1 . England and Wales launched a COVID-19 smartphone app on Thursday, allowing users to trace contacts, check the local level of risk and record visits to places such as pubs, four months after the technology was promised to the public.
The NHS COVID-19 app comes as Britain prepares for a second wave of infections, with daily case numbers rising at rates not seen since the peak of the pandemic (流行病）and a testing system unable to cope with demand in many areas.
The government had said a COVID-19 app would arrive in May, but early trials were troubled by problems, and developers abandoned home-grown technology in favor of Apple and Google's model in June.
As the delay lengthened, the governmentdownplayedthe importance of smartphones in fighting COVID-19, saying that rather than an app being central to the test and trace system, it was "the cherry on the cake".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock, however, said that with infection rates rising, every tool available must be used to prevent the spread of the disease, including the latest technology. "We have worked extensively with tech companies, international partners, and privacy and medical experts -and learned from the trials-to develop an app that is secure, simple to use and will help keep our country safe," he said.
The app uses Bluetooth signals to record when a user is in close contact with another user, generally meaning within two meters for 15 minutes or more. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they can choose to share the result anonymously (匿名地）with their close contacts, who will each receive a warming and will have to isolate (隔离）for 14 days.
People aged over 16 will be encouraged to download the app by advertisements with the slogan:＂Protect your loved ones. Get the app."
1. Which word can best replace the underlined word "downplayed" in paragraph 4?| A．emphasize |
| B．value |
| C．explain |
| D．underestimate |
| A．The app came to market at the peak of the disease. |
| B．The app might help reduce the spread of the disease. |
| C．The app can share the testing result automatically. |
| D．The app is popular with teenagers in England. |
| A．Many hands make light work. |
| B．Haste makes waste. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. |
| D．Knowledge starts with practice. |
2 . Like most senior high school students in China, 17-year-old Liu Yu, from Yantai Development Zone Senior High School, Shandong, had planned to resume her studies earlier this year to prepare for the upcoming gaokao.
However, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced in late January that the spring term for all schools would be put off due to the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, forcing students like Liu to stay at home.
Rather than falling behind their original plan, Liu and many others have already begun studying full-time again – only from home – in what may have become the largest online teaching trial the country has ever seen.
To go with students’ new learning environment, a “cloud platform” was launched on Feb 17 to provide students in elementary and secondary schools with education resources covering all major school subjects, noted Lü Yugang, head of the ministry’s Department of Basic Education.“Students will be able to attend classes online or study via television,” he told China Daily.
For students in remote or rural areas with poor internet accessibility（获取）, a television channel by China Education Television started airing classes on Feb 17 so they can study at home, Xinhua News Agency reported.
But the online platform and TV channel don’t just offer school knowledge.Students can also learn about epidemic（流行病） prevention and control tips during the period, and receive education on patriotism, life and psychological health, according to a guideline issued by the MOE.
For some students, the chance to study from home has had some unexpected benefits.Yuan Siyi, who lives in Hubei province, used to get up before 6 am on school days, but since starting online courses, she gets more hours of sleep each morning.“I like online teaching because I have more freedom at home,” Yuan, who began her all-day courses on Feb 3, told TEENS.
However, online teaching and learning has its weaknesses compared to studying in a physical classroom.“My motivation to study is stronger when my classmates are around me and all working very hard,” Yuan said.According to the MOE, online courses are only temporary measures taken during the epidemic.“When the new term begins, schools will not replace classroom teaching with online classes,” Lü added.
1. Why didn’t Liu Yu back to school earlier this year as scheduled?| A．Because the novel coronavirus pneumonia broke out. |
| B．Because she was forced to stay at home by her parents. |
| C．Because the largest online teaching trial was carried out. |
| D．Because she wanted to prepare for the upcoming gaokao at home. |
| A．Students’ motivation to online study is certainly stronger. |
| B．Students may enjoy more freedom to study thanks to the airing classes. |
| C．Students are able to attend airing classes on the Internet instead of television. |
| D．Students are provided with education resources of some major subjects by the “cloud platform”. |
| A．Benefits of online learning | B．A “cloud platform” |
| C．Stay in studying | D．Epidemic outbreak |
Every day people throw away a lot of household garbage – paper, cans, kitchen waste, used batteries and glass
People in cities, like Beijing and Shanghai, are required to sort garbage into four categories - kitchen waste, dangerous waste,
4 . Are you one of the increasing number of students who are struggling for college education online? Follow these tips to help you be a successful online learner?
Many students assume that online classes require less work and are easier than traditional classes.
Arrangement according to class schedule is important. Log on to your course according to the required schedule. Manage your time just as you would in a traditional course.
During class, you are advised to be focused. Read and practice everything.
Remember to be active. If you have questions or don’t understand an assignment, tell your instructor.
| A．Go through every screen. |
| B．Online classes require less work |
| C．You’ll understand the instructor better. |
| D．Be sure you have the required software and hardware. |
| E．Your instructor can help you better if you tell him or her. |
| F．In reality, they’re designed just as demanding as traditional courses. |
| G．This is different from traditional classes, where a lot of communication is oral. |
5 . The Internet has revolutionized our lives to such an extent(程度) that for most people, the global network has become more than just a tool rather an important aid in everyday life. More and more people go online as wireless networks have brought the Internet closer and closer it's on our mobile phones, in out cars and TV sets, in hospital surgery rooms and in fishing boats that battle the waves of the Atlantic.
And this revolution has brought along with it a new way of shopping. Both big and small, e-business websites have flooded the Internet by the hundreds of thousands. Anything you can buy from a brick and mortar store(实体店) you can also buy online: from food and clothes to toys. no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find the right online store with just a few clicks of the mouse. You can use the Internet to find new suppliers, post buying requests or search for products and services.
This revolution has affected brick and mortar business owners greatly. And what was their reaction? They've opened online stores to go hand in hand with their conventional businesses.
But do the big players have reasons to be afraid? Are we going to start seeing ghostly, deserted Walmarts(沃尔玛) across the country? Probably not in the near future but the day will come when most people will just stop shopping offline anymore. A trip to Walmarts wastes time and burns gas.
The recent advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of mobile phones with improved web capabilities have even made some people order their groceries when they get out from work and have them delivered at their doorstep by the time they get home. And as "Time is money", this practice is lifesaving for people who work two jobs.
Technology will continue to advance and e-business will follow closely in its footsteps. Everything will become easier and less time consuming, leaving us more time to enjoy the things that really matter in life: the ones we love, our friends and hobbies.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The popularity of mobile phones. | B．The great influence of the internet. |
| C．The importance of the Internet. | D．The function of the global network. |
| A．to save time | B．to follow the fashion |
| C．to release pressure | D．to protect environment |
| A．A New Way of Shopping. |
| B．The Internet Revolution. |
| C．What is the Reaction to Online Shopping? |
| D．Is Online Shopping the Future of E-business? |
China, once famous for four inventions in ancient times, has once again showed its ability
With electronic payments, people can buy and eat
Thanks to the large amounts of capital (资金) China has invested in encouraging inmovation (创新), China has entered
“I’ve decided to apply for the test to enter a medical college to become a doctor, changing from my original plan to prepare for a lawyer qualification exam in order to get a more stable job in the future,” said a 24-year-old college graduate, Lee, who majored in business administration during his undergraduate schooling.
The new medical and dental school system is getting popularity, attracting an increasing number of students every year since its appearance in 2004, as it is open to all college graduates regardless of their previous majors.
The Education Development introduced the new medical and dental education system, in which college students with bachelor’s degrees are allowed to study medicine or dentistry by taking the Medical Education Test (MET) and Dental Education Test (DET).
Ten medical schools and six dental colleges that have used the new system have received 4,377 applications (申请) for the entrance exams.
Applicants are getting younger compared with those in their 20s representing 76.9 percent of the total. The tests might be easier for students with biology and chemistry majors, but graduates from other majors are also applying for the tests.
Under the existing medical and dental education system, students should take a two-year premedical course followed by a four-year medical course.
Students graduating under the new medical or dental education system are given master’s degrees, while those graduates who studied under the previous system have bachelor’s degrees.
1. Why do more and more Korean students apply for medical schools?
| A．Because doctors are highly respected in Korea. |
| B．Because they want to get a more stable job. |
| C．Because medicine is easier to learn than other subjects. |
| D．Because the medical education system is reasonable. |
| A．two | B．four | C．six | D．seven |
| A．it takes a longer time to get the master’s degree in the old system |
| B．students may find it a lot easier to get a bachelor’s degree in medicine |
| C．graduates from other majors like history are not allowed to apply for those schools |
| D．the new system are not so popular as expected because of its high unemployment |
| A．New Medical and Dental School System Is Carried Out in Korea |
| B．Korean College Students Have a New Job Choice |
| C．Korean College Students Rush to Medical and Dental Schools |
| D．Doctors Are Becoming Popular in Korea |
Jeanne Calment lives in a small old people’s home in the south of France, her husband, her only child and her grandson have all died. She is nearly blind and deaf and is always in a wheelchair, but her doctor describes here as being “more like a 90-year-old in good health” than someone of 120. She still has a lively sense of humor. When asked on the 120th birthday what she expected of the future, she replied, “A very short one.” She also remarked that she thought the good Lord had forgotten all about her.
So what is the key to a long life? According to some doctors, diet, exercise and no smoking are the three important factors. Jeanne Calment has followed two of the tips. She has always eaten a healthy diet, and she used to do exercises every day until she broke her leg at the age of 115. However, until recently she drank two glasses of strong red wine a say, and she does smoke (now only a little). Besides, Jeanne Calment might have got very good genes from her parents. Her father lived to the age of 94 and her mother to 86.
A local lawyer bought her house when she was 80 under an agreement that he would pay her some money every year until her death. It must have seemed a good move at her age, but so far the lawyer has paid her at least three times the value of the house. Every year on her birthday Jeanne Calment sends him a card saying: “Sorry, I’m still alive!”
1. How does Jeanne Calment feel about her old age?
| A．She feels upset and unhappy. |
| B．She is cheerful and humorous. |
| C．She likes to live much longer. |
| D．She feels she is going to die very soon. |
| A．smoking only little every day |
| B．neither smoking nor drinking |
| C．always drinking two glasses of strong red wine a day and never smoking |
| D．the good genes from her parents, a healthy diet and some exercises |
| A．good habits of body-building. |
| B．Some materials that control the development of a living thing. |
| C．Comfortable living conditions. |
| D．Something necessary for a person to keep his life. |
| A．She had an agreement with the lawyer when she was 80. |
| B．The lawyer has not paid her enough rent yet. |
| C．The lawyer has paid her more money than the value of the house. |
| D．The house she sold to the lawyer was worth the money already paid. |
9 . Tayka Hotel De Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night
Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses(床垫) and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft(阁楼）in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant (消防栓）outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer. (Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)
1. What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?| A．It is located on a prehistoric lake. |
| B．It should be protected against the rain. |
| C．Everything in the hotel is made of salt. |
| D．You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel. |
| A．Being expensive. | B．Being comfortable. |
| C．Being natural. | D．Being unique. |
| A．The name of the hotel. |
| B．The name of the hotel owner. |
| C．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B. |
| D．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner. |
| A．Tayka Hotel De Sal | B．Green Magic Nature Resort |
| C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B | D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel |
| A．To show his wide knowledge |
| B．To introduce some interesting hotels |
| C．To develop business in tourism |
| D．To attract attention from the readers |
If he, the founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, were alive, Thomas Jaggar would be proud of the U.S. tsunami warning system after Friday’s devastating earthquake in Japan sent a surge (大浪，汹涌) of ocean water dashing toward the West Coast.
● WASHINGTON — So many people surged to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center website that it slowed to a crawl early Friday, unable to provide critical information to the public about the coastal impact in the U.S. of a massive earthquake in Japan.
McClatchy Washington Bureau — Mar 11 06:09 p.m.
● CHICAGO — A tsunami warning has been issued for the central and northern California coast and Oregon, the National Weather Service announced early Friday.
Chicago Tribune— Mar 11 06:07 a.m.
● HONOLULU — A tsunami warning was issued late on Thursday for Hawaii after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific near Japan, prompting state civil defense officials to order all coastal areas evacuated（把…撤出…）by 2 a.m. local time. Tsunami sirens (警报) began sounding at 9:59 p.m. on Thursday. They have sounded every hour since 11:15 p.m.
Alaska Tsunami Warning Center also issued a warning for much of the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California.
Reuters via Yahoo! News — Mar 11 01:22 a.m.
● LOMPOC — Tsunami warning ‘a wake-up call’
A tsunami warning that led to evacuations for coastal
communities and campgrounds in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties Friday served as a successful trial for a more serious emergency, officials said after the danger passed.
The Lompoc Record — Mar 11 11:29 p.m.
● WELLINGTON — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific near Japan, and it said the sea level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated and was in effect for some Pacific islands — Hawaii, China’s Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia etc.
New Straits Times — Mar 11 07:48 a.m.
— Reproduced by Yahoo Greenwich Meantime
1. A tsunami warning was issued for all the following states in the U.S. except for _____.
| A．Ohio | B．California | C．Oregon | D．Alaska |
| A．promoting | B．advocating | C．urging | D．appealing |
| A．New Straits Times | B．Reuters via Yahoo! News |
| C．McClatchy Washington Bureau | D．Chicago Tribune |
| A．LOMPOC. | B．WASHINGTON. | C．HONOLULU. | D．WELLINGTON. |
