1 . 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 of 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 realize 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 useless having the same scary conversations day after day. Instead tell us a funny anecdote, or about something 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 prefer to shop here in costume. | B．They are panicky about the disease. |
| C．They are more friendly to each other. | D．They all protect themselves properly. |
| A．Aggressive. | B．Considerate. | C．Optimistic. | D．Conservative. |
| A．To present the kind moments in a time of chaos. |
| B．To describe what it 's like working in the pandemic. |
| C．To explain why it is hard to work at the grocery store. |
| D．To provide advice on how to protect oneself in the pandemic. |
2 . Humans are no strangers to widespread viruses,and each time a vaccine(疫苗）is developed, it gives us hope for the future. Now, the world is waiting for a vaccine to fight COVID-19.
Scientists worldwide have been rolling up their sleeves to work toward an effective novel coronavirus vaccine.
Under the coordination(协调）of the World Health Organization (WHO),up to 172 countries have been engaging with the "largest and most diverse COVID-19 vaccine portfolio",a plan known as the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility.
COVAX is a system for joint purchasing and balancing the risks of multiple vaccines. When a vaccine proves to be safe and effective, all countries within the facility will be able to access it, according to Xinhua.
The plan is aimed to ensure that all countries, no matter their economic status, can get the vaccine in a timely manner when one is available. It also makes sure that prices will be kept as low as possible.
＂A number of vaccines are now in the final stage of clinical trials," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Aug 24,adding that the goal of COVAX is to deliver at least 2 billion doses of a vaccine by the end of 2021.
According to the WHO, at present, nine potential vaccines are part of the portfolio.
To guarantee the equal access and fair assignment of COVID-19 vaccines,the WHO has said that the world needs to prevent vaccine nationalism-countries putting their own interests ahead of others in trying to secure supplies of a possible vaccine.
＂Vaccine nationalism only helps the virus,"Tedros said, warning that it would lead to a prolonged pandemic(疫情） if only a small number of countries got most of the supply.
＂Like an orchestra,we need all instruments to be played in harmony to create music that everyone enjoys," he said.
Vaccine development looks promising,as several countries have made great progress. Russia began production of its first batch of a COVID-19 vaccine on Aug 15, according to its health ministry. It's the world's first registered vaccine. Four Chinese vaccine candidates have started international stage-3 clinical trials.
1. Which of the following is true according to the passage?| A．Russia is the first country to have made progress in fighting COVID-19. |
| B．COVAX ensures all the countries get the vaccine at the same time. |
| C．WHO plays an important role in fighting COVID-19. |
| D．Scientist have produced 2 billion doses of vaccines. |
| A．Supportive. |
| B．Critical. |
| C．Optimistic. |
| D．Sympathetic. |
| A．show his deep love for music |
| B．make the passage more interesting |
| C．illustrate the similarities in between |
| D．stress the importance of cooperation |
| A．United for vaccine |
| B．Vaccine on the way |
| C．Fighting against COVID-19 |
| D．Say goodbye to COVID-19 |
3 . When Faith Wanjiku graduated from the Technical University of Kenya last year, she immediately enrolled (注册) at the Confucius Institute in Kenyatta University. She wanted to learn Chinese, as she believed that it would help her land a good job.
She has just completed the hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) 3 exam. HSK is a test of Chinese language level for non-native speakers, organized by the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
However, this level isn’t enough for Wanjiku, who plans to pass HSK 6. She wanted to increase her level of Chinese and improve her spoken Chinese. And Wanjiku isn’t alone. The number of people taking the HSK reached 6.8 million in 2018 and went up 4.6 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Education said on May 31.
Chinese is becoming an increasingly popular choice of language to study around the world. Currently, middle school students in Russia can take Chinese as an elective language test in the country’s national college entrance exam, Sputnik News reported.
In May, Zambia became the fourth country in Africa-after Kenya, Uganda and South Africa—to introduce Chinese language to its schools.
And many English-speaking countries have shown an interest in allowing their students to learn Chinese. The US government announced the launch of “1 Million Strong” in 2015, a plan that aims to bring the total number of learners of Chinese to l million by 2020.
Behind the growing popularity of Chinese language learning is the international community’s positive attitude toward Chinas future development, as well as the people’s longing to learn about Chinese civilization and culture.
Indeed, it’s as the former president of South Africa Nelson Mandela put it, “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
1. What did Wanjiku do after graduating from university?| A．She went abroad. | B．She learned Chinese. |
| C．She found a job. | D．She travelled to China. |
| A．non-native speakers | B．native speakers |
| C．middle school students | D．college students |
| A．Wangjiku has lots of friends. |
| B．Lots of people want to pass HSK6 exam. |
| C．Wangjiku has passed HSK3 exam. |
| D．Many people want to live in China. |
| A．Chinese Language Study Takes Off |
| B．Chinese Play an Important Role in Economy |
| C．People Share the Experience of Learning Chinese |
| D．Different Opinions about the Function of Chinese |
