1 . It may seem as if Mother’s Day was invented by a company named Hallmark, but people have been giving a shout-out to Mom for a long time. A more recent tradition was Mothering Sunday, which developed in the British Isles during the 16th century. On the fourth Sunday in April, young men and women who were living and working apart from their families were advised to return to their mothers’ houses.
Mother’s Day as it is observed in the United States started in the 1850s with Ann Jarvis, a West Virginia woman who held “Mothers’ Work Days” to promote health and hygiene at home and in the workplace. During the Civil War, Jarvis organized women to improve sanitary conditions for soldiers on both sides, and after the war she became a peacemaker, bringing together mothers of Union and Confederate soldiers and promoting a Mother’s Day holiday.
Jarvis’s work inspired another 19th-century woman, Julia Ward Howe. In 1870, Howe published her “Mother’s Day Proclamation”, which envisioned the day not as appreciation of mothers by their children but as an opportunity for women to exercise their collective power for peace. Howe started holding annual Mother’s Day celebrations in Boston, her hometown, but after about a decade the tradition faded away.
It was Jarvis’s daughter, Anna, who succeeded in getting Mother’s Day recognized as a national holiday. After her mother died in 1905, Anna started holding yearly ceremony on the anniversary. In 1912, West Virginia and a few other states adopted Mother’s Day. Two years later, Woodrow Wilson signed a resolution naming the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day, making it an official US holiday.
It wasn’t long before whatever ideals the day was supposed to celebrate were buried under an amount of greeting cards and candy. By the 1920s, Anna Jarvis was campaigning against the holiday she had created. “I wanted it to be a day of emotionalism, not profit,” she said.
1. Who plays the most important role in creating Mother’s Day?| A．Ann Jarvis. | B．Julia Ward Howe. | C．Woodrow Wilson. | D．Anna Jarvis. |
| A．In 1914. | B．In 1912. | C．In 1905. | D．In 1870. |
| A．Because the festival was not profitable. |
| B．Because the festival made her feel emotional. |
| C．Because the celebrations went against the original spirit. |
| D．Because she had no passion on holding celebration activities. |
| A．The Objection to Mother’s Day |
| B．The Argument on Celebrating Mother’s Day |
| C．The Story Behind the Creation of Mother’s Day |
| D．Different Forms of Celebrations on Mother’s Day |
2 . Have you ever been really hungry, but there wasn’t much to eat in your kitchen? Did you throw together a bunch of stuff you had on hand and were pleasantly surprised when it tasted good? You aren’t alone. Some of our favorite foods were created by accident. Here’s a sample menu of some familiar foods that never would have happened if someone hadn’t created them by mistake.
POTATO CHIPS
One of the world’s favorite snacks is the result of a complaint. In 1853, a man was eating dinner at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York. He ordered fried potatoes, a popular side dish. But when they came out of the kitchen, he didn’t think they were crispy enough. He sent them back to the kitchen, where Chef George Crum was so angry at having his cooking criticized that he sliced the potatoes really thin, put lots of salt on them, and fried them. Not only did the diner love them, but everyone else did, too. They soon became a specialty of the restaurant.
TOFU
Tofu, or bean curd, is made by curdling (使凝结) fresh soya milk, pressing it into a solid block, and then cooling it. Tofu was accidentally invented in China more than 2,000 years ago, when a cook added seaweed to soya milk, which made it curdle. This is the same process that is used for making cheese. Like cheese, tofu is a great example of how really messing up a recipe can create something unexpectedly good.
CHEESE PUFFS
Did you ever wonder who thought up cheese puffs? The company that invented them wasn’t even trying to make food for people. It was trying to make animal feed. In the 1930s, the Flakall Company of Wisconsin made animal food from small, flaked piece of grain. One day, an employee, Edward Wilson, watched workers pouring cornmeal (谷粉) into the flaking machine, wetting it to keep it from clogging (堵塞). Because the machine was very hot, the wet cornmeal came out of it in puffy ribbons that hardened when they hit the air. Wilson took some of the ribbons home, added oil and flavoring to them, and voila! Cheese puffs!
1. What’s the purpose of the text?| A．To compare the features of some foods. |
| B．To inform readers of some foods. |
| C．To recommend some foods. |
| D．To introduce the origins of some foods. |
| A．Seaweed is also used for making cheese. |
| B．Chef George Crum didn’t like to criticize others' cooking. |
| C．Hot wet cornmeal hardened when they hit the air. |
| D．Bean curd dates back to 2,000 years in China. |
| A．They are the results of complaints. |
| B．They were not created on purpose. |
| C．They weren’t originally made for people. |
| D．They are all popular throughout the world. |
3 . The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England-many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.
In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.
The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!
The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words slowly entered into the English language.
1. What can help us find out the difference between some different names of the UK?| A．British languages. | B．British history. |
| C．British location. | D．British education. |
| A．Britain. | B．Scotland. | C．Wales. | D．Ireland. |
| A．The flag. | B．The currency. |
| C．The military defence. | D．The education system. |
| A．Building towns and roads. |
| B．Changing the way of building houses. |
| C．Leaving behind many new vocabulary. |
| D．Changing the legal system. |
4 . Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is America’s fifth largest city. Once a major American colonial city, it is the home of America’s first library, its first hospital, and its first zoo. Now it is also the first US city to be named a World Heritage City. On November 6, 2015, Philadelphia joined more than 260 other cities that have been recognized for their influence on the world. These cities include Paris, France, Florence, Italy, and Cairo, Egypt.
The exciting news was announced by Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger, responsible for economic development and business guidance, and the Global Philadelphia Association. “Today marks the start of a new and exciting chapter in the history of Philadelphia,” remarked Nutter when the announcement was made. “As a World Heritage City, Philadelphia is being officially recognized on the global stage for its wealth of contributions to the world.”
To be named a World Heritage City, a city must be home to a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO World Heritage sites are selected for their universal value and significance. For Philadelphia, the site is Independence Hall.
Independence Hall is where two of the most important documents in US history — the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution — were adopted. The Declaration of Independence, approved on July 4, 1776, united the 13 former British colonies and declared them independent from British rule. From then on, a democratic and free country was born, which changed the course of world history. The US Constitution, signed in 1787, established the American democratic system of government. A democracy is a system of government in which the people elect their leaders. The Constitution later spelled out the basic freedoms American citizens have.
Greenberger says the city’s selection as a World Heritage City also reflects its educational, cultural, and economic achievements. The city is home to dozens of colleges and universities, and many museums, such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Philadelphia has rightfully earned its place as one of the greatest cities in the world. As we celebrate this milestone, we will focus even more on improving Philadelphia’s status as a World Heritage City to attract more guests to visit, invest, work, study and live here.” Greenberger says.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 1 that Philadelphia ________.| A．has the best American hospitals |
| B．contributed a lot to the global economy |
| C．is known for many America’s firsts |
| D．has been famous as a World Heritage City |
| A．the economic development of the city |
| B．the history of Philadelphia |
| C．the contributions of the city |
| D．the significance of the city’s selection |
| A．The city really deserves the honor. |
| B．It’s easy for the city to win the honor. |
| C．It won’t be long before the city takes off. |
| D．The honor will bring the city a better future. |
| A．Philadelphia Makes a Difference | B．Philadelphia Makes History |
| C．Philadelphia Develops a Lot | D．America Wins Global Respect |
5 . Back in 2019, three Chinese scientists were playfighting during a break from working in the Chongqing Province, China. One was kung-fu kicked into a rock, causing an opening in the rock face. Inside, a wonderful fossil (化石) lay undisturbed, preserved for millions of years.
The fossil was a jawed fish, some 439 million years old, and the findings from the Chongqing site, along with other fossil findings in nearby Guizhou province, have excited the science world, as they are 11 million years older than any fish fossil found before. It is a significant discovery because scientists have suspected that jaws evolved (进化) some 450 million years ago, but there had yet to be any fossils that supported this theory. The oldest fossils with jaws found were 439 million years old.
In this discovery, though, there was a new species of shark that was 439 million years old, with a full jaw.
“All these things are still like dreams,” said Zhu Min, who led the research teams that recently published four papers on the discoveries. “Today we are staring at complete early fishes, 11 million years earlier than the previous oldest finds. These are both the most exciting as well as the most challenging fossils I have had the privilege to work on.”
Some of the fish that were discovered were placoderms, an extinct class of fish that have hard plates that formed a shield around the head and trunk, while others were an ancient type of shark.
The scientists found the oldest-known teeth of any vertebrate (脊椎动物), 14 million years older than any previous findings, as well as two other shark descendants. China has been the site of numerous discoveries in recent years, including fossils of feathered dinosaurs, as well as the oldest known animals on Earth.
“The discovery of the Chongqing site is indeed an unbelievable miracle of fossil hunting,” Zhu added. “Suddenly we realized we have found a jaw-dropping fossil site. We are now close to the core of solving the fishy tree of early jawed vertebrates.”
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To witness the wonders of Kung Fu. | B．To describe the background of the text. |
| C．To introduce a new species of fish. | D．To lead in the main topic of the text. |
| A．It focuses on the most challenging fish fossils. | B．It provides evidence of the evolution of jawed fish. |
| C．It includes fossils of different species of the fish. | D．It traces the origin of the oldest animal on earth. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Passive. | C．Positive. | D．Neutral. |
| A．The Oldest Fish Fossil Was Discovered thanks to Kung Fu |
| B．Kung Fu Has Brought Major Benefits to the Science World |
| C．China Has Made Numerous Fossil Discoveries Recently |
| D．Chinese Scientists Strive to Help Finish the Fishy Tree |
6 . Scientists at the Sanxingdui Ruins in southwest China’s Sichuan Province continue to unearth over 500 relics from an ancient Chinese civilization that dates back over 3,000 years.
The findings unearthed in June include a fully preserved gold mask, which stands at 37. 2cm wide and16. 5cm tall. The new gold mask reminded people of the one found in March, which was far more damaged. Scientists said the gold mask is the largest, and most well preserved, of similar golden relics discovered at the Sanxingdui Ruins, and it is consistent with the idea that gold was important to people of the area called the Shu state.
The gold mask has similar facial features to bronze statues discovered in the area. It has large eyes covering much of the face, a big nose, huge ears and a flat, wide mouth. The strange facial features led some people to suggest they were aliens. However, Wang Wei, the director of the Institute of Archaeology at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained, “There is no chance that Sanxingdui belongs to an alien civilization. These wide-eyed masks look strange because the makers wanted to copy the look of deities (神灵). They shouldn’t be considered as the look of everyday people.”
Besides the mask, other discoveries included bronze statues, a knife made out of jade and a series of relics made of ivory, among many others. Many of the bronze relics are brand new discoveries and unique to anything found before in China. Chinese scientists said they are highly detailed, with statues showing facial features that fit well with the gold mask, which make them as valuable resources for the research of ancient Shu and give better perceptiveness about the ancient Shu state, home to a mysterious civilization until the recent discoveries proved its existence. Chinese scientists believe they are entering a “key stage” and expect to find a series of relics that will change how people think about ancient China.
1. What do we know about the gold mask from paragraph 2?| A．It was discovered in March. |
| B．It was the first to be dug at the site. |
| C．It is the most complete relic ever discovered. |
| D．It is the largest size of its kind unearthed at the site. |
| A．The significance of the gold mask. |
| B．The characteristics of the gold mask. |
| C．The findings in the Sanxingdui Ruins. |
| D．The digging process of the Sanxingdui Ruins. |
| A．Insight. | B．Civilization. |
| C．Development. | D．Introduction. |
| A．An Ancient Shu State Was Newly Discovered |
| B．Mysterious Sanxingdui Ruins Reveal More Relics |
| C．Sichuan Province Is the Birthplace of a New Civilization |
| D．New Sanxingdui Ruins Catch the Attention of Chinese scientists |
7 . When we visit museums, we see cultural artifacts—from everyday household items to precious carvings and statues, which give us a glimpse into the diverse cultures and communities from around the world.
However, controversy surrounds these artifacts and whether or not countries should return these pieces of culture if they were stolen or forcefully taken during colonization (殖民).
On Wednesday, October 7, 2020, the Dutch advisory committee officially released a national report agreeing to the return of cultural artifacts that were stolen from its previous colonies such as Indonesia, Suriname, and islands on the Caribbean. Through these actions, the Dutch government acknowledged the unfair treatment the colonies had previously experienced and demonstrated respect for the culture of these countries.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, European countries such as Britain, France, and the Netherlands had colonized many African and Asian countries. During their rule, they either seized artifacts or took them as spoils of wars, and brought them to their own countries where they are now on display in museums.
Over the years, European museums have received requests for the return of artifacts. The debate regarding this issue took a turn in 2018 when a French report was released that directed that all heritage objects brought to French museums be restored. With the official release of this report, museums all across Europe began reconsidering their previous policies on colonial treasures.
Those who propose returning these objects to their original homes argue that with technology enabling virtual museum tours, returning these artifacts to their homeland does not take away the opportunity to learn about them. Furthermore, the country of origin will receive a significant part of their heritage back, and these artifacts will be given a chance to be truly appreciated in proper historical context.
Those against the restoration claim that culture is shared treasure and the artifacts are in fact “cultural ambassadors” that promote tolerance and understanding. They believe that while stealing them was wrong, history is full of “good” and “bad” actors. Moreover, they feel that keeping the cultural objects in the current museums has kept millions of artifacts safe from disfiguration and damage.
1. What did the Dutch government admit?| A．The colonies were treated unfairly. | B．The colonies had stolen cultural artifacts. |
| C．The colonies had experienced cultural boom. | D．The colonies had been respected for their culture. |
| A．Egypt. | B．France. | C．Britain. | D．The Netherlands. |
| A．These artifacts reflect a culture of shared treasure. |
| B．These artifacts prove that the history is difficult to explain. |
| C．These artifacts will be enjoyed in their historical background. |
| D．These artifacts help people distinguish good history from bad history. |
| A．Are Virtual Museum Tours Meaningful? | B．Do People Appreciate Stolen Treasures? |
| C．Will Stolen Treasures Belong to Colonies? | D．Should Museums Return Stolen Treasures? |
8 . English family names or surnames as we know today weren’t widely used until the Norman conquest (征服)of 1066. Before that time there weren’t enough people to make it necessary to use anything other than a single name.
Occupational(职业性的)Surnames.
Descriptive Surnames. Based on a unique quality or physical characteristic of the individual, descriptive surnames often developed from nicknames. Most refer to an individual’s appearance, like size, color or physical shape, for example, Little or Armstrong.
Geographical Surnames. These are names coming from the location of the land in which the first bearer and his family lived, and are generally the most common origin of English surnames. They were first introduced into England by the Normans, many of whom were known by the name of their personal lands.
Other local surnames are from descriptive landscape features such as hills and woods which describe the land where the bearer lives.
| A．As the country’s population grew, |
| B．As a person entered under one surname, |
| C．A rare name can tell you the family’s origin. |
| D．This is the origin of surnames such as Hill and Bush. |
| E．They may also refer to an individual’s personal character. |
| F．Many English surnames developed from a person’s job or trade. |
| G．Thus, many English surnames developed from the name of an actual town or county. |
9 . Over the course of more than 250 years, the US Postal Service has gone through many changes, including switching its focus from newspapers to package delivery service.
In the early 1830s, the Postal Service focused on delivering newspapers to keep Americans informed and connected. To keep newspaper subscriptions cheap and accessible, the Postal Service charged high prices for letter postage as much as a full-day’s wages. In order to help the expansion of the passenger transportation network in the new nation, the agency often shared the letter delivery with stagecoach lines. Later, it did the same for private steamboats and railroads, even airlines
But the competition for the letter delivery became so fierce that a wave of laws between 1845 and 1851 made the Postal Service the only letter-carrier and set aside an annual budget to support the agency. Helped by lowered rates, letters soon became the agency’s main business.
In 1863, the Postal Service began to experiment with home delivery, instead of just carrying letters from post office to post office. By the dawn of the 20th century, even remote farmers’ letters were dropped into their mailboxes. Since then, home delivery has become a “universal public service (UPS)” that every American deserves to receive at a low price.
By the early 20th century, the Postal Service had set a four-pound limit on mail: Anything heavier was supposed to be left to private companies. But the four largest private carriers secretly cooperated to charge confusing and often terribly high rates. In 1913, the Postal Service eventually took the parcel (包裹) service away from the private carriers.
Now the Postal Service’s only growing business is package delivery fed by the online shopping addictions. Since it is required by law to visit every household six days a week, the Postal Service now offers cheap rates to private companies like Amazon and FedEx to deliver their goods to our doorsteps. However, most Americans think that it is unfair to use taxpayer’s money to help such big private companies to deliver their goods.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．Letter delivery was once a very profitable business. |
| B．The US was well connected by airlines in the 1820s. |
| C．The Postal Service charged high prices for newspapers. |
| D．In the 1830s. Americans had free access to newspapers. |
| A．Goods transportation. | B．Letter delivery. |
| C．Newspaper subscriptions. | D．Parcel services. |
| A．The private companies often charge terribly high rates. |
| B．The online-shoppers cannot receive their parcels on time. |
| C．The Postal Service usually leaves parcels in the local post offices. |
| D．The “UPS” is originally designed for non-commercial home delivery. |
| A．The Problems of the US Postal Service |
| B．The Postal Service’s Roles in the US History |
| C．A Brief History of the US Postal Service |
| D．The Main Functions of the US Postal Service |
10 . Scientists have solved a puzzle about modern humans, after research showed that a famous skull of a human ancestor found in South Africa is a million years older than experts thought. This discovery has changed what we know of human history.
The skull, which scientists have named “Mrs Ples”, is from an ape-like human relative from a species called Australopithecus africanus (南方古猿). It was found near Johannesburg in 1947 and, based on evidence from its surroundings, was thought to be between 2. 1 and 2. 6 million years old. This puzzled scientists, because although Mrs Ples looks like a possible early ancestor of early humans, the first true humans had already evolved by the time she apparently lived. For this reason, scientists had decided that Australopithecus afarensis, a similar species from East Africa that lived about 3.5 million years ago, was our most likely ancestor instead.
To get a more accurate age for Mrs Ples, a team led by Professor Darryl Granger of Purdue University in Indiana, US, used a new method to date the sandy rocks where the skull lay. They measured the amount of certain chemicals in rocks, which form at a steady rate when they are exposed to cosmic rays (宇宙射线) on Earth’s surface. Once rocks are buried, these chemicals stop forming and slowly disappear;the surviving amount reveals how much time has passed since the rock (or bones) were on the surface.
The new study shows that Mrs Ples and other australopithecine bones nearby are between 3.4 and 3.7 million years old. This means they lived at the same time as their East African relatives, so that either group could have given rise to modern humans. However, team member Dr Laurent Bruxelles pointed out that over millions of years, at only 2,500 miles away, these groups had plenty of time to travel and to breed with each other. In other words, the groups could quite easily have met, had children together and both been part of the history of modern humans.
1. What can we learn about Mrs Ples from the first two paragraphs?| A．It is a skull found in East Africa. |
| B．It is the most possible ancestor of humans. |
| C．It is a million years older than scientists expected. |
| D．It is proved to live between 2.1 and 2.6 million years ago. |
| A．By studying the effect of cosmic rays. |
| B．By calculating the forming rate of chemicals. |
| C．By locating the sandy rocks where the skull lay. |
| D．By measuring the surviving amount of chemicals. |
| A．Modern humans came into being in East Africa. |
| B．Mrs Ples travelled and had children with East African relatives. |
| C．The history of modern humans might begin 3.5 million years ago. |
| D．Ape-like species from Africa could have interacted with each other. |
| A．Historical Puzzle Unsolved | B．Ancestor Mystery Solved |
| C．Mrs Ples: The Earliest Human Being | D．Mrs Ples: A Famous Skull |
