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Rap, a style of hip-hop music, was created in the 1980s in the United States. It first became popular among young black people in New York City. By the beginning of the 21st century, it had become a presence around the world. Its performers, called rappers, have their own fashion style. They often wear a baseball cap, large jewelry, brightly colored clothes and oversized jeans. And it's evident that rap is no stranger to negative stereotypes（刻板印象）， but this entertainment medium, is actually a means of human expression. You can find a lot of evidence.
Rapper Chen Jinnan performed her hit song Malice From the World on the reality show Rap for Youth. Chen said that she wrote the song last year after receiving a message from a fan who was battling severe depression and had been ignored by her parents and schoolmates. "I shared my own story with her in the hope of offering her encouragement," Chen told China Daily. Another rapper who appeared on the show is a well-known rapper TangoZ， who expresses his love for his hometown of Hangzhou-his "heaven on Earth"-and raps in the dialect. "Wu dialect is disappearing at an alarming rate, so I struggle to make the situation a bit better. " he told independent media platform RADII China.
Just as Li Yuchun, a mentor（导师） on the reality show,pointed out that rapping is not defined by anger. "A lot of people think that Diss-or disrespect-is the only definition of rap. But on this show,I'm touched and proud of the fact that you can express gratitude and kindness through music writing and rapping," she said.
Actually, rapping, for most performers, is a way to express opinions and let their voices be heard. If you dive deep into it,you'll find that it's charming. Just as Hannah George wrote on the website Soundigest. "It's a diary …someone's life on display for the world to enjoy, grieve （悲伤） with or be inspired by."



What can we know from Paragraph 1？ ______

A. Rap originated in the United States.
B. Only the young black people loved rap.
C. People usually think highly of rap.
D. Rappers like wearing strange clothes.

Why are the two rappers mentioned in Paragraph 2？ ______

A. To show that they are quite talented rappers.
B. To tell us that they went through tough times.
C. To explain what inspired them to create their works.
D. To confirm that rap is a method of human expression.

What can be concluded from the text？ ______

A. Rapper Chen once developed severe depression.
B. Li Yuchun assumes that disrespect defines rap.
C. TangoZ tries to save Wu dialect from extinction.
D. Hannah George is a foreign rapper.

What can be the best title for the text？ ______

A. The origin of rap
B. The popularity of rap
C. Rap, the voice of mind
D. Rap, a style of music

The novel coronavirus outbreak has spread far and wide. As of March 17， there had been over 180， 000 reported cases in more than 130 countries.
As more areas become affected, you may have noticed that countries are fighting the virus differently. This is because countries have their own unique laws and healthcare systems. Even though they are different, they all share the same goal of keeping people safe and healthy.
In Southeast Asia, there are many different types of healthcare systems. Take Singapore as an example. The government runs hospitals that provide basic healthcare. It is cheap but people can pay extra for private rooms and better service.
Medical treatment in Singapore is paid for in a very interesting way. First, workers save money in required savings accounts. Then, this money can be used to pay for things like healthcare, housing and education.
In Europe, many countries have universal healthcare. In this type of system, this costs of healthcare are usually covered by taxes. In this way, the rich help pay for the poor and younger people help pay for the elderly. Universal healthcare helps reduce medical costs for anyone who may need to see a doctor or get treatments.
"We live in a system in which we guarantee health and the right of everyone to be cured," Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said. "It's a basis, a pillar （支柱）， and I'd say a characteristic of our system of civilization."
The United states, however, does not have universal healthcare. Instead, many US citizens have healthcare through private insurance or government programs.
"Dealing with the coronavirus with tens of millions of people without health insurance…will be a uniquely American challenge among developed countries," Larry Levitt,the executive vice president for health policy at Kaiser Family Foundation wrote on Twitter （推特）.
Healthcare systems are designed to help people who are sick. But if too many people get sick at once,it can be difficult for countries with even the best healthcare systems to handle.



Why does the author mention Singapore？ ______

A. To promote its medical treatment.
B. To share its healthcare practices.
C. To introduce its society system.
D. To study its medical system.

Where do the costs of healthcare in Europe usually come from？ ______

A. The government's Taxes.
B. The citizens' donations.
C. Bank savings accounts.
D. Medical insurance.

What do Larry Levitt's words on Twitter indicate？ ______

A. Developed countries need more healthcare.
B. America will lose control of the coronavirus.
C. Health insurance is troubling many countries.
D. The coronavirus is challenging American health policy.

Which of the following can be the best title for the text？ ______

A. Attitudes to Basic Healthcare
B. Ways to Handlethe Novel Coronavirus
C. Novel Coronavirus Spreading Worldwide
D. Global Healthcare Facing New Challenges

Climate change leads to threat to the world's sandy beaches, and as many as half of them could disappear by 2100， a new study has found. Even by 2050 some coastlines could be unrecognizable from what we see today,with 10% to 12% facing severe erosion（侵蚀）.
Using updated sea level rise predictions, the researchers analyzed how beaches around the world would be in a future with higher seas and more damaging storms. They also considered natural processes like wave erosion, as well as human factors-like coastal building developments, all of which can affect a beach's health. The study found that sea level rise is expected to outweigh these other factors, and that the more heat-trapping gases human put into the atmosphere, the worse the influences on the world's beaches are likely to be.
It's hard to overstate just how important the world's beaches are. They cover more than one third of the world's coastlines, and protect coastal areas from storms. Beaches are also important economic engines, supporting relaxation, tourism and other activities. And in some areas, the beach is more than a vacation destination. In places like Australia, life near the coast revolves around the beach for much of the year.
Some of the world's most popular beaches are already taking action. Places like Miami Beach are trucking in thousands of tons of sand to patch up（修复） badly eroded shorelines, while others have built sea walls and breakwaters in an attempt to hold precious sand in place. But the financial and environmental costs of these projects are huge, and scientists say rising seas and more powerful storms, supercharged by a warmer climate, will make thisa losing battle.
However, the researchers did find that humans have some control over what happens to the world's beaches. If the world's governments are able to stick to modest cuts to heat-trapping gas pollution, the researchers found that 22% of projected beach losses by 2050 could be prevented, a number that grows to 40% by 2100 if greenhouse gases are limited.



Which is the biggest contributor to severe beach erosion？ ______

A. Damaging storms.
B. Wave erosion.
C. Coastal building.
D. Sea level rise.

What can we infer from Paragraph 3？ ______

A. It is hard to protect coastal beaches.
B. One third of storms take place near beaches.
C. Beaches are of great significance to our lives.
D. Most Australians live on beach tourism.

What does the underlined word "this" refer to in Paragraph 4？ ______

A. Popularizing the beaches.
B. Holding sand in place.
C. Reducing the project costs.
D. Stopping global warming.

What is the best title for the text？ ______

A. Half beaches could disappear by 2100.
B. Climate change is doing harm to our lives.
C. The beach is more than a vacation destination.
D. Governments are taking action to fight wave erosion.

It could be said that the northernmost part of our planet holds the secrets of our past as well as our future.
Through our exploration of the Arctic,scientists have discovered more about the biodiversity（生物多样性） of the area as well as how to preserve Earth's ecosystems. Yet as one of the most severe but most primitive（原始的）places on Earth, the Arctic has been affected by human activities---research and exploration, booming tourism and above all, global warming---in recent decades.
Jonathan Smith,producer of the BBC documentary Blue Planet Ⅱ，shared his filming experience in the Arctic. "We were all set and ready to film but we needed two major things---walrus（海象） and ice. I had expected that walrus may be hard to find, but I didn't expect it to be hard to find ice," he told the BBC. "The crew was all commenting on how surprisingly warm it was."
They were not mistaken. Scientists have been recording changes in the Arctic. Its sea ice minimum in summer, for example, has reduced by 40 percent in the past 30 years,NASA data showed. These changes have had bad influences on the Arctic and the human, animal and plant life that calls it home.
But the effects of these changes are not limited to the inhabitants of this area alone. In fact,it could be said that the weight of the world relies on this icy region. The Earth's steady climate depends on the Arctic's sea ice,which acts as a huge white reflector（反光体）at the top of the planet,bouncing some of the sun's rays back into space. The more Arctic sea ice melts, the less light is reflected,and the more the dark oceans will absorb the sun's radiation. The Arctic also helps circulate ocean movement,moving cold and warm water around the globe.
With visible changes in the global climate,the Arctic has given us a wake-up call---what happens "up in the North" doesn't just stay there. It comes with a high cost to the world at large. It's time for us to pay attention to this chilly region and learn more about what's happening there, as well as its past and possible future.



According to the passage, which of the following is the most threatening challenge the Arctic faces？ ______

A. Coldness.
B. Darkness.
C. Global warming.
D. Wilderness.

Why does the author quote Jonathan Smith's words in Paragraph 3？ ______

A. To give an example.
B. To support an idea.
C. To clarify a question.
D. To provide more information.

Why are the effects of the changes in the Arctic so important to the whole world？ ______

A. The sea ice absorbs the sun's radiation to keep the Earth's climate steady.
B. The Arctic helps circulate air around the world.
C. The Arctic is home to the human, animal and plant life.
D. The sea ice helps reduce global warming by reflecting the sunlight.

Which word best describes the author's attitude to the present situation of the Arctic？ ______

A. Concerned.
B. Approving.
C. Optimistic.
D. Contradictory.

When I was a teenager, I knew nothing about mental health. If you talked about "safe spaces"， I'd think that you meant a bank. What's more, I didn't care about mental health. Why would I？ As Dad used to say, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it!"
But unfortunately my mental health did "break". I was diagnosed （诊断） as seriously clinically anorexic（厌食的） at age 23. I had immediate treatment in hospital, which lasted two and a half years. People always wonder what helped me recover and the key was simple： comedy （喜剧）.
I'm a professional stand-up comic. Comedy began as my hobby and has progressed into a job. The word "comedy" is believed to come from the Ancient Greek kōmos meaning "to reveal"， whose job is to reveal, explain and understand things. This was something I turned to when I was in recovery from anorexia. I'd never been able to explain what was going on inside my head； trying to explain what's going on in your mind is like trying to explain a color to someone who's blind. So humour became a way of understanding things and then a way of explaining them.
Dr Dieter Declercq, Lecturer in Film at the University of Kent, believes "Humor can change our opinions on a difficult situation" . However, he adds carefully that We should avoid judgments like "All humour is good for you. " In his new book Satire, Comedy and Mental Health, he looks at how comedy can be used as a mental health method. Enjoyed with others, it is important for good mental health and recovery.
Stand-up comedy was important to my recovery. I know I'm not alone in that. So I want to pay that forward and show other people your mental health doesn't have to be "broken" before you can "fix it".



How did the author treat the issue of mental health as a teenager？ ______

A. She took it seriously.
B. She was confident of it.
C. She hated talking about it.
D. She paid no attention to it.

What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3？ ______

A. Explain how comedy helps.
B. Share what she went through.
C. State where comedy comes from.
D. Show why comedy is a common hobby.

What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 4 refer to？ ______

A. Comedy.
B. Film.
C. A difficult situation.
D. The new book.

In which section of a magazine is this text probably from？ ______

A. Health & Life.
B. Man & Nature.
C. Science & Technology.
D. Society & Opinion.

Anyone who has worn a cast （石膏） knows that rebuilding muscle strength once the cast is removed can be difficult. Now researchers at the Ohio Musculoskeletal and Neurological Institute （OMNI） at Ohio University have found that the mind is crucial in maintaining muscle strength following a long period of not moving and that mental imagination may be key in reducing the associated muscle loss.
Strength is controlled by a number of factors-the most studied by far is skeletal（骨骼的）muscle. However, the nervous system is also an important, though not fully understood, determining factor of strength and weakness.
Brian C. Clark and colleagues set out to test how the system functions in strength development. They designed an experiment to measure changes in wrist muscle strength in three groups of healthy adults. Twenty-nine subjects wore a hard cast that extended from just below the elbow（肘）past the fingers,effectively preventing the hand and wrist from moving,for four weeks. Fifteen subjects who did not wear casts served as the control group.
Of the 29 people wearing a hard cast,half were asked to regularly perform an exercise,imagining they were strongly contracting their wrist for five seconds and then resting for five seconds. This was repeated four times in a row followed by a one-minute break for a total of 13 rounds per session and five sessions per week. The other half performed no imagination exercises.
At the end of the four-week experiment,both groups who wore casts had lost strength in their unmoving limbs（肢体）when compared to the control group. But the group that performed imagination exercises lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group. The nervous system's ability to fully make the muscle recover also returned more quickly in the imagination group compared to the non-imagination group.



What does the underlined word "crucial" mean in the first paragraph？ ______

A. Significant.
B. Disapproving.
C. Serious.
D. Criticizing.

Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage？ ______

A. Scientists have partly understood the nervous system.
B. The number of the subjects in the experiment was 29 in all.
C. Scientists have already spent a lot of time in studying skeletal muscle.
D. Whoever has worn a cast for long may have difficulty in muscle recovery.

What can we infer from the experiment？ ______

A. The control group lost 50% less strength than the non-imagination group.
B. The imagination group lost more strength than the non-imagination group.
C. The speed of non-imagination group's muscle recovery was slower.
D. The control group wore casts but didn't perform the imagination exercise.

Where can you most probably find the passage？ ______

A. In a textbook .
B. In a storybook.
C. In a science magazine.
D. In a book review.

Now scientists believe that global warming affects hibernating animals, causing them to wake up earlier. While this may seem a little concern, it is in fact a significant environmental problem. The shortened hibernation （冬眠） period could actually lead to significant declines in the populations of several species.
Some of the first concrete evidence of the phenomenon came from Colorado, where researchers at the Rocky Mountain Biological lab have been observing marmot（旱獭）hibernation behavior since the 1970s. In the early days of their studies, marmots generally hibernated several weeks into the month of May. Nowadays, however, temperatures in the area have risen by 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and the marmots are waking up about a month earlier.
At least the marmots are still hibernating. Several other animals have not been hibernating at all recently. Brown bears in the Spanish Cantabrian Mountains did not hibernate last year. In parts of the United States, chipmunks（花鼠）also skipped the hibernation period. The bears seem to have survived without losing many individuals. The chipmunks, however, were not so lucky. Many of the animals died of starvation during the winter.
The problem with animals waking up early,or skipping hibernation altogether,lies with the creatures' metabolism（新陈代谢）. When an animal hibernates, their metabolism drops significantly. The animals' heart rate slows, and they require very little energy to live. When the animals awake from their winter slumber， their metabolism returns to normal.
But while their metabolism may be as active as it was before hibernation,food sources aren't as available as they were before. A marmot may wake up when temperatures get warmer,thinking it's spring,but plants will not have gotten the amount of sun they need to signal their spring period of growth. So until the plants grow, the marmots have no reliable food source.
Many scientists believe the problem will continue to get worse. In addition to changes in hibernation patterns, some believe that other animals will also begin to change their migration patterns or begin to give birth earlier. For many biologists, that's a scary prospect. Terry Root, an animal expert at Stanford University, said： "I do think what we will be facing is the extinction of many species."



What is the viewpoint of the writer？ ______

A. Global warming will continue to get worse as time goes on.
B. Global warming will lead to shortened hibernation of some animals.
C. Shortened hibernation could result in declines in the population of animals.
D. Some animals will skip hibernation altogether.

The writer sets the example of the marmot so as to ______ .

A. explain that global warming influences animals' hibernation
B. indicate that the weather gets warmer and warmer now
C. show that the weather in the United States is quite different
D. say some animals do not hibernate now due to warm weather

The underlined word "slumber" in the fourth paragraph means ______ .

A. weather
B. activity
C. nest
D. sleep

Why can't marmots find enough food when they wake up？ ______

A. Because there are too many marmots in the wild now.
B. Because plants haven't received enough sunlight for spring growth.
C. Because winter days end much earlier than before.
D. Because more and more animal species skip hibernation now.

By the end of the century, if not sooner oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms （海洋微生物） called phytoplankton. Owing to the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colorful patterns on the ocean surface. Ocean color varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, resulting in changes in the ocean's appearance.
Living on the ocean surface, Phytoplankton absorb carbon dioxide into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When they die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, and help to adjust the global climate. But phytoplankton are allergic to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes essential characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃， it found that multiple changes to the ocean color would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplanktor could become even bluer. But in some waters, a warming will make conditions suitable for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. "Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing," she said, "but the type of phytoplankton is changing."
And why does that matter？ Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. "If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean," Dutkiewicz said, "it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive." Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.
Whatever color changes the ocean may experience in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. "It'll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change," Dutkiewicz said, "but the change in the color of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have transformed our planet."



What is the major cause that directly results in changes in the ocean's color？ ______

A. The temperature of sea water.
B. The type and concentration of phytoplankton.
C. The oxygen given off by phytoplankton.
D. The amount of carbon dioxide in the area.

What can be learned from the passage？ ______

A. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate.
B. Phytoplankton are of little significance in Dutkiewicz's research.
C. Phytoplankton are not sensitive to the warming trend in the ocean.
D. A warming trend helps phytoplankton grow and oceans may appear greener.

What is the main purpose of the passage？ ______

A. To describe the importance of phytoplankton.
B. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans.
C. To introduce a new approach to phytoplankton study.
D. To assess the consequences of changes in ocean color.

Coral reefs （珊瑚礁） are an essential part of sea life and support it by providing shelter and habitat to various living things. They also supply and recycle nutrients（养分）as well as enable a growing fish population, along with other species, for a healthy and diverse ecosystem. However, the rise in average water temperatures due to climate change has resulted in more frequent and longtime "coral bleaching（白化现象）" events that damage their health, causing fish and other sea species to abandon them.
In order to repair this delicate（脆弱的）ecosystem,scientists from the UK and Australia conducted a study that used loudspeakers underwater near damaged coral reefs to make them sound healthy and attract fish,potentially starting the natural recovery process of coral reefs and their dependent life forms. The location for this experiment was the Great Barrier Reef in the coral Sea,found alongside the east coast of Queensland, Australia. The site is noted to have the largest coral reef system in the world.
"Healthy coral reefs are surprisingly noisy places - - the crackle （噼啪声）of snapping shrimp and the whoops and grunts （咕嘟声）of fish. Young fish concentrate on these sounds when they're looking for a place to settle"， said Steve Simpson, study co-author and a professor at the University Exeter, UK.
By using loudspeakers to copy such sounds, parts of dead coral reefs were found to attract twice as many fish, compared to places where no sounds were played."These returning fish,are very important for coral reefs to function as healthy ecosystems. Improving fish populations in this way could help to start natural recovery processes, preventing the damage we're seeing on many coral reefs around the world," said lead author, Tim Gordon.



What causes the phenomenon of coral bleaching？ ______

A. Climbing temperatures.
B. Noise pollution.
C. Fishing industry.
D. Diverse species.

What approach is introduced to recover the coral reefs？ ______

A. Removing damaged coral reefs
B. Using loudspeakers to keep fish away
C. Building new homes for sea species.
D. Playing certain sounds to attract fish

Why are Steve Simpson's words quoted？ ______

A. To provide some findings of the study.
B. To show the progress of the experiment.
C. To explain reasons for the new approach.
D. To give another solution to the problem.

What can we infer from the last paragraph？ ______

A. The attempts are useless.
B. Natural recovery is impossible.
C. Some success has been achieved.
D. The coral reefs have returned to normal.

Sperm whales may have taught each other how to avoid harpoons（鱼叉）when whalers began hunting them 200 years ago. A new study presents facts of social learning in the animals and offers a window into a form of whale culture.
The research focused on 19th century whaler diaries from the North Pacific,which recorded details of hunts, such as the number of whales found or harpooned on a given sailing. Studies show that ship strike rate fell by 58% in less than two and half years after the whalers first arrived in the region.
The researchers thought that the drop-off wasn't due to other factors, for example, whalers chose to target weak whales. Instead, they believed that Sperm whales, which have the largest brains of any animal on Earth and live in complex social structures, came to understand the danger and adapted to new escape strategies, such as swimming upwind of the wind-powered ships. This information was then shared, suggesting rapid social learning and real-time communication.
This study helps to highlight that whales and dolphins have culture and social learning,says Hodgins,a researcher at Whale & Dolphin Protection. "There's certainly an element of watch-and-learn in these animals, watching their parents' behavior and then mimicking it."
Whaling hasn't been allowed since the 1980s but tens of thousands of whales are still killed by humans every year. "Today,whales have to learn how to avoid boats and ship strikes," Hodgins says. "We know that whales and dolphins are incredibly intelligent and must have complex social lives. This meaningful research not only proves that this happens, but hopefully means we can in turn protect them better."



Why do sperm whales strike less often with ships？ ______

A. The whales can adopt new escape ways by social learning.
B. Effective measures have been taken to protect the whales.
C. The whales can keep away from ships' tracking devices.
D. Whalers have been changing their hunting targets.

What does the underlined word "mimicking" in paragraph 4 probably mean？ ______

A. Supporting.
B. Changing.
C. Copying.
D. Improving.

What is Hodgins' attitude to the research？ ______

A. Uncertain.
B. Positive.
C. Disapproving.
D. Uncaring.

What can be the best title for the text？ ______

A. The Number of Sperm Whales Is on the Increase
B. Whaling Business Is Driving Whales to Extinction
C. Sperm Whales Are Adapting to Changing Ocean Conditions
D. Smart Sperm Whales Can Teach Each Other to Survive Hunting