【推荐1】Writing is a much newer invention than talking. Nobody knows when people first began to talk, but so far as we know, they did not begin to write until seven or eight thousand years ago.

In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China, and later in Palestine and Greece, people began to make marks and pictures with sticks and sharp stones from which others, or they themselves later could see what they had thought.

These early records were the beginning of writing. The first writing was picture writing. Here are some early Chinese picture words. Can you see what they represent （代表）?

Later Chinese writing is less like pictures than the earlier writing was, but we can see the pictures in some of its words. For example：

In picture writing, each picture represents a word; you need a different picture or mark for each word. In present﹣day Chinese writing most of the marks are not pictures of anything,   and a reader has to learn how the Chinese write about two thousand of these words before being able to read a newspaper.

With some of these marks you may be able to see what the idea is. For example：

The sun and the moon明Its meanings are："bright" and "open".

A man and two marks仁One of the meanings is "humanity".

1. When did people begin to write?　 　

A．Seven or eight hundred years ago．

B．Before people first began to talk．

C．Seven or eight thousand years ago．

2. Which of the following is the earliest Chinese picture word?　 　

A．

B．

C．雨

3. What does the明in the passage mean?　 　

A．Day and night．

B．Bright and open．

C．Humanity．

4. What's the passage mainly about?　 　

A．The history of Chinese writing．

B．When Chinese people began to write．

C．How the Chinese began to talk．

【推荐2】

While the banana is a common fruit we enjoy in our daily lives, have you heard of its relative, the enset banana?

①________ This plant is a main food for more than 20 million people in Ethiopia. However, don’t be fooled by the inedible (不可食用的) nature of its orange fruits! Scientists believe that the enset may provide food for over 100 million people in Africa. This could be a game-changer for solving the famine ( 饥荒) that becomes worse because of the climate change.

②________ The enset is a plant that belongs to Musaceae (芭蕉科), the same family of flower plants as the banana. The tree can grow up to 10 meters tall. Unlike the banana, the fruits of the enset plant are inedible. This has earned it the nickname of “false banana”, as the plant is used more for its carbohydrate-rich stems(茎) and roots.

③________ However, the planting of the enset is just in Ethiopia, where the plant is fermented (发酵) to make dishes like porridge and bread. Food made from the enset is especially good for the body with high calcium, potassium, and zinc, as well as amino acids. When Ethiopia experienced its most serious famine in a century during the 1980s, the enset played a major role in helping communities recover from the crisis. Besides being an important part of the Ethiopian diet, the enset is also used in traditional medicine, animal feed, and construction materials in the country.

④________ Because of climate change, changeable temperatures and extreme weather events are bringing risks to crop harvests. There isn’t enough food in many regions of Africa. Scientists believe that the enset can help solve this problem. The enset is a very hardy plant, able to survive at different temperatures and regions. The enset can be harvested at any stage of its growth throughout the year and can be stored for long periods of time. All of these characteristics make it a good choice for emergency backup food in case of natural disasters and droughts. However, scientists are not sure if it can replace the main crops in other regions.

Although there are belief worries about the growing of the enset in more areas, such as its cultural meaning to the Ethiopian community and the local knowledge needed to properly care for the plant, the enset banana is certainly eye-catching for its unique qualities that have given it the name “the tree against hunger.” It is an example of how food production is changing in our world in the face of climate change.

1. Why is the enset called “false banana”?

A．Because it has orange fruits looked like the banana.

B．Because it belongs to the same family of the banana.

C．Because it is like the banana but its fruit can’t be eaten.

D．Because it can grow up to 10 meters tall just like the banana tree.

2. The writer mentioned “Ethiopia experienced its most serious famine in a century during the 1980s” to show that ________.

A．only Ethiopia plants the enset to make food

B．food made from the enset is good for the body

C．the enset may help solve the food crisis in Africa

D．other parts of Asia should learn to plant the enset

3. “Wild forms of this plant can be found in different parts of Africa.” can be best placed in ________.

A．①

B．②

C．③

D．④

4. Which is NOT the reason for choosing the enset banana as emergency backup food?

A．People can eat the enset through the whole year.

B．The enset has a lot to offer to our body and can be stored easily.

C．The enset can survive the changeable climates and in different regions.

D．It has special cultural meaning and once saved Ethiopian people in history.

【推荐3】

China Daily’s digital employee (员工) Yuanxi and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes’ official virtual carto on character (敦煌莫高窟官方虚拟卡通人物) Jiayao together introduced an interactive digital platform (数字化互动平台) that hosts a virtual copy of the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave to the world.

The platform was developed together by the Dunhuang Academy (研究院) and the Chinese tech company Tencent. It uses gaming technologies to show the historical scenes of the Library Cave in the digital world.

The Library Cave in Mogao Grottoes was discovered in 1900, with more than 60,000 cultural relics (文物) from the 4th century to the 11th century undearthed (出土). It was one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century.

On the platform, visitors can role-play and “time travel” to ancient dynasties and talk with eight historical figures (人物). The public can enter the platform through the Digital Dunhuang website and its WeChat program.

In the digital age, the model of “culture + technology” is used to promote (促进) the development of Chinese culture. The digitalization rate (数字化率) of China’s valuable cultural relics has been more than 70 percent, according to the 2022 China Digital Collection Industry Research Report reported by iResearch.

Institutions (机构) such as the Palace Museum have also set up online digital services of their own.—Artificial intelligence (AI) technology allows the public to see the inside of the buildings through the Palace Museum’s WeChat program.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also encouraged the development and transformation (转型) of cultural relics by digital ways. China Central Television has created a series of digital collections with different Dunhuang themes, such as the Dunhuang divine deer (神鹿) Youyou. It was created according to the image (形象) of the nine-colored deer from Dunhuang murals (壁画). The public can see the divine deer on CCTV’s own digital platform.

Digital collections cater to (迎合) the habits of young people. They not only protect the cultural relics but also bring the public closer to China’s “excellent traditional culture”, reported Dunhuang Art Institute.

Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy, told Xinhua that more efforts will be made to discover new forms for showing cultural relics and offer the public cultural experiences to develop Dunhuang culture.

1. On the interactive digital platform for the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave, visitors can ________.

A．talk to the designer of the digital Library Cave

B．play video games named historical characters

C．play role-playing games set in ancient times

D．design digital caves showing historical culture

2. What is the purpose of developing digital platforms for cultural institutions?

A．To show the latest gaming technologies.

B．To help cultural institutions make money.

C．To encourage people to explore new forms of digital collections.

D．To promote the development of Chinese culture.

3. What is the Su Bomin’s attitude (态度) towards showing Dunhuang culture?

A．Worried.

B．Hopeful.

C．Excited.

D．Serious.

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Experiencing History Online	B．Showing Digital Collections
C．Creating Mini Programs	D．Introducing Gaming Technologies

【推荐1】Learning to read is one of the most important periods in anyone’s development as it opens up so many opportunities. So many things in everyday life depend on your being able to read clearly. Here are a few examples.

If you want to find out the latest news about your favorite film star or the result of the latest match, you will pick up a newspaper and read what it has to say about these topics.

If you are on a long train or plane journey, you will probably have a book, a magazine or an e-book to help you pass the time. Even if you are someone who ―doesn’t read books, it is possible that you will have to read the rules of the computer game that you are playing.

Very often, you read something without realizing that you are reading. For example, you might check the time table at an airport or make sure that you drive carefully as you see the road sign   ―HILL.   If   you   are   unable   to   read,   these   necessary actions   become   either   very difficult   or impossible to achieve.

So, you understand how important a part reading plays in your life. Everybody who is using this textbook, To Be A Better Reader, has got the art of reading more or less. Why, then, you may ask yourself, is it necessary to have to read a book that tells you how to become a better reader — if you can read already, what is there to improve? Well, please think very carefully about what you mean by ―reading. Does it just mean that you know the meaning of words on a page and then speak them aloud or to yourself? Or is it something more than that?

In fact, reading without understanding is worthless. The main purpose of reading is to help you understand the world better and achieve a more colorful life. So no matter where you are, try to read with understanding and be a better reader.

1. From Paragraph 2 to Paragraph 4, how does the writer prove (证明) his opinion?

A．By telling reasons.	B．By giving examples.
C．By showing pictures.	D．By comparing differences.

2. According to the passage, people are reading when they       .
① see a movie poster in the theater   ② find a NO SMOKING sign in the library
③ enjoy a big meal in the restaurant   ④ notice a Great Sale ad in the supermarket

A．①②③

B．①③④

C．①②④

D．②③④

3. It can be inferred (推断) that the textbook, To Be A Better Reader, can help us to         .

A．learn new words	B．read out sentences
C．improve reading skills	D．know about game rules

4. What’s the main purpose of the last two paragraphs?

A．To help us make a reading plan.	B．To help us be able to read clearly.
C．To advise us to read more textbooks.	D．To advise us to read with understanding.

【推荐2】

A picture speaks a thousand words. And nowadays, people like to use emojis to show their words instead of speaking or writing. According to some experts, the Emoji is the language which develops the fastest in the UK’s history. Now in Britain, emojis are becoming more popular than short forms like “lol” (laughing out loud), or “mua” (the sound of a kiss). They are leading a new way of communication and are even thought as art!

“Big red heart” emojis seem to be well loved! Because using these emojis makes the text full of personal characters. People can have fun when they use emojis to express themselves. What’s more, using emojis can make people laugh. Teenagers in the UK also said that they really enjoyed the fact that emojis are quick and easy.

People also express their feelings by using the emojis which they like best. Have you noticed the emojis you recently used? They may show how you feel these days. In the UK, emojis like “face with tears of joy”, “face blowing a kiss” and “love heart” are the most commonly used. At least, with the use of emojis, British people may be more fun than people think! People can also learn a lot about a culture from their emoji complaints. For example, before the emoji “cheese wedge (奶酪块)” appeared, British people were always complaining that there was no cheese emoji!

Emojis are now greatly popular, but what is the future of them? Will the emoji soon be more than English as an international language? Or will the emoji be forgotten when the next big thing comes along? It is hard to say.

1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．People prefer speaking to enjoying pictures.	B．Emojis have been widely accepted recently.
C．The Emoji develops fastest in the world.	D．More people like using “LOL” more than “”.

2. The following reasons make “Big red heart” emojis popular except ________.

A．they bring laughter and joy	B．they can show people’s personality
C．they are more convenient	D．they make people smarter

3. What does the underlined word “express” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．show

B．make fun at

C．speak

D．enjoy

4. How does the writer develop Paragraph 3?

A．By telling stories.

B．By comparing facts.

C．By giving examples.

D．By showing data.

5. Which of the following is the best title?

A．Emojis-A personal art	B．Emojis-An international symbol
C．Emojis-A popular language	D．Emojis-An amazing discovery

【推荐3】The moon goes around the earth every 27.3 days. But did you know you can always only see one side of the moon while the other side always turns away from us? The side that we can see from the earth is called the near side while the other side is called the far side. Some people call it the dark side, but that’s actually not correct, as the sun is shining on it brightly on the other side.

If you’re on the moon, you’ll be much lighter, you’ll weigh about one sixth of your weight on the earth. Here’s the place to go if you want to feel like you’re weightless.

Everybody knows that man has been on the moon, but not everyone knows that he treated the place like a picnic area. Over time, the astronauts who visited the moon managed to leave quite a bit of rubbish behind. Scientists estimate that there’re 181,437 kilograms of man-made materials lying around the moon. It is not sure. What a mess!

The moon’s effects on the earth cannot be denied (否认). Many believe that the full moon brings out the strangest behavior in people, although science hasn’t been able to offer exact proof about this. Research by scientists at Basel University in Switzerland has found that, around a full moon, people may take longer to fall asleep, sleep less, and sleep less deeply. Next time, if you can’t get to sleep, have a look out of the window. If there’s a full moon, it might not be your partner’s tossing (翻转) and turning keeping you awake — it could be the full moon.

1. This passage is probably from ________.

A．a science article	B．a travelling guide
C．a volunteer advertisement	D．a medicine report

2. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?

A．The one side.	B．The near side.
C．The far side.	D．The bright side.

3. Jackson, who weights 72kg on the earth, will weigh ________ on the moon.

A．72kg

B．12kg

C．36kg

D．79kg

4. The underlined word “estimate” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________” in Chinese.

A．估计

B．断言

C．提供

D．听见

5. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The moon’s effects on the people’s behavior.	B．The reason why some people deny the moon’s effects.
C．Some research on the moon.	D．The ways to improve your sleep.