| 1. 难度：中等 | |
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Are you fed up with staring at a computer screen for hours straight just to review your classes? It’s a problem that many of us encounter(遭遇).So why not pick your headset and learn via a podcast? Podcast, or boke, refers to a range of audio programs on different audio platforms. According to China Daily, podcasts have become popular among young Chinese people who would like to enjoy the peace and power of learning through sound. Established in 2012, China’s largest online audio platform, Ximalaya saw its subscribers pass 600 million by December 2019.Among these users over 46 percent were born between 1990s and 2000s.On average, active users listen to podcasts for nearly three hours per day. The emergence of domestic(国内的)online radio platforms and the convenience brought about by smart devices are certainly two reasons for the popularity of the format.Its flexible nature also makes it a winner among the young audience. “Audio is a good medium for content that can break the limit of time and space,” Jiang Feng, vice-president of Ximalaya, told China Daily. He added that podcasts have become an important channel for people to acquire information and knowledge .It also can accompany listeners in many different circumstances including working ,studying, exercising, traveling and just before going to bed. Apart from providing company, the new media form also gives people a platform to speak out about important issues. A senior high school student who wanted to be admitted to the Central Academy of Drama failed his national college entrance examination twice. He talked about the pressure he faced on an audio program called Please Listen, launched by Mango TV on Feb 19,2020.The program was designed to relieve audiences’ worries by sharing their own stories. Podcasts tend to be a discussion, and just like real life conversations, they follow a flexible structure and usually last for at least an hour. More often than not, you can’t summarize two or three important points from those conversations, like you could from articles. They often do not have conclusions, either. It’s a very freeform medium that is very friendly to listeners,” Pan Aijuan,a podcast listener and book editor at a publishing house, told China Daily. At the same time, the use of podcasts trains people to first listen to others before offering one’s own opinions. It helps build up our patience and listening skills. Cheng Yanliang, a co-founder of the podcast Left and Right, stated that“ audio programs can filter（减缓）those bad-tempered people who would lose patience after reading several paragraphs and start writing awful comments to insult others”. With such advantages,“ podcasts are entering the mainstream(主流)in China”, noted China Daily. 1.Why does the author mention Ximalaya in the third paragraph? A.To inform the readers of its fast development. B.To show the impact it has on users. C.To discuss the characteristics of podcasts. D.To demonstrate the popularity of podcasts in China. 2.What is the main aim of the audio program Please Listen? A.To help audiences ease their worries. B.To amuse audiences in different ways. C.To allow audiences to comment on current affairs. D.To give audiences a platform to acquire knowledge. 3.Why does Pan Aijuan think podcasts are friendly to listeners? A.They can accompany listeners in different circumstances. B.They provide listeners with a sea of information. C.Their content usually follows a flexible structure. D.It is quite easy to draw a conclusion from a podcast. 4.How can podcasts influence people’s personality according to the text? A.They can make people more cheerful. B.They can make people more patient. C.They can make people lose their temper more easily. D.They can help break the habit of insulting people online.
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| 2. 难度：中等 | |
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The COVID-19 pandemic has spread far and wide. Because of this, countries around the world have implemented containment measures(实施遏制措施)to help stop the virus in its tracks. As more and more people stay inside to stay safe, the outside world seems to have become much quieter. In fact, scientists have seen this change in their research, too. Seismologists–scientists who study earthquakes–have heard less seismic(地震的)noise recently. Seismic noise is made from vibrations(震动)in the ground that are caused by things like ocean waves and human activity, such as construction work and traffic. This noise makes it difficult for scientists to pick up seismic activity that is made at the same frequency. Thomas Lecocq,a scientist at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, located in Brussels, was the first to notice this phenomenon. According to Lecocq, the amount of seismic noise in Brussels has been reduced by about 30 to 50 percent since mid-March. Interestingly enough, this is around the same time Belgium started its containment measures. Because of this reduction in background noise, scientists like Lecocq have been able to pick up on smaller earthquakes that some seismic stations–like the one in Brussels–wouldn’t have been able to before. This phenomenon isn’t unique to Brussels, though. Once Lecocq shared his findings online, seismologists from all over the world echoed similar findings. Celeste Labedz, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology, mentioned in a tweet that Los Angeles also experienced less background noise. Researchers from the UK, France and New Zealand also noted a decrease in background noise since containment measures were put in place. These global efforts to contain the COVID-19 virus have helped to shed light on seismic activity that may have gone unnoticed. It also shows that people are listening to health officials and following lockdown guidelines. “From the seismological point of view, we can motivate people to say,‘ You feel like you’re alone at home, but we can tell you that everyone is home.…Everyone is respecting the rules.’Lecocq told CNN. 1.What did seismologists find out recently? A.More smaller earthquakes are likely to happen. B.Less seismic activity has been detected recently. C.Seismic noise is caused by vibrations underground. D.Reduced seismic vibration makes Earth quieter. 2.What can we learn from Paragraphs 4-8? A.More data on smaller earthquakes is being collected. B.More seismic noise is being picked up. C.Scientists will shift their focus to smaller earthquakes. D.Future big earthquakes can be more accurately predicted. 3.The underlined word “echoed” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to“______”. A.questioned B.demanded C.explored D.repeated 4.What can we conclude from the text? A.human activities cause more seismic noise than ocean waves. B.The drop in seismic noise is unique to Europe. C.The phenomenon proved that people are following the lockdown rules. D.Many seismologists wanted tighter restrictions for their research.
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| 3. 难度：困难 | |
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Read the following passage and then answer the questions Like so many teachers，I try hard to make each of my students feel they are special. I'm not a mother, so I look at my students as my children. In short year I have the opportunity to touch their lives. I want to teach each child that he or she is special because of who he or she is. During one year of teaching of fifth- grade class, I was shown how important my actions and lessons were. It was toward the end of January when I started seeing notes passed around. This was unusual because the students had many opportunities to speak with each other while doing class activities. And because the notes were between students who weren't friends.There was not a certain individual initiator(发起人） of the notes nor was there just one receiver. They were simply circulating on a regular basis. These notes were passed for a few days before I asked several students caught with them why they were being passed. I then lectured the whole class on their disrespect to me as I was trying to teach, while they passed papers. I didn't read the notes but placed them in the trash can. After a week or two, I thought I had put an end to the note passing because the activity subsided. As January changed to February thoughts turned towards Valentine's day, but there was very little of the usual talk that goes on this holiday. The art teacher taught them to make big envelopes to hold their valentines and those were taped to the desks. I passed out a class list of names, so students could address their valentines. Finally on the day before the holiday, the students asked if they would be having a party. I asked them if they thought the last hour of the day would be a fair arrangement, and they agreed. Later they pushed for a 90 minute time period. And I gave them the old line, we will see how the rest of the day goes first. On valentine's day we went through the morning lessons with no problem. I was surprised at how calm they were, considering what a holiday like valentine's day could do to ten-year-olds. Before the students went to lunch, I told them we would celebrate when we came back. They finally showed some excitement. When I went back to the cafeteria to pick my students up from lunch, they were not there.The assistant principal said the music teacher had taken them. I walked around the building to the music department and circled back toward the cafeteria. In the doorway was the music teacher who was waiting to greet me. The cafeteria had been cleared with the exception of one chair in the middle of the room. My students all stood before me on the stage as the music teacher walked me to the lone chair in the center of the room. Candi, my shy little one spoke into the microphone. “We wanted to do something very special for you because you do so many special things for us. We had many ideas but decided you would like this one the very most. We have put together a talent show for you as our present. We hope you enjoy it. Each student performed for me that day, there was dancing, singing, a roller blade routine set to music, a piano piece, a poetry reading. Every child did something in that show. I watched in disbelief. They had organized an entire variety show on their own. There was a master of ceremonies, props, scenery and equipment. All the notes that had been passed weeks before were plans for after school meetings to prepare and organize the show. They had asked for the help of the music teacher to help them get permission to use the stage and operate the sound system. After an hour long performance to an audience of one beaming teary-eyed teacher, the show ended with all the students lined up on the stage. Together they said, “We knew the best gift we could give you would be a part of us. Happy Valentine's day.” I have never felt so much love on valentine's day for the students and for being a teacher. Questions 1 to 5. Judge if the following statements agree with the information given in the passage. Choose A for TRUE if the statements agree with it; choose B for FALSE if the statements don’t agree with it; choose C for NOT GIVEN if the information the statements carry is not mentioned anywhere in the passage. 1.The teacher regarded her students as her own kids because she didn’t have a child. 2.The students in her class didn’t respect the teacher and always passed on note in class. 3.Her students practised their performance for the talent show at school every day. 4.Her students were too young to show interest in Valentine’s day. 5.The students showed their love to the teacher in an unexpected way with the help of the music teacher. Questions 6 to 9. Match the following words with their meanings in the passage. Note that there are four choices more than you need. 6.circulating 7.subsided 8.taped 9.beaming A.recorded B.died down C.smiling D.shining E.stuck F.passing around G.moving easily Question 10. Choose the best answer from A, B, C or D. 10.What is the best title for the passage? A.My gifted and loving students B.Special gifts on Valentine’s Day C.Love first, teaching second D.A memorable talent show.
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| 4. 难度：中等 | |
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As a teenager ,I was pretty lazy when it came to doing things for my family. I worked hard at school, and sometimes looked after my younger sister .Still ,I found myself regularly resisting the urge to__________out at home with even the simplest things. Every Wednesday afternoon, for example, my mother__________ me to another town for a piano lesson. During my two-hour lesson, she’d rush to the nearby store and buy a week’s worth of __________.Given the fact that my mom had driven me twelve miles there, twelve miles back, _________for my lesson, and bought me a candy bar, you’d think I’d be very__________ to help her bring the groceries into the house. __________ I wasn’t. I generally just brought in an armload and left the__________for Mom as I ran to my room ,shut the door, and started studying. Don’t get me wrong: even back in my room, I felt__________ about not helping my mother more. Deep inside, I wanted to change my_________.But I also realized that once I did change, there’d be no going back. _________ I took on more responsibility; my parents would start__________more of me. At age fifteen, I sensed that this one small change would __________ something much bigger: my personal change from a cared-for, spoiled(被宠坏的)child to a more__________,caring and giving young man. I’ll never forget the Wednesday when I made a(n) __________to jump in and see what happened. Returning home from the__________,I disappeared into my room, as usual. But once inside, I felt that deep and burning__________.Throwing my school books on the bed, I suddenly opened my door and__________back to the garage to help my mother. How happy I felt that day! Surely, over time, I continued to help out with more housework. The neat thing was, the more I helped out, the__________I felt about myself and my place in my family. As Mom and Dad realized they could__________on me more, our trips became far less stressful, too. In short, it was a win-win situation for everyone. Sometimes the little things we put off doing the longest__________out to be the simplest things to complete. And feeling happy beats feeling guilty any day. 1.A.work B.cry C.start D.help 2.A.sent B.guided C.walked D.drove 3.A.groceries B.flowers C.fruits D.vegetables 4.A.paid B.fought C.applied D.planned 5.A.nervous B.unwilling C.confident D.grateful 6.A.So B.But C.Thus D.And 7.A.one B.other C.rest D.next 8.A.guilty B.curious C.excited D.doubtful 9.A.shape B.world C.career D.way 10.A.Unless B.Though C.Once D.Since 11.A.warning B.reminding C.informing D.expecting 12.A.tell B.mark C.express D.describe 13.A.responsible B.ambitious C.outgoing D.energetic 14.A.excuse B.statement C.decision D.appointment 15.A.duty B.store C.lesson D.holiday 16.A.anger B.shame C.delight D.pleasure 17.A.called B.looked C.handed D.headed 18.A.better B.smarter C.warmer D.stronger 19.A.live B.press C.count D.focus 20.A.make B.turn C.point D.bring
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| 5. 难度：中等 | |
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根据提示，按照要求翻译句子 1.在老师的帮助下，我在英语学习方面取得了显著的进步。（with the help of) 2.上周我们到社区和居民分享节水的一些小窍门，这大大提高了人们的节水意识。（raise awareness,定语从句） 3.尽管实验几次都失败了，他们仍毫不气馁地继续进行。（despite) 4.举办这个活动的目的不仅是帮助我们学习古代中国的历史，还可以使我们承担起保护我们文化遗产的责任。(aim) 5.上周我们邀请李教授给大家做了一场讲座，从他那里我们对于中国的茶文化获得了更多的知识。（定语从句）
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| 6. 难度：中等 | |
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阅读以下文章，并撰写文章的概要。 The famous classical pianist, Kong Xiangdong, surprised his fans last week by giving a concert combining classical music with Chinese folk music. Kong explained that he tried this because he wanted to create something new." As a musician, playing the same music in different cities of the world is very boring, "says Kong. He also feels that playing Chinese folk music on the piano can help bring it to the rest of the world. Music has always been part of Kong's world. As his mother was a great music lover, he lived with music from birth. But it wasn't always easy for the young Kong Xiangdong. His mother couldn't buy him a piano until he was seven. She had to draw piano keys on a piece of paper so that he could learn to play as early as possible. The 5-year-old Kong would practice on the paper piano as his mother clapped the rhythm. He was made to practice the piano so much that, at times, he thought about giving up. However, he didn't quit, and he became a great pianist. In 1986,at the age of 18,he became the youngest prize winner in Moscow's Tchaikovsky International Competition. He went on to win awards in competitions across the world. Because of Kong's talent and hard work, he became famous worldwide. But after years of performing, he felt that in some ways he had lost his identity. This is why he went back to his roots and rediscovered the beauty in Chinese folk music. He began experimenting with different styles and his Dream Tour Concert is the result. Kong's new experiment in Chinese folk music is so important to him that he even changed his appearance. When he arrived at his concert last week, he had shaved off all his hair! Since his music style was new, he decided his hairstyle had to be new too! Whether Kong is changing his appearance or transforming his music, he is a pioneer in music today. The concert last week was such a success that Kong's Dream Tour Concert is expected to run for the next two years in Beijing, Shanghai, and other main cities before going to Paris and New York.
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