【推荐1】Hume 24 and OMG @ are good friends. Now they are in different middle schools. They are talking about their breakfast and lunch on WeChat.

My new school is very big and we have two dining halls (餐厅) . I have breakfast and lunch at school now. Oh, that’s great! My school is near. I have breakfast at home and lunch at school. What’s for breakfast in your school? Bread, eggs, cakes, juice and milk. I like cakes and juice. Do you like your school lunch? Sure, we have delicious food: chicken, beef, carrots, vegetables, dumplings, rice and noodles. I like chicken and carrots. I like chicken a lot, but I don’t like carrots. But carrots are good for our eyes.

1. How is Hume 24’s new school?

A．Big.

B．Small.

C．Beautiful.

D．Near.

2. Where does OMG@ have lunch?

A．At KFC.

B．At home.

C．At school.

D．At his grandparents’ home.

3. What do Hume 24 and OMG@ like for lunch?

A．Dumplings.

B．Chicken.

C．Cakes and juice.

D．Carrots.

【推荐2】Happy Family Salad

Ingredients:

Two adults (married, responsible and loving parents)

One child (or more)

Two large bowls of tolerance

A cup of understanding

Four leaves of fun and games

Two tablespoons of salad cream of kindness

A whole heap of sharing and caring

A bag of happy thoughts

A bag of smiles

Methods:

1. Put all the ingredients except the leaves of fun and games, cream of kindness, happy thoughts and smiles, in a mixing bowl.

2. Pour in the cream of kindness and mix well.

3. Arrange the leaves of fun and games in a salad bowl.

4. Sprinkle the happy thoughts and smiles on top and serve.

Serving suggestions:

Don’t refrigerate (冷藏). Always serve fresh salad and eat immediately, and together as a family.

Stale (不新鲜的) salad should be discarded (丢弃) before it breeds unhappiness. The Happy Family Salad can be eaten at any time as part of breakfast, lunch or dinner.

阅读上面的信息，选择正确答案。
1. How many family members are needed to make the Happy Family Salad?

A．Two parents and at least a child.	B．Two parents and no children.
C．A parent and two children.	D．A parent and a child.

2. ________, we should pour the cream of kindness into the salad.

A．After putting the ingredients on the leaves.

B．After placing the mixed ingredients in a mixing bowl.

C．After arranging the leaves of fun and games in a salad bowl.

D．After sprinkling the happy thoughts and smiles on top of the ingredients.

3. How should we prepare the adults to make Happy Family Salad?

A．We should be parents and many children.

B．We should be healthy and loving parents.

C．We should be old and loving parents.

D．We should be married, responsible and loving parents.

4. What does the underlined sentence mean in the last paragraph?

A．Responsible parents are important at all times.

B．A happy family should eat every meal together.

C．A happy family can be enjoyed at all times.

D．A salad can be eaten at every meal.

5. Why does the writer write the passage?

A．To tell families how to make a salad.

B．To teach parents how to be happy.

C．To advise family members on how to have a happy family life.

D．To show parents how to play with their children.

【推荐3】Many people may enjoy travelling by air, but few like airline food. Airlines have always tried to improve the food quality and the taste in order to attract more travelers.     1     According to some recent scientific researches, a part of the reason is that at high altitude(海拔), we can’t actually taste things well as we do on the ground.

Scientists have found that even before a plane takes off,     2     As the plane climbs, the air pressure changes and our noses become more and more senseless. When the plane goes 35,000 feet high,     3     They help explain why the tomato juice on airplanes tastes far less sour in the air than it does down on the ground.    4     Otherwise, the food would be tasteless. Astronauts also have to do with this problem on their journeys for similar reasons.    5    The studies are going on! We are looking forward to any improvements.

A．the nose no longer knows just like being bitten(咬) by a snake.

B．How to solve this problem?

C．the air inside the plane dries out the nose.

D．Getting something tasty in the air is like a dream to the travelers.

E．It also helps to explain why airlines like to have salty and spicy(辛辣的) food better.

【推荐2】Have you ever noticed the paper you use in your life? Do you know it? Paper, as one of the four great inventions of our country, can be seen everywhere in our life.

Although it is very common, it can always play an important role when we need it. The invention of paper greatly helped develop and spread Chinese traditional culture, which made paper so important. Paper was an important invention in ancient China. Writing developed slowly from ancient times when people mainly depended on writing instruments like ropes. At first, oracle bone(甲骨) was used as writing material. Bamboo and wood were also discovered and used during the Spring and Autumn Period. But bamboo pieces were not a good choice because they were too heavy, so paper was produced.

Thanks to the invention and popularization of paper, people could no longer use stone, wood or other materials to record writings or pictures, and so much ancient information was saved and spread. Paper is quite helpful in our life today. It is the carrier of writing and printing. For example, painters use it to describe the beauty of the world, writers use it to tell the warmth of the world, and educators use it to spread knowledge. Of course, it can also be used for other purposes. It is also used for packing things like gifts.

This is paper. It plays a very important role in our life, but still, there are many people who waste paper now.

1. Which of the following can’t be used as a kind of writing material according to the passage?

A．Bamboo.

B．Wood.

C．Silk.

D．Leaves.

2. What made paper so important?

A．It was difficult to find much paper in ancient times.

B．It was the most popular invention among foreigners.

C．It needed many kinds of valuable materials to make it.

D．It helped develop and spread Chinese traditional culture.

3. How many examples are mentioned to show paper is a carrier in the text?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Six.

D．Seven.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To explain the use of the paper.	B．To introduce the kinds of paper.
C．To tell the history of paper.	D．To show the importance of paper.

【推荐3】Are people less happy or more happy the older they get? A study found that people generally become happier and experience less worry after age 50. In fact, it found that by the age of 85, people are happier with their life than they were at 18.

The finding came from a Gallup survey of more than 340,000 adults between the age of 18 and 85 in the United States.

Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of 22 and 25. Stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.

Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. But the people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties. The survey also found that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men did.

The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.

So why would happiness increase with age? One theory is that, as people get older, they become more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.

The original goal of the study was to confirm the popular belief that aging is connected with increased sleep problems. The survey did find an increase during middle age, especially in women. But except for that, people reported that they felt their sleep quality improved as they got older.

1. Old people may be happier probably because ________.

A．their children have grown up	B．they don’t have to work every day
C．they can do whatever they like best	D．they are most likely satisfied with life

2. According to the survey, when will adults feel most stressful?

A．In their twenties.	B．In their fifties.
C．In their seventies.	D．In their eighties.

3. What may make Arthur Stone a bit surprised?

A．Women usually live longer than men.	B．Middle-age men mostly are very rich.
C．Old people usually have a better sleep.	D．Most of old people can’t sleep well at night.

4. Which of the following may be the topic of this passage?

A．The difference between men and women.	B．Old people’s feeling of happiness.
C．The young people and the old people.	D．The connection of sleep and happiness.

【推荐1】Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot (吉祥物) for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, has become the most popular image around the world this year.     1     “The International Olympic Committee has found that successful mascots had to be cute and liked by children,” said Cao Xue, the chief designer (首席设计师) of Bing Dwen Dwen. “And I knew Bing Dwen Dwen would be.”     2     “At the first sight, he chose Bing Dwen Dwen,” Cao noted.

According to Cao, Bing Dwen Dwen was chosen from 5,816 designs from 38 countries and areas. The idea first came from the traditional Chinese snack, bingtanghulu — the syrup (糖浆) coat later turned into the ice cover in his design.     3     Cao’s team then tried many plants and animals, finally going with a panda. “What can better stand for China than our national treasure?” said Cao. “We don’t need to explain anything to have it understood across different cultures.”

They faced a problem, though, there were already too many cartoon pandas. Cao’s team looked at panda designs from around the world.     4     Finally, Cao decided it should be a baby panda. This is how they got Bing Dwen Dwen’s body shape. Its body has the same length as its head.     5     They saw that baby pandas are pigeon-toed (内八字) and often lean (倾斜) in while standing.

“When we finally got Bing Dwen Dwen, our whole team was over the moon,” said Cao. “Now I’m so glad that it wins the favor of people all over the world.”

根据材料内容，从下面选项中选出能填入文中空缺处的最佳选项，使文章意思通顺、内容完整。

A．They wanted to make sure their panda was different.

B．“Together for a Shared Future” is the official motto (口号) of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022. The motto represents the power of the Games to overcome global challenges as a community, with a shared future for humankind.

C．But do you know the story behind this cute panda with an ice cover?

D．For new ideas, the team visited the panda nature reserve in Wolong, Sichuan.

E．Cao’s team once made three designs, and Cao asked his 9-year-old son to choose his favorite.

F．The bright colours of the circles around its face stand for ice and snow sport tracks, meaning connectivity and advanced technologies.

G．However, a simple snack cannot stand for a country by itself.

【推荐2】The Spring Festival is celebrated not only in China but also in other parts of the world. The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both home and abroad.

The United States.

The Spring Festival has become a key time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional New Year. It is a good chance for people to build a circle of friends and feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture and values.

Australia

The Chinese New Year will be welcomed with three weeks of celebrations across Australia. Many people come to Sydney’s Chinatown or Little Bourke in Melbourne （墨尔本唐人街）. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and non-Chinese.

Singapore

The family dinner on New Year’s Eve is an important tradition for Chinese whether they were born in Singapore or moved there from China. They place traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoy their dinner together. They usually hold it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.

1. At the Spring Festival, Chinese in America join in a large evening party to ______.

A．say hello to the New Year

B．refuse a good chance

C．share different cultures

2. Chinese in Australia enjoy the following activities EXCEPT ______.

A．fireworks and lion dances

B．dragon boat races

C．plays （戏剧）

3. In Singapore, Chinese families don’t have the New Year dinner in a restaurant but at home because ______.

A．they were born in Singapore

B．they moved there from other places

C．they want to keep Chinese tradition

4. What can we know from the text?

A．All parts of the world celebrate the Spring Festival.

B．The Chinese New Year is celebrated only in China.

C．Chinese across the world have a strong feeling towards the Spring Festival.

【推荐3】Can you write down a Chinese word being read to you? Sometimes it can be difficult when you find the word is not included in most dictionaries.

Lu Jialei, 14, from Hangzhou Foreign Language School, won the CCTV Chinese Character (汉字) Spelling Contest. About 160 people competed. The host read a word to the contestant (选手), explained its meaning and gave sample sentences. The contestant was needed to write down the word. Winning the contest was a “surprise” to Lu. “I was not the smartest one,” she said. “But I paid attention to details”. To prepare for the contest, she and her teammates studied the Modern Chinese Dictionary for 10 days. There are more than 56,000 entries (词条) including characters, words and phrases in it.

She also had a secret weapon (武器). She studied how Chinese characters were formed. “When others paid attention to the plot of a story, she looked at how writers use words and sentences to express themselves,” said Su Yunsheng, Lu’s Chinese teacher. Su is happy to see students like Lu find the beauty of Chinese language.

“Besides using something Chinese and having Chinese traditional festivals, learning to write Chinese characters is also an important part of inheriting (传承) Chinese culture,” said Su.

1. How long did Lu Jialei study the Modern Chinese Dictionary for the contest?

A．As long as one week.	B．For more than one week.
C．For more than half a month.	D．As long as half a month.

2. The contestant was needed to write down the word ________.

A．after the contestant read the word to the host

B．before the host read the word to the contestant

C．before the contestant explained its meaning and gave sample sentences

D．after the host explained its meaning and gave sample sentences

3. What’s Lu Jialei’s secret weapon?

A．She paid attention to details.

B．She was the smartest contestant.

C．She studied how Chinese characters were formed.

D．She found the beauty of Chinese language.

4. From the passage we can infer ________ isn’t an important part of inheriting Chinese culture.

A．giving and receiving presents at Christmas

B．using chopsticks when having meals

C．spending the Spring Festival with family

D．trying to write Chinese characters

【推荐2】Weekday mornings are very busy for US middle school students. When your school doesn’t have a bus, and you live too far away to walk, you need a carpool (拼车). A carpool is people sharing the responsibility (责任) of driving to school in the morning. There are usually four or five kids in a carpool and their parents take turns (轮流) to drive the kids in their cars.

Some kids get to eat cakes for breakfast in the car. And some parents shout much. All you try to do is to stay quiet and let it be. When your mom or dad drives the carpool, your classmates get a close-up look at how strange (奇怪的) your parents can be. It could be your first time to work with others.

Teamwork (合作) is very important in the carpool, because no one wants to make everyone else late. It’s a great chance to learn about responsibility. Imagine (想象) sitting in the car outside of a classmate’s house, watching the clock and counting the seconds. Then you start to realize how your carpool friends feel when you are still in the house at 7: 48. You begin to learn all your real life lessons just before the start of school—in the carpool.

1. What is a carpool according to the passage?

A．Kids go to school in their parents’ cars.

B．Kids drive cars to school by themselves.

C．Parents drive kids to school on their way to work.

D．Some parents take turns to drive their kids to school.

2. Which one can make a carpool?

A．Four friends studying in a near school.

B．Lucy and her three brothers in the same school.

C．Lily and her four classmates living in the same community.

D．Johnny and his parents, whose office is next to his school.

3. What can students learn from a carpool?

A．How to drive a car.

B．Real teamwork.

C．Strange parents.

D．How to stay quiet.

4. What does the underlined word “realize” in Paragraph 3 probably mean in Chinese?

A．解释

B．明白

C．讨论

D．忏悔

5. What would be the best title for the text?

A．The US Carpool

B．Life Responsibility

C．Teamwork for Parents

D．Never Be Late for School

【推荐3】A Chinese knot is a knot that is woven (编) from a single rope to be different shapes. Each shape has its own meaning. Now you can see it as a decoration (装饰物) or a gift for friends. People can use different colours to weave a Chinese knot, but they usually choose red because it means good luck.

The Chinese knot has a long history. People might have first made them to record information and send messages before they started to use words. It is well-known that the knots were used for decoration and to express thoughts and feelings in the Tang dynasty. They were later popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties. But it was not until the Qing dynasty that this art became really accepted by most people.

Even today, Chinese knots are rich in different meanings, and they hold sentimental (情感的) value when gifted or passed down through families. For example, lovers may give a knot to show their love. The “double happiness knot” is given and used at weddings to express each other’s love and wishes for growing old together.

Many foreign tourists like to buy Chinese knots as gifts when they return home. Yiwu Commodity (商品) Market in Zhejiang province is one of the millions of places with all kinds of beautiful Chinese knots.

1. Which part of a Chinese knot mainly shows its different meaning?

A．The colour.

B．The shape.

C．The rope.

D．The size.

2. When did Chinese knots become common?

A．In the Tang dynasty.

B．In the Song dynasty.

C．In the Ming dynasty.

D．In the Qing dynasty.

3. Why is the double happiness knot mentioned?

A．To show the steps to weave it.

B．To show Chinese knots’ rich meanings.

C．Because it is used in almost every family.

D．Because it’s the most popular of Chinese knots.

4. From the last paragraph, what we know about buying Chinese knots in China?

A．convenient

B．expensive

C．meaningful

D．important

5. In which part of a newspaper may you read the passage?

A．Magic World.

B．Scientific Study.

C．School Time.

D．Traditional Culture.