1 . In May 1987 the Golden Gate Bridge had a 50th birthday party. The bridge was closed to motor traffic so people could enjoy a walk across it. Organizers expected perhaps 50,000 people to show up. Instead, as many as 800, 000 crowded the roads to the bridge. By the time 250,000 were on the bridge, engineers noticed something terrible：the roadway was flattening under what turned out to be the heaviest load it had ever been asked to carry. Worse, it was beginning to sway（晃动）. The authorities closed access to the bridge and tens of thousands of people made their way back to land. A disaster was avoided.
The story is one of scores in To Forgive Design：Understanding Failure, a book that is at once a love letter to engineering and a paean（赞歌）to its breakdowns. Its author, Dr. Henry Petroski, has long been writing about disasters. In this book, he includes the loss of the space shuttles（航天飞机）Challenger and Columbia, and the sinking of the Titanic.
Though he acknowledges that engineering works can fail because the person who thought them up or engineered them simply got things wrong, in this book Dr. Petroski widens his view to consider the larger context in which such failures occur. Sometimes devices fail because a good design is constructed with low quality materials incompetently applied. Or perhaps a design works so well it is adopted elsewhere again and again, with seemingly harmless improvements, until, suddenly, it does not work at all anymore.
Readers will encounter not only stories they have heard before, but some new stories and a moving discussion of the responsibility of the engineer to the public and the ways young engineers can be helped to grasp them.
"Success is success but that is all that it is," Dr. Petroski writes. It is failure that brings improvement.
1. What happened to the Golden Gate Bridge on its 50th birthday?| A．It carried more weight than it could. |
| B．It swayed violently in a strong wind |
| C．Its roadway was damaged by vehicles |
| D．Its access was blocked by many people. |
| A．No design is well received everywhere |
| B．Construction is more important than design. |
| C．Not all disasters are caused by engineering design |
| D．Improvements on engineering works are necessary. |
| A．Failure can lead to progress. | B．Success results in overconfidence |
| C．Failure should be avoided. | D．Success comes from joint efforts. |
| A．A news report | B．A short story. |
| C．A book review | D．A research article. |
2 . Binge-watching (追剧) your favorite TV series is bad for your brain. Dr. Randall Wright, based in Texas, said the need to watch episode (集) after episode has a similar influence on the brain to gambling (赌博). What’s more, it often leads to social loneliness, snacking on junk food and a shortage of exercise and sleep, which, over time, is bad for the brain.
When you let auto play start the next episode, you can find out what happens next and your brain receives good feedback, Dr. Wright wrote in an article. This right-away satisfaction is similar to gambling where even after a win, you are not satisfied and want to continue playing. With binge-watching, you are not satisfied with stopping after episode five and want to continue watching. This cycle coupled with the snacking and the long time sitting can lead to unhealthy changes in your brain and body over time.
Dr. Wright said, “Binge-watching itself is not bad. It becomes problematic when you are watching a third, fourth or fifth episode instead of doing healthy activities.” But he said it is possible to avoid the bad influence of binge-watching with four tips, including staying away from salty, fatty, calorific foods, exercising before a binge-watching, setting an alarm for sleep and balancing TV viewing with socializing.
If you add these tips to your binge-watching practice, you can create lasting healthy habits and still enjoy the now-and-then binge-watching time without hurting your brain.
1. What might “it” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Gambling. | B．Binge-watching. |
| C．TV series. | D．Brain. |
| A．The long time sitting. | B．The changes of feeling. |
| C．The snacking on junk food. | D．The immediate satisfaction. |
| A．The tips on how to develop a healthy lifestyle. |
| B．The reasons why binge-watching is problematic. |
| C．The ways to keep away from binge-watching. |
| D．Do’s and don’ts of binge-watching. |
| A．Ill Health: The Result of Addiction |
| B．Healthy Habits: A Must of A Better Life |
| C．Binge-watching: A Killer of Your Brain |
| D．TV-Viewing: Gradual Harm on Your Health |
3 . It has always been thought that when it comes to tornadoes, the most peaceful place is the centre: the eye of the storm. But a photo taken this week in the small Canadian town of Three Hills, Alberta, suggests that there is perhaps no place more peaceful than inside the calm mind of Theunis Wessels.
It all started when Mr Wessels’ wife, Cecilia, was warned by their nine-year-old daughter that he was cutting grass in their yard when a violent tornado appeared in the distance. When her husband refused to come inside, saying it was moving away from them, Mrs Wessels took a photo to show her parents the storm. The photo, which has been shared widely on social media, is a masterclass in calmness.
In it, the sockless Mr Wessels, dressed casually in summer shorts and sunglasses, is seen never being upset by the disastrous column of cloud. “I took the picture just to show my mum and dad in South Africa, ‘Look, there’s a tornado,’ and now everyone is like, Why is your husband cutting the grass?” Cecilia told the Times Colonist.
When asked later about the tornado’s approach to him, Mr Wessels responded, “I was keeping an eye on it,” seeming as cool as his gardening style and attracting more than a little respect. “Alberta, Canada,” wrote one admiring Twitter user, “where men face the elements and do what needs to be done.” A writer for Esquire magazine struck a pensive note: “I can understand Theunis,” Peter Wade admitted, “sometimes when the world is raging outside, the only thing you can do is keep your small area of it.”
1. How is Paragraph one developed?| A．By listing theories. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By analyzing causes. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．To post it on social media. | B．To record her husband’s heroic act. |
| C．To inform her parents of the tornado. | D．To prove what is the most peaceful place. |
| A．His way of gardening. | B．His calmness in the face of a tornado. |
| C．His bravery in fighting the tornado. | D．His rich knowledge about tornado. |
| A．A man ignored a tornado in Canada. | B．There are some features of tornado in Canada. |
| C．A man survived surprisingly from a tornado. | D．A picture caused heated discussions. |
4 . Bullied(受欺凌的) kids face a high risk of mental health problems as teens and as young adults. Indeed, kids troubled by bullying may be worse off than those who had suffered physical abuse(虐待) or neglect, as the study found.
Until recently, most studies of child victims focused not on bullying but on maltreatment(虐待), Dieter Wolke says. Maltreatment includes physical or emotional abuse, neglect or other behaviors that can harm a child.
Wolke’s team wanted to better understand bullying’s long-term effects compared to those due to maltreatment. They focused on 4,026 children in the United Kingdom and 1,420 more in the United States. Information about bullying and maltreatment was collected for American children to age 13. They collected the same information for British youth up to age 16. The researchers also gathered data on each individuals’ mental health as a young adult.
Among the Americans, 36 percent of bullied kids had mental problems later. Those problems included anxiety, which is a state of excessive worry. They also included depression. That is a feeling of hopelessness that can last a long time. Among kids who had been maltreated by adults, 17 percent later suffered mental health problems. That was less than half the rate seen in people who had been bullied as school kids.
In the U.K. group, the difference was less dramatic. Roughly 25 percent of the bullied kids reported mental health problems later, compared with about 17 percent who had been maltreated. But however you look at it, the findings are disturbing. And that’s why Wolke says schools,health services and other agencies must work together to end bullying.
Studies like this are important, says Corinna Jenkins Tucker. They bring attention to the lasting impacts of bullying. Tucker does, however, question the value of comparing bullying to other types of abuse. Such an approach can make it seem like one type of bad experience is worse than the other, she says. In fact, both types have short-term and long-term effects on health. She’d like to see researchers study the big picture. They should try to understand how all of these negative experiences together shape children—and sometimes harm them.
1. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.| A．researchers should pay less attention to maltreatment |
| B．more bullied kids have mental problems in the USA |
| C．a similar number of children are maltreated in America and Britain |
| D．either bullying or maltreatment has negative effects on children’s health |
| A．advertise | B．inform |
| C．Compare | D．Entertain |
| A．a news section | B．a science section |
| C．a culture section | D．an entertainment section |
| A．disappointing | B．Improvable |
| C．satisfactory | D．nonsense |
5 . Did you know that the average child has heard the word "no" over 20,000 times before they turn the age of three? Ironically, it is also around this time that children begin to develop enough personal character to refuse to obey. The "terrible twos" are categorized by a lack of understanding. Somewhere between three and four, children begin to acquire the skills to reason. It is during this time they watch how other children and adults reason. If we're not careful, the children will watch us model a world of "NOs"。
By the time a person turns eighteen, how many times have they been told no? I haven't found any studies that even attempted to track this statistic, but I'm sure if the number is 20,000 by three, then at eighteen that number has multiplied. You can do the math.
Anyway, I think I know why we say no. We say no to protect. We say no to direct. We say no to stop potential confusion. However, do we sometimes say no just for the sake of saying no? Do we say no because we have internalized(内在化)all of the "NOs" we've heard over the years and we feel it is finally our time to say no to someone else?
The internalized no can damage the growth process of dreams in infancy as quickly as it can weaken a three-year-old. And we wonder why we run into people with big, un-accomplished dreams who have a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They have to take on the 20,000 NOs. However, the thing that keeps them going is the possibility of the power of ONE YES! Just as it only takes one book to make a writer a Pulitzer Prize Winner, it only takes one word to change the course of your day. That word is YES!
1. What do we know about two- year- olds?| A．They understand well. | B．They often say no to others. |
| C．They think logically. | D．They don't do all they're told. |
| A．They lose all their dreams. | B．They aren't easy to succeed. |
| C．They don't make mistakes. | D．They never say yes to others. |
| A．Tolerant. | B．Disapproving. | C．Favorable. | D．Carefree. |
| A．A how-to guide. | B．A survey report. | C．An opinion essay. | D．A short story. |
6 . I’m Jeff Logan, president of Logan Luxury Theaters Corporation. I’m very sorry to tell you many cinemas are at risk of closing permanently (永久). That’s something we would hate to see happen.
Watching the newest box office movie and eating a big bucket of popcorn is an experience that many of us have enjoyed for a very long time. We all have fond memories of going to a theater of our first dates or the first movie we saw with our children. A movie theater is so important to the fabric of the local community. It’s a place where we all gather, no matter what our interests, and no matter what ages, young and old, rich and poor.
But how much longer will classic theaters remain open? Just like other industries, movie theaters have been hit hard by the pandemic (流行病) and are going dark. The entire industry is being controlled by the pandemic, because the studios don't want to release their new movies until all the theaters can be open. As we all know, the theaters can’t do well and can’t get back to full 7-day a week at full speed operation without new movies to play.
Recently, the Logan Luxury 5 Cinema in Mitchell reopened for the weekends. However, like many theaters, it is only operating at about 10 percent capacity. Since opening, several new safety measures have been put in place. Block off every other row. People are asked to leave three seats between them and the next group. Staff spray the theater with disinfectant (消毒剂) after every show. And sanitizer stations can be found throughout the theater.
Even so, some people still aren’t comfortable going to a movie theater yet. I fully understand that. Anyhow, I just hope we must do something else to help out our local theaters, like taking part in a new national proposal called “Save Your Cinema.”
1. What does the underlined word “fabric” in paragraph 4 refer to?| A．Typical feature. | B．Basic structure. | C．Public support. | D．Common vision. |
| A．Cinemas don’t operate normally. |
| B．New movies aren’t welcomed. |
| C．People don’t like going to cinema. |
| D．Many cinemas go out of business. |
| A．It makes a lot of money. |
| B．It does well in disease prevention. |
| C．It receives a large audience every day. |
| D．It offers more enjoyable experience. |
| A．To share the good old days. |
| B．To explain a social problem. |
| C．To recommend a theater. |
| D．To ask for people’s help. |
7 . Education appears to protect older adults especially women, against memory loss, according to a study by investigators at Georgetown University Medical Center.
The Study tested declarative memory in 704 older adults (58-98 years of age). Declarative memory refers to our ability to remember events facts and words, such as where you put your keys or the name of that new neighbor. The investigators found that their memory performance became progressively worse with aging. However, more years of early-life education countered these Tosses, especially in women.
For example, the declarative memory abilities of an 80-year-old woman with a bachelor’s degree would be as good as those of a 60-year-old woman with a high school education. So, four extra years of education make up for the memory losses from 20 years of aging.
“Simply said, learning brings about learning.” says the study’s senior investigator, Michael Unman. “Since learning new information in declarative memory is easier if it is related to knowledge we already have, more knowledge from more education should result in better memory abilities, even years later,” adds the study’s lead author, Jana Reifegerste.
“Evidence suggests that girls often have better declarative memory than boys, so education may lead to greater knowledge gains in girls,” says Ullman. “Education may thus particularly benefit memory abilities in women, even years later in old age.”
The study tested individuals in a non-Western population. Participants varied in the number of years of education, from none at all to graduate studies. Future research is needed to test whether the findings generalize to other populations, Ullman says.
“These findings may be important, especially considering the rapidly aging population globally,” Reifegerste says. “The results argue for further efforts to increase access to education.”
“Education has also been found to delay the beginning of Alzheimer’s disease,” Ullman says. “We believe that our findings may shed light on why this occurs.”
1. The underlined “counter” in Paragraph 2 probably means_______.| A．cancel | B．change | C．replace | D．reduce |
| A．New information. | B．Declarative memory. |
| C．Former education. | D．Better memory ability. |
| A．slow down the process of aging | B．promote the development of education |
| C．advance the study of Alzheimer’s disease | D．ensure the equal rights of women’s education |
| A．declarative memory abilities fail with aging |
| B．women should try to obtain a bachelor's degree |
| C．learning regularly helps improve old adults’ memory |
| D．early-life education helps prevent memory loss in old age |
8 . After bikes and umbrellas are made sharable across China, some companies started eyeing the fitness market, so shared gym rooms have hit the streets in Beijing.
Unlike regular gyms that provide large, open spaces for many members to share at the same time, the newly built shared gym rooms are small, stand-alone rooms for a person to use, often set up near living communities.
Every four-square-meter room is equipped with a treadmill (跑步机), an air cleaner, a mirror, a television and an air conditioner, and users can let down the curtains for privacy. When exercising, users can listen to music, watch movies and check emails by connecting to the Internet by the screen fixed on the treadmill. There’s no shower or washbasin.
Similar to using a shared bike, users can locate a shared gym room by smartphone application, book a room in advance and then need to scan (扫描) a QR code for use. A refundable deposit (保证金) of 99 yuan is required, and users are charged 0.2 yuan per minute.
The shared gym rooms are created by Misspao, a Beijing-based technology company founded in July. Within two weeks since it was founded, the company has already got two rounds of funding valued over 100 million yuan, Yicai Global reports. The idea of the shared fitness experience is not entirely nascent. Last December, the Shanghai-based technology company VRUN set up shared treadmills in office and apartment buildings.
The sharing economy is still becoming popular in China. According to Yicai Global, confident investors are pouring millions into sharing start-ups. In March, the State Information Center published a report which predicts that the total value of China’s sharing economy will see a yearly growth of 40% in the coming years, and it is expected to contribute around 10% to the country’s GDP by 2020.
1. What makes the shared gym room different from the regular one?| A．Offering open spaces. | B．Standing in the living zone. |
| C．Holding one person at a time. | D．Having some advanced equipment. |
| A．Users can have a shower in it after exercise. |
| B．Users who want to use it need a smartphone. |
| C．Users who use it first need to pay for 99.2 yuan. |
| D．Users’ privacy can’t be protected while they are exercising. |
| A．Simple. | B．Popular. | C．Satisfying. | D．New. |
| A．To introduce shared gym rooms. |
| B．To advertise a technology company. |
| C．To predict the future of the sharing economy. |
| D．To persuade people to support the sharing economy. |
9 . To Friend or Not to Friend
We all love our parents and turn to them when we're in need, but would you like them to hear the conversations you have with your friends on the school playground or lunch queue? Social networking sites have become extensions of the school hallways, so would you add your parents as "friends” and allow them to view your online activities and conversations with friends?
In the past the generation gap included a technology gap, where children were up to date with latest technology and parents were left behind, content to continue their day to day lives as they always had because they had no need to know more about technology. However, more and more parents are beginning to realize just how important social networks are in their lives. This realization has given many parents the motivation to educate themselves about social networking sites.
These days many people are attracted to social networking sites because they can choose who they have around them; there's also a certain amount of control over privacy that we don't get in real life. Sometimes we feel that privacy is violated when we must accept a "friend" request from a parent or family member.
It's a difficult choice whether or not to allow a parent to become a part of our online lives. On the one hand we don't want to "reject" their request because that might hurt their feelings or make them feel you have something to hide. On the other hand if you do accept, then you could have a sense of being watched and no longer feel free to comment or communicate the way you did before.
A recent survey suggested that parents shouldn't take it personally if their child ignores their request: "When a teen ignores a parent's friend request, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are hiding something, but it could mean that this is one part of their life where they want to be independent." Perhaps talking with parents and giving explanations would help soften the blow if you do choose not to add them to your friends list.
1. From Paragraph 2, we learn that| A．parents feel secure about the privacy online |
| B．social networks successfully fill the generation gap |
| C．parents have realized the importance of social networks |
| D．social networks offer a platform for parents to communicate |
| A．they hide something from their parents |
| B．they are unwilling to be watched by parents |
| C．their parents tend to fall behind in technology |
| D．their parents make negative comoments on them |
| A．parents* friend requests | B．social networks |
| C．privacy online | D．the generation gap |
| A．teachers | B．parents |
| C．teenagers | D．researchers |
10 . You cannot judge a book by looking at its cover! That's what a group of parents and students in Hangzhou has found out this term.
When they came to school in September, the students were shocked to learn that their class teacher was to be a P.E. teacher. How could someone who teaches table tennis and basketball know anything about academics? Their parents were equally worried and pressured the school to replace ''Miss Muscle'' with a ''Miss Brain. '' However, the principal(校长) did not give in to the pressure and now the parents and students are happy that the school firmly insisted.
After three months, the P.E. teacher, whose name is actually Miss Su, has turned out to be a wonderful class teacher. She is intelligent, kind and helpful. She is a good leader who keeps her students active in their studies and participate in school activities. And she has won the parents over with her real caring for their children. In other words, Miss Su, the P. E. teacher, is ''pretty extraordinary. ''
The early negative reaction against Miss Su is an example of bias(偏见). A ''bias'' is wrong in thinking that has an influence on a person's opinions and decisions. For example, in business, tall men are more likely to be bosses. In the United States, anyone who is above 190 centimeters tall can expect to have a higher salary and to get more promotions than his shorter co-workers. Similarly, women have a difficult time climbing the career ladder because their bosses(mostly men!) think that women lack leadership skills and the necessary toughness to make difficult decisions. Neither of these opinions is based on facts or the talents of the individual. They're just bias.
1. What seemed to be the parents' early reaction to Miss Su?| A．They were excited. | B．They were amazed. |
| C．They were worried. | D．They were interested. |
| A．She is an excellent P. E. teacher. |
| B．She was finally removed. |
| C．She really cared about her students. |
| D．The headmaster was proved to be wrong. |
| A．tall men are usually excellent | B．people are often judged with bias |
| C．opinions should be based on facts | D．women lack leadership skills |
| A．Disagreeable. | B．Acceptable. |
| C．Careless. | D．Curious. |
