3 . I’m confused (困惑的) these days. We are taught at home and at school that using violence (暴力) is the least civilized (文明的) way to solve problems. For example, last week I thought about hitting my friend for winning a beautiful shell while we were playing at the beach. But I talked with him instead and we came to an agreement. If two adults had a disagreement, and if they used violence towards each other in order to win, is it all right?

When two countries disagree, they often fight a war. Why is using violence not okay at home, at school, or in your country but okay between countries? Many people have been killed because of wars, not only soldiers (士兵) but ordinary people, even small children and babies. And refugees (难民) exist, too.

A war is a great violence, like two people fighting over a shell, just much bigger. Adults say they are fighting wars in order to solve problems and make peace. But can you really “make peace” by killing so many people? I don’t think bombs (炸弹) can reach people’s hearts and change them. Bombs can’t create love and caring, and that’s what we need in the world. Why do adults use violence so quickly? Why can’t they use their wisdom and talk it over?

Adults might say that things are not that easy. But they are the ones that teach us to be kind, not to hurt people, and not to kill. Why don’t they act as what they say?

A page from a 12-year-old boy, Joshua’s diary

1. At the beach, Joshua________.

A．hit his friend in the face

B．won a beautiful toy

C．played with a beautiful shell

D．came to an agreement with his friend

2. Joshua hates wars between countries because ________.

A．he knew little about wars

B．he doesn’t understand adults

C．wars create death and refugees

D．wars are not the only way to make peace

3. What’s the key to peace in Joshua’s opinion?

A．Love and care for each other.

B．Don’t use violence so quickly.

C．Stop using bombs in wars.

D．Don’t hurt or kill people in wars.

4 . Too much screen time for kids can lead to poor health the American Heart Association (AHA) says. A scientific statement published by the AHA in the medical journal Circulation said screen time from smartphones, tablet computers and other devices can lead kids to a sedentary(惯于久坐不动的) lifestyle ,increasing the possibility that they grow up as overweight or obese(肥胖的).

The AHA is the latest organization urging parents to limit how much time their kids spend in front of screens. It recommends children get one to two hours of screen time each day. Although television viewing among children and teens has dropped, the use of smartphones and tablet computers has surged.

“Although the mechanisms(机制) linking screen time to obesity are not entirely clear, there are real concerns that screens influence eating behaviors, mainly because children don’t notice when they are full when eating in front of a screen,” said Tracie Barnett, a researcher at the INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier Research Centre,in a statement.

Barnett, one of the authors of the statement, also urges parents to keep screens out of kids’bedrooms, raising the fear that too much screen time can affect sleep.

Many studies have warned about the potential (潜在的) negative effects of too much screen time. Last year, a study from researchers at San Diego State University(SDSU) found nearly half of teens who spent five or more hours in front of screens every day experienced long periods of hopelessness or sadness.

Apple, who makes the iOS mobile platform, plans to introduce new tools to devices to help users cut back on screen time. As for iOS 12,iPhones will include a screen time feature where users can control and review how they spend time on their mobile devices. Another company that makes the Android platform will introduce “digital well-being” tools such as screen time limits and a “wind down” option to encourage users to put down their phones before bed.

1. Which can replace the underlined word “surged” in paragraph 2?

A．Increased suddenly.	B．Decreased slowly.
C．Stayed the same.	D．Lost the balance.

2. How do screens influence children’s eating behavior?

A．By changing the time they eat.	B．By changing their taste for food.
C．By influencing how fast they eat.	D．By influencing their feeling of fullness.

3. What effect did too much screen time have in SDSU’s study?

A．It affected children’s sleep.	B．It led to children’s obesity.
C．It resulted in diet problems.	D．It negatively influenced moods.

4. What will Apple do to deal with the screen time problem?

A．Reduce its products’ battery life.

B．Provide a screen time feature.

C．Introduce “digital well-being” tools.

D．Add a “wind down” option to its products.

5 . Stuck at home? These famous museums offer virtual tours you can take on your sofa. According to Fast Company, Google Arts&Culture teamed up with over 2,500 museums and galleries around the world to bring you virtual tours and online exhibits.

Guggenheim Museum, New York

Google’s Street View lets visitors tour the Guggenheim’s famous spiral (螺旋式) staircase without ever leaving home. From there, you can discover incredible works of art from the Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary times.

Pergamon Museum,Berlin

As one of Germany’s largest museums, Pergamonhas a lot to offer — even if you can’t physically be there. This historical museum is home to plenty of ancient works including the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and, of course,the Pergamon Altar.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Anyone who is a fan of this tragic, gifted painter can see his works up close (or, almost up close) by virtually visiting this museum — the largest collection of artworks by Vincent Van Gogh, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters.

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

European artworks from as far back as the 8th century can be found in this California art museum. Take a Street View tour to discover a huge collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, manuscripts, and photographs.

To see more of Google Arts&Culture’s collection of museums, visit the collection’s website.

1. Which one will you visit if you like modern art?

A．Pergamon Museum.

B．Guggenheim Museum.

C．The J. Paul Getty Museum.

D．Van Gogh Museum.

2. Who will be interested in Pergamon Museum?

A．One who is fond of tragic films.

B．One who enjoys European artworks.

C．One who likes paintings of Van Gogh.

D．One who is interested in ancient artworks.

3. What is special about the J. Paul Getty Museum?

A．It is one of the largest museums in the USA.

B．It is the only home to artworks in California.

C．It includes all forms of artworks in the world.

D．It exhibits European artworks from the 8th century.

6 . Cyber bullying (网络霸凌) is a form of bullying but because it happens online or on mobile phones it can happen 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are being bullied at school you can usually get away from the bullies when you are at home.     1     Cyber bullying can be done anonymously(匿名). Cyber bullying is very serious. It can make you feel afraid and uncomfortable. You might feel like it will never end.

    2     We want you to know there are things you can do to make it stop. You shouldn't have to deal with bullying alone, so think about talking to someone you trust like a parent, carer or teacher.     3     Having someone to talk things through with is really important—it can make you feel more confident about dealing with the situation.

It is a good idea to keep a copy of the abusive (辱骂的) texts, emails, comments or messages that you receive and record the date and time they were sent.     4    

You should not reply to any messages you receive because it can encourage the bullies and end up worrying you more. In addition, you must never give out any personal details on the Internet.     5     You can block email addresses or chat users if you are being bullied by email or instant (即时的) messenger.

A．They can be there to help you.

B．It is a good idea to check your phone.

C．But with cyber bullying there is no way out.

D．No one has the right to make you feel this way.

E．Keeping records can be useful when it comes to reporting the bullying.

F．When bullying happens at school, it's usually a small group of people.

G．Such information includes your real name, address, age or phone number.

7 . Haley Curfman, 25, of Blackwell, Oklahoma, is a teacher at Blackwell Public School and last year she bought a plain(朴素的) white dress, which she set up a station in her classroom for her students to decorate, encouraging them to go and draw on the dress whenever they had free time. Haley set up a station at a table with the dress and some colored markers so that her students could draw on it, having first seen the idea on Pinterest.

After the kids had finished the design, she then surprised them all by wearing the dress to class, sharing pictures of herself in it on Facebook in a post that has since been shared over 200, 000 times.

For teachers looking to do something similar for their own students, Haley said that she bought the dress off Amazon for less than $ 20 about six months ago and pre-washed the dress before she started the project. She used markers from Walmart. But she said these things can be bought in other places. She said, “To do the project, I set up a station at a table with the dress and markers. It takes anywhere from two weeks to a month to complete as we just work on it here and there when time allows. You'd better give the students enough time so they don't have to hurry.”

“Teachers have been sharing their dresses, T-shirts, etc. with me that they've been creating since the 1950s with the same idea. It is amazing, and I love the fact that you are sharing them with me! Thank you all so much for your kindness and support,” she wrote on Facebook.

Asked why she came up with the idea, Haley told Scary Mommy. “We don't have art in our school, so, I always try to do little creative projects when possible.”

1. What did Haley use the plain white dress to do?

A．To teach her students painting.

B．To prepare for her presentation.

C．To ask her students to draw on it.

D．To help her students with their homework.

2. What do we know about the finished dress?

A．It took Haley by surprise.	B．It is kept by Haley at home.
C．It is the product of a new idea.	D．It has enjoyed popularity online.

3. What should a teacher do if he or she wants to follow Haley's example?

A．Buy the same dress online.	B．Give the kids enough time.
C．Buy the same markers in Walmart.	D．Leave the finished work untouched.

4. Why did Haley carry out the project?

A．To teach art to her students.	B．To show her idea on Pinterest.
C．To share it with other teachers.	D．To excite her students' creativity.

9 . You’ve heard that plastic is polluting the oceans — between 4.8 and 12.7 million tonnes enter ocean ecosystems every year. But does one plastic straw or cup really make a difference? Artist Benjamin Von Wong wants you to know that it does. He builds massive sculptures out of plastic garbage, forcing viewers to re-examine their relationship to single-use plastic products.

At the beginning of the year, the artist built a piece called “Strawpocalypse,” a pair of 10-foot-tall plastic waves, frozen mid-crash. Made of 168,000 plastic straws collected from several volunteer beach cleanups, the sculpture made its first appearance at the Estella Place shopping center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Just 9% of global plastic waste is recycled. Plastic straws are by no means the biggest source (来源) of plastic pollution, but they’ve recently come under fire because most people don’t need them to drink with and, because of their small size and weight, they cannot be recycled. Every straw that’s part of Von Wong’s artwork likely came from a drink that someone used for only a few minutes. Once the drink is gone, the straw will take centuries to disappear.

In a piece from 2018, Von Wong wanted to illustrate (说明) a specific statistic: Every 60 seconds, a truckload’s worth of plastic enters the ocean. For this work, titled “Truckload of Plastic,” Von Wong and a group of volunteers collected more than 10,000 pieces of plastic, which were then tied together to look like they’d been dumped (倾倒) from a truck all at once.

Von Wong hopes that his work will also help pressure big companies to reduce their plastic footprint.

1. What are Von Wong’s artworks intended for?

A．Beautifying the city he lives in.	B．Introducing eco-friendly products.
C．Drawing public attention to plastic waste.	D．Reducing garbage on the beach.

2. Why does the author discuss plastic straws in paragraph 3?

A．To show the difficulty of their recycling.

B．To explain why they are useful.

C．To voice his views on modern art.

D．To find a substitute for them.

3. What effect would “Truckload of Plastic” have on viewers?

A．Calming.	B．Disturbing.
C．Refreshing.	D．Challenging.

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

A．Artists’ Opinions on Plastic Safety

B．Media Interest in Contemporary Art

C．Responsibility Demanded of Big Companies

D．Ocean Plastics Transformed into Sculptures

10 . When almost everyone has a mobile phone, why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline (座机)?

These days you’d be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn’t own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere, anytime.

Still, 55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter (29%) rely only on their smartphones according to a survey (调查). Of those Australians who still have a landline, a third concede that it’s not really necessary and they’re keeping it as a security blanket — 19 percent say they never use it while a further 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.

More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone. Age is naturally a factor (因素)— only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who’ve perhaps had the same home number for 50 years. Age isn’t the only factor; I’d say it’s also to do with the makeup of your household.

Generation Xers with young families, like my wife and I, can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents, to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone (using Caller ID would take the fun out of it).

How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?

A．Their target users.	B．Their wide popularity.
C．Their major functions.	D．Their complex design.

2. What does the underlined word “concede” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Admit.	B．Argue.
C．Remember.	D．Remark.

3. What can we say about Baby Boomers?

A．They like smartphone games.	B．They enjoy guessing callers’ identity.
C．They keep using landline phones.	D．They are attached to their family.

4. What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?

A．It remains a family necessity.

B．It will fall out of use some day.

C．It may increase daily expenses.

D．It is as important as the gas light.