Oct. 23rd is the beginning of Shuangjiang or Frost’s Descent in English, the 18th of 24 solar terms(节气)in the Chinese lunar calendar. It refers to the time when frost(霜)starts to fall across China, or “the dews(露水)were frozen into frost” because of the coldness, as recorded in ancient Chinese books.
By the time of Shuangjiang, most of the harvesting work is already completed in northern China, and farmers are now able to enjoy a period of rest. But in the south the harvest is still on the go. Farmers have to take home the sweet potatoes before they are destroyed by the coming frost. After a year of farming, it is the time to plow the fields and prepare the soil for next year both south and north.
Autumn might be the most colorful season China with the leaves turning from golden yellow to red. Hiking has become popular since the ancient times as people can enjoy the special autumnal scenery. Du Mu, a well-known poet from the Tang Dynasty wrote the beautiful scenery in a poem: “I stopped the coach as charmed by the maple woods, Frosted autumn leaves out shine February flowers in redness.”
The Double Ninth Festival also falls during the season, a festival for the elders. Going hiking in the highlands is part of the celebrations practiced by the ancient Chinese people.
“Keeping warm” becomes a most important thing at this time of the year as the weather is getting colder. Persimmon(柿子)is the favored fruit in many areas. The Chinese believe that persimmons could not only keep off the coldness, but strengthen the muscles and bones. Also, chicken or mutton soup is believed to be good for the sleep and advised for the diet.
Shuangjiang brings the frost and freezing wind, and autumn has come to an end. But for most Chinese, it is not necessarily a sad time because in winter, they are able to have different but equally beautiful scenery.
1. Shuangjiang is the ______ of the twenty-four solar terms.| A．10th | B．15th | C．18th | D．20th |
| A．Tell the differences of the harvest in China’s south and north. |
| B．Explain why Shuangjiang gets its name. |
| C．Advise some activities to enjoy the colorful season. |
| D．Introduce the ways to stay warm before the coming of winter. |
| A．People believe eating persimmons in Shuangjiang can help get rid of coldness. |
| B．Shuangjiang is the best time for people hoping lose weight to take exercises. |
| C．Farmers in the south of China can enjoy a great rest during Shuangjiang. |
| D．Shuangjiang is the end of summer and the beginning of autumn of a year. |
| A．What Causes Frost’s Descent | B．Time to Say Goodbye to Autumn |
| C．Enjoy the Beautiful Autumn | D．Prepare for a Good Harvest |
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【推荐1】One of the United States's social problems is the breakdown of twoparent family. Today, millions of American children grow up without fathers. Too often, these children lack the love and help they badly need and which they would ordinarily receive from not one but two parents. In the old days, American parents placed the needs of their children above their own. At present, however, nearly one half of all new marriages end in divorce (离婚), with often troubling results for their children. Worse, every year, thousands of teenage, unmarried Americans become mothers outside marriage, with generally terrible results for the mothers and children alike and for American society more generally. However, Chinese continue to value whole marriages. Tiffs is not to say that Chinese marriages are all perfect—they certainly are not, judging from increasing rates of divorce and extramarital affairs—but the willingness of Chinese to set aside their own needs and stay together for the sake of the children is admirable and worthy of study.
Families, in whatever form they may take, are important to Americans. If one was to ask a group of Americans what is dearest to them, the majority would say “family”. And yet, so many Americans spend much more time at work—that is, beyond the formal fortyhour work—than they do with their own families. Obviously, the USA is one of the most powerful in the world, owing in large measure to “workaholism”. It seems to me that Chinese generally find a better balance between work and family needs than many Americans do. I don't see the number of workaholics in China that I do in the United States (or American organizations in China ). Instead, average Chinese usually head home right after work ( in the office or field), have meals together, and spend time with their family members. What's more, Chinese try to make more time for grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins than many Americans; in many cases, multigenerational families live together. Of course, like many facts of Chinese society, this is all changing; increasing numbers of “New Chinese” are working longer hours and spending less time with their families than ever before. Still, while Americans do value their loved ones. I think we have something to learn from the Chinese about finding the proper balance between work and family.
1. The main point of the passage is ________.| A．family plays a very important role in America |
| B．there is something about family for Americans to learn from China |
| C．a proper balance between work and family needs to be found for Chinese |
| D．the Chinese have a proper balance between work and play |
| A．Americans love their families more than their jobs |
| B．Americans often set aside their children's needs |
| C．Americans have a strong work desire |
| D．American parents place the needs of their children above their own |
| A．in the author's eyes, the breakdown of the twoparent family in China will be more serious than that in the US in the future |
| B．today young Americans should reduce their material comforts in the interests of their children's future |
| C．Chinese marriage is said to be all perfect |
| D．at present, nearly one half of all new marriages end in divorce in China |
| A．Children living in oneparent families badly need their parents' love and help. |
| B．Children with oneparent need their parents' money badly. |
| C．Chinese value whole marriage more than before. |
| D．Work is dearest to most Chinese. |
【推荐2】According to the Global Times, it is reported that two online videos showing children telling their parents “I love you” have gone viral in China. The first, filmed by an Anhui TV station, shows a number of college students telling their parents they love them. The responses are mixed. “Are you drunk?” asked one parent. In another similar video, shot by a Shanxi TV station, a father responded even less patiently — “I am going to a meeting, so cut the crap.”
Why don’t Chinese families use those words? Theories revolve around the nature of Confucian teaching. “The parents’ responses show that many Chinese are not good at expressing positive emotions,” Xia Xueluan, a sociologist from Peking University, told the Global Times. “They are used to educating children with negative language.”
This isn’t the first time that China has done some soul-searching about familial love — last year China Daily asked a cross-section of people if they said “I love you” to their parents, spouses, and children. “I have never said ‘I love you’ to my family, and I don’t think I will in the future,” one 56-year-old man told the paper. “Saying it aloud is embarrassing for me.”
Still, that doesn’t mean that love can’t be expressed. In a separate article, China Daily spoke to Zhao Mengmeng, a 31-year-old woman who said she had never told her father she loved him face-to-face (“I find it a bit odd”). Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Zhao gave her father a photo album featuring photographs of them together on almost every one of her birthdays in June 2012. The pictures went viral online, being forwarded hundreds of thousands of times on Weibo.
“I didn’t sleep the night I heard about it,” her father told China Daily after the story attracted mainstream attention. “I have now memorized some of the comments on the collection of pictures.”
1. What can we infer from the text?| A．It is not direct for Chinese families to say “I love you”. |
| B．Chinese parents are too proud to express “I love you”. |
| C．Chinese parents are good at expressing positive emotions. |
| D．Young parents in China are willing to express “I love you”. |
| A．Because they can’t express it. |
| B．Because they are not in the habit of expressing so. |
| C．Because they think it unnecessary. |
| D．Because they think it should be done only among young couples. |
| A．giving him an album containing their photos | B．kissing her father’s face and telling him by words |
| C．speaking it out bravely in a TV program | D．writing out the three words in a letter |
| A．Opposed. | B．Objective. | C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐3】For most people, Friday, which happens to be the 13th, means little more than the start of a weekend. However, to millions of people worldwide who suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia(周五13 恐惧症), the combination of the day and number brings bad luck. While no one knows for sure how it began, there are many theories.
Experts think it starts with the fear of the number 13. The number 13 suffers from its position after 12, which is regarded as a complete number. After all, there are 12 months in a year, 12 gods of Olympus, and so on. This has caused the belief that 13 is incomplete and, therefore, unlucky.
The number's bad name is worsened by the fact that several unfortunate incidents are linked with 13. One example is NASA's Apollo 13 mission (任务). The seventh manned mission in the Apollo space program, launched(发射) at 13: 13, never landed on the moon. For some people, the mission failed because of the number 13.
If you are among those who can “Shake It Off”, you are in great company. Taylor Swift is not affected by the number, who says, “I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. Every time I've won an award I've been seated in either the 13th seat or the 13th row. Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it's a good thing.”
The fear of Friday appears to come mainly from ancient religion. It was the day Jesus was killed. Though the date was not the 13th, it happened after the Last Supper, which had 13 guests.
When the date and day meet, people suffer from anxiety. Construction and shipbuilding workers easily become nervous, which often leads to more accidents. This, of course, further adds to their anxiety. It is reported that businesses lose more than $ 800 million because many people avoid traveling or shopping on this day.
1. Which part of a newspaper might the passage come from?| A．Society and Culture. | B．Wealth and Finance. |
| C．Health and Fitness. | D．Arts and Entertainment. |
| A．To prove people's fear of 13. |
| B．To show the cause of the failure. |
| C．To point out the bad luck caused by 13. |
| D．To give an example about the bad name of 13. |
| A．Balance it. | B．Get rid of it. |
| C．Imagine it. | D．Lose it. |
| A．Its effect. | B．Its feature. |
| C．Its cause. | D．Its solution. |
【推荐1】Lego is considering a brick (积木) rental plan in an attempt to cut down on plastic waste. The Danish toymaker has promised to make all its bricks from sustainable (可持续的) sources by 2030 and is investing significant resources into finding alternatives.
Tim Brooks, vice-president responsible for sustainability, said the company was “totally open” to the idea of a product rental plan but admitted that lost pieces could produce a significant problem. “What are the chances of giving them to an eight-year-old child and getting them all back again?” Mr. Brooks added.
“There is a lot of technical thinking that needs to be done. We are right at beginning of that.” Mr. Brooks said Lego was exploring several ideas with a view to producing the highest value from products while consuming the least amount of resources. He said many would “probably never see the light of day” and there was no current plan to try out a rental plan.
Lego has come under increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint among growing international alarm about the impact of plastic waste on the environment. It produces 19 billion pieces per year—36, 000 a minute—that are made entirely of plastic while much of the inside packaging is also plastic.
So far, the only breakthrough has been the development of a line of bricks made from plant-based plastic sourced from sugarcane. The green trees, plants and flowers were first included in Lego sets late last year but make up only 1%-2% of the total amount of plastic elements produced. Henrik Nielson, a production supervisor (主管) in Lego’s factory, said last year: “We need to learn again how to do this.”
Lego reportedly releases around a million tons of carbon dioxide each year, with about 75% coming from raw materials that go into factories. The company has invested more than 100, 000,000 euros and hired 100 people to research non-plastic alternatives. It is aiming to keep all of its packaging out of landfill by 2025.
1. Lego is making great efforts to ________.| A．promote its brick rental plan | B．raise its production efficiency |
| C．explore ways to reduce plastic waste | D．develop new products |
| A．is well under way | B．has a long way to go |
| C．is totally useless | D．goes against Lego’s interest |
| A．figures | B．examples |
| C．comparison | D．classification |
| A．Defensive. | B．Determined. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐2】Children’s lack of sleep is “hidden health crisis (危机)”, experts say. Thousands of children and teenagers face a rising sleeplessness crisis, with the number of admissions to hospital of young people who have sleep disorders increasing sharply in six years, the Guardian reported.
Experts have described the problem as a hidden public health disaster, putting the waves down to a combination of exploding obesity (肥胖) levels, abuse of social media before bedtime and a mental health crisis.
The Guardian analyzed data from NHS Digital, revealing that admissions with a primary diagnosis of sleep disorder among those aged 16 and under has risen from 6,520 in 2012-13 to 9,429 last year. Despite all ages for sleep disorders it has fallen slightly since 2012-13, moving from 29,511 to 29,184 in 2017-18.
At Millpond Sleep Clinic, a private children’s sleep clinic in London, the founder, Mandy Gurney, said that in the last year there had been a 30% rise in anxiety-related references for sleep issues among school-aged children.“It is a very worrying increase, especially if this rate rise continues to go up,” Gurney said. She added that prescriptions for melatonin (褪黑激素), a hormone the body produces naturally in reaction to darkness that helps prepare us for sleep, had also risen. “We feel that the rise in sleep problems is very much based on anxiety--school pressure, peer pressure and social media pressure.”
Vicki Dawson, the founder of the NHS Doncaster----funded the Children’s Sleep Charity, said her charity was flowed by families seeking help. She said the rise was partly caused by technology and the fact that the blue light from screens reduces the production of the sleep hormone, making it harder to fall asleep. “We are increasingly seeing families where both parents are out working and this can mean that bedtime becomes later, bedtime routines may be rushed or abandoned all together,” she said.
1. What is the Guardian report mainly about?| A．Children’s health crisis. | B．Sleep-health relationships. |
| C．Children’s sleep problems. | D．Children’s admissions to hospital. |
| A．In paragraph 2. | B．In paragraph 3. |
| C．In paragraph 4. | D．In paragraph 5. |
| A．Parents who are out working do not care their children. |
| B．Technology can reduce the rising sleeplessness crisis. |
| C．Cell phones are the leading cause of sleep disorders. |
| D．Left-behind children have sleep disorders more easily. |
| A．The rising sleeplessness crisis and solutions. |
| B．The hidden health crisis and sleep disorder. |
| C．The balance between children’s sleep and play. |
| D．The causes and harm of children’s sleeplessness. |
【推荐3】There is a piece of amazing news that a firm has introduced an electric, self-flying air taxi that can travel at up to 180 km/h. It can do 100 km on a single charge, and it takes off and lands vertically(垂直). “It will eventually be available to customers as a service similar to an airline or a ride share,” said the parent company Kittyhawk on the Cora website. “And it operates using self-flying software combined with human oversight. ”
The aircraft(飞行器)has been developed in New Zealand, where the government said it welcomed the project. “We’ve got big goals here in New Zealand. We want to get to net zero emission by 2050 and that includes transportation, ” said Dr. Megan Woods, minister of the research .
This type of aircraft is known as an eVTOL, which stands for Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing. One expert told BBC that while there are many varieties of eVTOL in development,Cora was an interesting model.
“Vertical take-off and then changing to winged-flight is quite a feat of engineering,” said Steve Wright, associate professor in aerospace engineering at the University of the West of England. He said,“We have been doing it for a long time but that doesn’t stop it being hard. Doing it with batteries is even more impressive. ”
Steve said, “The present battery tech holds back the innovation. For 150 years engineers have been spoiled (溺爱) by petrol and oil, because they stuff a huge amount of energy into a small space. But everyone would dearly love a new battery that could store 10 or 15 times as much charge. ”However, the passenger drone(无人)concept has so far proved difficult to get off the ground in practice. A test flight at the tech fair CES of a people-carrying drone. by SureFly was cancelled due to light rain in January. Dubai hasn’t introduced the self-flying taxi service yet, though it initially said it would start in July 2017.
1. What can we know about the aircraft?| A．It is the same as a taxi. | B．It is the quickest aircraft. |
| C．It is electricity-powered. | D．It is available to customers. |
| A．To reduce pollution. | B．To improve transportation. |
| C．To set some big goals. | D．To attract more visitors. |
| A．It’s expensive. | B．It’s special. |
| C．It’s efficient. | D．It’s underdeveloped. |
| A．Negative. | B．Uncertain. | C．Friendly. | D．Flexible |
