1 . The Earth is losing some of its major freshwater supplies. But the water is not in lakes or rivers. They are called “aquifers”(含水层). They formed deep underground as the Earth developed. Some aquifers are so deep that water from very heavy rains cannot reach them through all the rock and dirt.
Many aquifers provide irrigation (灌溉)water for crops. These freshwater are helping farmers in many countries. A new report says some aquifers are being emptied.
Irrigated agriculture is responsible for about 80 percent or more of freshwater use worldwide. A growing part of that comes from underground aquifers because of dry weather or farmers growing crops in areas with little rainfall.
But researchers say taking water from aquifers is creating a large problem. Scientists warn that there is not much that can be done to repair them. It is difficult to measure groundwater because it is so deep underground. It is also difficult to know how much water is there and where it is. The water from these aquifers may not be replaced for hundreds of years.
The report says seven countries use the most non - renewable groundwater for agricultural production. The seven are the United States. India, Pakistan, China, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. The United States is one of the world's major exporters of food. If China and India use up the groundwater they need to feed their populations, they would be forced to buy more food. This increased demand could cause food prices to rise.
The study shows that, while countries like Somalia are dealing with little rainfall, the world may someday face an underground drought. It's a really global issue. All countries around the world are facing this challenge. We don't have any great solutions or strategies to deal with this. So, at the very least, we need to have discussions to come up with new ways, new strategies that recognize this problem and manage how we might adjust our policies (调整 政策).
Any strategy must balance the short-term need for food for the world with the long-term survival of the Earth's aquifers.
1. Why is it difficult to recover underground water?| A．More water is drawn than it is added. |
| B．The Earth still lacks rainwater. |
| C．It is too deep for rainwater to reach. |
| D．Researchers know nothing about it. |
| A．The US will benefit from it. |
| B．More rains will reach aquifers. |
| C．Fresh water in lakes or rivers will also disappear. |
| D．Food will become more expensive. |
| A．Worried. | B．Relaxed. | C．Encouraged. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．No Ways Can Save Underground Water |
| B．The Earth’s Underground Water Is Being Emptied |
| C．Agriculture Is Destroying Underground Water |
| D．Everyone's Duty Is to Protect Underground Water |
Study aid apps
“Most of them just copy the answers from the apps, while only a few use the apps to study,” Wu Xiaoyu,
However, this isn’t to say that study aid apps are
3 . As employees’ attitudes toward work change, new forms of employment are appearing. Workers want flexibility in where, when and how they are employed. Many people,
Young people nowadays grow up in a more open-minded network society with more
After breaking up with her boyfriend, Tang Xue, 24, gave up her job six months ago to buy a
“I believe it is important to do things on impulse sometimes, as I did earlier this year. I chose to
Tang saw a farm in Jinhua, Zhejiang, advertised online, and was
“I thought that changing the course of my life might be a
To realize her dream of buying a farm, she took an online
| A．especially | B．slightly | C．definitely | D．unluckily |
| A．familiar | B．inspiring | C．responsible | D．flexible |
| A．fears | B．benefits | C．exchanges | D．failures |
| A．response | B．honour | C．information | D．account |
| A．generosity | B．freedom | C．energy | D．pressure |
| A．fail | B．refuse | C．disagree | D．decide |
| A．farm | B．platform | C．video | D．course |
| A．guard against | B．depend on | C．take control of | D．smooth out |
| A．satisfying | B．meaningless | C．challenging | D．voluntary |
| A．worried | B．scared | C．shocked | D．attracted |
| A．respecting | B．desiring | C．escaping | D．experiencing |
| A．chance | B．risk | C．contribution | D．measure |
| A．audience | B．strength | C．doubt | D．abilities |
| A．training | B．language | C．designing | D．debate |
| A．business | B．trees | C．produce | D．flowers |
4 . Instead of going on a trip or buying herself new clothes, Xiao Tong from Wuhan, Hubei province, chose to celebrate her senior high school graduation in a different way. She went to a beauty clinic to undergo plastic surgery (整容手术)on her nose.
“I want to make a good impression and start my university life with a brand new look, ” the 18-year-old told Changjiang Daily. Like Xiao Tong, many young Chinese are anxious about their looks, and subject (使经受)themselves to cosmetic surgery. A medical beauty industry white paper by Research Global said 19 percent of Chinese medical beauty consumers in 2020 were aged 18 or under.
Young people have cosmetic surgery for different reasons, and improving self-confidence is one of them. Wang Fang, 18, from Beijing, felt that her eyes were too small. In 2019, after she got in university, Wang had a minor operation done on her eyelids. “Before I had the surgery, I had a negative idea of myself. Therefore, I had low self-esteem and no confidence, ” Wang told Beijing Youth Daily. “The cosmetic surgery changed the situation. I was comfortable with that. ”
But Jiang Wenxiu of the Department of Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University in Jiangsu, advised that people should think twice before going under the knife. “Medical beauty apps only show how great plastic surgery can be, ” Jiang told China Daily. “They leave out all the negative stuff. ”
Today beauty clinics that see students as profitable plastic surgery customers are well aware that these young people are mostly short of money, so they use summer discounts, installment (分期付款) plans and other ways to attract their attention.Xiao Zhen, 17, from Chengdu, Sichuan province, is one of the victims.She took out a loan (贷款) of about 20, 000 yuan to get cosmetic surgery. But the large sum of money became a big burden. She had to drop out of school and go to work to pay off the loan. Besides the financial burden, potential health risks of plastic surgery also need to be considered. “If you have big problems with your look, you should wait until you are a full adult, then decide if you want to do something about it, ” Jiang said. “Then, with a stable mind, you can consider inner and outer beauty, and whether plastic surgery is for you. ”
1. Why is Xiao Tong’s experience mentioned in the beginning?| A．To introduce a different graduation celebration. |
| B．To describe how important appearances are to youths. |
| C．To give an example of students choosing plastic surgery. |
| D．To show the rising popularity of plastic surgery in China. |
| A．To feel better about herself. |
| B．To have a perfect appearance. |
| C．To avoid others’ bad comments. |
| D．To have a comfortable university life. |
| A．Most cases of plastic surgery are successful. |
| B．You need a loan to cover plastic surgery costs. |
| C．The number of students having plastic surgery is rising. |
| D．Promotions of plastic surgery do not give a full picture. |
| A．Inner beauty matters much more than outer beauty. |
| B．Risks of plastic surgery may affect your adult life. |
| C．People don’t need to be anxious about their looks. |
| D．Whether to have plastic surgery is decided when you are an adult. |
5 . For many businesses, the Internet has created benefits that go beyond their wildest dreams. It has reduced the costs of advertising and increased visibility for companies all over the world. Such freedom of access to information has a dark side, though, and many businesses are learning about the hard way.
These days, if you want to find a particular shop, just type in the name of the place you’re looking for on Google Maps to get directions instantly. You can also get information about hours of operation, the business’s telephone number, and more.
Unfortunately, some dishonest folks are using dirty tricks to manipulate（暗中控制）the system and deceive users. The problem exists because Google Maps is partly a crowdsourced undertaking, meaning anyone can enter information about a business whether it is true or false. All dishonest competitors have to do is enter a fake address, incorrect business hours, or any other lie about their competitors.
Google Maps is also littered with thousands of businesses that don’t even exist. Clicking on their links directs users to ill-intentioned sites. One particular group of businesses that have been taken over by liars almost completely are locksmiths. A large percentage of them are illegal businesses that aren’t licensed. These dishonest artists know how vulnerable you are, and they only take cash.
Using Google Maps isn’t the only way that businesses are waging war against one another on the Internet. Some shady businesses post fake negative reviews of their competitors on websites such as Yelp. It is so common that it can be difficult to tell the genuine reviews from the fake ones.
Crowdsourcing allows us to find out the good and the bad about businesses. Unfortunately, the fake reviews and the cheat make finding reliable businesses online far less convenient. For business owner, being the victims of effective cyber-attacks can actually be nails in their coffins.
1. The benefit of using the Internet for business listed in the passage is ________.| A．making it cheaper to promote one’s company |
| B．making it easier for customers to contact one’s company |
| C．making it convenient for one to communicate with clients |
| D．making it simpler for one to find top-quality employees |
| A．it provides a filter system to tell registered businesses from fake ones. |
| B．it is hard for users to manipulate information without permission |
| C．it will easily make users become virus-infected |
| D．it is difficult to find a legal locksmith on there |
| A．The businesses will start to take off. |
| B．The businesses will go out of business. |
| C．The businesses will need to advertise less often. |
| D．The businesses will need to invest more money. |
| A．The Internet has caused a lot of trouble for some businesses. |
| B．The Internet has resulted in the death of traditional businesses. |
| C．The Internet creates both benefits and problems for businesses. |
| D．The Internet has brought more positive than negative results for business. |
6 . Toilet paper as we know it today is a relatively modern invention that's only been around for about 150 years. It s natural to wonder what was used before modern toilet paper. Toilet paper in its ancient form dates back to China in at least the 6th century. Although paper itself appeared long before that time.
In ancient times, many kinds of materials(材料) were used instead of toilet paper. For example, sand was used by people who settled near the desert(沙漠); grass was used by people living in the grassland. Some other things known to have been used included: fur, leaves, rocks, snow, and so on. Of course, it wasn’t uncommon for people to go to the bathroom in a small river.
They might have used a cloth or their hands to clean themselves afterward. For many people, that might have been preferable to the method used by ancient Romans: a sponge(海绵)on a stick kept in saltwater...and shared by everyone using public bathrooms.
Luckily for us, Joseph Gayetty created the first toilet paper in 1857. His “Gayetty's Medicated Paper” didn’t become popular soon, however, since the public was used to using materials they got for free rather than spending money on toilet paper. The rolled toilet paper we’re familiar with today appeared in the 1880s. It wasn’t necessarily soft like we’re now used to, though. Paper production methods would often leave splinters(刺)in toilet paper. It wasn’t until 1935 that Northern Tissue said they had made “splinter- free” toilet paper.
Other improvements in toilet paper happened over the course of the 20th Century. Larger rolls with softer paper became more popular. Today, take a trip to your local supermarket and you will find many different kinds of toilet paper. For such a widely-used, necessary invention, it isn’t given much thought...until it runs out!
1. What might decide which material ancient people used after using the bathroom?| A．What they did. | B．Where they lived. |
| C．How old they were. | D．How long they used the bathroom. |
| A．Because the paper had splinters. |
| B．Because the paper couldn’t be shared. |
| C．Because people didn't want to pay for it. |
| D．Because people preferred rolled toilet paper. |
| A．By providing examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By telling an interesting story. | D．By following the order of time. |
| A．A great invention--toilet paper |
| B．Why was toilet paper invented? |
| C．Toilet paper vs water: which to choose. |
| D．What did people use before toilet paper? |
1. 你对此现象的看法；
2. 理由(至少两点)；
3. 表达期望。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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8 . What does it take to become famous? Talent in singing, dancing or acting? Or
Recently, an Tibetan young man named Tashi Dingzhen has gained a lot of online followers. Though his
Everyone is born
| A．completely | B．obviously | C．simply | D．easily |
| A．face | B．body | C．hair | D．figure |
| A．happily | B．far | C．successfully | D．directly |
| A．reach | B．increase | C．entrance | D．rise |
| A．contacted | B．helped | C．linked | D．called |
| A．reminded | B．asked | C．talked | D．wrote |
| A．laughed | B．delighted | C．applauded | D．criticized |
| A．Money | B．Health | C．Wealth | D．Fame |
| A．following | B．changing | C．stopping | D．adding |
| A．choice | B．point | C．chance | D．explanation |
| A．weeks | B．hours | C．days | D．years |
| A．exist | B．fade | C．keep | D．hide |
| A．unique | B．smart | C．talented | D．pretty |
| A．boring | B．challenging | C．interesting | D．shocking |
| A．discussion | B．help | C．present | D．offer |
| A．breaking | B．disappearing | C．putting | D．encouraging |
| A．possible | B．amazing | C．strange | D．disappointing |
| A．life | B．heart | C．instruction | D．idea |
| A．in addition to | B．other than | C．regardless of | D．instead of |
| A．hurt | B．inspire | C．lose | D．control |
9 . Even though one out of three American children live within a mile of their schools, almost not half of those students often bike or walk to class, scientists report. Children who live in the South, in country areas, or who have college-educated parents, are among those least likely to bike or walk to school, which is reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Sarah Martin and her workmates at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studied materials from more than 7,000 children between 9 and 15 years of age. They found that almost 35 percent of the children lived within one mile of their schools. Children between 11 and 13 years old were more likely to walk or bike than 9-year-olds. Children whose parents had a high school education were more likely to ride a bike or walk than children with college-educated parents.
“The majority of children are missing an opportunity to increase daily physical activity,” Martin said in a prepared statement. According to the CDC, nearly one in five (18.8 percent) children between 6 and 11 years old are overweight. Increased daily physical activity is one of the methods the CDC gives to help deal with the problem among children.
According to Martin, there are all kinds of reasons why children in city areas might be more likely to bike or walk to school. They pointed out the fact that if schools are in places where there are fewer safe sidewalks, the students will be less likely to ride or walk to school. The students should try to ride or walk to school as much as possible and parents are advised to pay great attention to their children’s health.
1. Sarah Martin and her workmates found that ________.| A．younger children would like to bike or walk to school |
| B．kids whose parents received less education walk more |
| C．older children are stronger than the younger ones |
| D．parents are worried about their children’s health |
| A．eating less every day |
| B．having healthy diets |
| C．living in the countryside |
| D．having enough physical activities |
① Children’s age. ② Children’s health. ③ Parents’ education.
④ The family income. ⑤ The number of safe sidewalks.
| A．①②③ | B．①③⑤ | C．②③⑤ | D．②④⑤ |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Sports. | D．Health. |
10 . “What will you do if a person you don’t know wants to give you a ride?” I asked my children. “What if he says Mom is hurt, and you have to come to the hospital with him?” I knew they pretended to listen to me, because I interrupted their TV time.
Here I also want to ask some parents, “Have you ever told your children how to protect themselves?” If you haven’t, I would like to give you four words to help you teach your children how to protect themselves.
No! If a stranger walks to the children, they should keep their distance from the stranger. If the stranger keeps walking to them in a terrible manner, they should run quickly and shout “No!” as loudly as possible.
Go! If the shout does not change the situation, they should run as quickly as possible to a safe place. It is helpful for children to know some safe places such as schools, restaurants and gas stations.
Yell! It means that the children should shout loudly. They can yell out, “Stranger!”
Call! Once they get to a safe place, they should call their parents, teachers or other persons they trust.
1. The underlined word “pretend” means in Chinese.| A．故意 | B．假装 | C．喜欢 | D．讨厌 |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．a teacher | B．a policeman | C．a mother | D．a doctor |
| A．In a travel guide. | B．In an ad. |
| C．In a storybook. | D．In a newspaper. |
