1 . While the increase in the number of unemployed Americans has been a focus of economists throughout the pandemic, another problem has been mostly overlooked: The people that do have jobs are calling out sick in record numbers.

Unlike the jobless rate, which has declined noticeably, the rate of absenteeism (旷工) has remained stubbornly high. More than 1.9 million people missed work in December, according to Labor Department data. Michael Gapen, chief US economist, says although vaccinations could start driving down absenteeism, the missed work is causing supply chain problems. “Absenteeism could lead to shortages; it could lead to higher prices and more limited output,” he says.

The problem is so acute that companies are lobbying local authorities to get their workers near the front of the line for vaccinations. “There are instances of having to shut down lines at various points in time in order to manage the absenteeism,” says Geoff Freeman, a chief executive officer.

According to the Institute for Supply Management, factory activities increased in December, with the employment returning to a level that indicates growth. However, one complaint is that suppliers are still struggling with their own employee shortages, which is causing supply problems. “The quantity of infections and the quantity of people who are sick or having to self-quarantine (自我隔离) are just so overwhelming that everybody has to be affected by it,” Timothy Fiore, said on a Jan. 5 call with reporters.

For office workers, 90% of professionals said before the pandemic they'd sometimes go to work sick. COVID-19, however, contributes to the fact that more employees are staying home to protect themselves and others.

“We know when the absenteeism will end, and that's when we get the vaccine in people's arms,” says a manager. But a lack of federal leadership means “this is the Wild West right now, and we see the results of that.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about absenteeism?

A．Its root causes.	B．Its major consequences.
C．Its future development.	D．Its economic values.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “lobbying” in paragraph 3?

A．Persuading.	B．Cheating.
C．Informing.	D．Predicting.

3. What can we say about America’s absent workers?

A．They complain about their working conditions.

B．They call out sick because of their mental pressure.

C．They struggle with the supply shortages.

D．They are largely impacted by the pandemic.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．There are more jobless workers than the absent ones.

B．Supply chain problems are causing absenteeism.

C．All people aren’t satisfied with the federal government.

D．Workers won’t return to work even if they are vaccinated.

2 . Recently, Facebook has changed its corporate name to Meta. The company said it would better include what it does, as it broadens its reach beyond social media into areas like virtual reality (VR). The CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the existing brand could not possibly represent everything that they’re doing today, let alone in the future. He also revealed the company’s plans to build a “metaverse (元宇宙)” — an online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment.

The term “metaverse” was invented by author Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash, a science fiction published in 1992. In the work, the metaverse is a sort of 3D virtual world. It’s not simply a virtual reality game but is a persistent and shared virtual world. Or rather, the metaverse is a whole universe of shared virtual spaces seemingly linked together — you could, essentially, teleport (瞬移) between them.

Metaverse combined at the very least five technologies — they are social media, online game, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and cryptocurrency (加密货币). Those technologies will bring users to an interactive world. AR and VR are vital for Metaverse. VR serves to present the virtual world visually and then AR will provide the audio and sensors for people to be able to interact. With Metaverse, Facebook will offer not only a texting service but also a multi-perspective virtual touch that feels like a real thing.

Facebook said that it plans to create 10,000 jobs in Europe over the next five years to work on metaverse-related endeavours (活动). The company also has introduced Oculus-branded virtual-reality headsets, and it joined with Ray-Ban to develop smart sunglasses that went on sale for $299. “Over time, I hope that we are seen as a metaverse company and I want to anchor our work and our identity on what we’re building towards,” Mark Zuckerberg said. “I view this work as critical to our mission because delivering a sense of presence — like you’re right there with another person — that’s the highest goal of online social experiences,” he said.

1. Why has Facebook changed its corporate name?

A．To lead the gaming industry.

B．To cover its extended business.

C．To improve its corporate image.

D．To attract investment for its new plans.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The introduction to the VR game.

B．The future with 3D virtual world.

C．The origin of the word “metaverse”.

D．The importance of the novel Snow Crash.

3. What do we know about Metaverse?

A．It has a wide range of applications.

B．It offers people deeply interactive experiences.

C．It enables people to enjoy a free texting service.

D．It uses the five technologies to explore the universe.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．There will be fierce competition in the metaverse market.

B．Facebook will focus on designing virtual devices.

C．Metaverse will be the center of online experience studies.

D．Facebook will be devoted to developing the metaverse.

3 . NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Last year, the National Park Service (NPS) marked its 100th anniversary with a year-long celebration.

    1    . It recognized the preservation and protection of the 417 park service units. Now that those festivities have wrapped up, it’s time to look toward what the next 100 years might look like for the nation’s parks. Here’s a look at some of the major issues facing the nation s parks now and over the next century.

    2    . For example, at Shenandoah National Park, park officials note that rising temperatures in streams have already impacted native fish. They are also concerned that climate change will lead to more droughts, floods and wildfires. At Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California, park officials are predicting heat waves, coastal flooding and habitat destruction in response to climate change.

Visitors behave badly. Today, visitors still aim to make their mark on the natural and cultural resources.

    3    . But the NPS now has its own branch of law enforcement (执法) officials who are tasked with protecting those resources for and often from park visitors.

There is maintenance backlog (积压).    4    . But the donations may drop sharply and raise the possibility of handing the parks over to private corporations. With budget shortfalls and maintenance at all-time highs, it’s likely that these sorts of partnerships will only become more likely in the future.

Despite some major concerns, the future of the NPS looks promising. With a renewed level of interest, and the help of some corporate donations, the parks will be protected for the next century.    5    .

A．Climate change will affect all parks

B．Yellowstone National Park deserves a visit

C．The NPS took a look back at the last century

D．The maintenance burden will be removed soon

E．And they may look different in the next 100 years

F．Those are protected by the National Park Service as they did years ago

G．At the moment, donations from private corporations are limited to signs and certain exhibits

4 . Many cities in the United States could grow their own food locally, raising enough crops and cattle to meet the needs of all residents. This is the finding of an interesting new modeling study from Tufts University, which analyzed the potential for local food production in 378 areas across the US and expected food production.

The researchers found that cities in the Northwest in the United States had the greatest potential to raise their own food. Cities along the Eastern seaside and in the Southwest had the least potential and would not be able to meet all their own needs of diet, even if every acre of agricultural land was used for food production. This makes sense, as many of the cities are coastal and lack room for agricultural spreading.

The study revealed that the United States have a surplus (多余的) of agricultural land for feeding the domestic (国内的) population. Currently, some land is used to raise export crops, but a focus on local food production would start a conversation about how that land gets used. In the words of Peters, lead author and associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, “It would be important to make sure policies for supporting local or regional food production benefit conservation and create opportunities for farmers to adopt more sustainable (可持续的) practices. Policies should also recognize the ability of the natural resources in a given local or region and consider the supply chain, including ability for food processing and storage.”

Although it’s a far cry from the current reality, it is a nice thought to imagine cities surrounded by food production operations that transport freshly harvested food to nearby homes, and then make use of the leftover food to fertilize fields and generate heat for greenhouses.

1. The cities along the Eastern seaside fail to provide enough food because ________.

A．citizens are unwilling to grow crops	B．the methods of food production are wrong
C．they don’t have enough land to grow crops	D．their climate limits the agricultural production

2. What will the focus on local food production lead to?

A．More job opportunities for citizens.	B．More specific policies about using land.
C．Conversations with the local government.	D．A discussion on how to make use of land.

3. In which section can we read this text in a newspaper?

A．Agriculture.

B．Entertainment.

C．Lifestyle.

D．Sport.

4. What is the best title of this text?

A．The US Government Stops Wasting Food

B．Many Cities in the US Can Grow Their Own Food

C．Cities Learn to Grow Food From the Villages

D．Farmers Have More Chances to Be Employed

5 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的单词（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式（不超过3个单词）。

Table tennis first     1     (appear) during Victorian England. Table tennis didn’t become a competitive sport until 1988. Now table tennis not only is a matter of competition, but also provides an opportunity for people to play together no matter what their ages are. There is a day for people     2     love table tennis to spread their love for the sport. It     3     (call) World Table Tennis Day.

The International Table Tennis Federation has taken table tennis to a     4     (complete) new level. ITTF tries to make table tennis popular around the world.     5     (achieve) this goal, in 2015 ITTTF created World Table Tennis Day to get people interested     6     table tennis. Since then it has been celebrating the day so that more people can learn about     7     sport.

World Table Tennis Day is celebrated by     8     (organize) activities in the streets, clubs, bars, schools, workplaces etc. People can register for all these     9     (event) on the Internet to join in the worldwide celebration. If you’re looking for other ways to celebrate World Table Tennis Day, you can choose to watch     10     (excite) table tennis games on TV on the day and tell your friends what day it is.

6 . When it comes to elite universities like Cambridge and Harvard, students often worry that they are not clever enough to get in. But the truth may not be as simple as that.

According to The Guardian, most applicants to top schools have equally perfect test scores.     1    . Voice of America (VOA) recently interviewed Julie Soper, an admissions officer for American University in Washington. Soper said she and her colleagues place a lot of weight on the way applicants present themselves in their personal statement essays." Personal charm may carry more weight than a straight A academic record.    2     ,” she said.

    3    , Elite Reference recently interviewed a former admissions officer from Harvard and found that the school probably won't consider violin skills an advantage since they already have too many violin players. But if an applicant has mastered an instrument that only a few people can play, he or she might be able to gain an upper hand.

When James Keeler, the admissions tutor at Selwyn College, UK, went through a pile of essays for medical school candidates, one of them caught his eyes. “He's been volunteering with St John Ambulance, and also training to be a special policeman.    4    . He's clearly doing something worthwhile. He's currently volunteering at a care home. That's a tick for me," Keeler told The Guardian.

"Unfortunately, most essays fail to highlight what's unique about each applicant. Students are often obsessed with maintaining a faultless image of themselves and are afraid to show who they really are. They write an essay, and then it gets passed through the English teacher and the parents and the aunt and uncle and the guidance counselor.     5    ,” said Keeler.

A．We are eager to meet straight A students

B．By the time it gets to us, it's just so wonderful that it's hard to really get a sense of that person

C．We want them to be as individual as possible

D．In terms of extracurricular activities, universities are also looking for "distinguishing excellence"

E．Students get rejected largely because they "failed to shine" as a person

F．No single student will be admitted unless they are academically top "A"

G．That's something I've never seen before

7 . Haley Curfman, 25, of Blackwell, Oklahoma, is a teacher at Blackwell Public School and last year she bought a plain(朴素的) white dress, which she set up a station in her classroom for her students to decorate, encouraging them to go and draw on the dress whenever they had free time. Haley set up a station at a table with the dress and some colored markers so that her students could draw on it, having first seen the idea on Pinterest.

After the kids had finished the design, she then surprised them all by wearing the dress to class, sharing pictures of herself in it on Facebook in a post that has since been shared over 200, 000 times.

For teachers looking to do something similar for their own students, Haley said that she bought the dress off Amazon for less than $ 20 about six months ago and pre-washed the dress before she started the project. She used markers from Walmart. But she said these things can be bought in other places. She said, “To do the project, I set up a station at a table with the dress and markers. It takes anywhere from two weeks to a month to complete as we just work on it here and there when time allows. You'd better give the students enough time so they don't have to hurry.”

“Teachers have been sharing their dresses, T-shirts, etc. with me that they've been creating since the 1950s with the same idea. It is amazing, and I love the fact that you are sharing them with me! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support,” she wrote on Facebook.

Asked why she came up with the idea, Haley told Scary Mommy. “We don't have art in our school, so, I always try to do little creative projects when possible.”

1. What did Haley use the plain white dress to do?

A．To teach her students painting.

B．To prepare for her presentation.

C．To ask her students to draw on it.

D．To help her students with their homework.

2. What do we know about the finished dress?

A．It took Haley by surprise.	B．It is kept by Haley at home.
C．It is the product of a new idea.	D．It has enjoyed popularity online.

3. What should a teacher do if he or she wants to follow Haley's example?

A．Buy the same dress online.	B．Give the kids enough time.
C．Buy the same markers in Walmart.	D．Leave the finished work untouched.

4. Why did Haley carry out the project?

A．To teach art to her students.	B．To show her idea on Pinterest.
C．To share it with other teachers.	D．To excite her students' creativity.

8 . Studies have shown kids from low income families are generally less ready to start school. They score lower on vocabulary tests and have ________ trouble concentrating in class. What's more, being hungry, unsafe, or ________ can bring stress to the children.

New research published in the journal Pediatric Research in April ________ there may be one simple character that can help kids learn and ________ in school, regardless of their background.

Researchers who looked at the reading and math ________ of 6,200 kindergarteners in 2006 and 2007 found that those kids who were curious did the ________ in school, regardless of social and economic status.

The high-performing kids from all ________ of life liked trying new things, and were ________ as more imaginative in both work and play. The more ________ they were, the better the kids' reading and math results were.

The findings suggest that ________ characters like paying attention and controlling emotions may be important, being curious might matter more when it ________ learning new things.

As early the childhood pioneer Jean Piaget once ________ out, kids are not “empty vessels to be filled with knowledge”. Instead, they're “little scientists who ________ their own theories of the world”.

Developing a ________ of curiosity, trying new things, and asking new questions of the world are not the ________ ways that little ones cross the gap. For years, studies have shown that early childhood learning and preschool programs like the Head Start program can ________ better educational outcomes for a lifetime. Kids who ________ Head Start are more ________ to go to college, and get more ________, eventually make a big ________ to the whole family, and even to the world.

1.

A．more

B．less

C．worse

D．better

2.

A．praised

B．neglected

C．changed

D．found

3.

A．allows

B．examines

C．suggests

D．respects

4.

A．quit

B．translate

C．rise

D．succeed

5.

A．scores

B．recognition

C．development

D．power

6.

A．most

B．worst

C．silliest

D．best

7.

A．standards

B．walks

C．friends

D．promises

8.

A．served

B．shocked

C．regarded

D．replied

9.

A．emotional

B．curious

C．effective

D．important

10.

A．while

B．otherwise

C．because

D．if

11.

A．dives into

B．comes to

C．separates from

D．contributes to

12.

A．stands

B．sets

C．knocks

D．pointed

13.

A．forget

B．construct

C．cook

D．copy

14.

A．kind

B．cart

C．sense

D．way

15.

A．same

B．sensitive

C．perfect

D．only

16.

A．result in

B．focus on

C．build up

D．give up

17.

A．deliver

B．attend

C．sell

D．solve

18.

A．impossible

B．ugly

C．likely

D．lively

19.

A．money

B．achievements

C．movements

D．suggestions

20.

A．progress

B．accident

C．whisper

D．difference

9 . There is a lot of “fake(假的) news” on the Internet. A new study shows that many young people in the United States have a hard time telling “real” from “fake” news. Fake news is exactly what it sounds like. It’s an article that may look just like any other news article, except that it’s not true, Unfortunately, many people can’t tell the differences

Young people, especially are likely to be fooled by fake news, according to a study done by the Stanford History Education Group (SHEG). The study asked 7.804 students in the United States to judge articles on Facebook. Twitter, blogs, and readers’ comments on websites. They tested students in three age levels: middle school, high school and university.

According to Stanford University’s website, “Students in middle school were asked to explain why they might not believe an article about money that was written by a bank manager. The researchers found that many students did not think of who writes the article as the key reason for being suspicious about the article. And they didn’t have much interest in the writers.”

Other students were asked to look at articles on a website, and try to make it clear whether the articles were news stories or advertisements. Even when the words “sponsored(赞助的) content” were on the article, some students said they believed it was a “real” news article.

The study also found that university students decided whether to believe a website on the basis of is look. They would think the website was good and they were more likely to believe the articles on it if it looked attractive, especially the ones with beautiful pictures.

The study was led by Stanford Professor Sam Wineburg. On the Stanford website he said, “My Team will use the research to help teachers beer teach students about how to recognize fake news” So you can spare some time from your busy teaching to go through my next article about his following research.

1. What does the underlined word “suspicious” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Curious.	B．Excited.
C．Doubtful.	D．Angry.

2. What did the researchers learn from the study?

A．Some people liked to fool students with fake news.

B．The writers’ names could affect students’ judgment about news.

C．Students could tell the difference between news and advertisements.

D．Students would prefer to trust the articles from the nice-looking websites.

3. Who is probably the article written for?

A．Workers.	B．Teachers.
C．Doctors.	D．Researchers.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Real or Fake News?	B．A Study on the Internet
C．Who is Easy to be Fooled?	D．The Trouble of Young People

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When did the accident happen according to the man?

A．At 7:20 am today.

B．At 7:20 pm today.

C．At 7:20 am yesterday.

2. What was the girl probably doing when the accident happened?

A．She was driving a car.

B．She was listening to music.

C．She was making a call.

3. Who is probably the woman?

A．A police woman.

B．A driver.

C．A doctor.

4. What does the man have to do?

A．Sign his name.

B．Copy his ID card.

C．Record their conversation.