【推荐1】It’s possible that interstellar (星际的) space explorers arriving on another planet come across problems communicating with previous and subsequent arrivals, as their spoken language has changed in isolation along the way.

Regarding the issue, two American scholars, Andrew McKenzie and Jeffrey Punske, co-authored the article “Language Development During Interstellar Travel”. What has been discussed in the article is the concept of language change over time. They wrote that given more time, new grammatical forms can completely replace current ones.

In a recent interview, McKenzie explained it.

“If you’re on a spaceship for 10 generations, new concepts will emerge, new social issues will come up, and people will create ways of talking about them,” McKenzie said, “and these will become the vocabulary particular to the spaceship. People on Earth might never know about these words, unless there’s a reason to tell them. And the further away you get, the less you’re going to talk to people back home.”

“So if we have Earth English and spaceship English, and they become different over the years, you will have to learn a little Earth English to send messages back or to read the instruction manuals and information that come with the spaceship.”

“Also, keep in mind that the language back on Earth is going to change, too, during that time. So they may well be communicating like we’d be using Latin—communicating with this version of the language nobody uses.”

McKenzie and Punske also pointed out that an adaptation in the form of sign language will be needed for use with and among those working on the spaceship who, genetics tells us, are sure to be born deaf.

There will be a need for an informed linguistic policy on board that can be maintained without referring back to Earth-based regulations.

The authors concluded that if a study of the linguistic changes aboard a spaceship could be performed, it would “add to its scientific value”.

1. What is McKenzie and Punske’s article mainly about?

A．The new grammatical forms appearing in outer space.

B．The effective way to communicate in isolated planets.

C．The challenge brought by language evolution during space travel.

D．The problem of communication between former and future space travelers.

2. What does the underlined word “these” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Ten generations.

B．People on Earth.

C．New grammatical forms.

D．Descriptions of new concepts and social issues.

3. What might made the communication possible between people on Earth and space travelers?

A．Creating new grammatical forms.

B．Mastering basic vocabulary in Latin.

C．Making adaptions to their own languages.

D．Reading the spaceship instruction manuals.

4. According to the text, what do the researchers expect to study in the future?

A．How language changes on board.

B．How sign language is translated in space travel.

C．Whether language would change as they predict.

D．Whether a linguistic policy in outer space is necessary.

5. What is the title for the passage?

A．Future Linguistic Issues in Space

B．Two American Scholars

C．A Recent Interview with McKenzie

D．Exploring Interstellar Space

【推荐2】“I like your smile, but unlike you put your shoes on my face”. A charming way of saying “Keep off the grass”. But could you figure it out? Or this: “Wash Clothing Store” for laundry.
They are both typical Chinglish, a combination of English vocabulary and Chinese grammar. Expressions such as “people mountain people sea”, means extremely crowded, and “give you some color to see”, meaning a punishment, are widely known and recognized.
Chinglish has been attracting global attention in recent years as China grows rapidly in status on the world stage, attracting both fans and detractors(批评者).
The Beijing Speaks Foreign Languages Programme and English First China Company, a language trainer known as EF Education, jointly launched a campaign to root out poor grammar and misused vocabulary in downtown Beijing. They argue Chinglish is an embarrassment that we should let it die out at all costs.
“It is meaningful to allow the capital to show its most beautiful historical and cultural heritage to the world." Michael Lu, vice-president of EF Education said, “since the launching of the campaign, foreign teachers and students had been very keen to volunteer participation.”He believed signs were very important in public services. "The signs in some old buildings confused foreign visitors.
Chinglish, although the target of much criticism, has also won supporters who regard it as an interesting way for foreigners to learn how Chinese people think and express themselves.
“Many Chinglish logos carry Chinese elements and they will enrich the English language,” 32-year-old Oliver Radtke said. He had even published a book “Chinglish: Found in Translation,” on the subject. About 50,000 copies of the book have been sold since it was published in 2007.
Some Chinese university experts also side with Chinglish. "English has absorbed elements from other languages such as French and Spanish in its growth, and the emergence of Chinglish again testifies(说明) to the language’s vitality and inclusiveness," said Shi Anbin, an associate professor of Tsinghua University.
1. How did Chinglish come into being?

A．Chinese people misunderstood the meaning of the new words.

B．Chinese people combined English vocabulary with Chinese grammar.

C．Chinese people based their English on the native English speakers.

D．Chinese people make wide use of English vocabulary with bad spelling.

2. What Shi Anbin said means       .

A．there are many French and Spanish words in English

B．English is the language with vitality and inclusiveness

C．Chinglish enriches English and shouldn’t be got rid of

D．Chinglish has greater effect on English than French and Spanish

3. According to Oliver Radtke, Chinglish       .

A．shows how Chinese people think

B．does damage to the English language

C．shows the great humor of Chinese people

D．should be sold to all over the world

【推荐3】Standard English is the formal（正式的）English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard—that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling. Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced（取代）all written dialect forms – the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic（学术的） work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling — Dr Johnson’s Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English — any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words（俚语）—words that your teachers or friends wouldn’t understand. You’ll lose marks if the examiners can’t understand what you say or write. Don’t use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don’t use them in your coursework, because you won’t be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation（标点）you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Clichés are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they’ve become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, “As good as it gets” “At the end of the day” “In the fullness of time” are all clichés. So are images like, “as fierce as a lion” “as cunning as a fox”. If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative— that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid clichés.
1. What three things do you have to think about when using English?
a. no slang word or dialect        
b. no grammar and spelling mistake.   
c. no phrase       
d. no cliché       
e. no punctuation

A．abc.

B．bcd.

C．abd

D．. ade.

2. What is standard English?

A．the English spoken by British people.

B．the English spoken by American people.

C．the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.

D．the English used in London.

3. What is the cliché according to the passage?

A．the English full of slang words.

B．the long phrases which are used often.

C．the boring ideas or sayings because of being used often.

D．all the English which is used outside of London and the southeast of Britain.

4. Why do we need to use Standard English?

A．Because no one can understand dialect words.

B．Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.

C．Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.

D．Because standard English has been used for a long time.

5. Which statement is true?

A．All the spoken English should be Standard English.

B．Written English should be formal and standard.

C．Standard English means people should use the words from Dr Johnson’s Dictionary.

D．Standard English replaced all written dialect forms in the 18th century.

【推荐1】It is an honor for me to deliver this speech and on behalf of the graduating students, welcome you to this special ceremony 2020.

This is a unique moment. We are stepping up to another phase of our lives at a time of great hardship and global difficulties. Hope this ceremony will help erase sad memories, refresh beautiful ones and add more splendid memories into our lives.

I was born in the middle of war, which caused my family to move to Serbia for three years. When the war ended, we returned to Bosnia. My mother, who is and will ever be my heroine, was the only figure who guided me, provided for me and kept me on the right track, in the hope for a better life. I owed her so much as she is responsible for huge part of my success. I will always remember her teachings “to complain less and always find solutions at the price of whatever it takes” ， which brought me to China, an ancient land of new hopes.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, I got the best opportunity to understand China. I saw millions of people united with one goal-to win the battle against this epidemic. I have never seen such a collective dedication from a nation, turning things for the better by sacrificing personal convenience on a grand scale. China's governance and health care system proves to be one of the most efficient in the world. With a population of 1.4 billion, China not only has successfully controlled the transmission of the corona-virus but also assisted many other countries across the globe.

Everyone has a role to play in the battle against the virus. In Tsinghua, I played a tiny but necessary role: Staying on campus, studying online, cooperating during temperature checks and respecting social distancing measures. The rules set by the university and Chinese government had everyone's health and safety as first priority. This made me feel safe and confident that China was on the right track towards victory. Throughout this time, despite the immense challenges, Tsinghua has facilitated many online conferences, which helped me nurture more skills in my field of study.

……

Let's undertake everything we can for the sake of unity, humanity and the international community. Let's work together for a more promising future and prosperous world.

1. In the author's eyes, the special ceremony 2020 should

A．be a unique moment to deliver speech

B．be a time to say good-bye to hard times

C．be a moment to open a new chapter of life

D．be a specific time to embrace a beautiful past

2. The author came to study in China probably because

A．she expected to escape the terrible war

B．she longed to possess her own career

C．she was encouraged by her inspiring mom

D．she found the good control of COVID-19 in China

3. What impressed the author during her stay in Tsinghua?

A．The rules of the government.

B．The joint devotion of the nation.

C．The breaking-out of the epidemic.

D．The great challenges of the school.

【推荐2】The bald eagle has been an official symbol (象征) of the United States for more than 200 years. Now it will share the stage with another American animal—the bison. Last spring, this huge, hairy animal became the country’s national symbol.

Bison, also known as buffalo, are the biggest land animals in North America. They have played a big role in American history.

Long ago, millions of bison traveled across the U. S. Many lived in the grasslands of the Great Plains. For hundreds of years, American Indians in that area needed bison meat for food. They used the skins to make clothing and houses, and the bones to make tools.

Later, many settlers moved to the Great Plains to set up farms and towns. They hunted bison in large numbers. By 1900, bison had almost died out. Only about 1,000 bison were left. Since then, people have worked hard to save the bison. Today, there are more than 400, 000 bison in the U. S. They live in protected areas and all over the nation. Their comeback is seen as a great success.

To recognize the bison’s importance in U. S. history, wildlife groups and American Indian groups asked U. S. lawmakers to make the animal a national symbol. Lawmakers passed a bill, or plan for a law, to do that. The President then signed the bill into law.

U. S. Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota was one lawmaker who pushed to get the law passed. “The bison is an amazing animal,” he told Scholastic News. “It’s a great symbol for a great country.”

1. What is the bald eagle? (不多于 7 个词）
2. Why had the bison almost died out by 1900? (不多于 7 个词）
3. How many bison are there in America today? (不多于 3 个词)
4. Why did people make the bison a national symbol? (不多于 8 个词）

【推荐3】Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.

In Western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on December 31st or January 1st. People may go to parties, sometimes dressed in formal clothes, and they may drink champagne（香槟）at midnight. During the first minutes of the new year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the new year by waking up early to watch the sunrise. They welcome the new year with the first light of the sunrise.

Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh（重新）.

Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on the first day of the new year.

Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck in the new year. One widespread Spanish tradition for good luck is to eat grapes on New Year's Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the new year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black-eyed peas for good luck—but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them！

1. Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

A．Several different New Year traditions

B．The meaning of "Happy New Year!"

C．What to eat on New Year's Day

D．Why people dress up nicely on New Year's Day

2. What do you know from the first two paragraphs？

A．Different cultures celebrate the beginning and ending of a year in the same way.

B．The Western people celebrate the New Year only by watching the sunrise.

C．People around the world celebrate the New Year at different times.

D．People hold parties, wear new clothes and drink champagne for a whole day.

3. In some cultures, why do people throw things into rivers or oceans?

A．To bring good luck.

B．To forget everything.

C．To avoid bad luck.

D．To plan for the next year.

4. Which of following is CORRECT if people want to escape bad luck and wish for good luck?

A．Families make big dolls filled with old clothes

B．Friends tell something special to each other

C．Some people get up early to watch the sunrise

D．Europeans eat 365 grapes on New Year's Day

【推荐1】If you can travel back in time, which period of history will you visit? It’s a great question to ask your friends, and time travel is the subject of many science fiction films. Of course, sci-fi is familiar to most of us, but what is cli-fi? The simple answer is climate fiction which focuses on the subject of climate change.

Many of the cli-fi examples we watch tend to be disaster films. The subject could be solar flares (太阳耀斑), ice ages devastating (摧毁) the planet, extreme flooding swamping the earth, or superstorms that threaten life. While films and novels of this style are often subject to the typical images of a hero or heroine battling to save the world, what sets it apart from most sci-fi films is that the plots will often draw on apparently reasonable outcomes in the near future.

Climate change and the potential threats have long been established. Some believe that the issue of climate change has even led to more fans watching films to learn more about what’s happening to the world — seeing it as a form of edutainment (寓教于乐型产品). A study conducted by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication tested the effects that two climate fiction novels can have on their readers and found “significant positive effects” in terms of their attitudes towards the climate crisis — for example, understanding global warming will harm them and future generations.

Most cli-fi films not only are extremely popular action films, but also cause our fear of what some see as the approaching end of the world. This sounds bad, but according to a study conducted on 310 adults in the US, watching such scary films can help us feel more prepared and less alone in situations such as the pandemic. So, it looks like the cli-fi film is here to stay — and there seem to be some benefits. Whether it’s there to educate, entertain or prepare you for a climate crisis, it might have a role to play.

1. Which of the following may be the subject of cli-fi?

A．Time travel.	B．Global warming.
C．Weather forecasts.	D．Economic crises.

2. What can we learn about cli-fi films from paragraph 2?

A．They are often about extreme natural disasters.

B．They want to show man can conquer nature.

C．They usually have similar plots with sci-fi films.

D．They can show the true near future of the world.

3. Why is the study made by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication mentioned in paragraph 3?

A．To show people like climate fiction novels.

B．To prove that climate change has potential threats.

C．To tell that cli-fi novels have positive effects on readers.

D．To explain how the climate crisis affects human beings.

4. What does the writer mainly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Cli-fi films are useful to people.

B．Cli-fi films are as popular as action films.

C．A study was conducted on adults in the US.

D．The pandemic makes people scared and alone.

【推荐2】If you land in India anytime in late February or March, it’s wise to check the dates of the annual Holi festival and bring a spare set of clothes. That’s because for a few days in spring, people crowd the streets and pelt (投掷) anyone walking by with brightly-colored powder to celebrate the arrival of spring and the end of evil. It’s hard to avoid the fun and the paint, unless you stay inside or look angry enough to discourage the custom.

“Watch out, madam!” said my taxi driver in Amritsar as we drove through a crowd of young people pelting each other with powder. “The colors never come out of your clothes,” he said. “And you might be having purple hair for many days.”

I did a quick check. I was wearing black, a color rarely seen in India. It is usually connected with the lowest social classes, and can be viewed as unlucky. I was happy for my clothes to be painted in colors.

“I have some powder I bought for my children. You can have some gladly, to join in our customs.” he encouraged. Holding what the driver handed me as my weapon of choice, I walked into the Holi smoke. At first people politely avoided foreigners. But then a girl in a sari(一种印度服饰) ran up smiling and put paint on my face. I returned the favor with a handful of pink.

With its brilliant clothes, exotic flowers, trucks covered with lights and brightly painted pictures of gods, India is truly one of the most colorful places on the planet!

1. Which of the following sentences about the Holi festival is correct?

A．It falls on the same day each year and is celebrated for a few days.

B．It is a playful cultural event to throw colors at friends or strangers.

C．It has many purposes, celebrating the end of spring in particular.

D．It is fun for local people but a little unacceptable for foreigners.

2. I was happy for my black clothes to be painted in colors because      .

A．the festival influenced my taste in fashion.

B．the taxi driver suggested wearing something colorful.

C．black was the color not liked by people in India.

D．a girl invited me to join in their customs.

3. We can learn from the passage that      .

A．the color black provides people with a sense of mystery and tradition.

B．foreigners can’t be too careful in the street in India during the Holi festival.

C．a sari, worn especially by Indian women, is a must for the Holi celebration.

D．anyone can be attacked during Holi festival.