阅读理解In the world of online shopping, many online purchases are based on careful consideration of star ratings and product reviews left by complete strangers. But should you trust customer reviews when deciding what to purchase? And do these mysterious reviewers have your best interests in mind? Here’s what you need to know.Consumers today are skeptical, says Zach Pardes at review platform Trustpilot. “We live in a time when trust is completely under attack,” Pardes says. “So people are reading reviews and consuming them more than ever before, but I think there is a healthy skepticism at times of what they’re reading. Fake(假的) reviews do exist. Fake reviews include, but aren’t limited to,robot-generated reviews and reviews that are influenced by the seller.”Of course, not all user reviews you read online are fake. High-quality reviews are a valuable tool when making a variety of purchases. Pardes says Trustpilot features a team in place to detect and remove fake reviews. Perhaps one of the best-known review websites is Yelp. Yelp takes measures to ensure “high-quality content,” says Kathleen Liu, a company spokesperson. That includes allowing Yelp’s community of business owners and users to flag content that may go against the site’s terms of service.Since user reviews do provide helpful information, review as a whole shouldn’t be repudiated. But how can you tell the difference between what’s real and what’s not? It’s close to impossible for the everyday consumer. But if you conduct your investigation carefully, you can make an informed purchase.Check more than one review source. Pardes advises consumers to read reviews on multiple platforms. “If you’re about to book a $10,000 vacation, you’d never rely only on the photos and the reviews posted by that hotel’s marketing team,” he says. “You are going to want to use athird-party independent resource.” Read more than a handful of reviews. Pardes says there is “safety in numbers.” Question perfection. Pardes says consumers shouldn’t trust reviews that show only five stars. “Nobody’s perfect so you can’t possibly have a perfect five-star review in every single category of your business.” he says.1．What does Pardes imply about consumers in Paragraph2?A．They are often influenced by sellers.B．They must have long lost trust in sellers.C．They often fail to recognize fake reviews.D．They should be cautious of product reviews now.2．What do Yelp and Trustpilot have in common?A．Both aim to offer real user reviews.B．Both produce robot-generated reviews.C．Both hire professionals to rate companies.D．Both serve mainly like-minded business owners.3．What does the underlined word “repudiated” in Paragraph 4 mean? A．Overestimated.B．Dismissed.C．Hidden.D．Blamed. 4．What is the last paragraph mainly about?A．How to get the most out of online reviews.B．The significance of informed purchases. C．Where to look for reliable reviews.D．The truth behind five-star ratings.Sitting around doing nothing used to seem like one of the safest activities possible. Then a few years ago scientists discovered that sitting all day causes many metabolic(新陈代谢的) changes that together increase your odds of meeting an early end. Even regular workouts didn’t prevent the ill effects of having your bottom in a chair all workday. Suddenly, sitting became public health enemy number one.New research offers a hopeful answer to this question, finding that tiny bursts of intense activity are enough to protect your body from the worst effects of your couch potato lifestyle. The study, which was conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin closely observed eight young, healthy volunteers as they sat around. On the first day of the experiment they simply sat for six hours. On the second day they got up from their lazing each hour and engaged in five rounds of four seconds of intense exercise on a specialized exercise bike.Twenty seconds of total exercise an hour sounds like nothing, but the data showed it made a big difference to the subjects’ bodies. The next day they burned more fat and showed lower levels of triglycerides(甘油三酸酯) in their blood. In short, they didn’t exhibit the usual ill effects of having sat all day.And while the research used a special type of bike developed by sports scientists, the researchers feel similar results are obtainable with everyday home exercise equipment. However,you may have to work for a few more seconds to reach the same level of intensity, depending on what type of exercise you choose.The research still offers an actionable takeaway for business owners and others who are concerned about how much sitting they’ve been doing all day long. “When you find yourself sitting for most of the day, try to rise frequently and move, preferably intensely, as often during the day as possible and for as many seconds as you can manage,” explains wellness writer Gretchen Reynolds in The New York Times.5．What was the focus of the discovery made a few years ago?A．The causes of early death.B．The safest modern-day activities.C．The benefits of regular workouts.D．The harmful effects of inactivity.6．How did the researchers study the volunteers?A．By observing their usual lifestyle.B．By testing the triglycerides in their diets.C．By comparing their physical conditions over two days.D．By asking them to ride a specially-designed bike for two days.7．What do the research results suggest?A．The health benefits of biking have long been ignored.B．Interrupting sitting with short intense exercise is helpful.C．Everyday home exercise equipment is worth investing in.D．Getting the heart pumping to its maximum quickly is bad.8．What’s the author’s intention of quoting the remarks of Reynolds?A．To express a concern.B．To provide a comment.C．To offer an example.D．To make a suggestion.Cedar Creek TreehouseCedar Creek Treehouse is very high. About 15m above ground, it is wrapped around the trunk of an enormous 200-year-old red cedar tree. The treehouse is the brainchild of Bill Compher, who has created this special building at the border between Mount Rainier National Park and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington.Access is along a 25m-long suspension bridge, then up a five-story stairway whose fourthfloor is a glass observation area, where you can swing in a hammock (吊床) and enjoy the mountain views. On the fifth floor, the treehouse is divided into two levels: from the entrance there’s a surprisingly spacious living room, kitchen, bathroom and sunroom, while upstairs there are two double beds and skylights so you can take in the night sky.But if this isn’t enough of a bird’s-eye-view, you can climb up a separate 30m stairway, walk across another suspension bridge to a glass observatory and admire the 360-degree views of the forest. But this is not for everyone. “Climbing an 85-foot staircase, walking a 45-foot-long suspension bridge to a treehouse observatory 100 feet in the sky... that takes a special kind of person.” wrote Compher on his website.Need to know: Kids under 7 are not allowed inside the treehouse. Rates are $250 for two people per night, and $25 for each additional guest.9．What can a guest do on the fifth floor?A．Cook some food.B．Rest in a hammock.C．Stay in a glass observatory.D．Walk on a suspension bridge.10．How much is it for a couple with their 9-year-old twins to stay overnight at Cedar Creek? A．$275.B．$300.C．$500.D．$550.11．This passage is probably a(n) ________.A．advertisement B．guidebook C．instruction D．diaryIn 1972, my mother announced that we’d spend that summer in Europe. In Rome, we stayed at a fancy hotel with rooms overlooking the Grand Canal. On many mornings, our breakfast arrived on rolling tables. Mum insisted I tip the waiters and make the dinner reservations. “How?”I asked. “Read guidebooks, and ask local people,” she instructed.One day, we took a train to Paris. After pulling into Gare de Lyon, I waited in the taxi while my mother helped a lady get her next train to Nimes. “Why did you have to do that?” I complained. “When you become a traveler, you help those who need you in the same way you hope others will help you,” she said.In Paris, I finally got to test a theory I’d formed as a 9-year-old while reading a book about the lives of the French. The author’s vivid descriptions of their meals led me to conclude that France was a country where everything was delicious. Very quickly, this turned out to be true. Thecroque monsieur I had when we lunched in a café was the most amazing sandwich I’d ever had. Four days later, we reached England. My mother suggested having breakfast in a café. When we sat down at the table over fresh bread rolls and hot chocolates, I couldn’t eat. Somehow, I promised myself that I’d have to find my way back to Paris.In 1986, I moved to France, where I’ve lived ever since, mostly writing about food. My late mother eventually took pride in my career. “I guess it was that trip to Europe,” she’d say with a knowing smile.12．What can be inferred about the author’s mum from Paragraph 1?A．She was very particular over hotels.B．She felt confused about the rules of tipping.C．She put the author in charge on many occasions.D．She was eager to make friends with local people.13．What lesson did the author learn from Mom in Paris?A．Travel well when you still can.B．Chance favors the prepared mind. C．Treat others the way you want to be treated.D．When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 14．What belief did the author hold about France before his visit to the country?A．There were many great authors.B．All the food there would taste great.C．The lives of the French centered on eating.D．Sandwiches stood out among all French food.15．How did the trip to Europe impact the author?A．It directed him to his future career.B．It helped him make friends with locals.C．It improved the mother-son relationship.D．It changed his attitude towards travelling.The Best Free Tourist Places in AmericaAlaska: Anchorage Market and FestivalAlthough Anchorage isn’t the capital of Alaska, it is the state’s largest city with the largest population. The Anchorage Market and Festival is open and free of charge on weekends.Anchorage is at the beginning of the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, where walks can last between two hours and a half day.It’s free, of course.Arkansas: Walmart MuseumLying in the northwest corner of Arkansas is Bentonville, which gave birth to a little mall you may have heard of. It’s Walmart, one of the biggest companies in the world at present. It is free to visit the Walmart Museum, which attracts thousands of visitors every year. And just outside the town is the well-known Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which is also free.Connecticut: Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut was the first place in the U.S. to offer pizza to the hungry and the homeless, including students of Yale University. While in New Haven you can go on a tour of the campus, where many beautiful buildings have existed for a long time. It’s the university where President Bushes, Bill and Hillary Clinton, journalist Bob Woodward, and Samuel F.B．Morse studied.Kansas: Santa Fe TrailWestern Kansas has very little light pollution. So as you travel along, stop once in a while and stare at the night sky. The Santa Fe Trail went through Kansas and you can still walk the longest remaining distance of the road just outside Dodge City.16．What may especially attract visitors ta Bentonville?A．The chance to visit museums at low prices.B．The chance to learn the history of Walmart.C．The chance to be offered free goods in Walmart.D．The chance to be given a job in a large company.17．What can tourists do in New Haven?A．Meet famous people.B．Offer pizza to the hungry.C．Appreciate old buildings.D．Attend classes with students.18．Which place is more attractive to those who enjoy the peaceful night sky? A．Anchorage.B．Bentonville.C．New Haven.D．Kansas.When I was about six years old, I overheard my mother’s friend describe me as a “dark horse”. She’d come over to our house with her daughter and, as she watched us play, she must have found my quietness uncomfortable. Rather than accept this as part of my personality, she regarded it as a negative.A “dark horse” is someone “of whom nothing is generally known”, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. So to describe a shy child in this way feels rather unfair. It felt as if that woman was suggesting I’d never be fully accepted or understood, because of my shyness.There were many occasions through early adulthood — when people made incorrect assumptions about me. In my 20s, I moved to live with my sister. We had three flat mates. One evening, I was out and they told my sister that they felt intimidated by me. I’d spent most of my time with them listening, observing and not sharing much about myself. Rather amusingly, they had interpreted this as an inner confidence. Actually, I was just shy.Today, in an age of understanding various differences, shyness is still hugely misunderstood. Children are told to cheer themselves up; “don’t be shy,” grown-ups say. But why not? And why, indeed, can’t an adult be shy? Well, it’s because society favours outgoing behaviours and extroversion (外向). When someone speaks less, we assume there is something wrong with them. We don’t create space for people to think before they speak, and we don’t allow people to observe before joining in, while everyone is expected to participate immediately, with no time to warm up.The more I talk to shy people, the more confident I become that shyness can be a rather beautiful full personality feature. So my mother’s friend was wrong, shyness doesn’t turn you into a dark horse. It might make you quieter, but push beyond the shy outside and you’ll see the beauty that lies beneath.19．What is the cause for the author’s being described as a “dark horse” at six?A．Her special physical fitness.B．Jokes of the friend of Mom.C．Her inborn quiet personality.D．Praise from friends and relatives.20．What does the underlined word “intimidated” in Paragraph 3 probably mean? A．Scared.B．Cheated.C．Attacked.D．Betrayed.21．What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?A．Influences posed by being shy.B．Practical need of being shy.C．Causes for being unable to be shy.D．Ways of avoiding being shy.22．What is the purpose of this text?A．To discuss about ways to be more sociable.B．To tell a story about being misunderstood.C．To introduce hardships of quiet persons.D．To argue for the excellence of being shy.Fantastic Fire Festivals Around the WorldQuema del DiabloIn Central America, Quema del Diablo, or “burning of the devil (魔鬼)” takes place in Guatemala on December 7, when the devil is driven from Guatemalans’ homes and chased into the streets. By holding firework displays, bonfires (篝火), and burning devil statues, locals believe they are ridding themselves of bad spirits.Guy Fawkes NightThe most famous fire ceremony of all happens in England. Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, is held on November 5 and goes back all the way to 1605. The most famous and biggest celebration is in Lewes in Sussex, also known as the bonfire capital of the world. Whole streets are shut down and tens of thousands of people take to the streets to watch parades (游行) .Fire and Snow FestivalIn mid-February every year, the Fire and Snow Festival lights the district of Kakunodate in Japan. Originally, this festival had its roots in a purification ceremony, when farming communities would try to rid the bad spirits. The festival is now more of a community event. A sweet cake is served up there. At the peak of the festival, participants light a basketball-sized rice straw ballthat’s attached to a rope and keep it spinning above their heads.Jeongwol Daeboreum Deulbli FestivalAnother fire celebration taking place in February is the Jeongwol Daeboreum Deulbli Festival in South Korea, which takes place on the island of Jeju. Although the festival is fairly new, having only been around for two decades, it goes back centuries to when local families would keep cows. To maintain the grass, farmers would set fire to the mountains to destroy old grass and kill harmful insects. Now, a hilltop is set a light to pray for health and a good harvest in the coming year — as well as a torchlight march, rock lifting, and a straw rope making competition. 23．Where is the bonfire capital of the world?A．In Japan.B．In England.C．In South Korea.D．In Central America.24．What is the original purpose of the Fire and Snow Festival?A．To drive away bad spirits.B．To celebrate a good harvest.C．To get precious fire for farming.D．To promote different ballgames.25．What do the last two festivals have in common?A．Sweet cakes a reserved up there.B．There are insects producing light.C．They are held in the same month.D．They feature various competitions.Margie wrote about it that night in her diary, “Today Tommy found a real book!”It was a very old book. Margie’s grandfather once said that when he was a little boy his grandfather told him that there was a time when all stories were printed on paper. They turned the pages, which were yellow and crinkly (皱巴巴的), and it was awfully funny to read words that stood still instead of moving the way they were supposed to-on a screen.“What’s it about?”“School.”Margie was scornful. “School? What’s there to write about school?” Margie was always fed up with school. The mechanical teacher had been giving her test after test in geography. So she said to Tommy, “ Why would anyone write about school?” Tommy looked at her with very superior eyes, “Because it’s not our kind of school, stupid. This is the old kind of school that they had centuries ago.”She read the book over his shoulder for a while, and then said, “Anyway, they had a teacher.”“Sure they had a teacher, but it wasn’t a regular teacher. It was a man.”“A man isn’t smart enough.”She added, “I wouldn’t want a strange man in my house to teach me.”Tommy screamed with laughter. “You don’t know much, Margie. They had a special building and all the kids of the same age went there, learning the same thing from 8 a. m. to 5 p. m. on weekdays.”They weren’t even half-finished when Margie’s mother called, “Margie! School!” Margie looked up. “Not yet, Mamma.” “Now!” said Mrs. Jones.Actually the mechanical teacher was on and waiting for her. It was always on at the same time every day except Saturday and Sunday, because her mother said little girls learned better if they learned at regular time.The large screen was lit up. “Today’s math lesson is on the addition of proper fractions (分数). Please insert yesterday’s homework in the proper slot (插槽).” Margie did so with a sigh. She was thinking about how the kids must have loved it in the old days. All the kids from the whole neighborhood came, sitting together in the schoolroom, going home together at the end of the day. And the teachers were people. She was thinking about the fun they had.26．Where is Margie’s schoolroom?A．Inside her house.B．In a special building.C．On a large screen.D．Around her neighborhood.27．What is the similarity between the school in the book and the one Margie attended? A．Teachers of great wisdom.B．Classmates of the same age.C．Regular schooling hours.D．Advanced learning equipment. 28．Which of the following may Margie agree with?A．Doing math homework is more than funny.B．The school life in the old days is much more appealing.C．Mechanical teachers are more suitable in teaching for her.D．Reading on a screen is more convenient than reading a real book.A smiling panda and a walking Chinese lantern will be the mascots (吉祥物) of the 2022Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing.The mascots were known to the public on Sept.17, 2019 at a ceremony in Beijing. Beijing Mayor Chen Jining described them as lovely, unique, and awesome. He said they shows Chinese people’s longing for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in a visually attractive way and extends Chinese people’s hospitality to friends throughout the world.The panda, named Bing Dwen Dwen, is the Olympic mascot. Colourful circles around its face symbolize skating tracks and 5G technology, according to the website of the Beijing organizing committee. “Bing, the Chinese word for “ice”, shows purity and strength, while Dwen Dwen means sincerity, liveliness, and health”, the website said. The choice of the iconic animal, considered the national treasure, is not a surprise to people in China. While many applaud Bing Dwen Dwen for its cuteness on social media, some are not favorably impressed by-the lack of creativity in choosing a panda. The giant panda was one of the five mascots of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, and it was also the symbol for the Asian Games in Beijing in 1990.“Today is an important step on a milestone in Beijing’s journey to make history as the first ever, in Olympic history, to host both summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games,” International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach said at the ceremony.Based on a traditional red lantern, Paralympic mascot Shuey Rhon Rhon creates a cheerful atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which will fall around the time of the Winter Games, the organizing committee said. It is sporting (穿戴) a yellow scarf, a circle of yellow doves around its head, and a traditional Chinese paper-cut. “Shuey” means snow in Chinese and “Rhon Rhon” means “inclusiveness” and “harmonization”, implying that the world civilizations communicate with each other and live in harmony, the committee said.The two mascots were selected from more than 5800 submission from 35 countries. 29．What does Chen Jining think of Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Rhon Rhon?A．They represent the IOC．B．They have great artistic value.C．They show Chinese people’s warmth.D．They have much room for improvement. 30．Why are some people not satisfied with choosing Bing Dwen Dwen?A．Because pandas are the national treasure.B．Because it is too colourful for the Olympics. C．Because its design is lacking in creativity.D．Because a panda has ever been chosen as a mascot.31．What can we learn about Shuey Rhon Rhon from the text?A．It is symbol of Chinese culture.B．It is designed by a foreign artist.C．It is a representative of competition.D．It is a mixture of 35 different cultures. 32．What’s the best title of the passage?A．The Amazing Stories of a Panda and a Walking Chinese LanternB．The first Asian City to Host Two Editions of the OlympicsC．Beijing 2022 Mascots for Olympic and Paralympic Winter GamesD．The comparisons of different official mascots for the OlympicsDemands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe Studies by the Council of Europe of which 21 countries are members have shown that 45 per cent of reptile species and 24 per cent of butterflies are, in danger or dying out.European concern for wildlife was outlined by. Dr Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The park is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the council’s diploma for nature reserves of the highest quality and Dr Baum had come to present it to the park once again. He was afraid that public opinion was turning against national parks and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not he set up today. But Dr Baum clearly remained a strong supporter of the view that natural environments needed to be allowed to survive in peace in their own right.“No area could be expected to survive both as a true nature reserve and as a tourist attraction.” he went on. The shortsighted view that reserves had to serve immediate human demands for outdoor recreation should be replaced by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.“We forget that they are the guarantee (保证) of life systems on which any built-up area depends,” Dr Baum went on. “We could manage without most industrial products but we couldnot manage without nature. However our natural environment areas which are the original parts of our countryside have become mere islands in a spoiled and highly polluted land.”33．Recent studies by the Council of Europe have declared that _________.A．wildlife needs more protection only in BritainB．all species of wildlife in Europe are in danger of dying outC．there are fewer species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe than elsewhereD．many species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe need protecting34．Why did Dr Baum come to a British national park?A．Because he needed to present it with a council’s diploma.B．Because he was concerned about its management.C．Because he valued the park as the only national park of its kind in Europe.D．Because he wanted to congratulate the park for finally receiving a diploma.35．The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that _________.A．national parks should serve more purposes for human activitiesB．people would go on protecting national parksC．certain areas of the countryside should be left undisturbed by man.D．people should defend the right to develop the areas around national parks36．The underlined word “recreation” in Paragraph 3 could be replaced by _________. A．preservation B．relaxationC．expression D．modernization37．What do we know from the passage?A．Council of Europe is an international organization mainly intended for nature preservation. B．Industrial products are not important at all in maintaining human survival.C．Council of Europe holds high standards for presenting diplomas to nature reserves. D．Britain has the most effective measures for environmental protection.Sam is a fourth-year student at Harvard Medical School, but poetry is still a big part of his life, now with a new teacher, Rafael Campo, who believes poetry can benefit every doctor’s education and work. Rafael is a physician, professor and a highly respected poet.“Poetry is in every encounter (相遇) with my patients. I think healing is really in a very great way about poetry. And if we do anything when we’re with our patients, we’re really absorbing ourselves in their stories, really hearing their voices. And, certainly, that’s what a poem does,” he said.Rafael worries that something important has been lost in medicine and medical education today: humanity, which he finds in poetry. To end that, he leads a weekly reading and writing workshop for medical students and residents.He thinks medical training focuses too much on distancing the doctor from his or her patients, and poems can help close that gap.Third-year resident Andrea Schwartz was one of the workshop regulars. She said, “I think there’s no other profession other than medicine that produces as many poets as it does. And I think that is because there’s just so much power in doctors and patients interacting when patients are at their saddest.” Not everyone believes that’s what doctors should do, though.Rafael said, “I was afraid of how people might judge me, actually. In the medical profession, as many people know, we must always put the emergency first. But, you know, that kind of treatment, if it’s happening in the hospital, very regrettably, sadly, results in a bad outcome. The family is sitting by the bedside. The patient hasn’t survived the cancer. Don’t we still have a role as healers there?”In a poem titled “Health”, Rafael writes of the wish to live forever in a world made painless by our incurable joy. He says he will continue teaching students, helping patients and writing poems, his own brand of medicine.38．What do Rafael’s words in the second Paragraph show?A．Medical training is significant.B．Poetry has no effects on medical treatment. C．Poetry is similar to medical work in a sense.D．Patients are closely linked to doctors. 39．Which statement will Andrea-Schwartz agree with concerning poetry?A．It relieves patients’ family members.B．It contributes to medical work a lot.C．It has nothing to do with patients.D．It prevents doctors understanding patients. 40．What does the underlined phrase “his own brand of medicine” in the last paragraph mean? A．Assist the students in medical schools.B．Teach those patients in the hospital. C．Write poems for his medical students.D．Stick to his unique way in the medical field.Scientific educational toys can develop kid’s reasoning, problem-solving and critical thinking capacity and improve their hand-eye coordination(协调). But the most powerful thing is that the children will associate learning with fun. That means they will grow into adults with a thirst for。
