1 . Yesterday, a salesman called me by phone, on behalf of a telecom company, to sell his phone plans. I was at work and I usually didn't like telemarketing (电话销售), so I excused myself that I couldn't talk yet and said he could call me back one hour later, at 6:00 pm.

That's what he did. So we talked for 15 minutes. He explained to me his different phone plans, which he stated to be better than my current one. While listening to him, sometimes I was lost in my thoughts and I gave several “hmm hmm” as a sign of agreement to convince him that I was still there. Sometimes, I felt a bit impatient, especially as he had difficulty in correctly talking in French. But I stayed calm and polite until the end of the discussion.

At the end of the conversation, he revealed (袒露) the following to me:“Thank you, Linda. You are the first person in a long time with whom I had an enjoyable conversation. Usually, people shout at us, speak to us rudely, and treat us as thieves. Today, since 10:00 am, I hadn't had a conversation without an offense. I know you had a long day at work and you could have relaxed in front of your TV. Instead, you listened carefully to me. I sincerely thank you. I wanted to tell it to you.”

I thanked him for this revelation. I realized how much he could have been the subject of verbal violence, all through his working days. Unfortunately, the telephone enables the customers to have such aggressive behavior. Indeed, physical barriers do not exist in this situation and a kind of dehumanization (非人性化) seems to happen. I am also conscious that those people getting impatient could have been me. Yet, he was only doing his job and he shouldn't have suffered from the violence.

1. Why did the author let the salesman call back later?

A．She meant to refuse him at once.

B．She showed interest in his phone plans.

C．She hoped for more about telemarketing.

D．She wanted to use the way to discourage him.

2. How can we describe the author during the 15-minute talk?

A．Patient.	B．Careful. .
C．Kind of absent-minded.	D．Obviously impolite.

3. What did the salesman intend to express in Paragraph 3?

A．His deep apology.	B．His true appreciation.
C．His anger at misunderstanding.	D．His sufferings in telemarketing.

4. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A．People say unkind words to him.	B．There are physical barriers.
C．Salesmen's impatience.	D．Customers' Humanization.

2 . American cities are similar to other cities around the world: In every country, cities reflect the values of the culture. American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.

After World War Ⅱ, the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increased. Los Angeles and Houston are cities where population shifts(转移) to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, city residents(居民) became richer. They had more children so they needed more space. They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs(郊区).

Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults. Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest. Many young professionals(专业人士，专门人才) are moving back into the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they just enjoy the excitement and possibilities that the city offers.

This population shift is bringing problems as well as benefits. A large number of poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.

Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.

1. What does the author think of cities all over the world?

A．They are alive.	B．They are hopeless.
C．They are similar.	D．They are different.

2. Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ?

A．Because older American cities were dying.

B．Because they were richer and needed more space.

C．Because cities had the worst parts of society.

D．Because they could hardly afford a life in the city.

3. According to the 4^th paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities ________.

A．are faced with housing problems

B．are forced to move to the suburbs

C．want to sell their buildings

D．need more money for daily expenses

4. We can conclude from the text that ________.

A．American cities are changing for the worse

B．people have different views on American cities

C．many people are now moving from American cities

D．the population is decreasing in older American cities

3 . Downey’s mother spent one year studying abroad through an international exchange program with a French school. She often talked about how exciting and interesting the experience was. So, even before finishing high school, Downey had decided to follow suit one day.

Downey began studying architecture at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 2004. Near the end of her second year, she started to feel unhappy with her school and decided it was time to study abroad.

U. S. colleges and universities commonly have joint programs with foreign schools that permit student exchanges. These programs usually last half a school year or sometimes a whole school year. The classes students take abroad usually give them credits toward their degree. In a four-year degree program, the third year is the most common time for American college students to study abroad. Many students think they need a change before what is usually their final and most difficult year of study.

Downey said her school did not want her to go at first. The architecture program at Lehigh was very intense, and her professors were worried she might miss learning important material. However, she was eventually able to get special permission to study internationally for a whole year. During the fall term in 2006, she attended a Danish international school in Copenhagen, Denmark, explaining she did so because Danish architects are well known for their housing design.

Young adult as she was, she had to deal with travel documents and many other issues on her own. Overcoming the language barrier is the biggest challenge of studying abroad. However, she had a lot of emotional and financial support from her family. She learned life lessons and made friendships and memories that have lasted to this day. She said, “The more you’re out of your comfort zone, the more rewarding the experience is in the end.”

1. What does Downey’s mother mean to Downey?

A．A friend.

B．A dreamer.

C．An example.

D．An expert.

2. Why did Downey finally decide to study abroad?

A．Her mother asked her to do so.	B．Her school didn't live up to her expectations.
C．She disliked studying architecture.	D．The joint programs gave her much inspiration.

3. What made Downey choose the Danish international school?

A．The famous learned professors.	B．The casual learning environment.
C．The impressive academic reputation.	D．The favorable geographical location.

4. What can we infer according to the last paragraph?

A．It was not easy for Downey to study abroad.

B．The comfortable life is likely to ruin the future life.

C．Downey was too young to take care of herself.

D．Downey's parents could hardly afford her education.

5 . Splash (落水声)! Did you hear that? Can you guess what it is? Can you figure it out? If you guessed the ocean, then you’re correct! I believe that my organization, Reef Check, is the most worthy of receiving the Chocolate Heart money. Do you want to know why? Well, soon you’ll find out.

First of all, Reef Check needs the money to repair and clean coral reefs (珊瑚礁) which are home to millions of sea animals. Reef Check hopes to educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems (生态系统) and the danger that sea animals and plants are facing. Based in Los Angeles, Reef Check has volunteer teams in more than 90 countries, making community volunteers, businesses, universities, and other non-profit organizations work together. It works to create a worldwide network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check’s scientific methods that survey coral and rocky reefs and report on reef health. Also, Reef Check takes action to protect remaining ancient reefs and repair reefs in danger worldwide.

For example, imagine you are a poor sea animal, whose home just got destroyed or wasn’t clean. What would you do? What could you do? Nothing much, really. But that’s exactly Reef Check’s job! To clean and protect these homes for many sea animals!

Furthermore, in 1997, Reef Check carried out the first-ever survey of coral reef health that provided scientific evidence that our coral reefs were in danger because of overfishing, illegal fishing, and pollution. The results surprised many biologists who had not realized the seriousness of human influence on reefs. In August 2002, Reef Check presented its report, The Global Coral Reef Crisis - Trends and Solutions, at the World Summit in South Africa. The report warned that there was no reef in the world that remained untouched by human influence, such as overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

In short, everyone should have a home including animals from the sea. So don’t leave them out! Be generous and give them a home!

1. What do we know about Reef Check?

A．It is a team of scientists.

B．It mainly studies sea animals.

C．It is a non-profit organization.

D．It is run by the US government.

2. Why does the author ask those questions in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the role of Reef Check.

B．To show the importance of reefs.

C．To show how poor sea animals are.

D．To show the seriousness of sea pollution.

3. What did the survey made by Reef Check in the 1990s find?

A．Reefs would die out in the near future.

B．Humans and reefs depended on each other.

C．Overfishing influenced the oceans seriously.

D．Reefs were at risk because of human activities.

4. What’s the main purpose of the text?

A．To describe what Reef Check is.

B．To introduce a dangerous but important job.

C．To explain why Reef Check needs support.

D．To educate the public to care for the environment.

6 . Social media is taking over our lives: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and now, TikTok. These social media platforms have transformed from a way to stay connected to an industry where even kids can make money off their posts. While this may seem like another opportunistic innovation, it’s really full of hidden false realities.

The median income (中位收入) recorded in the United States of America was about $63,000 in 2018. TikTokers can make anywhere from $50,000 to $150,000 for a TikTok brand partnership, and TikTokers with over a million followers can make up to $30,000 a month — $360,000 a year. They are making more than the average person trying to feed their family and keep a roof over their heads, simply by posting a 15-second video.

This is mad in more ways than one. Not only is it an overpaid “job”, it promotes undeserved admiration from viewers and a false sense of reality. Many of these famous TikTokers are still teens, and the effects of fame at such an early stage in life might cause issues later in life, such as mental illness. Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 make up 27% of TikTok viewers, who can be easily influenced by what they are watching. They can put a false sense of self-value into who they look up to and what they represent: money, fame, being considered conventionally attractive.

While TikTok has become a great tool for marketing, it’s important to understand how this content affects young viewers. If we’re constantly consuming content that hsows us all we need to do to be successful is be conventionally attractive and post a 15-second video featuring a new dance, it will challenge our knowledge of what really makes someone successful and will in turn affect our individual work ethics (伦理). What about the people who miss birthdays and family holidays due to their jobs and aren’t getting paid nearly as much as these TikTokers?

Richard Colyer, president and creator of Metaphor, Inc., had his own view on this issue.

“It sounds great that kids can make money for doing the latest dance moves in a 15-second video, but we should feed the minds of kids and not just their bank accounts. TikTok can be great if used properly. Money alone is not good, technology alone is not good and connectedness can be bad if it’s only online.”

Again, as a fellow consumer of TikTok, I do enjoy the app when I have some time to kill and need a good laugh. I’m not against someone making a living on entertainment, but what does getting famous of a 15-second video teach young people?

1. What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Social networking.	B．Making money on social media.
C．A job offered by TikTok.	D．Staying connected to the Internet.

2. Which is the possible influence of TikTok on its young users?

A．They tend to live an adult life too soon.

B．They are forced to pay for certain services.

C．They may abandon other social media.

D．They are likely to develop false values.

3. What can we infer from Richard Colyer’s comments?

A．TikTok can be a positive influence if teens employ it wisely.

B．Young TikTokers should be banned form making money.

C．It is better to involve education on investment in TikTok videos.

D．Contents of videos need checking before their release online.

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Say No to TikTok.	B．Join Young TikTokers
C．TikTok — A Mine of Money	D．A Job vs An Entertainment

7 . Empathy (同理心) is one of those strange qualities — something almost everyone wants, but few know how to truly give or receive it. In a world where self-satisfaction is emphasized, it is in short supply but high demand. This is all the more reason to teach the next generation what it means to have empathy for those around them.

What Is Empathy? — Many people confuse sympathy and empathy, but they are two distinct values. Empathy is not just the ability to understand someone's feelings; criminals often take advantage of people by appearing to understand their feelings and subsequently gaining their trust. Empathy is more than that. Not only is it the ability to recognize how someone feels, but it also values and respects the feelings of another person. It means treating others with kindness, dignity, and understanding.

Kids Need To See Adults Show Empathy — While some children are gifted with naturally kind hearts, in most cases kids need to see empathy modeled by the adults around them. It begins with the way parents relate to their children. Parents who show an interest in the things that matter to their kids and respond to emotions in a positive and caring way are teaching the skill of empathy.

Meet Emotional Needs — When children have their emotional needs met, two things happen. They learn how to meet the emotional needs of others and they are anchored in what they are receiving, meaning that they are secure enough to give to others when the need arises but first they need to receive. An empty jug cannot fill a cup.

It's a good idea to talk to kids about emotions and how other people experience them. Give their emotions names (for example, jealousy, anger, and love) and teach them that these are normal. Talk to them about how to handle emotions in a positive way and point out situations where other people are experiencing emotions. Teach them about respecting the emotions of others and show them how to act in a situation where a response is required.

1. Why is it that the next generation are taught to have empathy?

A．Because people tend to center themselves.	B．Because everyone lacks empathy.
C．Because empathy is a strange quality.	D．Because it's better to give than to receive.

2. Which situation can empathy be used in?

A．When a mathematician is calculating the area of a farmland.

B．When a teacher is comforting a student about his failure in exams.

C．When a criminal is cheating a victim.

D．When a dancer is dancing to music.

3. What does the underlined sentence "An empty jug cannot fill a cup" mean?

A．An empty jug is too small to hold a cup.

B．It's a must to talk to kids about emotions.

C．Adults should set an example to kids.

D．Kids give empathy with their emotional needs met first.

4. What is the main topic of the passage?

A．How to train kids to have empathy.

B．How to distinguish sympathy and empathy.

C．How to help kids finish empathy-related tasks.

D．Whether kids can be trained to be more empathetic.

8 . Surfer Dudes to the Rescue!

About 50 feet from shore of the Northern California’s Trinidad State Beach, two brothers were fighting for their lives. They had been swept out to sea in a rip current (激流), their mouths barely able to stay above the water. Thick fog made it difficult for beachgoers to see the guys, but the screams were unmistakable. And every second counted. The brothers, ages 15 and 20, were wearing shorts and T-shirts, unsuitable for a November day, let alone the freezing water. Keven Harder, a supervising ranger (巡查员), told the North Coast Journal in nearby Eureka that swimming in such a temperature “takes the fight right out of you.”

Luckily, four surfers in wet suits were nearby. Narayan Weibel, Spenser Stratton, and Adrian York, all 16, along with Taj Ortiz-Beck, 15, were on their surfboards riding up and down the coast on five-foot waves when they heard the cries. They turned and saw two bobbing heads and four struggling arms. “We looked at each other and knew these guys were about to drown,” Weibel told the Washington Post.

Weibel, Stratton, and Ortiz-Beck paddled toward the distressed swimmers while York headed to shore to warn someone to call 911. He then dived back in to help his friends.

As the surfers drew close, the brothers were still fighting hard for their lives. “It was pretty stressful, but there wasn’t any time to think about it, and that helped me keep my cool,” Ortiz-Beck says.

Ortiz-Beck pulled up alongside the younger brother. Grabbing him under his arms, he raised him up onto his board. Stratton and Weibel, meanwhile, hurried to help the older brother. He was large, 250 to 300 pounds, and he was panicked.

“I told them, ‘Calm down—we got you!’” says Weibel. “They thought they were going to die.”

York arrived in time to help get the older brother atop the second board. The surfers then paddled several minutes through choppy water to the medical help waiting onshore. The brothers were scared but fine.

“When we get a call like this one, it’s usually too late by the time we get there,” says Dillon Cleavenger, a first responder. “I can’t say enough about what these boys did. They were willing and prepared to risk their lives.”

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．Two brothers were almost drowned in the sea.

B．Beachgoers happened to meet the two brothers.

C．The supervising ranger warned them not to swim then.

D．Surfers barely wore T-shirts and shorts in such weather.

2. What were the four boys doing when they heard the screams?

A．Swimming in a rip current.	B．Surfing on high waves.
C．Struggling with their arms to shore.	D．Practising diving in the sea.

3. In the rescue, ______.

A．Andrian York dived back to call the police

B．Keven Harder played the most important role

C．Narayan Weibel tried to calm down the brothers

D．Ortiz-Beck saved the larger and panicked brother

4. Which of the following words can best describe the four surfers?

A．Hardworking and friendly.	B．Kind and humorous.
C．Devoted and talented.	D．Brave and determined.

9 . Shoppers around the world are crazy buying because of fears over the coronavirus(新型冠状病毒), which caused a critical plague in China and even other countries at the beginning of 2020. People in countries such as England, Japan, Singapore and Australia have been emptying supermarket shelves of toilet paper, face masks, hand wash products and dried and canned food. Photos and videos of shoppers in Australia quarreling over the last pack of toilet roll in a supermarket have spread across social media swiftly.

However, governments have advised their citizens that there is no need to "panic buy". They added that panic buying would only reduce the supply of products needed by patients and medical staff, which could exacerbate the problems the COVID-19 virus is causing. Singapore's prime minister comforted Singaporeans that: "We have enough supplies. There's no need to stock up." A week after the panic buying fever, things have calmed down and shoppers have gone back to purchasing items in normal quantities.

Psychologists say panic buying is an "unwise" behaviour that is part of a condition called FOMO一the fear of missing out. Dr. Katharina Wittgens said a herd mentality(从众心理)sets in during disasters that causes people to copy the actions of others. People watch the news of items being bought in quantity and immediately rush out to the stores to do the same. She said people were taking on too much the risks of dying from the coronavirus. She said: "Far more people die in car accidents or household accidents per year but we don't panic about these things in the morning before we go to work."

1. What is the reason for shoppers in different countries crazy buying?

A．The approach of 2020 New Year's Day.

B．The shortage of resources and supplies in their nations.

C．The discount from supermarkets.

D．Their concern about the virus.

2. What does the word "exacerbate" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．release	B．worsen
C．solve	D．quicken

3. What caused this behavior according to expert?

A．People think no one needs the supplies.

B．People do not believe what others said.

C．People tend to follow others' actions in the period of disaster.

D．People are wiser in making decisions.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．People should not panic over the virus.

B．People want to do something different from others.

C．People buy little when they go to the stores.

D．More people die from car accidents.