1 . Along Route 1, in Thomas-tomatines a store filled with handicrafts—birdhouses and dollhouses, salad bowls and sailing ships — all made in Maine state prisons. Ted and Barbara Waylayer have been shopping here for decades. “We found the quality to be excellent,” said Ted.

Prisoners have been making things in Maine since the 1800s. Charlie Jones came here when he was 20, sentenced to 75 years in a state where there is no parole(假释). In the workshops, he discovered he had a talent for carving. One of Jones’ earlier projects was a golden eagle, which he learned to carve from a book.

“It’s amazing to see the amount of talent that the residents have here,”said Randall Liberty, commissioner(局长)of Maine’s Department of Corrections.“We have more than 100 residents working here daily. They do about US $1.6 million worth of work. “One of Maine’s programs allows residents to earn a college degree. The money for it was donated by Doris Buffet, who lived in Dockland, Maine. “She gave us an initial US $2 million donation,” said Liberty.   “And that’s the best money I’ve ever seen invested in anyone.”

Charlie Jones is one of the graduates. “The college program is incredible,” Jones laughed. “When we used to walk to dinner, we could hear people talking about their former crimes. But now when going to dinner, you’ll hear somebody talking about their philosophy class or their history class.”

Liberty said, “The individuals that graduate have about a 5% recidivism(再犯) rate, as opposed to a 60-65% nationally. That means 95% of the people who go through this program don’t go back.”

When Doris Buffet died in 2020, Charlie Jones made a table, with legs made of books, to honor her. It’s also carved with the names of courses open to prison residents, and the professors who teach them. On the table was a book telling Daris Buffet’s story, and a thank you note.

1. What does paragraph 2 tell us about Charlie Jones?

A．He has a gift for carving.	B．He has earned a master degree.
C．He is only expert in carving eagles.	D．He has been in prison for about 20 years.

2. Why did Charlie Jones say those words in paragraph 4?

A．To show how the prisoners tried to reform.

B．To reveal what led those like Charlie Jones to prison.

C．To list some courses included in the college program.

D．To highlight the positive effect of the college program.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 5?

A．Prisoners in Maine create little value.

B．Few prisoners in Maine are hardworking.

C．The handicrafts made in Maine state prisons are of high quality.

D．Prisoners graduating from college have a lower recidivism rate.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．How Doris Buffet died in 2020.

B．What the table made by Charlie Jones is like.

C．Charlie Jones’ sorrow over the death of Doris Buffet.

D．Why there was a book telling Doris Buffet’s story on the table.

2 . A Swedish company training crows to pick up litter in exchange for food, claims that its program could save communities a fortune in cleaning costs.

Teaching humans not to throw cigarette butts on the street has so far proven impossible, but a Swedish company claims it can teach crows to pick up after us and save local communities millions of dollars in cleaning fees every year. It teaches wild crows to do our dirty work through a step-by-step learning process by rewarding the birds with food for every cigarette butt they collect.

“They are easier to teach and there is also a higher chance of them learning from each other. At the same time, there’s a lower risk of them mistakenly eating any rubbish,” company founder, Hanssen, said. “They’re wild birds taking part in on a voluntary basis.”

Crows are among the smartest birds on Earth, and such training programs have proven successful several times in recent years. In fact, the company is so confident it can pull it off that it has expressed interest in testing it in on a larger scale, in the town of Södertälje.

Hanssen believes that the initiative could save the municipality(自治市)at least 75% of the costs involved with picking up cigarette butts, depending on how hard the crows work. If it proves successful, the company hopes that it will provide a permanent cleaning solution that can be used in other parts of the country and eventually nationwide.

The approach to litter cleaning has gotten positive feedback online, but there are those who think the fact that we can train crows to pick up cigarette bults, but we can’t get humans not to throw them away is hard to accept. Plus, there are the health problems of constantly exposing the birds to the cigarette butts.

1. What is the advantage of the program?

A．It can save food.	B．It can save money.
C．It helps protect birds.	D．It helps change people’s bad behavior.

2. Why are crows chosen for the program?

A．They have a strong ability to learn.	B．They have a strong sense of smell.
C．They are good at collecting rubbish.	D．They are in large numbers in Sweden.

3. What can we know from the last two paragraphs?

A．Only a few people support the program.

B．The program can do harm to the crows.

C．The company can get a fortune from the program.

D．The program has served as a cleaning solution nationwide.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Crows Learn to Exchange Food	B．Crows Are Good at Collecting Litter
C．Crows Are Trained to Pick Up Litter	D．Crows Begin to Feed on Cigarette Butts

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

Can shopping relieve stress?

According to a study     1    (do) by University of Michigan researchers, shopping to relieve stress was up to 40 times more effective at giving people a sense of control and shoppers were three times less sad compared to those    2    only browsed for items.

More than half of the 1,000     3     (consumer) said they had impulsively (冲动地) shopped to deal with feelings of stress,     4    (anxious) or depression. Twenty-three percent of respondents (受访者) said they had maxed     5     a credit card in the past year.

In fact, shopping to reduce stress can actually help you live a     6     (healthy) life by making sure that your blood pressure is lowered.

Shopping to relieve stress     7    (know) as “retail therapy”. The survey found that 82 percent had positive feelings about     8     (they) purchases and the positive mood that followed those purchases was long-lasting.

However, the side effect of “retail therapy”, for many, can start out as a relatively harmless mood booster but could     9    (possible) grow into a compulsion (强迫心理) that spends all income, causing conflict. As     10     result, it adds a significant amount of stress to a person’s life.

4 . The rise of the robots has raised the possibility of a future where there is simply less wok for humans to do. To tired office workers, a world where we all have a bit more leisure time sounds rather nice. Yet what really matters is how work will be distributed across the workforce.

The recent past shows there is no reason to believe it will be evenly (均衡地) spread. The length of the average working week in the UK has declined steadily from about 59 hours in the mid-19th century to 32 hours in 2009. But averages hide a lot.

While trends among women have been stable, there have been big shifts among men. Males in well-paid full-time employment are now working slightly longer hours on average than two decades ago. Meanwhile, men in full-time employment at the bottom of the wage ladder are working much less.

On top of that, the number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased sharply. Twenty years ago, one in 20 men with low hourly wages worked part-time; today it is one in five. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows this phenomenon is only happening among the low-paid. In better-paying jobs, part-time men are still fairly rare. Gender roles within families might tend to be similar too. Low-paid men may be choosing to shoulder more childcare responsibilities so their partners can return to work.

Yet it is clear that the distribution of work will matter to people. Britain has both overemployment and underemployment problems: official data show 3.4m people in Britain want to work more hours while 3.2m want to work few hours for less pay. The underemployed are likely to be waiters or cleaners. The overemployed are most likely to be doctors or chief executives. This indicates an economy where demand and supply of skills are out of sync.

Nobody knows for sure how the next wave of automation will shake up demand for different skills. Perhaps doctors will gain the free time they desire. Others might find themselves in greater demand. But short of us developing a much better system for training people quickly for the jobs economy needs, it seems likely that in the future—as now—there will be too much work for some, and too little for others.

1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?

A．The development of robots will get rid of humans’ work.

B．Future leisure time will be allocated evenly across the workforce.

C．UK has taken some measures to stop the decline of working hours.

D．The averages may not be the accurate indicators of the steady decline of working hours.

2. What can we learn from the analysis by Institute for Fiscal Studies?

A．Low-paid men are to blame for the low employment.

B．More well-paid men are choosing to work part-time.

C．Part-time men have increased only among the low-paid.

D．Part-time men rarely shoulder childcare responsibilities.

3. What do the underlined words “out of sync” mean in paragraph 5?

A．Important.

B．Imbalanced.

C．Undoubted.

D．Harmful.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The total amount of human labor will be decreased.

B．Better training systems will be built across the world.

C．Robots contribute to uneven distribution across the workforce.

D．The number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased.

5 . George Turner, 48, owner of Penuel Bicycles in Inglewood, California, talks with respect about his childhood BMX dirt bike. “I was mad keen on cycling.” he says. “I did whatever it took to get on that bike, as long as I was home before dark.” Home meant housework, homework and annoying brothers. But a bike meant escapes.

In 2010, George transformed his childhood love into a livelihood, and opened his bicycle shop, Penuel Bicycles. The shop fulfilled a lifelong dream. Before that, he had worked for years delivering boxes for FedEx while selling bike accessories online.

“Bicycles kept me out of trouble,” George remembers. “They were part of my life.” He figured that was still true for kids when he opened Penuel Bicycles. George expected parents to crowd inside, eager to buy shiny new bikes for their kids. He looked forward to helping boys and girls discover the joy of riding — and stay out of trouble — just as he had.

None of that happened, however.

George found that kids these days lead a different life. Usually, they don’t want a bike for their birthday. And most of them ever don’t know how to ride a bike. Instead of getting out and riding, they prefer spending their time on their phones indoors. As kids don’t ride, it is impossible that parents crowd in his shop to buy new bikes. Nine years after opening his Penuel Bicycles, George feared that he had to close the shop.

Then in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic swept the nation. Surprisingly, the pandemic saved George’s business. During the pandemic, many American people found that cycling was a good way to exercise and also a safe way to get around. The demand for new bikes kept growing and people in George’s neighborhood pulled out their old bikes and wheeled them to Penuel Bicycles to get repaired. Now he is trying his best to meet his customers’ needs and hopes that his customers can really discover the joy of riding.

1. What did the bike mean to George in his childhood?

A．Taking up sports.	B．Getting away from daily routine.
C．A precious birthday gift.	D．A convenient vehicle.

2. What is George’s lifelong dream?

A．Making a big fortune.	B．Being a member of FedEx.
C．Opening his own bicycle shop.	D．Helping people pursue riding pleasure.

3. Why was George’s bike business once in a tough situation?

A．The lifestyle of kids changed.	B．He wasn’t good at management.
C．Bikes were not as charming as before.	D．His business was affected by the pandemic.

4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．Joy of Wheel	B．Passion for Exercise
C．Improvement of Bike Business	D．Increasing Demand for New Bikes

6 . When I go to a new place, the first thing I like to do is walking around the streets to ________ the city. When I first arrived in Santiago, Chile, and took a walk around the city center, one of the first things I noticed was how many stray (无家可归的) ________ there were. The phrase “street dog” or “stray dog” is used to ________ a dog with no home, who lives on the streets.

On every comer there was a sleeping dog. At every traffic ________ there was a dog ________ to cross. By every shop there was a dog waiting for potential ________. At first I was ________ as I thought they might be ________ or unfriendly. However, I have been here for more than a year now and every stray dog I have seen has been passive (顺从的), quiet and friendly.

The dogs are ________ and welcomed here in Chile. I have never seen a street dog being mistreated. In fact, they are ________ given food and water by the public. Some people even ________ jackets for the dogs or ________ beds or kennels (狗舍) for them to sleep in.

The dogs do not have an easy life: they are often hungry, cold or injured. The government does not provide much ________ for these dogs.

Some people believe that the ________ is getting out of control and that it is ________ to have so many dogs on the streets. The dogs can sometimes cause ________ such as car accidents if they run into the road. There are around 2. 5 million stray dogs in Chile and the dog population is ________ faster than the human population. Many Chileans think that all the stray dogs should be sterilized (绝育的) so that they cannot ________. Others think that the stray dog population should be culled, that is, ________ the population by killing them.

The future of street dogs is ________ but for now it looks like they are here to stay with their population increasing year by year.

1.

A．explore

B．find

C．travel

D．sleep

2.

A．cats

B．dogs

C．birds

D．sheep

3.

A．say

B．speak

C．describe

D．write

4.

A．road

B．spot

C．system

D．light

5.

A．jumping

B．waiting

C．hesitating

D．refusing

6.

A．parents

B．food

C．toys

D．owners

7.

A．disappointed

B．shocked

C．nervous

D．angry

8.

A．aggressive

B．thirsty

C．hungry

D．sensitive

9.

A．controlled

B．accepted

C．caught

D．received

10.

A．often

B．never

C．merely

D．barely

11.

A．put into

B．put out

C．put off

D．put forward

12.

A．check

B．sell

C．change

D．make

13.

A．love

B．money

C．care

D．time

14.

A．policy

B．position

C．behavior

D．situation

15.

A．unacceptable

B．reasonable

C．unusual

D．interesting

16.

A．diseases

B．fears

C．problems

D．questions

17.

A．aging

B．raising

C．growing

D．declining

18.

A．bite

B．breed

C．bark

D．beg

19.

A．reducing

B．increasing

C．rising

D．enlarging

20.

A．bright

B．different

C．promising

D．uncertain

7 . Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn... The ways to connect with of us on social media are limitless.     1     Here’s what not to do.

People are extremely particular when it comes to sharing pictures on social media. So, don’t post pictures of people without their permission. While you may not think posting the picture is a big deal, the other person may disagree.     2     It will help you avoid upsetting your loved ones.

Just got a new job? Bought a new car? You’re pregnant? Or maybe you decided you’re moving? Don’t tweet or post your news to the world before sharing it with your loved ones. A love relationship largely depends on safety and security and access to inside information is an important part of that     3    

Social media is public.     4     It’s possible to accidentally hurt loved ones by oversharing. Every relationship is different, so talk to your loved ones before sharing anything you suspect may be borderline too much. Oversharing is one of several habits that destroy trust in relationships.

    5     If you’re upset and you have the urge to post something that may come off as mean, put down your phone, computer, or tablet and express your anger in another way. It is recommended that you use social media as a tool to spread positivity, such as birthday posts or meaningful articles.

A．Don’t view social media as only bad.

B．However, don’t let your online life negatively affect your real life.

C．You shouldn’t be sharing private information with the world.

D．In many ways, social media has made our world a better place.

E．Don’t use social media when you’re mad.

F．These signs confirm that your relationship is rock solid.

G．Just ask before you post.

8 . If you’re a parent, you’re well aware of just how many challenges virtual schooling presents. It’s incredibly stressful to get your kids to pay attention in their “classrooms”. Well, now there’s another thing you need to worry about: hackers. As more school districts rely on remote learning, they’re increasingly becoming targets for cybercriminals.

Believe it or not, your email address is actually a hacker’s primary method of attaining your families’ personal information. That’s why you need to be on the lookout for phishing emails. These emails appear to be from a legal company you’re familiar with—like your bank, credit card company, an online store, or, yes, a school—but are actually from a hacker.

However, there are a few tricks to decode if an email is fake or not. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), these emails often “tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment.” If you receive an email asking you to update your account, change your password, or make a payment, do a little digging first and contact the company directly to ensure that it is indeed legal.

There are indeed some alarming things a hacker can do when they steal your children’s information. According to FTC, “a child’s Social Security number can be used by identity thieves to apply for government benefits, open bank and credit card accounts or apply for a loan, which may go unnoticed for years—usually until they’re adults and attempt to open a credit card.” To make matters worse, a criminal doesn’t even need the child’s complete information to cook up a new identity. “Known as ‘synthetic identity theft’, the thief grabs a Social Security number and combines it with a fake name, address, phone number, and more,” explains the Identity Theft Resource Center, “That makes it a little harder for victims and law enforcement to notice the problem in the first place or take action after the fact.”

1. Why do we need to watch out for phishing emails?

A．They make our emails too crowded to operate.

B．They are from a legal organization that is familiar to you.

C．It is impossible to tell whether an email is authentic or not.

D．It may be quite easy for hackers to steal personal information.

2. Which method is effective to distinguish a phishing email from a legal one?

A．To put it into the trash with little digging.

B．To click on the link and open the attached files.

C．To update your account and change the password.

D．To check its validity with the sender of the email.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The definition of “synthetic identify theft”.

B．The approaches to protecting children’s information.

C．The consequences of children’s information being stolen.

D．The suggestions on preventing children from internet addiction.

4. What can be the best title of the passage?

A．Email hack: a disastrous threat

B．Email hack: an unavoidable issue

C．School hack: an unnoticeable but terrible threat

D．School hack: an invisible hand affecting children’s study

9 . If you have a chance to talk with a historical figure, who would you like it to be? What would you like to know about the past or share from today? China in the Classics, a new TV show based on Chinese classics started by China Central Television (CCTV) in February, is exploring such possibilities.

In the first episode, the host of the show, Sa Beining, meets ancient Confucian scholar Fu Sheng, who interpreted Shangshu — The Book of Documents. Regarded as one of the five classics of ancient Chinese Confucianism masterpieces, the book records many firsts in the country. Even the expression zhongguo (China) is used there first.

The episode ends with the host bringing Fu to today’s modern society, where the scholar is happy to find children learning the same things he had learned in his childhood. It increased the rating of the series with viewers giving it 9 out of 10 on Douban, a film and TV show reviewing website popular among young people.

The success of China in the Classics doesn’t surprise Shen Haixiong, head of the China Media Group. Shen said in an article in the journal Qiushi, “We are happy to see the program is popular among the public, but we are prouder to find that innovative interpretation of Chinese classics is arousing young people’s interest in Chinese culture.”

Therefore, TV channels have been making bold attempts in recent years to attract today’s younger generations. The Nation’s Greatest Treasures, CCTV’s cultural show in 2017, showcased China’s history and culture through antiques in the top-class museums, and fired up the audience. The treasures include the 3,300-year-old Yinxu Ruins in Henan Province and the 1,300-year-old Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region.

CCTV should make a variety of programs showcasing classics and cultural traditions to appeal to the young generation’s aesthetics, said Zhou, a professor at the School of Arts and Communication, Beijing Normal University.

1. Why is The Book of Documents mentioned in paragraph 2?

A．To introduce a historical figure.	B．To inform us of the host.
C．To show the popularity of the show.	D．To describe a new TV show.

2. What is Shen Haixiong’s attitude towards the programme on Chinese classics?

A．Surprised.

B．Confused.

C．Satisfied.

D．Neutral.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Chinese treasures.	B．Another TV programme.
C．Yinxu Ruins in Henan.	D．Young Chinese audience.

4. Which of the following could be the best title for the text?

A．CCTV Produces Some Famous TV shows	B．TV Shows on Chinese Classics Grow Popular
C．Scholars Focus Attention on Chinese Classics	D．China in the Classics Fires up the Audience

10 . How coming to China has changed my life and career

Hello, everyone. My name is Jonathan Lopez, and I am a dual(双重的) citizen from Colombia and Canada.     1    ， and how it has a potential to also change yours, if you allow it to have the opportunity to welcome you to China.

When I was 18 years old, I had the opportunity to leave Columbia for the first time to go to see my father in Canada. I studied in a university in Canada, during which I had a chance to go study abroad in universities in Netherlands and Australia, travelling to many countries.     2    ， because I got a scholarship to study at Tsinghua University as a choice for scholar.

When it came to China, I had so many ideas about what China was supposed to be about. The surprise is that it was nothing like I imagined in a more positive way than expected. When I come here,     3    . All the development and how fast things move in China really allow me to quickly realize that this is the place where I needed to continue growing in my career professionally.

    4    . After I graduated from Tsinghua university, I got a job at Bytedance Internet Company first, and currently for Tiktok. But the most important thing is that I can be able to become an ambassador, and share my story about how being in China—my another home—impacted me and change my life so much.

It's been only three years in China and it's just the beginning. There is so much more that I can continue to learn in this place, and it's just an open invitation for people that are thinking to study abroad, work abroad or do things anywhere in the world, to also consider China. Hence, this is a place to be, and this is a place where you can learn and grow a lot.     5    .

A．So I decided to stay

B．And then I was ready to come to China

C．Today I want to share why coming to China changed my life

D．And this is something that really can change your life as well

E．mobile payment was one of the things that struck me the most

F．By the time I graduated from university I had already traveled to 61 countries

G．I realize all the potential that this place has and all the things that I could learn about China