2 . Social welfare programs, including quality early education, earned-income tax credit and health care, can change children’s lives. More importantly, recent studies show the benefits from these programs strongly influence the next generation, lifting them out of poverty.

The long-term impact of prekindergarten is well established and widely known. 50 years ago, 123 three-and four-year-old African Americans from low-income families in Ypsilanti, Michigan took part in an experiment. About half attended a pioneering early education program called Perry Preschool, while the control group did not. Researchers have been able to track the lives of most of these children ever since. The kids who went to Perry Preschool did better in school, made more money, and were healthier than the control group.

The benefits of Perry Preschool didn’t just stop with those children. A study published last summer by Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman and his colleagues takes the implications of Perry a giant step further. This research shows that the children of the Perry preschoolers are also better off because of their parents’ experience.

As the Perry preschoolers grew up, they became better educated and developed greater socio - emotional skills than the control group. They became better parents. Their children grew up in harmonious two-parent families that made, on average, about $ 10,000 more a year. It was enough to lift many of them out of poverty. This healthy upbringing has had a long-lasting effect on the children of the Perry preschoolers. Compared to the children of the control group, they were much less likely to have dropped out, and more likely to have graduated from high school.

Here’s another example. A Norwegian study demonstrated the decades-long impact on babies who, during their first year, benefited from their mothers’ having had the opportunity to sign up for free mother and child health care centers. In the following years, these youngsters grew taller and stayed in school longer than those whose mothers did not receive the same support. At 40, they are in better health.

1. What do we know about Perry Preschool?

A．It provided early quality education.	B．It divided the kids into two groups.
C．It received kids from all backgrounds.	D．It continued to track half of the kids’lives.

2. What does the underlined word“implications”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Truths.	B．Assumptions.
C．Effects.	D．Suggestions.

3. What did the Perry Preschool experiment find?

A．Perry preschoolers received less education.

B．It had no impact on the participants’ children.

C．Early education could bring economic benefits.

D．The children of the control group became healthier.

4. What does the author want to convey through the text?

A．Early quality education matters most.

B．Social welfare can break the cycle of poverty.

C．Wealth can be passed down through generations.

D．Parents are important in shaping future generation.

3 . In her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo makes the case that decluttering (清理杂物) can dramatically transform your life. Ridding your spaces of unused and unwanted stuff can make you happier, more confident and maybe even slimmer.

Judging by the popularity of her message and method, Kondo’s philosophy satisfies many people’s need. Yet the evidence backing the benefits of decluttering is mixed.

One 2013 study found that orderly spaces promote healthy choices but also conventional thinking, while working in a messy or disorganized space promotes creativity and new ideas. Einstein, famously, had a very untidy desk and has been quoted as saying, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?”

Another study linked physical clutter (杂乱) to lower levels of life satisfaction. But one of the authors of that study says that clutter, rather than a problem in and of itself, seems to be a symptom of other problems, especially unchecked consumerism (无节制的消费). “In this society of abundance we live in, I think the idea that we have to have more makes us less satisfied with life,” says Joseph Ferrari, coauthor of the study. “It isn’t abundance that’s the problem as much as attachment to abundance.”

Other psychologists say technology may also be contributing to America’s keenness for organization. The complexity and disorderliness of life online encourages many people to seek order in their physical spaces, Dr. Dodgen Magee says. “But then you find when your room or your inbox is organized, your world hasn’t stopped being complex, ” she says. At this point, many people decide even more organizing is needed, she says. But this can lead to compulsive (难控制的) tidying and, unavoidably, a sense of failure when you just can’t keep things as neat and orderly as you’d like them to be, she explains.

“The more of a mess our internal world becomes, the more likely we are to grab onto something that gives us this sense of peace,” she says. While a little tidying can be a calming distraction, she says, it’s a temporary bandage, not a cure.

1. What do we know about Kondo’s philosophy?

A．It’s based on solid evidence.	B．It involves spirit-lifting methods.
C．It’s popular with many people.	D．It leads people to recycle unused stuff.

2. What does the example of Einstein serve to show?

A．An empty desk is a sign of an empty mind.

B．Orderly workspaces can bring health benefits.

C．An untidy desk can damage working efficiency.

D．Messy environments are likely to encourage creativity.

3. What does Joseph Ferrari say about physical clutter?

A．It determines people’s life satisfaction.

B．It contributes to unchecked consumerism.

C．It reflects people’s attachment to technology.

D．It arises from the desire for more possessions.

4. What can be inferred about tidying from the last two paragraphs?

A．It can lead to a feeling of frustration.	B．It makes people’s world more complex.
C．It can provide lasting peace of mind.	D．It works better with the help of technology.

5 . It was a cold Saturday night in February. Some 200 New Yorkers carefully made their way to the reservoir (水库) in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the magical snowy owl, who had touched down in the park the week before in what was reported as the first visit there by the species in more than 130 years.

Except for a few excited screams from children, people were quiet — patiently awaiting the owl’s arrival at the reservoir’s north gatehouse. The snowy owl did not disappoint. She flew down from the darkness and surveyed the water and the people holding phones and cameras before taking off into the night to the applause of her many fans. They simply wanted to see this lovely creature whose improbable appearance seemed to signify hope after the lockdown.

New Yorkers who had long taken Central Park for granted felt a renewed love for this rectangle of green in the heart of the big city and, of course, its amazing wildlife. That the park is a beautiful and essential refuge is something that humans have only come to fully appreciate during these recent times of uncertainty.

Central Park was originally planned and constructed during another difficult time in the nation’s history — in the years before and during the American Civil War. Unlike many European parks that had originally been built for the aristocracy (贵族), Central Park was designed as a public space. In its chief architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s words, the poor and rich alike could “easily go there after their day’s work is done” and “stroll for an hour, seeing, hearing, and feeling nothing of the noise of the streets.”

As spring turns into summer, we see people sitting on the grass or benches — catching some sun, having family picnics, or tapping away on their laptops and iPads. Just being in proximity to other people in Central Park gave us a sense of community — the sense that we would somehow persevere.

1. What did people do in Central Park on that Saturday night?

A．They cheered for each other.	B．They paid their first visit.
C．They came for a rare sight.	D．They appreciated a water event.

2. What does the author mainly intend to do in Paragraph 4?

A．Give some examples.	B．Make a comparison.
C．Introduce a new opinion.	D．Add background information.

3. What do the underlined words “in proximity to” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．close to	B．free from
C．at a distance from	D．in comparison with

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Find Refuge in Central Park

B．Take Your Breath by Snow Owl

C．Trace Central Park to difficult times

D．Meet an improbable “visitor” in person

6 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Our ancestors did it out of necessity, but we are returning to their ways out of a desire to preserve the planet     1     future generations. Claire Jackson investigates the return of our make-do-and-mend and it turns out that “fast” fashion has been replaced by a “slow” fashion     2    (move).

Reports that 300,000 tons of     3    (use) clothing ends up in UK landfill every year have led to a comeback of make-do-and-mend, encouraging increasing numbers of people to take a renewed interest in maintenance,     4    (buy) second-hand and to choose quality over quantity.

“There used to be a feeling of shame attached to wearing second-hand clothes,” reflects Anita Taylor, a shop owner. “We’re now meeting people     5     are sourcing their clothes from agencies such as ours, having committed to not buying anything new for a year.”

In days gone by, wearing a     6    (visible) mended jacket would have been considered an embarrassment, but now it may be prized for     7    (it) beauty and practicality.

Despite the growing interest in mending, basic sewing skills — particularly among younger generations —     8    (be) surprisingly scarce(不足的). If you really can’t fix something, you can always repurpose it. By the way, it’s all     9     matter of taste. No matter     10     my mother-in-law may say, I happen to like my silver bracelet made out of an old fork very much.

7 . Remote work, especially in a world affected by COVID-19, naturally leads to "flex time". Employees with small children might be getting the majority of their work done at night after the kids are in bed. Working early, you quit early. Starting late, work late.

With your teammates working during different hours, you may be getting messages at all hours of the day, night, or weekend, making you always available. That might be necessary in some industries during these challenging times, but certainly not in every industry and not for everyone in any industry. Once this takes root in your company culture, it becomes difficult to "reset" later. Besides, “always-on” isn't sustainable (可持续的), which increases pressure and quickly turns your company into an unpleasant place to work.

If your company adapts "flex time", how can you accommodate your employees’ needs while still protecting your culture and your team's work-life balance? The key is to encourage flex time while also setting clear "communication hours" (for example, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.）. Outside of those hours, employees should be encouraged to change their settings to "Do Not Disturb" and to use the “schedule send” feature of their email client so that messages only get delivered during communication hours.

If messages must happen outside of the set communication hours, such as for urgent or time-sensitive issues, make employees phone or text only. This way people can comfortably close down all other communication channels like email, WeChat, WeCom, etc. The act of having to call or text someone is usually enough to give the sender a pause to think, "Do I really need this person now, or can the communication wait?" This allows everyone on your team to work whenever is appropriate for them, but not feel like they have to work all the time to accommodate everyone else's schedule. A word of “Thanks for being so responsive” to someone answering an email outside of the defined communication hours definitely brings empathy (同理心) which smooths the urgency while also cultivating the trust and culture.

1. What may result in the phenomenon of "always-on"?

A．COVID-19.	B．Some industries.
C．Increasing pressure.	D．Flexible working time.

2. What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．The phenomenon of "flex time".	B．The disadvantages of “flex time”.
C．The necessity of “flex time”.	D．The company culture of “flex time”,

3. What can we know about ''communication hours"?

A．It helps to make up for the shortcomings of “flex time".

B．It should be set from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

C．Employees mustn't be disturbed within the hours.

D．Employees are still responsive outside of the hours.

4. What is the author's attitude to the combination of "flex time” and “communication hours”？

A．Neutral.	B．Supportive.
C．Opposed.	D．Indifferent.