| 1. | 详细信息 |
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Stargazers can visit famous dark-sky parks in the world and enjoy unpolluted views of night skies. Let's take a deeper dive into what you'll see at the dark-sky parks. Joshua Tree National Park, California Joshua Tree National Park is a popular attraction for stargazers living on the west coast. Despite being influenced by light pollution on its western borders from Coachella Valley cities, its relative isolation from major cities in the east(with Phoenix being the closest city area some 300 miles away), provides it with some of the darkest skies in California. Elqui Valley, Chile A popular wine region centered on the Elqui River in northern Chile, the Elqui Valley also offers ideal conditions(high-altitude, low-population, limited cloud cover) for uncorking a bottle and toasting the heavens above. Spanning some 90,000 acres, the region has the distinction of being named the first-ever Dark Sky Sanctuary by the International Astronomical Union in 2015. It's also home to nearly a dozen observatories, boutique stargazing hotels and a large variety of tours that cover both cosmic and daytime spectacles. Wadi Rum, Jordan One of Jordan's most valuable tourist destinations, Wadi Rum is an otherworldly mountain desert featuring dramatic rock formations and wind-swept rust-colored dunes. Wadi Rum is an incredible landscape too (used for a lot of sci-fi movies like Rogue One, Prometheus and The Martian) and it's one of the dark places where you can just sit and look up at the wonder of the night sky with very little interruption. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, America It's no surprise that Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve has been building a reputation for good night sky viewing. The dry air, high elevation, and lack of light pollution all make the park an ideal dark-sky destination. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains block much of the sky glow coming from nearby cities, shrouding(遮蔽，笼罩)the park-with its 149,164 acres of dunes, wetlands, grasslands, forests and alpine tundra-in darkness. 【1】What do we know about Joshua Tree National Park? A.It is relatively separated from major cities. B.It is the first dark sky park in the world. C.It is affected by no light pollution. D.It is named as the darkest sky in the world. 【2】What helps prevent Great Sand Dunes from light? A.The wetlands. B.The sand dune. C.The forests. D.The mountains. 【3】Who are the intended readers of the text? A.Park goers. B.Space explorers. C.Star observers. D.Adventurous campers. |
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| 2. | 详细信息 |
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The seven teenagers hurried towards the airport gate. Italy's national under-16 swimming championship was taking place in Genoa and the boys were going to compete there. 14-year-old Marco Sulis looked around for his teammates. Their coach sat near them. While preparing for take-off, the flight attendant began her routine safety briefing. Most of the passengers idled away the time engaging in chatting and eating. Although air crashes are alien to Marco, he, who perceived how vital the process was, would later remember all her words. During the flight, as earlier instructed, he located the nearest emergency exit and made a mental note of the red handle behind a protective plastic shield. To open the door, one had to remove the plastic and pull the handle. Located by mountains to the north, the airport is often beaten by strong winds. Flight 1553 was a short one. The sky that day was crystalline blue and visibility was perfect. At two minutes to touchdown, the plane rocked, which was later found to be out of mechanical faults. Soon, it touched down unstably on two wheels. The captain attempted to reduce the airplane's speed by braking hard but it was no use. Slipping sideways, the plane rushed out into the sea at high speed. Tons of water poured into the cabin. Passengers were shouting and rushing towards the emergency exit door. Marco watched people struggle with the door fruitlessly. “Let me do it!” Marco yelled, leaping out of his seat. Marco smashed the clear plastic with the palm of his hand. He grabbed the handle and pulled, using all the strength in his body. The emergency exit door finally swung open. However, the emergency door pinned Marco's leg down. Passengers passed Marco as they rushed out of the plane. Already soaking in water, Marco knew there was no time to waste. He pushed against the door as hard as he could and managed to free his leg. Marco exited from the plane finally and saw his coach and teammates bobbing in the waves. He began swimming towards the concrete pier(码头).The others followed. When they reached the pier, they were safe at last. Even though four people were killed in the accident, many more survived because of Marco. Marco just simply said, “All I did was to watch safety briefing. 【1】What drove Marco to remember the safety briefing? A.His previous experience of an air accident. B.The prediction of the upcoming crash. C.His realization of the importance. D.The coach's compulsory requirement. 【2】Which of the following statements is TRUE? A.The weather condition was good for flying on the day of the accident. B.Marco was the passenger sitting nearest to the emergency exit randomly. C.The plane went wrong above in the sky because of the force of wind. D.The pilot finally managed to slow down the plane with a timely brake. 【3】Why didn't Marco leave the plane as soon as the exit door was opened? A.Because he was blocked by other passengers. B.Because one part of his body was stuck tight. C.Because he was looking for his companions. D.Because he was scared of the sea water outside. 【4】Which of the following can best describe Marco? A.Persistent and hardworking. B.Ambitious and skillful. C.Creative and considerate. D.Alert and decisive. |
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| 3. | 详细信息 |
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As one of the most momentous languages in the world, Latin had humble beginnings. It originated along the Tiber River in Italy and only a handful of people spoke the language. Over time, Latin became more distinguished as Romans procured political power. Many famous literary texts and scientific classifications were written in Latin. Even though knowing Latin indicated a person was educated, according to Britannica, in the 20th century far fewer people learned Latin”, leading it to be classified as a "dead” language. There are around 7, 000 living languages in the world, but, according to Britannica, “more than half are at risk of dying out by the end of the 21st century”. Civilizations evolve over time and so do languages. More often than not, a language dies because everyone who speaks the language dies. For example, Marie Smith Jones, perhaps the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language, died at the age of 89 in 2008, and so did the language. Now, fewer and fewer people speak Latin, which raises public's awareness about its preservation. Actually, there are many other reasons in respect of why Latin should be preserved or taught. “It is a window into an engaging ancient civilization, and studying an ancient civilization teaches us to respect different points of view and unfamiliar cultural practices," says Kathleen Coleman, James Loeb Professor of Harvard University. Since it isn't used in ordinary conversations, there are a lot of difficulties that arise from teaching Latin. Teaching a 'dead' language is distinct from teaching other languages, explains Coleman, “because there are no native speakers to demonstrate us how it sounds or answer questions about the meanings of words or justify idioms. While it's tough, we still can find the answers to our questions from the fragmentary evidence available in written texts.” 【1】What can we learn about Latin from Paragraph 1? A.Latin was well-known since its birth. B.Only educated people learned Latin in the past. C.Latin was not favored by scientists and writers. D.All people didn't learn Latin in the 20th century. 【2】The author mentions Marie Smith Jones in Paragraph 2 to show. A.Latin is going to be a "dead” language. B.what it really means when a language dies. C.why people should be aware of protecting languages. D.he is the last native speaker of the Alaskan Eyak language. 【3】Why should people learn Latin according to Coleman? A.To show unfamiliar practices. B.To respect others' opinions. C.To learn about an ancient society. D.To protect a "dead” language. 【4】What will the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows? A.The learning materials. B.The development of Latin. C.The learning methods. D.The difficulties in learning Latin. |
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| 4. | 详细信息 |
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What happens when you cross stem cells from a frog heart and frog skin? Not much-that is, until you program those cells to move. In that case, you've created a xenobot, a new type of organism that's part robot, part living thing. Now a team of scientists has used living cells from frog embryos and assembled them into entirely new life-forms. These millimeter-wide xenobots can move toward a specific target and pull themselves through after being cut. These are novel living machines," says Joshua Bongarch a computer scientist and robotics expert at the University of Vermont who co-led the new research. "They're neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. It's a new living, programmable organism. Xenobots borrow their name from Xenopus laevis, the name for the African clawed frog from which the researchers harvested the stem cells. They combined together well two different kinds of cells-heart and skin cells. The heart cells are competent in expanding and contracting, which aids the xenobot in locomotion, and the skin cells administer structure. Besides, they can't accomplish tasks without the help of computers. By studying these curious organisms, researchers hope to learn more about the mysterious world of cellular communication. Plus, these kinds of robo-organisms could possibly be the key to drug transmission in the body or greener environmental clean-up techniques. “Most technologies are made from steel, concrete, chemicals, and plastics, which degrade(降解)over time and can generate harmful ecological and health side effects the authors note in a research paper. "When these xenobots finally do stop working, they fall apart harmlessly. “Promising as these organisms are, when we start to mess around with complex systems that we don't understand, we're going to get unintended consequences Michael Levin, a biophysicist and co-author of the study, says in a press statement. 【1】What do we know about the xenobot? A.It is not easy to degrade over time. B.It can recover itself after being cut. C.It will never die with a computer inside. D.It is named after a kind of American frog. 【2】What does the underlined word “locomotion" in Paragraph 4 mean? A.Appearance. B.Position. C.Application. D.Movement. 【3】According to the text xenobots can be employed to . A.recycle waste in nature. B.replace certain damaged organs. C.deliver medicine inside patients. D.improve communication technology. 【4】What can we infer from the last paragraph? A.Xenobots can be put into the market soon. B.Xenobots are created totally by accident. C.More research should be done on xenobots. D.It is hard for people to understand xenobots. |
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| 5. | 详细信息 |
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So many things can keep you from seeing your loved ones in person, from busy schedules to long distances to a rather unexpected pandemic. 【1】 But if you're someone who's more prone(倾向于)to typed out messages than verbal ones, you may want to reconsider. 【2】 A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, found that communication interactions that included voice, like a phone call or video chat, created stronger social bonds than communication through typing, like text messaging or email. In the study, researchers used various experiments to estimate connectedness. In one, they asked 200 people to make predictions about what it would be like to reconnect with an old friend by email or by phone and then assigned people at random to do one or the other. 【3】 "People reported they did form a significantly stronger bond with their old friend on the phone versus email, and they did not feel more awkward,“ study co-author Amit Kumar, an assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business, said in a statement. 【4】 They found that both forms of voice communication-whether video or audio only-made the strangers feel significantly more connected than when they communicated via text. Sabrina Romanoff, a Harvard trained clinical psychologist based in New York City, says 【5】 “A phone call is actually more convenient when considering the net effects of the message,” she explains. “Each party is more present, and therefore, able to gauge the meaning behind the content without ruminating on the endless possible meanings behind words and punctuation.” A.“Texting corresponds information exactly in the way people intend.” B.“In reality, texting can make it hard to determine the true meaning behind a conversation.” C.People held the view that a phone call was really awkward and reconnected with their friends by email. D.Fortunately, thanks to modern technology, the people we miss are often only a phone call or text message away. E.According to science, if you want to feel more connected to the people you're talking to, you should call them instead of texting. F.In another experiment, the researchers had strangers connect by either texting, talking over video chat, or talking using only audio. G.Although people anticipated that a phone call would be more awkward, hearing someone's voice actually made the experience better. |
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| 6. 完形填空 | 详细信息 |
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A few years ago, my father arranged to send me a mail-order fruitcake at Christmastime. While I had recently settled in Manhattan with a good job, he _______my cupboards and refrigerator might be bare. I was 44 then, and he was 72. He wanted me to have a particular brand of fruitcake. Made in Texas, it was famous among fruitcake lovers-or, _______ , among people who gave fruitcakes to those who were assumed to _______ them. "It reminds me of my mother's," he said. My grandmother's _______ , I later learnt, was a cake typical of the Great Depression Dad grew up in, made without sugar, butter or eggs. _______ the fruitcake was his way of trying to take care of me from afar. Regardless of my _______ status, I was still his son. A fruitcake, in his mind, was a _______ Christmas gift: Fruitcake can fill your belly and has a long shelf life. “It should arrive the first week of December,“ he said. "Let me know what you think _______ you get it." I was looking forward to _______ the flavors that transported him to his childhood. The first week of December passed with no sign of his fruitcake. ________ by holiday mail, I assumed. He remained ________ the fruitcake would come by New Year's Eve. Yet, January, February, and March came and went with no fruitcake. Though my father ________ to ask about it, I never once considered lying and telling him the fruitcake had ________arrived and was delicious. Instead I said, “That cake is orbiting earth, and sooner or later it will ________ . ” Early last December, nearly a year after my father died from a failing heart, I got a call saying, “You have a package. " I went downstairs to pick it up. The brown box had a FedEx label with a ________ address in Texas. 【1】A.feared B.sensed C.complained D.prayed 【2】A.above all B.in turn C.at least D.on the whole 【3】A.take B.love C.need D.possess 【4】A.wish B.recipe C.version D.faith 【5】A.Making B.Sharing C.Delivering D.Ordering 【6】A.disadvantaged B.middle-aged C.emotional D.personal 【7】A.perfect B.cheap C.popular D.delicate 【8】A.unless B.before C.once D.though 【9】A.creating B.sampling C.exposing D.spreading 【10】A.Mixed B.Burdened C.Replaced D.Delayed 【11】A.skeptical B.concerned C.hopeful D.interested 【12】A.forgot B.continued C.managed D.hesitated 【13】A.finally B.gradually C.hardly D.annually 【14】A.rot B.explode C.melt D.land 【15】A.campus B.file C.destination D.return |
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| 7. | 详细信息 |
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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。 Thanks to ever-changing Covid-19 travel restrictions, many people around the world have found 【1】 (they) stranded(使滞留)far away from home this year. Over in the UK, a fast-spreading new coronavirus variant(变体)has led to several countries around the world【2】(impose) bans【3】travel to the nation, meaning a large number of residents currently abroad will not be able to return any time soon. However, the relocation website My Baggage has dreamed up a special gift for homesick residents that's quite literally a breath of fresh air. The company is 【4】 (current) selling bottles of “authentic” air from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland 【5】 (provide) UK residents overseas with the aroma(芳香)of home. 【6】 (price) at £ 25, the 500 milliliter bottle 【7】 (come) with a cork stopper (软木塞)，so the receiver can keep opening it up and taking in the aroma 【8】 they need a pick-me-up. “By allowing receivers to take a deep breath of the air from their home country we're hoping to ease 【9】(homesick) and help them settle into their new life, wherever they may be." According to My Baggage, the vast majority of orders come from those 【10】 are buying the bottles as gifts for friends or family living overseas. |
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| 8. 书面表达 | 详细信息 |
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2020年，中国著名演员何冰录制了一段旨在激励年轻人，名为《后浪》的视频，该视 频令“后浪”这个词迅速走红。假定你是李华,你的英国笔友Kitty在学中文，她发来邮 件向你请教热词“后浪”，请回复予以解释。内容包括: 1.这个词的来源； 2.你的感想。 注意:1.写作词数应为80左右； 2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯； 3.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。 (热词:buzzword) |
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| 9. 书面表达 | 详细信息 |
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阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。 A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and shabby and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out, he would not say hello to his neighbors or passers-by but simply just glare at them. The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy’s parents told him to stay away from the house, and a lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same thing from their parents. As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. “What do you want?” the old man said impatiently. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota(份额) to meet for school with selling the magazines. So he got up the courage and said, “Uh, sir, I am selling these magazines and uh, I was wondering if you would like to buy one from me.” The old man just stared at the boy without a word. The boy could see inside the old man’s house and saw that he had dog figurines(小雕像) on the fireplace mantle. “Do you collect dogs?” The little boy asked. “Yes, I have many collections in my house. They are my family here and they are all I have.” The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul. “Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors. It is perfect for you. I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much.” The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, “No, boy. I don’t need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye.” The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figurine that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family. 注意： 1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右； 2. 应使用5个以上短文中标有下划线的关键词语； 3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好； 4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。 Paragraph 1: The little boy headed back down to the old man’s house. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Paragraph 2: From that day on something changed inside the old man. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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