1 . Before this COVID-19 pandemic, family vacations were simple. They consisted of a trip to Disneyworld, a week at a resort, or perhaps a booking on a cruise line that every family member was excited about, The only thing many had to worry about was forgetting the passports or a child forgetting the toothbrush or losing the favorite toy somewhere between the airport and the hotel. Now, the days of vacations look completely different and for those who have taken one during the pandemic, many things have changed.
Many families have routine (例行的) vacations that they take every year and this year. But due to the pandemic, many vacations didn’t happen as planned, So, vacations were put on the back burner and weren’t taken until much later in the year and for many people, change in their work lives allowed this. With more parents working from home and more kids taking part in homeschooling at home, families found going on vacation became much easier without the physical need to be somewhere else. This was also the year that many people remembered that they’re surrounded by nature. Rather than booking the typical vacation to the most-visited destinations or popular theme parks， many people-families especially-chose the lesser-crowded destinations. This meant that more families chose vacation activities such as camping, preferring to connect with nature rather than walk the busy streets. This also meant that vacation rentals (租用的房屋或汽车、设备等) were up in popularity and even in popular destinations, such as beach towns, The possibility of small crowds didn’t stop some families due to the fact that they rented the whole place.
It now looks like these changes might be here to stay, at least for some time longer, before the world returns to a state of normality.
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing the first paragraph?| A．To reach a conclusion. |
| B．To make a comparison. |
| C．To introduce a new topic |
| A．Completely ruined. |
| B．Out of the question. |
| C．Put aside for the time being. |
| A．They preferred to take part in physical activities. |
| B．They wanted to avoid the crowds while travelling |
| C．They made careful preparation before the vacation |
| A．They may continue into the future. |
| B．They’ll bring families closer together. |
| C．They might not last longer than expected. |
2 . People today are not unfamiliar with term such as "going eco-friendly" and "sustainable lifestyle". However, there exists a group of sceptics（怀疑论者）who believe that going eco-friendly is merely a fad（一时的风尚）. I disagree with this viewpoint, Going eco-friendly is not merely a fad and it does, in fact, change the beliefs and attitudes of people.
The long-term presence of environmental organisations shows the efforts that people have made towards going eco-friendly. Organisations such as World Wildlife Fund advocate people to go eco-friendly. The high involvement of the organisations and the participants is thus a strong indicator that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad but a trend that can last decades.
Another strong indicator is the emergence of sustainable products in many industries, such as organic produce and electric vehicles. The consumer demand, coupled with eco-conscious（环保意识的）businesses, is behind the sharp increase in such products. This shows a shift in the beliefs and attitudes of people towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle. Thus, it seems quite certain that going eco-friendly is not merely a fad.
While some people who broadcast their eco-friendly practices are criticised for just hoping to project an eco-conscious image, there are a number of celebrities who have been practising the zero-waste lifestyle for years. For those who do so for years, and not mere days or months, it is indeed a commitment that can only come with a true change in beliefs and attitudes towards caring for the earth.
The call to save the earth looks set to stay. With the development of technology and the appearance of many platforms advocating going green, people are more willing to change their beliefs and attitudes when they can learn about and appreciate the positive impact of the work of different environmental organisations and individuals. It is hoped that these effects will go a long way in ensuring that our planet will remain a suitable place to live in.
1. Why does the author mention World Wildlife Fund?| A．To appreciate its environmental efforts. |
| B．To encourage people to go eco-friendly. |
| C．To evidence the universal recognition of going green. |
| D．To highlight the difficulty in changing people's attitudes. |
| A．Sudden disappearance. | B．Sharp increase. |
| C．Gradual development. | D．Limited application. |
| A．It may discourage people from sustainable lifestyle. |
| B．It may boost the business of organic produce. |
| C．It will be used to project an eco-conscious image. |
| D．It will promote environmental awareness. |
| A．To prove going eco-friendly a lasting trend. |
| B．To popularize the eco-friendly products. |
| C．To offer strategies to go eco-friendly. |
| D．To advertise for eco-friendly platforms. |
How do students spend their spare time after finishing their homework? Watch TV, play computer games, or go outside to relax? Here's a good example.
Tim and Kerry Meek are both teachers. They live in the UK with their two daughters: eleven-year-old Amy and nine-year-old Ella. Recently, the Meek family has become the focus of the whole country after they completed 100 different outdoor activities in one year.
The Meek couple didn't want their children to spend all their free time in front of the TV and become "couch potatoes". So about one year ago, the Meeks decided that watching TV and playing computer games were not permitted. Instead, they set 100 tasks for the two girls to do outside. Although Mr. and Mrs. Meek are not outdoor activity fans, they took part in all the activities to encourage their daughters. It turns out that the two sisters really had a good time joining activities.
Every holiday and weekend, whether it's sunny, rainy or snowy, the Meeks' would set off to try the activities on their list, including hiking, sailing, climbing, skiing, and so on. The two little girls not only had a wonderful time, but also learned a lot of skills from the activities. They were even able to stand up in front of their school to give a talk for charity. "Our friends spend a lot of their free time doing things which are harmful to their health. Luckily, we've had the chance to experience something different." Amy and Ella also helped their parents to draw up a new list of challenges for the next 12 months.
1. Why did the Meeks become the focus of the UK? (no more than 10 words)2. What does the underlined phrase "couch potatoes" mean? (no more than 15 words)
3. When did the Meeks go out to do the activities? (no more than 5 words)
4. What did the two little girls learn from the activities?(no more than 5 words)
5. What have you learnt from the story? (no more than 25 words)
4 . I work at a grocery store in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood, which gets a lot of regulars. On March 12, the Quebec government announced to close all public places to stop the spread of the pandemic(流行病)of coronavirus.
The next day the store was the busiest I've ever seen. The six cash registers had to be kept open from 10 a. m. until close. It was nuts. I didn't have time to eat lunch, and whenever one of us on cash had to use the bathroom, we’d have to bring in a coworker off the floor to cover for us.
Since then, the atmosphere in the store has been different. Customers are mostly considerate, but whenever someone coughs or sneezes, everyone turns around to make sure that person sneezed into their elbow. I've even seen customers come in wearing some strange get-ups. One guy even came in with a plastic Walmart bag wrapped around his entire head, with a slit cut out for his eyes.
A lot of my coworkers have left to avoid a public-facing job during the pandemic. Grocery store workers across Canada are putting their health at risk every time they come in to work, but a lot of us are still making close to minimum wage. I realized that I feel more exhausted than normal even though I'm working the same hours.
There still have been some moments of kindness in the midst of the chaos. I've overheard people talking on the phone who sounded as though they were organizing grocery deliveries for those stuck at home. And this past weekend a very nice lady thanked us for continuing to work. I know everyone is worried, but it's uneless having the same scary conversations day after day. Instead, tell us a funny anecdote, or about Homething nice. We'll appreciate the distraction, and you'll make our day just a bit brighter.
1. What does the author intend to show by " It was nuts." in paragraph 2?| A．The goods were in short supply. |
| B．The store was having a big sale. |
| C．The cashiers complained about their work. |
| D．The locals rushed to do shopping like crazy. |
| A．They like to shop here in disguise. |
| B．They are panicky about the disease . |
| C．They are more friendly to each other. |
| D．They have taken proper preventive measures. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Talented. | C．Ambitious. | D．Efficient. |
| A．It is not work but worry that kills |
| B．Helping others is helping ourselves |
| C．Moments of kindness shine in a time of chaos |
| D．Here is what it's like working in the pandemic |
5 . If you want to convince the boss you deserve a pay rise or promotion, the solution could be simple --- eat the same food as they do. Psychologists have discovered managers are much more likely to instantly trust us if we choose the same dishes as them.
During experiments, discussions over wages and work conditions were much more successful if both sides chose to snack on the same treats. And shoppers were much more likely to buy a product advertised on TV by someone eating a similar food to them at the time.
The reason is thought to be the so–called similarity attraction theory --- where people tend to like others who have similar tastes or habits to themselves. But this is believed to be one of the first studies highlighting the role of food in this relationship. Researchers at Chicago University in the US conducted a series of experiments to examine food’s role in earning trust.
In a test, participants were told to watch TV --- where someone pretending to be a member of the public praised a certain product. The volunteers were given Kit Kat bars to nibble, while the TV people ate either a Kit Kat or grapes as they talked.
The results showed viewers were much more likely to express an interest in buying the product if the TV showed the other person eating a Kit Kat too. The researchers added, “Although similarity in food consumption is not a sign of whether two people will get along, we find consumers treat this as such. They feel more trusting of those who consume as they do. It means people can immediately begin to feel friendship and develop a bond, leading to smoother transactions from the start.”
Harley Street psychologist Dr. Lucy Atcheson said it was already known that wearing similar clothes could instantly create trust. But this was the first report that food had the same effect. She said, “This is really interesting. It makes sense as people feel they have common ground and can trust the other person. That means negotiations are more likely to be successful.”
1. According to the passage, customers are likely to buy a product from a dealer who ______.| A．advertises his products on TV | B．has the same taste as them |
| C．reduces the price of his products | D．pays attention to the quality of his products |
| A．food plays an important role in earning people’s trust |
| B．bosses like employees that have the same taste as them |
| C．people who have similar tastes to their boss’s earn more |
| D．people have less interest in buying products advertised on TV |
| A．People who eat similar food are more likely to trust each other. |
| B．People will get along with each other if they like to eat similar things. |
| C．The effect of wearing similar clothes hasn’t been proved by researchers. |
| D．People are more likely to make friends with those wearing the same clothes as them. |
| A．Honesty is the best policy. | B．All good things come to an end. |
| C．Birds of a feather flock together. | D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
6 . A decreasing birthrate depends to a large extent on the availability and use of birth control and on high living levels that make the production of additional children to provide necessary and inexpensive labor unnecessary. Family planning is a national policy in many industrial countries, such as Japan and most of European countries. As a result, in most cases the birthrate has decreased. Many developing countries have followed the lead of India (which has since 1952 conducted an extensive, but not totally successful，birth control program) in trying to promote family planning as a national policy. These countries include China, Kenya, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Chile.
In the United States, facts of the population question, such as birth control and abortion,_are among the most bitterly debated subjects. The United States has disagreed strongly at times with the use of foreign aid appropriations (拨款) for family planning overseas and doing that is thought against human rights; family planning in the country is mainly run by private groups such as Planned Parenthood.
A number of nongovernmental organizations concerned with population growth have also appeared. Zero Population Growth, an educational group founded in 1970, aims to stop population growth, first in the United States and then in other countries. On the international level, besides the International Planned Parenthood Federation, the United Nations Economic and Social Council provides birth control aid to underdeveloped nations.
1. All the following countries try to take family planning as a national policy EXCEPT ________.| A．Kenya | B．Pakistan |
| C．Chile | D．Russia |
| A．they take measures in family planning |
| B．they don't want to provide necessary and cheap labor |
| C．they want to live a life of high living standards |
| D．they don't want to bear more additional children |
| A．Food supplies. |
| B．An operation to end a pregnancy. |
| C．Foreign aid. |
| D．High growth of population birthrate. |
| A．Americans think there is no need to keep birth control |
| B．the government would rather not copy ways of other countries |
| C．Americans think that is against human rights |
| D．the government is rich enough to keep more children |
| A．prevent birthrate from growing |
| B．provide birth control aid |
| C．advise people to notice the population question |
| D．call on the UN to give help to undeveloped countries |
7 . Last year, Claire Noble-Randall woke up at 5:30 am every morning. She had to catch two buses to arrive in time for first-period chemistry classes at Ingraham High School in Seattle, US.
Ingraham starts at 8 am, but Noble-Randall often didn’t get to sleep until after midnight. “It was really hard not to fall asleep in class,” she said.
Her mom solved the problem this year when she discovered that other parents had hired (租用) a private city tour bus to take their children to school.
“Now, she leaves the house at a much more reasonable time 7:10 in the morning...to catch the little tour bus at 7:23 am,” said her mother, Noelle Noble.
That may be one way to help students get more sleep. But more than 3, 300 people have signed an online petition (请愿) looking for a better solution from the Seattle school district. Those who have signed the petition want all high schools and middle schools to start no earlier than 8: 30 am. Most of Seattle’s high schools and middle schools start at 8 am or earlier.
Later start times for teenagers are an idea that some parents around the nation have wanted for years. They’ve provided plenty of scientific evidence that teenagers tend to be night owls (夜猫子) and delayed start times improve their health, mood, attention, and, in some cases, learning.
But attempts to delay start times for teenagers haven’t worked. Coaches don’t want late dismissals cutting into sports practices; community groups don’t want to wait longer for gyms and fields and before- and after-school programs don’t want to change their schedules.
This time, however, they’ve got Seattle School Board president Sharon Peaslee on their side. She herself is the mother of two high school students. Peaslee hopes other board members will pass her plan calling on the district to find a way to make the changes.
1. How did Noble-Randall solve her problem of early classes?| A．She quit first-period classes. |
| B．She found a faster way to school. |
| C．She took a private city tour bus to school. |
| D．She rented a house near school. |
| A．provide a school bun service |
| B．delay school start times |
| C．improve the quality of lessons |
| D．stop students from falling asleep in class |
| A．Not enough people signed the petition. |
| B．No scientific evidence could support their idea. |
| C．It would influence the schools’ schedules. |
| D．It would influence many out-of-school activities. |
| A．More parents will hire a private bus for their children. |
| B．Seattle schools plan to change their schedules next year. |
| C．There will be less after-school activities and programs. |
| D．There is now a higher chance of delaying school start times. |
We all need physical exercise. Exercise uses up the food we eat and keeps the body energetic. It works your muscles and makes your heart work hard so as to send blood to your muscles. So exercise makes your heart and muscles strong. Exercise also makes you feel refreshed. If you take regular exercise, you will stay happy and healthy.
Some Western countries, such as the United States, have problems with exercise. In the US, many people lack exercise because it is hard for them. People have to work from dawn till dusk, so they don’t have time to take exercise. They work in office buildings sitting in chairs all day long in front of computers. They cannot get much exercise sitting at desk passively.
Some Westerners can get exercise by walking from their homes to workplaces. However, the majority of people cannot do this. It is too far from their homes to their offices. They have no choice but to drive to work. In fact, some have to drive one or two hours to their offices. This is unfavorable in two ways. First, these people don’t have a chance to exercise because they are sitting in their cars for two to four hours each day. Second, driving is challenging especially in rush hours and calls for too much attention. It makes a person very tired. So when these people arrive home at night, they don’t have the desire to take exercise after work.
Today, many people in the West are overweight, which causes health problems for them. Doctors say exercise can help people both lose weight and improve their health. So many people are trying to get more exercise. But it takes time to change, and when people don’t see a difference right away, they will be discouraged and stop exercising.
Title | Westerners |
The | ● Keep your body ● Make you feel good. ● Help you stay healthy and happy if you exercise ● Help you lose weight and get your health |
| One | ● Some people at work are too |
| The difficulty those who drive to work have in exercising | ● Some live too ● After driving back at night, they are too |
| The wrong attitude to exercise some people have | ● Some would |
9 . The jobs of the future have not yet been invented.
Your children need to be deeply curious.
True creativity is the ability to take something existing and create something new from it.
Understanding how others feel can be a challenge for kids. We know what’s going on inside our own head, but what about others? Being able to read people helps kids from misreading a situation and jumping to false conclusions.
| A．Encourage kids to cook with you. |
| B．And we can’t forget science education. |
| C．We can give kids chances to think about materials in new ways. |
| D．So how can we help our kids prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist? |
| E．Gardening is another great activity for helping kids develop this skill. |
| F．We can do this in real life or ask questions about characters in stories. |
| G．Being able to communicate ideas in a meaningful way is a valuable skill. |
Individuals (个人) should pay for their higher education.
A university education is of huge and direct benefit to the individual. Graduates earn more than non-graduates. Meanwhile, social mobility is ever more dependent on having a degree. However, only some people have it. So the individual, not the taxpayers, should pay for it. There are pressing calls on the resources (资源) of the government. Using taxpayers' money to help a small number of people to earn high incomes in the future is not one of them.
Full government funding (资助) is not very good for universities. Adam Smith worked in a Scottish university whose teachers lived off student fees. He knew and looked down upon 18th-century Oxford, where the academics lived comfortably off the income received from the government. Guaranteed salaries, Smith argued, were the enemy of hard work; and when the academics were lazy and incompetent, the students were similarly lazy.
If students have to pay for their education, they not only work harder, but also demand more from their teachers. And their teachers have to keep them satisfied. If that means taking teaching seriously, and giving less time to their own research interests, that is surely something to celebrate.
Many people believe that higher education should be free because it is good for the economy (经济). Many graduates clearly do contribute to national wealth, but so do all the businesses that invest (投资) and create jobs. If you believe that the government should pay for higher education because graduates are economically productive, you should also believe that the government should pay part of business costs. Anyone promising to create jobs should receive a gift of capital from the government to invest. Therefore, it is the individual, not the government, who should pay for their university education.
1. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 2 refers to______.
| A．taxpayers | B．pressing calls | C．college graduates | D．government resources |
| A．teachers are less satisfied |
| B．students are more demanding |
| C．students will become more competent |
| D．teachers will spend less time on teaching |
| A．argue against free university education |
| B．call on them to finance students' studies |
| C．encourage graduates to go into business |
| D．show their contribution to higher education |
