China’s top legislature (立法机构) passed the Yellow River Protection Law on Sunday. Due
The Yellow River, the second
The law
The Yellow River basin is home
2 . ZHAO ZHIZHONG, a professor of geography at Hainan Normal University, recently proposed to make the law and forbid pupils below the age of 16 to use smartphones. Beijing Youth Daily comments:
With the prosperity of the economy, many families choose to buy a smartphone for their children at school to search for materials and assist in studying.
In and out of class, the pupils have smartphones in their hands.
It seems the heavy addiction to smartphones is affecting ever more pupils at young ages.
There are certain countries that limit pupils from using smartphones in class but allow them to use them after it.
| A．While walking, they hold them in their hands. |
| B．So a flexible ban can be considered to avoid the trouble. |
| C．They, just like their parents, have become enslaved by smartphones. |
| D．However, it remains doubtful whether a simple ban is proper. |
| E．Perhaps a child model for smartphones can also be introduced. |
| F．The actual effect remains to be seen. |
| G．In fact, when children get their smartphones, the situation is different. |
3 . School starting times in America vary from an average of 7:48 am in go-getting Mississippi to 8:31 am in late-rising Connecticut. According to a survey, only in two states — Alaska and Connecticut — do schools tend to start after 8.30 am, the earliest recommended by many medical organizations. That may soon change. On October 13th California’s governor signed a law which cuts 2.7 million of the state’s schoolchildren some slack, setting a limit on starting times of half past eight for high-schoolers and eight o'clock for middle schoolers, in the hope that pupils will benefit from the extra time in bed.
There is plenty of reason to think they will. During puberty (发育期), adolescents are more alert in the afternoon and require more sleep in the morning. A research finds that later school starting times are in line with improved attendance, less tardiness (迟延), less falling asleep in class, better grades. It is estimated that moving to a half-past eight start across the country would boost the economy by more than $80 billion within a decade.
In response to the evidence, school districts across the country have begun to move start times back, but California is the first state to take the leap. Parents and unions are often bitterly opposed. The California Teachers Association fiercely resisted the change, citing the financial burden on schools as they adjust to the new hours, as well as the burden on parents who work as laborers or in the service industry. Last year the former governor, Jerry Brown, refused similar legislation (立法), saying the decision should be left to school destricts.
Supporters argue that it is appropriate for the state to set a minimum health-and-welfare standard. Anthony Portanino, who introduced the legislation, believes evidence of the change’s benefits will soon win over opponents in rural areas. “There really is no significant reason not to do this,” he says, “other than an overwhelming resistance to change from adults.” Which is an attitude many teenagers will be wearily familiar with.
1. What is the purpose of the law California’s governor signed On October 13th?| A．To make sure students get enough sleep. |
| B．To reduce the financial burden on schools. |
| C．To ensure that parents go to work on time. |
| D．To relieve traffic pressure during rush hours. |
| A．Many medical organizations recommend school should start before 8:30am. |
| B．Moving start times forward benefits the country greatly in the long run. |
| C．Teachers are optimistic about the change which can relieve their burden. |
| D．Later school starting times make a difference to students’ performance. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Opposed. |
4 . Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held. Tougher new laws will come into force in a further severe action on using a mobile phone behind the wheel from next year.
It is already illegal to text or make a phone call, other than in an emergency, using a hand-held device while driving. From 2022, laws will go further to ban drivers from using their phones to take photos or videos, or play games. This will mean anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving will face a 
fixed penalty notice and six points on their license. Drivers will still be able to continue using a device “hands-free” while driving, if it’s secured in a cradle (支架).
The government will also revise The Highway Code to explain the new measures. It will also be more precise about some facts, making it clear that hand-held mobile phone use at traffic lights or in motorway jams is illegal except in very limited circumstances.
There will be an exemption (豁免) to the new law for drivers making a contactless payment using their mobile phone. This will cover, for example, places like a drive-through restaurant or a road toll, and will only apply when payment is being made with a card reader. Anyway, it will not allow drivers to make general online payments while driving.
Mary Williams, chief executive of Brake — the road safety charity, said, “If drivers take their attention away from driving, this can be deadly. Using a hand-held phone at the wheel is never worth the risk. This important road safety decision by government, along with Road Safety Week, is very welcomed. The theme for Road Safety Week is road safety heroes — we can all be road safety heroes by giving driving our full attention.”
1. The purpose of the passage is mainly to ________.| A．present some new findings about using a mobile phone behind the wheel |
| B．describe the relationship between road safety and driving with full attention |
| C．report new problems caused by drivers who use mobile phones while driving |
| D．introduce new laws that will go further to ban drivers from using mobile phones |
| A．Hand-held mobile phone use at traffic lights is always illegal. |
| B．Those using their hand-held devices while driving will be fined. |
| C．Younger drivers are more likely to use hand-held devices at the wheel. |
| D．Using phones to take photos or videos while driving will not be allowed. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Uninterested. | D．Objective. |
The White House on Tuesday announced new actions,
The FBI will also publish a new interactive page
The Department of Health and Human Services is providing nearly $50 million from the American Rescue Plan
The COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force,
The White House has faced pressure to take more concrete
6 . Who cleans the dishes in an advertisement for dish soap? Maybe you automatically imagine a woman doing the job. Similarly, men are usually the owners and drivers in promotions（广告宣传） for cars. It seems that advertisements have created gender stereotypes （关于性别的刻板印象） for audiences.
Some people think that needs to change. In June, Advertising Standards Authority（ASA）in the UK set out a new rule, which states, “Ads must not include gender stereotypes that are likely to cause harm, or serious or widespread offence.”
“The evidence we published last year showed that harmful gender stereotypes in ads contribute to how people see themselves and their role in society. ” Ella Smillie, the ASA's project leader on gender stereotyping, told the BBC.
In the ASA's list of ads，a German milk powder manufacturer（制造商）, for example, wanted to stress that their product helps children develop. Its poster featured a baby girl as a ballet dancer and a baby boy as an engineer.
These stereotypical roles in advertisements may mislead people as to what they can do with their lives. “It may hold some people back from fulfilling their potentials, or from aspiring（渴望） to certain jobs and industries, bringing costs for individuals and the economy,” Smillie told the Guardian.
Some may say that advertising is only a small reason that gender stereotypes exist，and regulating （规范） them won't solve the real problem.
But it can be a start. “While advertising is only one of many factors that contribute to unequal gender outcomes, tougher advertising standards can play an important role in tackling（处理） inequalities and improving outcomes for individuals, the economy and society as a whole,” Guy Parker, chief executive of the ASA, said in a news release.
1. For what purpose did the author write the first paragraph？| A．To entertain readers. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To inform the bad news. | D．To stress the importance of ads. |
| A．Because they can have a negative influence on the audience. |
| B．Because they can increase the costs of many manufacturers. |
| C．Because they can discourage people from making money. |
| D．Because they can help advertisers to promote their products. |
| A．By making a comparison. | B．By providing statistics. |
| C．By presenting research findings. | D．By using examples. |
| A．An advertisement. | B．A legal document. |
| C．A business newspaper. | D．A medical magazine. |
7 . Beijing's transportation commission released a new regulation on Wednesday banning passengers from eating or drinking on the subway in a move intended to create a more comfortable space for travelers. Uncivilized behavior, such as selling products or playing loud music, are also prohibited under the regulation.
It will be included in the passenger's credit record that if a passenger disobeys the rules, and the he could be forbidden from taking the subway in the future, the commission said. The commission also assigned special inspectors and supervisors to identify improper behavior on subway trains. Prohibitions against smoking electronic cigarettes and using fake tickets were also added to the rules.
Liu Daizong, China transport program director at the World Resources Institute, applauded the new measure and said that as an enclosed space, a subway car will be filled with odors if passengers are allowed to have food. "These easily cause arguments between passengers, but there was no basis for law enforcement（实施） officers to get involved before," he said.
In January, a woman named Wang caused heated discussion online after she was filmed eating snacks and spitting out the food debris onto the floor of a car on Beijing's Line 13.She was later found by netizens to be the same woman previously filmed eating chicken claws and spitting out bones in a Shanghai subway car. Netizens had dubbed her "chicken feet lady". Other passengers asked Wang to clean up her mess but she refused, leaving the food packages in the subway car when she got off.She was later controlled by police in Beijing on suspicion of disrupting public transport.
Han Yanni, a 26-year-old white collar worker in the finance industry in Beijing, said drinking water and bread is her daily routine on the subway, especially in the morning rush. "Except for onions or sunflower seeds, I can put up with most of the eating behaviors," she said. "Especially if they take a garbage bag for their trash."
1. Which statement is true according to the passage?| A．It is not prohibited that a man smokes electronic cigarettes on the subway. |
| B．If a person breaks the rule, he may lose the chance of taking the subway now. |
| C．A passenger may be supervised by someone when taking the subway in Beijing. |
| D．One can eat bread if he or she brings a garbage bag in Beijing subway. |
| A．an awful smell of food | B．food remains | C．used napkins | D．food package |
| A．She had spitted out all she had eaten in a Shanghai subway car. |
| B．She got away with what she had done in Shanghai. |
| C．She called herself “chicken feet lady”. |
| D．She had cleaned up the mess she had caused on Beijing’s line 13. |
8 . When your alarm clock rings and you drag yourself out of bed, you probably wonder: Why on earth does school have to start so early?
Fortunately, there is a new law to back you up—or better still, science. A law in California requires that public middle schools begin classes no earlier than 8:00 am and that high schools start no earlier than 8:30 am. The law will go into effect by July 1, 2022.
Starting school at 8:00 or 8:30 in the morning may not sound like a big change, but it could mean one more hour of sleep for students who used to start school at 7:30 or even earlier. “The effect of that one hour is something they will be feeling as 40-year-old adults,” Sumit Bhargava, a sleep expert at Stanford University, told The New York Times. He said that not having enough sleep can affect students’ mental health and increase the risk of fatness and diabetes.
In the short run, students’ school performances should improve almost immediately. Kyla Wahlstrom, a researcher at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development, found that students who have enough sleep are more active in class and get better grades.
Some might say that urging students to go to bed earlier could have been a much easier solution than changing the school timetable across an entire state. But according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, teenagers go through biological changes when they enter adolescence, which makes it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11:00 pm. So when school starts at 8:00 or earlier, they can hardly get the ideal 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep that experts suggest they need to do their best in the daytime.
This is why when the new law came out, its author, Anthony Portantino, said, “Generations of children will come to appreciate this historic day and our governor for taking bold action.”
1. What does the first paragraph serve as?| A．A background. | B．An explanation. | C．An introduction. | D．A definition. |
| A．The new law is of lasting benefit to students. |
| B．Lack of sleep affects adults more than children. |
| C．Enough sleep guarantees students’ mental health. |
| D．The amount of sleep people need changes with age. |
| A．Less sleep easily makes for health problems. |
| B．California is pushing back school start times. |
| C．A law to start the school day later takes effect. |
| D．Teenagers’ biological changes affect their sleep patterns. |
9 . If you look Chinese and speak Mandarin, you can call for a ride in Vancouver via WeChat, a Chinese app. The drivers normally call back to
In July the province of British Columbia, which licenses drivers, said it would allow the big ride-hailing services
However, Andrew Curran, head of policy at TransLink, the city’s public-transport system, believes ride-hailing could
But the commercial-license requirement could have the
| A．cancel | B．confirm | C．place | D．accept |
| A．put in | B．turn up | C．hang up | D．pick out |
| A．trying | B．shouting | C．complaining | D．driving |
| A．forbidden | B．tolerated | C．advocated | D．recommended |
| A．wishes | B．ideas | C．suggestions | D．options |
| A．out | B．away | C．up | D．in |
| A．unusual | B．difficult | C．easy | D．particular |
| A．eager | B．anxious | C．cautious | D．negative |
| A．taken off | B．put up | C．broken down | D．laid off |
| A．risen | B．doubled | C．dropped | D．stopped |
| A．lessen | B．increase | C．lower | D．decrease |
| A．disabilities | B．luggage | C．children | D．friends |
| A．protect | B．ignore | C．investigate | D．inquire |
| A．coworkers | B．partners | C．competitors | D．supporters |
| A．similar | B．opposite | C．positive | D．different |
| A．discourage | B．encourage | C．benefit | D．comfort |
| A．acceptable | B．accessible | C．affordable | D．available |
| A．Furthermore | B．Instead | C．Though | D．Otherwise |
| A．excited | B．jealous | C．amazed | D．worried |
| A．reliable | B．responsible | C．loyal | D．delightful |
I argued，pointing to a very large belly(肚子) of mine，“I am married．I am having a baby．Why should I have to have someone sign for me to drive?”He answered coldly．“It’s the law，madam.”
Henry encouraged me to calm down，just go ahead and get the license and be done with it．“No，”I said．I refused to have him sign for me．So I left without a Maryland license．
I called the North Carolina Motor Vehicle office and renewed my NC license by mail--using my name Susan Brown．And thus it was for the next twelve years．Since Henry was in the army I could drive under my home state license．By the time Henry left the army we were once again living in Maryland，and I had to take the Maryland driver’s exam．Since then I just go in and renew every four years--sign the name Susan Brown，have my new picture taken, and walk out with a license to drive．
1. Susan got her first driver’s license_______．
| A．before she got married to Henry |
| B．when she was twenty years old |
| C．after she finished high school |
| D．when she just moved to Maryland |
| A．she was forbidden to drive by Maryland law |
| B．she lacked driving experience in Maryland |
| C．she was to give birth to a baby soon |
| D．she insisted on signing for herself |
| A．American males should serve in the army |
| B．different states may have different laws |
| C．people have to renew their licenses in their home states |
| D．women should adopt their husbands’ family names after marriage |
