1 . Scientists say the plant enset, an Ethiopian staple (主食), could be a new superfood and a lifesaver in the face of climate change. The banana-like crop has the potential to feed more than 100 million people in a warming world, according to a new study.

Enset or “false banana”, almost unknown outside of Ethiopia, is a close relative of the banana, but is consumed only in one part of this country. The banana-like fruit of the plant is inedible, but the starchy stems (茎) and roots can be used to make porridge and bread. Research suggests the crop can be grown over a much larger range in Africa. “This is a crop that can play a really important role in addressing food security and sustainable development,” said a university professor in Awasa, Ethiopia.

Using agricultural surveys and modelling work, scientists predicted the potential range of enset over the next four decades. They found the crop could potentially feed more than 100 million people and boost food security in Ethiopia and other African countries, including Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda.

Study researcher Dr James Borrell, of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said planting enset, as an alternative for lean times, could help boost food security. “It’s got some really unusual features that make it absolutely unique as a crop,” he said. “You plant it at any time, you harvest it at any time. That’s why they call it the tree against hunger.”

There is growing interest in seeking new plants to feed the world, given our reliance on a few staple crops. Nearly half of all the calories we eat come from three species — rice, wheat, and maize. “We need to diversify the plants we use globally as a species because all our eggs are in a very small basket at the moment,” said Dr Borrell.

1. What does the underlined word “inedible” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Not secure enough.	B．Not diverse enough.
C．Not fit to be planted.	D．Not suitable to be eaten.

2. What do we know about Ethiopia’s enset from the text?

A．It is a special species of banana.

B．It can help with solving food shortage.

C．It has fed more than 100 million people.

D．It can be grown at anytime and anywhere.

3. What is Dr Borrell’s attitude towards seeking new staple plants?

A．Negative.

B．Objective.

C．Approving.

D．Doubtful.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To provide a solution to food problems.

B．To advertise a unique banana-like staple.

C．To recommend a magic crop against hunger.

D．To introduce a wonder crop for climate change.

2 . Before uploading a photo of ourselves to social media, chances are that we’ll use an app to smooth our skin, make our eyes look bigger, and lips fuller. With a couple of taps on our mobile phone, we can get a quick fix and present the “best” version of ourselves to the world. However, the problem is, when we simply edit our imperfections away, we’re also changing the way we look at ourselves.

Last month, researchers published the article Selfies—Living in the Era of Filtered (过滤的) Photographs. The article analysed photo editing apps’ bad influences on people’s self-respect and their possibility to cause appearance anxieties. The researchers also warned that such apps make it difficult to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. “These apps allow one to change his or her appearance in minutes and follow an unrealistic standard of beauty,” the article reads.

In the past, people may have compared their looks to those of famous people. But for today’s young people, beauty standards are most likely set by what they see on social media. “From birth, they are born into an age of social platforms where their feelings of self-worth can be based purely on the number of likes and followers that they have, which is linked to how good they look,” British cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho told The Independent. This is why many young people suffer an identity trouble when it comes to appearance.

“Now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to this fake self that you present on social media,” Renee Engeln, a professor of psychology, told the HuffPost website. Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons, they may become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like. “Because between you and the world is a mirror. It’s a mirror that travels with you everywhere. You can’t seem to put it down,” she told The Washington Post. So when we look in a real mirror, we shouldn’t think to ourselves, “Do I look as good as myself in the filtered photos?” Instead, we should think, “I feel good; I have my health.”

1. Before uploading a photo to social media, we will probably _________.

A．have an operating to make our eyes look bigger

B．use some cream to smooth our skin

C．use an app to fix our photo

D．edit our perfections away

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

A．In many ways, photo editing apps are beneficial to people.

B．Photo editing apps are likely to cause people’s anxieties about their appearance.

C．Photo editing apps can make people more beautiful.

D．Photo editing apps help people judge realistic beauty.

3. When it comes to appearance, why do many young people suffer an identity trouble?

A．Because they compare their looks to those of famous people.

B．Because beauty standards are set by social media.

C．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their own likes and dislikes.

D．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their appearance.

4. According to Engeln, what should we do?

A．We should feel good about what we actually look like.

B．We should spend more time making comparison of our real self to fake self.

C．We should take a mirror with us everywhere.

D．We should try to look as good as ourselves in the filtered photos.

3 . Becoming famous is the dream of many, and Tian is getting closer to that dream.

Tian, 30, is a white - collar worker in Beijing. On short video application Douyin, Tian has more than 2, 000 fans, So far, she has received more than 50, 000 likes on the Dubsmash - like app. On her page on Douyin, Tian shares everything, from her son's daily activities, to her pet dogs, to little skits (段子) made up by her and her husband. “Making funny videos, and combining them with music is really interesting, ” Tian said. “Of course, I make the videos for fun because it is quite relaxing.”

China's short video market has seen great growth, according to a report. The report said that China's short video market was valued at 5. 73 billion yuan ($ 900 million) in 2017, an increase of 184 percent. The industry value is expected to go up to the 30 billion mark in 2020. Companies like Tencent, Sohu and Iqiyi have all started providing short video content.

“Short videos are popular because they are an addition to traditional audio and video content on the internet, ” said Sun Jiashan with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.

Fans say that the short videos help them “chill out” from a stressed - out lifestyle. “My favorite videos are all about pets, ” said Zhou Na, a nurse in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. “After a whole day's work, watching the 15 - second videos makes me laugh, which reduces my pressure.”

1. Why does Tian make short videos in Douyin?

A．To get fun	B．To become a well - known person
C．To attract fans	D．To record her family's routine

2. What's Sun Jiashan's opinion about short videos?

A．They have a huge amount of value

B．They make people s star dreams come true

C．They enrich internet audio and video content

D．They greatly reduce people's pressure

3. What does the underlined words “chill out” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Feel cold	B．Calm down
C．Catch a cold	D．Become concerned

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．China's short video market is open

B．Douyin brings the Chinese great happiness

C．Every Chinese is using Douyin to make short video

D．China's short video market has developed rapidly

4 . Putting children in daycare helps working parents take their minds off childcare.     1    

How daycare negatively affects children is related to many factors. One study has suggested that some children who spend long hours in daycare centers experience more stress than those who spend more time in a setting with a mother.

Another study has shown that children who are shy have a higher level of the hormone cortisol (皮质醇) which is released when an individual shows signs of stress.     2     And as a result the child may not mix well with the other children and the teachers at the daycare center, a situation that can cause stress.

Another negative impact of daycare is that there is less communication between a mother and her child.     3     So it is essential for a child to develop a deep bond with his or her mother, since this will lay the foundation for all the relationships he or she will form later on in life. Children who spend a lot of time with their mothers experience healthy social and emotional development, while long hours in daycare can disrupt this bonding. Children who lose out on precious mother-child bonding are observed to have behavioral problems as they grow older.

Children in daycare centers also feel unprotected compared to children at home. In a daycare center, when one caregiver attends to more than one child at the same time, she may not be able to look deeply into why a child is mixing well or not.     4     Another negative aspect of daycare is that children there are more likely to fall ill if they come in contact with sick children.

    5     Well-maintained daycare centers contribute a great deal to the overall development of a child by providing a structured environment. Children become more social by interacting with other children of the same age, and learn new activities that are not always available if they are brought up only at home.

A．But daycare has its disadvantages.

B．Look for a daycare center that is well-maintained.

C．However, the advantages of daycare cannot be ignored.

D．This is because a shy child will not open up freely in public.

E．Babies become extremely attached to their primary caregivers.

F．In such cases, a child may become either completely quiet or aggressive.

G．You can cut the time in daycare centers by making alternative childcare arrangements.

5 . How do you kill your time when you go to work? Most of us stare at our cell phones, and refuse to make eye contact with others. We just read, chat with others online or play games online. Or maybe we’re using the time between stops to do our makeup, catch up on emails, or read a few chapters of a book. However, Dina Alfasi takes a very different approach.

Each day she has to travel hours on buses and trains to get to her engineering job at a hospital in Israel. Rather than look at her cell phone in silence, she uses one very special way to have connection with strangers. It is portraits of the people she meets on public transport every day that she is taking. The photographs catch those quiet and personal moments of people readying themselves for the day ahead. Some people lean (倚靠) their head against the window and go to sleep, some stare into space and have a daydream, and others sit quietly to read their documents or books. Each picture catches one tiny moment in people’s lives, ripe with potential for your imagination. It is wonderful for her to look at someone’s commute (上下班) and make up an entire story about the rest of their daily existence, from the father travelling with a baby to the woman welcoming a change.

“What inspires me very much are the little moments that happen every day,” Dina told My Modern Met. “My work is to tell stories through a single portrait, and it proves that all you need is just to look around and find those magic moments.”

1. What will most people do when going to work?

A．Enjoy reading a book loudly.

B．Make eye contact with others.

C．Have face-to-face talks with others.

D．Concentrate on their mobile phones.

2. What makes Dina different from others?

A．Staring into the space and having a daydream.

B．Leaning against the window and relaxing herself.

C．Using her mobile phone to appreciate pictures she draws.

D．Drawing people while travelling on buses and trains to work.

3. Which word can best describe Dina Alfasi?

A．Cool.	B．Careful.
C．Generous.	D．Considerate.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Little moments make Dina special.

B．Cell phone is used to take special portraits.

C．Dina takes portraits of others when commuting.

D．People go to work with different ways to kill time.