【推荐1】On the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, the desert turns green as clouds cover it like a blanket. This is the country of Oman’s monsoon (季风) season. The natural event, which is a festival and lasts three months, draws hundreds of thousands of tourists with cool weather and beautiful views. It began on June 21.

A 60-day festival, in Oman’s Dhofar region, draws about 50,000 people every night for dance competitions, and musical performances. In the midst of the clouds, people celebrate Oman’s cultural diversification of Arab, African, and Asian roots.

Officials in Dhofar region started the monsoon festival in 1998. The monsoon festival now draws performers from 40 countries. 60 percent of the visitors come from Oman, while the rest come from nearby countries such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Each night, a different Omani city takes the main stage. The port of Sohar did a sea-themed show with cannons (大炮) and a large wooden ship. The next night, a group from Bidbid sang with swords while a musician blew into a goat’s horn. Actually, different groups used the festival to share their world-wide cultures.

The mountains around Salalah, Dhofar’s capital city, trap wetness from the Indian Ocean monsoon. Air pressure pockets above Saudi Arabia and Tibet drive air currents (气流) to Oman. These weather currents create a special environment, which has heavy fogs and green mountains and coasts.

Thomas Wagmann, on holiday from Dubai, noted, “Compared to Dubai, this Dhofar region is just fantastic because you can be outdoors all the time.” He added, “You don’t even have to worry about sunburn because there’s no sun.”

1. What does the underlined word “diversification” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Pressure.	B．Difference.
C．History.	D．Happiness.

2. What can people do when watching the performances of different groups?

A．Enjoy different cultures.

B．Watch some special ships.

C．Play strange musical instruments.

D．Appreciate music and dances only from Oman.

3. What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?

A．The beautiful natural scenery of Oman.

B．The Oman’s special geographic position.

C．The cause of Oman’s special climate in the monsoon festival.

D．The reasons of tourists’ celebrating the monsoon festival in Oman.

4. What did Thomas Wagmann like about the festival?

A．Getting sunburned.	B．Staying inside all the time.
C．The same weather as Dubai.	D．The weather without strong sunshine.

【推荐2】请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意: 请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。每个空格只填一个单词。

Waiting in line is a pest of modern society. According to David Andrews’s book, Why Does the Other Line Always Move Faster?, it wasn’t common until the Industrial Revolution synchronized (同步) workers’ schedules, causing lines that run out of lunch hours and evenings. Given that Americans are estimated to collectively waste tens of billions of hours a year in lines, it’s no wonder that some people try to cut, and others bitterly resent them. Yet jumping the queue without inviting violence is possible. Below are some tips, courtesy of social science.

First, pick the right queue. It’s virtually impossible to cut in line for a once-in-a-lifetime event—the Cubs playing the World Series, say. But in a repeating situation like a security line, people are more likely to let you in, perhaps because they anticipate needing a similar favor someday. Using game theory to determine what conditions would make line-cutting socially permissible, researchers found that people queuing just once display little tolerance for line-cutting. But when the queue repeats, people let in intruders who claim an urgent need or who require minimal service time.

An excuse for cutting helps, but it needn’t be bulletproof. In one much-cited study, experimenters tried to jump photocopier queues using one of three explanations. A small, polite request without justification—“Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?”— enabled them to cut 60 percent of the time. Adding that they were rushed allowed them to cut 94 percent of the time. And “May I use the Xerox machine, because I need to make copies?” was almost as effective, despite its lame offer.

Bribing(贿赂) can also work, and it may not even cost you. In one study, queuers were offered cash by an undercover researcher if they’d let the researcher cut. A majority agreed, but oddly, most of them then refused the cash. They appreciated the offer not out of greed, but because it proved the intruder’s desperation.

Keep in mind that tolerance for line-cutting varies across cultures. One survey of foreigners living in Spain revealed many differences in queuing rules. An Irish respondent said indignantly, “They say ‘I just want to ask a quick question’ and go right up to the counter … I’m ready to explode.” A German subject angrily described a fellow supermarket shopper: “A woman walked right in front of me and put her things on the counter. She says ‘No [it’s] okay, we’re together, pointing to the other woman who had just finished paying … It seems that in Spain that’s allowed. Incredible.”

Back in America, the worst sin of line-cutting is pretending you’re not doing it. Like members of any community, queuers want their customs observed. We’d all escape line-waiting if we could, but that way chaos lies. So if you must cut, just ask—nicely. Doing so strengthens the social contract, and it works.

Brief introduction to waiting in line	* With the rise of the Industrial Revolution, cutting in line grew in     1    . * It is       2     that Americans’ attitudes towards line-cutting vary from person to person in view of wasting a considerable amount of time a year in lines.
Tips on cutting in line politely	* Given that they are likely to be in your     3     some day, queuers probably allow you to jump the queue in repeating situations. * According to game theory, the action of line-cutting cannot be     4     when people queue just once. * When you assume an air of     5    , you will have a greater possibility of being allowed to cut in line. * Actually queuers allow you to cut in line not due to your bribing but your     6    .
7     distinctions in tolerance for line-cutting	* Line-cutting meets with a(n)     8     response from the Irish and the German, while the Spanish seem to react       9    . * Americans strongly       10     to it when queue-jumpers pretend they are not doing it.

【推荐3】阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

Festivals are celebrated all around the world. They have a wide range of origins, such as the seasons of the year, famous figures, and important events. Every festival has its different customs and unique charms. However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love, or peace is common in all festivals.

Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. This important agricultural festival takes place after all the crops have been gathered in. People celebrate to show that they are grateful for the year’s supply of food. In ancient Egypt, the harvest festival was celebrated during the springtime — the Egyptian harvest season. It featured a parade and a great feast with music, dancing, and sports. Today, in some European countries, people decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and get together to celebrate over a meal. During the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, families gather to admire the shining moon and enjoy delicious mooncakes.

Customs play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time. With the development of modern society and the spread of new ideas, some traditions may fade away and others may be established. One example is the typical Chinese Spring Festival custom of lighting firecrackers to drive away the evil spirits and celebrate the new year. Nowadays, many big cities have given up this custom in order to avoid air pollution. Another example is Halloween, which slowly became an exciting festival for children, in spite of its origins.

Festivals are becoming more and more commercial (商业化的), with business taking advantage of the celebrations. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. Although some believe festivals should not be commercialised, others believe the increase in spending is good for the economy and public happiness.

Festivals are an important part of society. They reflect people’s wishes, beliefs, faiths, and attitudes towards life. They are occasions that allow us to relax and enjoy life, and forget about our work for a little while. They help us understand where we came from, who we are, and what to appreciate. And if you study festivals carefully, you may be surprised to find that different cultures actually have a lot in common after all.

1. Why do people celebrate the harvest festival?
2. How did some traditions change over time according to the passage?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
Festivals are becoming more and more commercial. The festivals should not be commercialised because commercialisation is a totally negative development.
4. What festivals do you celebrate with your family each year? Why do you celebrate them? (In about 40 words)

【推荐2】Patients with a long-term illness can be very bored while recovering at home. This can be especially true of children. They may feel out off from their friends and classmates. Now, these children may have a high-tech friend to help feel less lonely. That friend is a robot.

The robot is called Avatar 1(AV1). It takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They also can take part in classes from wherever they are recovering. And the children's school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot on their desks.

A Norwegian company called No Isolation created the robot. There are another two co-founders: Karen Dolva and Marius Aabel.

Dolva explains how the robot works. She says from home the child uses an iPad or a phone to start the robot, control the robot's movements with touch, and talk through it. The child can take part in classroom activities. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras that make communicating easy. So it's the eyes and the ears and the voice of the child at school. Inside AVI is a small computer connected to a 4G network.

AVI was designed to be tough. It won't allow water to pass through it and can take a fall from a desk without damage. AVI is large and looks like a human for a reason. Dolva says it can't be just a tiny camera because the other kids can't pick it up and take it with them. This is important because the robot is supposed to be a friend to the children.

Hopefully AVI will help some children feel less lonely while they are absent from class.

1. How may AVI be started according to the passage?

A．Through a camera.	B．Through an iPad.
C．Through a computer.	D．Through a speaker.

2. What does the underlined word “tough” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Strong.

B．Amazing.

C．Attractive.

D．Humorous.

3. Where does this passage probably come from?

A．A tourist guidebook.	B．An exhibition guide.
C．A math textbook.	D．A science report

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．The robot can make friends with sick children.

B．The robot has been used widely in many fields.

C．The robot may help sick children feel less lonely.

D．The robot will take sick children to different places.

【推荐2】After traveling more than seven months in space, Tianwen I is one step closer to Mars! Tianwen I, China’s first Mars probe, successfully entered Mars orbit in February, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).     1    .

A small step on the red planet will be a big step for human beings. Humans have launched 46 Mars exploration missions since October 1960, but only 19 of them have been successful.     2    . Tianwen I aims to achieve “orbiting, landing, and roving” all in one journey, which will make the country the world’s first to accomplish all three goals with one probe, mission scientists said.

Among the three tasks, touchdown on the red planet is the most difficult. The result mainly depends on the breathtaking seven minutes, which will deploy multiple cutting-edge technologies and accurate timing of each action, including the burning of engines and opening of parachutes to ensure a safe landing.     3    .

February was Mars month. NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars on Feb 19, and China’s Tianwen I and United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Hope have arrived within orbit of the redplanet.     4    . The Mars mission Hope Probe successfully entered the orbit of Mars on Feb 9, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) announced. Perseverance landed in a deep crater near the planet’s equator called Jezero and will collect samples of rock and soil for further research, according to the BBC. Tianwen I’s ultimate goal is to land a rover on Mars in May or June, and it will conduct scientific investigations on Mars’ soil, geological structure, environment, atmosphere and water.

A．Although they started their Mars journeys at almost the same time, their missions vary.

B．It’s China’s first spacecraft to Mars, and the missions are rather ambitious.

C．It will stay in orbit for about three months before landing on the red planet.

D．After the “Chang’e series” lunar exploration mission came another space exploration project.

E．CNSA is willing to work together with the international community to make new and greater contributions to exploring the mysteries of the universe.

F．The previous success of Chang’e 5 has accumulated experience in this regard, which boosts confidence.