In English, feeling “blue” makes people think of feeling sad. But in 2021, the word “blue” could be connected to something more hopeful.
The Pantone Color Research Center in the US leads color trends every year. For 2021, it has chosen “classic blue”, a color that reminds people of the sky before night. The reason is that it brings “calm, confidence and connection,” according to Pantone.
In 2020, people all over the world face big challenges, weather change, COVID-19, homelessness.... all of these problems make us feel nervous and worried. But as Pantone President Laurie Pressman said, “The color of classic blue always brings something relaxing.”
Imagine that you are lying down on the ground and looking at the evening sky. Looking at the dark blue sky will make you feel calm and relaxed, as well as make you think on a deeper level.
Pantone said that classic blue connects people everywhere as we all look up at our shared sky. This is a color we can be connected to around the world, no matter where we live. We look outside the door and we see this color, Pressman said.
Classic blue also plays into the sustainability movement, as people think of times when things were simpler and more comfortable.
“Like blue jeans, it’s always there and you’re comfortable with it,” said Pressman, who thinks classic blue is timeless and never out of style. If the color is always in style, people won’t throw “classic blue” things away. We can buy fewer products and save more resources.
So if you want to add some new things, choose something blue to keep up with the latest trend.
1. Pantone chose “classic blue” as the color of 2021 because ________.| A．it is the color of their website | B．it connects with problems in our life |
| C．more people are feeling sad these days | D．it makes people feel calm and confident |
| A．why people love wearing blue jeans | B．when classic blue will be out of style |
| C．why classic blue makes people comfortable | D．how classic blue can protect the environment |
| A．People will face more challenges in 2021. |
| B．People will feel nervous with blue things around. |
| C．There might be many new classic blue products in 2021. |
| D．Classic blue makes it hard for people to feel connected with others. |
| A．Blue Jeans in 2021 | B．Feel “Blue” in 2020 |
| C．Try Feeling “Blue” in 2021 | D．the Blue Sky before Night |
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【推荐1】The idea that red means stop and green means go has influenced our lives in more ways than just traffic signals（信号）. We have been taught from a young age that the color red means danger and green means it’s okay to move forward. But why were those colors chosen for traffic lights in the first place? For something we have to look at every day, why couldn’t they have been prettier colors?
Well, it’s important to know that before traffic lights for cars, there were traffic signals for trains. At first, railway companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go, and green to mean warn. As you could imagine, trains ran into a few problems with white meaning go. For example, one train mistook a bright star for a white light and something unexpected happened. Because of that, railway companies finally moved green meaning go and used yellow to mean warn. And it’s been that way ever since.
Red has always been a color that meant danger, long before cars were even around. This most likely started because it’s the color with the longest wavelength（波长）so it can be seen somewhere farther than other colors.
But, in fact, yellow was once used to mean stop. Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Finally, highly reflective materials（高反射材料）were developed and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school zones, some traffic signs, and school buses continued to be painted yellow.
So next time you are impatiently waiting at a traffic light, don’t get so mad at them; they’ve certainly come a long way.
1. Which of the following colors meant go at first?| A．Red. | B．Yellow. | C．White | D．Green. |
| A．Because it’s the brightest color. | B．Because it can be seen far away. |
| C．Because railway companies say so. | D．Because it has the shortest wavelength. |
| A．Because yellow is a prettier color. | B．Because yellow once meant danger. |
| C．Because yellow can be seen well in daytime. | D．Because yellow means it’s OK to go forward. |
| A．How important traffic lights are. | B．Which color has the longest wavelength. |
| C．What red, yellow and green can be used for. | D．Why traffic lights are red, yellow and green. |
【推荐2】Many daily American expressions are based on(以……为基础) colours.
Red is a hot colour. Americans often use it to represent heat. When they say “red-hot”, that means they are very angry about something. Loud music is popular with many people. Some may say that such music is red-hot.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say “I’m in the pink” when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the 20th century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink colour that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool colour. The old Blues music in the United States is the opposite of red-hot music. Blues is slow and sad. Someone who is “blue” is very sad.
The colour green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural colour for humans. A person who has an upset stomach may say “I’m feeling a bit green”. A person on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves can be said “look very green”. Sometimes a person may be very jealous because he does not have anything as nice as someone has, like a fast new car. That person may say “I’m green with envy”. Some people are green with envy because someone has more dollars or “greenbacks”. Dollars are called greenbacks in American slangs because that is the colour of the bottom of their bank notes.
The colour black is used often in expressions. People may say “it’s a black day” when everything goes wrong on that day.
In some cases, colours describe a situation. Blackouts were common during the World War II. All the lights in a city were turned off at night to make it difficult for enemy planes to find their aims in the dark.
1. What does “I’m in the pink” mean?| A．I’m sad . | B．I’m happy. | C．I’m healthy. | D．I’m worried. |
| A．a red day | B．a green day | C．a pink day | D．a black day |
| A．dark nights | B．going out in black | C．lighting in control | D．dark lights |
| A．People in the USA use the colour black to express heat. |
| B．If you are blue, you are very happy. |
| C．Blue and red are both warm colours. |
| D．If someone is very rich, you may be green with envy. |
【推荐3】Colors are everywhere. There are three different types of colors, primary（基本）secondary and tertiary（第三的）colors. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. The secondary colors are green, orange, and purple. Mixing（混合）two primary colors makes a secondary color. Orange is made by mixing yellow and red. Green is made by mixing yellow and blue. Purple is made by mixing red and blue. Tertiary colors can be made by mixing a primary color and a secondary color together. Some tertiary colors are blue purple and red orange. Black, white, and gray are special colors. They are called neutral colors（中性色）
Colors can show different moods. Warm, bright colors such as yellow and red are positive colors. They can give people a pleasant feeling. Cool colors such as blue, purple, and green are relaxing colors. They help people experience calm feelings. Many public places are decorated（装饰）with certain colors in order to create certain moods. Orange makes people feel hungry, and many restaurants are painted in this color.
People use colors in their homes to create moods as well. Blue is a peaceful color. It helps you rest, so it is a very good color for a bedroom.
1. Which of the following belongs to primary colors?| A．Green. | B．Yellow. | C．Gray. | D．Purple. |
| A．By mixing two primary colors. |
| B．By mixing a primary color and a secondary color. |
| C．By mixing two secondary colors. |
| D．By mixing two tertiary colors. |
| A．red and green | B．yellow and red | C．yellow and black | D．red and white |
| A．A black room. | B．A green room. | C．A red room. | D．A blue room. |
| A．it makes people feel pleasant | B．it helps people with the creation |
| C．it is a positive color | D．it helps people calm down |
【推荐1】There is a famous English saying “You are what you eat”, and it means what you put in your mouth will become part of you. Many experts (专家) use it to tell people it’s important to have a good eating habit. For example, too much sweet food makes a person overweight. To avoid being fat, kids are told to keep off sweet food. However, a team of American scientists have discovered something new about eating sweet food.
“When we say some people ‘sweet’, we mean they are kind and friendly to us. Perhaps this word can help us learn more about people’s feelings and acts,” said Brian Meier, a scientist from the study team. “Taste is something we experience every day. What we have done is to find whether we can know someone’s character and behavior depending on their taste.”
In one of their experiments, college students were asked questions about their character — whether, for example, they were soft-hearted or not. Then they were asked to make a list of their favorite food. According to their answers, the scientists found that the students who liked sweet food were nicer.
In their another experiment, the scientists found that people who preferred sweet food such as cookies and chocolate were more willing to help other people in need, and those who ate non-sweet food such as chips weren’t. For example, people with a sweet tooth were more likely to volunteer to clean up their city, visit sick children in the hospital and so on.
The result of the experiments is that people’s helpfulness or being nice has something to do with their taste for sweet food. So eating sweet food is a useful way to make people nice and helpful. Next time, try some ice-cream.
1. According to the result of the experiments, sweet food can make people ________.| A．overweight | B．excited | C．relaxed | D．friendly |
| A．character and behavior has something to do with people’s taste |
| B．why some people like sweet food better than other kinds |
| C．people who like cookies and chocolate like helping others |
| D．non-sweet food eaters are not willing to volunteer to help those in need |
| A．people’s taste decides their characters and acts |
| B．sweet food makes people overweight |
| C．people with a sweet tooth are more willing to help others |
| D．people’s character has nothing to do with their taste |
【推荐2】①The octopus (章鱼) is an amazing animal. Scientists have learned that octopuses are clever. But until now, they didn’t realize how smart octopuses really were.
②Octopuses are very intelligent. They can learn new things just like humans. They’ve even learned a few tricks to get themselves out of difficult situations. If an octopus is in danger because of an attacker (攻击者), such as a shark or a bird, it can use some pretty wonderful skills to get away. Octopuses don’t have teeth or sharp claws (爪子) to protect themselves. Instead, they use more clever ways to fool their attackers. One way that can help an octopus hide is shooting ink. By the time the ink goes around and the attacker can see again, the octopus has swum away or hidden. Octopuses also have the ability to change the color of their bodies to match the color of the things around. Enemies swim right by octopuses without noticing them.
③While diving into the ocean, scientists were surprised to see octopuses use another way to protect themselves. They saw some small octopuses moving coconut (椰子) halves across the ocean floor. The scientists followed the octopuses and were surprised to discover that the animals were putting the coconut shells (壳) together. When an octopus thought it was in danger, it ran back to the shells. Then it got two shell halves and hid inside them by pulling one on top of the other. Because coconut shells are very hard on the outside, octopuses were able to create a safe ball to protect themselves from danger. Scientists believe that this action shows that octopuses are tool users.
④Crabs (螃蟹) also use shells for protection. But scientists don’t think that crabs are tool users. These animals can pick up shells and hide in them, but octopuses can carry shells to another place. Scientists say this shows that octopuses can think ahead about how they will use the shells later.
⑤Besides humans, monkeys and some birds are the most common tool users. But now scientists have put octopuses with the animals that are intelligent enough to use tools.
1. Which of the following shows the structure of this passage?A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．The crabs. | B．The sharks. | C．The octopuses. | D．The birds. |
| A．may find a new place to stay | B．may get out of the trouble |
| C．are able to learn from crabs | D．are able to plan for future needs |
| A．To compare octopuses with other tool users. |
| B．To show readers how clever octopuses are. |
| C．To describe how octopuses hide in a coconut shell. |
| D．To encourage readers to learn about octopuses’ tools. |
【推荐3】①Are you a happy person most of the time? Or do you easily get angry sometimes? Everyone has a different temperament（脾气）. It is usually believed that both genes（基因）and environment may affect（影响）people’s temperaments in different ways. But now scientists have found that the season of birth also plays a role.
②Scientists from Budapest, Hungary, studied 400 university students. In the study, the students needed to finish a questionnaire（问卷）. The purpose of it was to find out which of four kinds of temperaments they most had. From the questionnaire, scientists found that the students always answered something like “My mood often changes for no reason” and “I love to deal with new projects, even if it is risky”. These answers were then matched with their birthdays.
③They discovered that people born in summer easily change between sad and happy moods compared to people born in winter. Those who always feel positive are mostly born in spring and summer.
④The study also found that those born in autumn less probably had a mood ofdepressionwhich may easily drive them to cry, while those born in winter were not easier to be angry.
⑤Scientists said that this was probably because the seasons had an influence on certain chemicals in the human body. And the chemicals are important to control people’s moods even in adult life.
⑥“It seems that when you are born may increase or decrease your chance of developing certain mood disorders（紊乱）, ” lead scientist Xenia Gonda told The Telegraph.
1. What probably can’t affect（关系）people’s temperaments（脾气）according to Paragraph 1?| A．Genes. | B．Ages. | C．Seasons. | D．Environment. |
| A．Sadness. | B．Happiness. | C．Surprise. | D．Excitement. |
| A．People born in summer change their moods more easily. |
| B．The season of birth has an influence on human’s moods. |
| C．There were 400 middle school students taking part in the study. |
| D．The answers to the questionnaire were matched with their birthdays. |
| A．Seasons and Moods | B．The Influence of Genes |
| C．Moods and Health | D．The Importance of Birthplaces |
【推荐1】Have you ever wanted to sing on stage with your favourite singer, or go to Mars? With virtual reality(虚拟现实), you might be able to do these without even leaving your home. Unlike real reality, virtual reality means completely imaginary(虚拟的) worlds, using high-performance computers, special glasses and gloves.
Virtual Reality (VR) has been with us for many years—at least as an idea. Although it’s hard to tell who is the father of this technology, history suggests that it could have been the fruit of not one but at least five key people with different inventions. Thanks to these inventors, the technology has now come into use. Virtual reality is an example of VR technology. It changes the way we communicate experiences in the same way the Internet has changed the way we communicate information.
Indeed, VR has become a worldwide reality, with different usages from computer games to medicine, engineering, scientific research, and so on. For example, medical learners are able to train through VR to deal with all kinds of injuries. Designers can check every corner of their buildings and make preparations. And if you are heading to Mars, a trip in VR can help you “see” what you will find before getting there.
One example was a doctor who practised an operation on a baby’s heart. With this he could plan out his operation ahead of time, and helped save the baby.
VR will make the world even smaller and of course it’s going to bring us closer together. However, virtual reality has some bad effects. The first big danger is disconnection from the real world. People may become less interested in their real lives. Besides this, too much use of VR equipment can create some physical and mental (精神的) dangers. Loss of one’s sense of direction and position, sea sickness and headaches are some signs of the illnesses after using VR equipments for long periods.
1. What is NOT TRUE about virtual reality (VR)?| A．VR can help you sing with your favourite singer. |
| B．VR can help you go to Mars without leaving bome. |
| C．VR means experiencing something in imaginary worlds. |
| D．VR can help you make high-performance computers and gloves. |
| A．VR is the result of a group of inventions and ideas |
| B．VR is changing the way we communicate information |
| C．it has taken many years to come up with the idea of VR |
| D．it is possible to discover what people dream about with VR |
| A．connect with real reality well | B．discover new planets in space |
| C．help doctors practise operations | D．build houses without preparations |
| A．VR changes the real world. | B．VR makes the real world worse. |
| C．VR makes people lose the real world. | D．VR keeps people away from the real world |
| A．VR is a door to the real world |
| B．VR is like a coin with two sides |
| C．VR is responsible for increasing mental problems |
| D．it is harder to communicate experiences through VR |
【推荐2】Humans have been trying to explore and inhabit （定居） Mars. One of the many difficulties is the lack of oxygen on the red planet. Luckily, NASA’s Perseverance Rover （漫游者） can help.
Using an instrument called MOXIE, the rover successfully took carbon dioxide from the Mar’s atmosphere and turned it into oxygen. NASA has said it plans to conduct more MOXIE tests.
MOXIE ran its first test for around an hour, producing just 6 grams （克） of oxygen. That’s enough to keep an astronaut going for about 10 minutes. It seems that it can be improved. It won’t keep someone alive for long, but it’s a key step forward in exploring Mars.
Not only could that oxygen be used to allow people to breathe, but it would also lighten the load for return missions to Earth, or for trips to other parts of the solar system. Rockets need oxygen to burn fuel during lift off （起飞） . Since we are now able to create oxygen on Mars, spacecraft can bring less of it from Earth, significantly cutting down their weight. Less weight means less overall fuel （燃料） needed to launch rockets.
Oxygen is the heavier part of rocket fuel. If NASA wanted to get four astronauts of Mars, the spacecraft would need 27.5 tons of oxygen to do it. Keeping those four breathing for a year would require about one ton. At the rate MOXIE is going, producing 27.5 tons would take more than 475 years. But future devices could be larger and more efficient than the 18﹣Kg MOXIE. One day, we will come up with a bigger plan for humans when we finally send them there to make enough oxygen.
1. What can MOXIE do?| A．Conduct tests on Mars. | B．Help send oxygen to Mars. |
| C．Find new places for humans. | D．Turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. |
| A．Using less fuel to launch rockets. | B．Sending more astronauts to space. |
| C．Cutting down the weight of rockets. | D．Producing enough oxygen for the mission. |
| A．MOXIE. | B．Carbon dioxide. | C．Rocket. | D．Oxygen. |
| A．People want to live on Mars. |
| B．Four astronauts breathe about 1 ton of oxygen a year. |
| C．The device MOXIE is heavier than four astronauts. |
| D．A man uses about 6 grams of oxygen for breathing in 10 minutes. |
There isn't an easy way to learn English, but there are some good ways: speak, listen to, read and write English.
Speak English with your teachers and your classmates in and out of the class. Listen to your teachers, your classmates and anyone when they speak English. Don’t just read the textbooks, go to a bookshop and find some easy English books to read, Write short articles （文章）if you can.
These things are not difficult, if you work hard. Remember not to be afraid of making mistakes（错误）. When you have trouble（麻烦） in learning it, you can ask your teachers and classmates. With the help of them, you will learn English well.
1. You can be a good student at English if you____________________________.| A．often talk with others in Chinese | B．only read English textbooks |
| C．speak much English | D．are afraid of making mistakes |
| A．you must work it out by yourself | B．you can never mind （介意）it |
| C．you have to do nothing | D．you can ask your teachers and classmates |
| A．English is hard to learn | B．students like English very much |
| C．the ways to learn English | D．students help each other in English |
