EV battery materials. The company was started in 2019 by J.B. Straubel. The company’s methods include hydrometallurgy and pyrometallurgy, which use high heat to separate the metals. Straubel told the Associated Press that the reward far outweighs the investment though his company is still heavily investing in operations and technology. He added that there’s really quite a hunger for these materials and that the metals used in EV batteries can be effectively recycled many times.
Another company, Canada’s Li-Cycle, has opened several new processing centers in recent years and has plans to launch more. Li-Cycle says on its website its newest centers will have the capacity to recycle up to 10,000 tons of the batteries per year. American Manganese, another Canadian company, plans to open a “demonstration plant” in Vancouver that aims to process about 500 kilograms of the battery waste every day.
These companies help solve problems related to the limited availability. With the disturbances resolved, the boom of EVs are knocking at the door.
1. Why are most carmakers seeking new ways to use batteries again?| A．To seek partners. | B．To cut costs. |
| C．To follow suit. | D．To do charity. |
| A．Complex and costly. | B．Dangerous and demanding. |
| C．Simple and cheap. | D．Limited and safe. |
| A．Controversial. | B．Insecure. | C．Profitable. | D．Steady. |
| A．All carmakers have recycled batteries. |
| B．EV batteries can only be recycled on newest centers. |
| C．Recycling is a truly win-win strategy. |
| D．It is a double-edged sword to recycle. |
1. Why was the man unable to get a job at the cafe?
| A．The manager said he couldn’t do it well. |
| B．He was not old enough to work then. |
| C．He had to work for his dad. |
| A．14. | B．15. | C．16. |
| A．Talking about music. | B．Playing some music. | C．Arranging programs. |
1. What will John get?
| A．A football. | B．A bike. | C．A toy car. |
| A．Jack. | B．John. | C．Jane. |
| A．On Sunday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. |
| A．To keep a secret. | B．To make them quiet. | C．To have lunch. |
8 . Remembering Maki Kaji, the “Father of Sudoku”
Maki Kaji, a Japanese man who was known as the “Father of Sudoku”, has passed away from cancer at the age of 69. Mr. Kaji was a puzzle lover who helped turn Sudoku from a simple number challenge into a game played around the world.
Though Mr. Kaji finished high school, he dropped out of college. After Mr. Kaji left college, he started Japan’s first puzzle magazine in 1980 with two of his friends. They named their magazine company Nikoli, which has become very popular over the years. It publishes puzzles and books for people all over the world. But Sudoku is probably the puzzle that most people think of when they remember Mr. Kaji.
While it’s not clear where the original number puzzle came from, Mr. Kaji is the one who gave it the name “Sudoku” and made it popular. By 2004, it was one of the most-played puzzles in the world. Now millions of people play Sudoku every day. Nikoli says that roughly 200 million people from about 100 countries have played the puzzle. People even compete in a Sudoku world championship every year.
Sudoku isn’t just popular—it’s also a huge moneymaker, bringing in millions and millions of dollars. But Mr. Kaji never made much money from the puzzle, since he didn’t protect Sudoku legally. He said that didn’t bother him, since he focused on the pleasure it brought for people.
Mr. Kaji believed the secret of making a great puzzle was to make it easy for anyone to play. He said discovering a new puzzle was “like finding treasure”. It’s that kind of spirit that has left many people in the puzzle world so sad to hear that Mr. Kaji has passed away. Puzzle experts and fans around the world have thanked Mr. Kaji for his work, and honored him as a true lover of puzzles.
1. How does the writer show the popularity of Sudoku?| A．By listing numbers. | B．By showing examples. |
| C．By giving explanations. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．He failed to enter university. | B．He centered on the joy the puzzle brought. |
| C．He was good at playing Sudoku. | D．He earned a large sum of money. |
| A．Making it instructive. | B．Giving it a fun name. |
| C．Keeping the rules simple. | D．Publishing it on magazines. |
| A．A game review. | B．A self-biography. |
| C．A news report. | D．An announcement. |
1. What makes it easier for scientists to count the number of elephants?
| A．Few trees. | B．Few elephants. | C．Clearer footprints. |
| A．About 50,000. | B．About 60,000. | C．About 95,000. |
| A．The bad weather. | B．The lack of food. | C．Land clearing. |
10 . A new study was published last week in The Journal of Heredity. American researchers said that two baby males, called chicks, which hatched in 2001 and 2009 from unfertilized eggs, were related to their mothers. But neither chick was related to a male. It is the first report of asexual reproduction (无性繁殖) in California condors (秃鹰).
Reproduction from an unfertilized egg can happen in other animals such as sharks and bees. But in birds, it usually only takes place when females are not around males. In this case, each mother condor had bred with males before. The two mothers involved in the research had produced 34 chicks. Each was with a fertile male condor at the zoo when they produced the eggs without male help.
The researchers said they believe it is the first case of asexual reproduction in any bird species where the female had access to a mate. Olivia Ryder leads genetics work for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. She is also the study’s co-writer. She said the findings raise questions about whether this kind of reproduction is happening in other species.
California condors are the largest flying birds in North America. They used to be found throughout the West Coast. But only 22 remained in the 1980s when the U.S. government captured condors and placed them in zoos to increase their numbers. About 160 were raised at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park. There are now more than 500 California condors, including more than 300 that have been released into the wild in California, Arizona, Utah and Mexico.
California condors can live up to 60 years. But the two male birds that hatched in 2001 and 2009 were not healthy. One was less than 2 years old when he died. The other lived less than eight years.
1. What is known about asexual reproduction from the text?| A．It is related to males or females. |
| B．It can happen in animals other than condors. |
| C．It is related with female condors at their first birth. |
| D．It happens when female condors are without males’ accompany. |
| A．Their being endangered. | B．Their general information. |
| C．Measures to save the species. | D．Achievements of saving the species. |
| A．It happens only in a few species. |
| B．It goes against traditional scientific rules. |
| C．Scientists attach little significance to this discovery. |
| D．The two condors from unfertilized eggs have a shorter lifespan. |
| A．Whether this kind of reproduction is happening in other species. |
| B．How asexual reproduction can be used to save endangering species. |
| C．Whether two mothers involved produced the eggs without male help. |
| D．Why the two condors from unfertilized eggs have a much longer lifespan. |
