The Chinese new year begins on 22 January 2023 and ends on 9 February 2024. While most of Asia celebrates the year of the rabbit, Vietnam celebrates the year of the cat. In the Chinese zodiac*, there are 12 animals, and the 4th animal is the rabbit; while in the Vietnamese zodiac, the 4th animal is the cat. Why did the cat substitute for the rabbit in Vietnam?
Ancient storytellers said the Jade Emperor organized a race across a river for all the animals in the world. The first 12 to reach the other side would appear in the zodiac. In the Chinese story, the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox when the rat pushed the cat into the water. The rat won the race and that is why cats have been hunting rats ever since. But in the Vietnamese zodiac story, there isn’t a rabbit. The cat could swim and ended up arriving. The two countries have different origins* of zodiac.
Quyen Di, a lecturer at UCLA, said the custom has to do with the landscape of Vietnam. “In the past, the Chinese lived in the savanna* area, while the Vietnamese lived in the lowland area. The people of the savanna like to live near the wilderness, and they chose the rabbit as an animal that lived in the wild fields. But the lowland people of Vietnam consider rabbits as animals that are used for food and chose the cat because they believe cats are friends living in their house.”
1. The underlined words “substitute for” in paragraph 1 can be replaced by ________.| A．take off | B．take care of | C．take the place of | D．take up |
| A．The Jade Emperor liked the cat. |
| B．The rabbit fell into the river in the zodiac race. |
| C．The rat and the rabbit were friends in ancient times. |
| D．The cat finished fourth by swimming across the river. |
| A．Their living environment. | B．Their language pronunciation. |
| C．Their way of life. | D．Their favorite animal. |
| A．To explain the history of the Chinese zodiac. |
| B．To show ways of celebrating the year of the rabbit. |
| C．To tell the traditions of Chinese culture. |
| D．To introduce the origin of the year of the cat in Vietnam. |
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Rat and Mole are at home all day. Mole is bored. He says, ‘‘I want to visit Badger.” But Rat tells him, “Badger lives in the middle of the Wild Wood. It’s a long way to go in winter.”
But Mole still wants to go. When Rat is asleep, he puts on a coat and goes into the Wild Wood. It is cold and the sky is grey, first it is fun. But then it gets dark. Mole sees strange little faces in the wood. The faces have sharp teeth. He hears strange noises and he is afraid. Poor Mole runs and runs through the wood. Then he sees a hole inside a tree and he hides there.
When Rat wakes up at home, he calls, ‘‘Mole, Mole!” but Mole doesn’t answer. And Mole’s coat isn’t there. Rat thinks, “Mole is visiting Badger. Oh, no! Mole is in the Wild Wood!” he puts on his coat and put a gun in his pocket. He goes along the path to the Wild Wood. He sees the strange faces with sharp teeth. But they see Rat’s gun, and go away. Rat calls and calls, “Mole, where are you? It’s me - Rat.”
At last, Mole answers. “Rat, I’m here! In the tree! I am very frightened!” he says in a little voice.
‘‘Don’t worry, Mole,” says Rat, “Let’s go home now!”
But Mole is very tired. He wants to sleep, so Rat sits and waits. While Mole is sleeping, it begins to snow. The snow is white and it covers all the paths.
Later, Mole wakes up. Then the two friends set off through the white woods. Everything is different with the snow and soon Rat and Mole are lost. They walk for hours but they cannot find the way home. They are tired, and cold, and hungry.
Suddenly, Rat sees a sign in the snow. The sign says, “Mr Badger”.
“It’s Badger’s front door,” says Rat. He is very excited.
They ring the doorbell. “Who is it?” calls Badger.
‘‘Oh, Badger,” cries Rat. “It’s me, Rat, and my friend Mole, and we are lost in the snow.”
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．Mole feels unhappy all the way. | B．It’s easy for Mole to run through the wood. |
| C．Mole meets a lot of difficulties in the wood. | D．Mole goes into the wild wood with Badger. |
| A．to look for Mole | B．to hunt in the wood |
| C．to visit Badger too | D．to play with his friends |
| A．Mole meets Rat | B．Mole is sleeping |
| C．Mole is walking in the wood | D．Mole is at home |
①Mole hears some strange noise.
②Mole feels nothing interesting at home.
③Mole and Rat lose their way in the wood.
④ Mole is very happy to meet Rat in the wood.
| A．②①④③ | B．①②④③ | C．②④①③ | D．①③②④ |
| A．Badger doesn’t open the door. | B．Badger lets them go back home. |
| C．Badger asks them to come in. | D．Badger tells them the way home. |
【推荐2】A long time ago, Roman soldiers came to make war to Scotland. The Scots(苏格兰人) loved their country very much. They fought hard against their enemy(敌人), but there were too many of the Romans. It looked as if the Romans would win.
One night, the leader of Scots took his soldiers to the top of a hill. “We will rest here tonight, my men.” he said. “Tomorrow we will fight against the Romans again. We must win or we will die.” They were all very tired, so they ate their supper quickly and fell asleep. There were only four guards(卫兵) on duty, but they too, were very tired, and one by one, also fell asleep. The Romans were not asleep. Quickly they arrived at the foot of the hill. Slowly they climbed up the hillside. Closer and closer they came to the sleeping Scots. They were almost at the top. A few minutes more, the war would be over. Suddenly one of them put his foot on a thistle(蓟, 一种叶子带刺的野生植物). He cried out and his sudden cry woke the Scots. In a minute, the Scots were all ready to fight. They fought very bravely and won in the end.
The thistle is not a beautiful plant. It has shape needles(针) all over it. Few people like it. But the people of Scotland liked it so much that they made it their national flower.
1. It seemed that the Romans would win at first, mainly because .
| A．there were more Roman soldiers |
| B．the Romans fought harder |
| C．the Roman soldiers were brave |
| D．the Romans were better at fighting |
| A．At the foot of the hill | B．In the middle of the hill |
| C．At the top of the hill | D．At the hillside |
| A．Only the leader of the Scots |
| B．Only four Scottish guards on duty |
| C．Roman soldiers |
| D．The Scottish leader and all the Scottish soldiers |
| A．He was killed | B．He fell down |
| C．He put his foot on a thistle | D．He was caught |
| A．Because it's beautiful |
| B．Because it helped the Scots to beat the Romans |
| C．Because it has shape needles all over it |
| D．Because all the people like it very much |
For years people have enjoyed following the life of Garfield the cat. Garfield is a popular comic book character, known for being lazy and fat. But the cat was back in the news recently for something you might not expect.
A man in the United States changed the gender of Garfield to “none” on the cat’s Wikipedia ( 维 基 百 科 ) page. After that lots of people got angry and kept
changing Garfield’s Wikipedia page. They argued about whether the cat was a boy,
girl or neither.
Wikipedia finally locked the page to stop people editing( 编辑) it. Jim Davis, Garfield’s creator, settled(解决) the argument.
“Garfield is male,” he simply told the Washington Post. The 71-year-old artist said he liked working with animals because they didn’t have to be old, young, boys or girls. He was angry that some people cared so much about Garfield’s gender.
It seems like quite an unnecessary argument to have. But it is not the only recent example of argument about gender.
To celebrate International Women’s Day in Australia earlier this year, the city of Melbourne made
10 traffic lights with a figure( 人形) dressed in a skirt. They were designed to celebrate Women’s Day and give them more confidence in public.
But not everyone thinks the idea is necessary. Some people think it is important for women to be treated fairly in Australia, but that this idea is silly.
“I’m all for doing anything we can for gender equity(公平), but really?” Melbourne mayor( 市长)
Robert Doyle told the Herald Sun. The mayor said this idea is more likely to be laughed at than bring respect to women.
1. What put Garfield the cat back in the news recently?
| A．The cat’s lazy character. |
| B．Being included in Wikipedia. |
| C．The cat’s picture being changed on Wikipedia. |
| D．The cat’s gender being changed on Wikipedia. |
| A．个性 | B．性别 | C．外貌 | D．脾气 |
| A．Wikipedia should lock the page about Garfield |
| B．Garfield can be a boy or a girl, and young or old |
| C．artists don’t care about animals’ age or gender |
| D．it’s unnecessary to take Garfield’s gender seriously |
| A．To laugh at women in public |
| B．To celebrate International Women’s Day |
| C．To bring more chances to women |
| D．To treat women fairly in Australia |
| A．It would give women more confidence in public. |
| B．It would help women be treated fairly in Australia. |
| C．It would bring respect to women. |
| D．It was not a good idea for gender equity. |
【推荐1】One morning, Ann’s neighbor Tracy found a lost dog walking around the local middle school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog. Ann said that she could watch it only for the day.
Tracy took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers(传单), and put them in mailboxes. At the same time, Ann went to buy some food for the dog. She told her two sons not to fall in love with the dog. Ann’s son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering(恢复)from a heart operation(手术), was 21 years old.
Four days later Ann was still taking care of the dog, and they started to call it Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog hit itself against the door and barked loudly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley rushed into the boys’ room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack(心脏病发作). Riley ran over to Jack and stopped barking when Ann bent over to help Jack.
“Without it, the doctor said Jack would have died, ” Ann reported to a local newspaper. By now, no one called to ask for the dog, so Ann wanted to keep it.
The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter recognized his lost dog and called the number on the flier. Tracy started crying, and told him, “That dog saved my friend’s son. ”
Peter drove to Ann’s house to pick up his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, “Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it. ”
1. How many characters (角色) are there in this story?| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．想起 | B．认出 | C．要回 | D．承认 |
a. Peter called and drove to pick up the dog.
b. The dog barked and took Ann to the boys’ room.
c. Tracy printed fliers to help find the master of the dog.
d. A local newspaper reported the clever dog.
e. A lost dog walked around the local middle school.
| A．e-c-b-d-a | B．b-d-c-a-e | C．e-b-d-c-a | D．e-c-d-a-b |
| A．The man named Peter didn’t like his dog. |
| B．Ann found a lost dog and called the dog Riley. |
| C．Ann was thankful to the dog because it saved her son. |
| D．The local newspaper helped the master find his dog. |
| A．People would call it Odie. | B．Ann’s family would keep it. |
| C．Peter would take it home. | D．Tracy would take it away. |
A study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings says that owning a pet, especially a dog, may help keep your heart healthy.
The researchers compared dog owners with everyone else and found that no matter what their age, sex or education level, they benefited (受益) the most in terms of cardiovascular (心血管的) health. The findings has also shown that dog ownership leads to more physical (身体的) activity. ▲ People who walk dogs enjoy an average of half an hour more physical activity a day than those who don’t have a dog. What’s more, owning a pet in general reduces (减少) stress. A dog or cat coming up to you may bring a smile to your face. In addition, the pet ownership makes us more social. Almost 90% of pet owners said that having an animal brings joy to their life and helps them to feel loved. Two-thirds feel their pets connect them to other people, whether it’s meeting neighbors while walking a dog or having something in common to talk about with other cat or bird owners.
Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, one of the lead researchers on the team, said what makes this study so meaningful is that it showed the benefits of having a dog not only just increased physical activity. The study included many factors (因素) that influenced the health of the heart and arteries (动脉), for example, pet-owners have a healthier diet than people who don’t keep a pet — thus contributing to a better cardiovascular health.
1. ________ is the best to fill in the “ ▲ ” in Paragraph 2.| A．When your pet is hungry, you are responsible for filling the food bowl. |
| B．Most people, especially old people think that their pets provides happiness for them. |
| C．When your pet needs to go outside, you’re more likely to head into the fresh air and get moving. |
| D．When you are alone watching TV in the midnight, your pet is certainly your best company. |
①being more physically active
②having a healthier diet
③making us less social
④reducing our stress
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．listing reasons | B．using old sayings |
| C．giving examples | D．making comparisons |
| A．the research encourages people to keep dogs |
| B．owning a pet may help keep your heart healthy |
| C．pet ownership only increases physical activity |
| D．owning pets has no disadvantages |
【推荐3】Many people like animals and keep one or more as pets—dogs, cats and some kinds of birds. If you keep a dog or a cat as a pet, you must know how to look after it. A grown-up(成年) dog needs two meals a day, not more. And it can eat meat, fish, rice and some other things. Dogs like big bones(骨头), but don’t give them chicken bones. Remember to give them much clean water. A dog should have a clean, dry box for sleeping. Washing it once a week is good for its health. If it is ill, take it to a doctor. A healthy dog will bring you more happiness.
Be careful when you have chosen(选择) a cat. It has two meals a day with some meat or fish. Cats drink a little milk every day. Sometimes give them vegetables to eat. Don’t forget that they need clean water to drink.
Take good care of your pets. They will be your good friends. Maybe they can give you some help when you need.
1. Many people keep ____ as pets.| A．pandas | B．elephants | C．chickens | D．cats |
| A．All the bones. | B．Big bones. | C．Chicken bones. | D．Small bones. |
| A．bring | B．show | C．take | D．make |
| A．orange | B．milk | C．water | D．milk and water |
| A．No, they won’t. | B．Yes, but only a little. |
| C．Yes, they will. | D．We don’t know |
But what is so special about a simple taxi? First of all, in shape and style, a London taxi is very different from an ordinary one. It looks like a half-car and half-van（半厢式货车）. It has plenty of room in the back. That means it’s easy for disabled people to use. And the black color makes it special on the road.
Besides, taxi drivers play an important part in your travel. They have to pass a taxi driving test, and in London it is very difficult. As there are many tourists in London, drivers must know many roads by memory.
Apart from（除此之外）driving you to your destination, it is normal for the driver and the passenger to have a conversation. A taxi is a social space which the driver and you share. The image of a London taxi driver is one that friendly and talkactive. Every time I take a taxi, I ask how the driver is. Then we usually talk about sports or news events.
1. A London taxi has plenty of room in the back, so .
| A．it is an ordinary car |
| B．it is easy for disabled people to use |
| C．the taxi driver is talkactive |
| D．the taxi driver can drive faster |
| A．taxi shape | B．taxi style |
| C．taxi drivers | D．taxi conversation |
| A．地点 | B．目的地 | C．居住地 | D．地区 |
| A．only sports | B．only new events. |
| C．ages and hobbies | D．sports or news events |
| A．dangerous | B．difficult |
| C．comfortable | D．boring |
Read the post from the travel forum(论坛).
| Answers To All Your travel | |
| Jun, Korea Posted, 5 days ago | Question: First trip to the USA For my new job, I will travel to the United States next month and meet my American boss. This will be my first trip there. I’m worried about correct business behavior and manners. My boss invited me to his home for dinner. Do you have any advice? |
| Sue, Miami Posted, 3 days ago | Re: First trip to the USA It’s a good idea to bring a small gift or something from your country. Don’t be surprised if your boss opens the gift right away. In the USA, people often open a gift when they receive it. In Korea, that is not polite, but it’s common in the USA. |
| Sam, Los Angeles Posted, 2 days ago | Re: First trip to the USA Americans use their hands to eat some kinds of food, such as pizza and fried chicken. Watch your American hosts, and do what they do. |
| Kathryn, New York Posted, 12 hours ago | Re: First trip to the USA In Korea and Japan, it’s the custom to remove your shoes before entering a house. In the United States, you usually don’t take your shoes off. Once I was travelling in Japan and entered a house with my shoes on by mistake. Oops! |
| Lee, Korea Posted, 2 hours ago | Re: First trip to the USA Many Americans are very informal（非正式的）at home. One time I went to an American business partner’s home for dinner, I was surprised that everyone stood and talked in the kitchen while the husband and wife were cooking dinner. Besides, unlike in Korea, everyone took part in the dinner table conversation, even the man’s wife and children. |
| Andrew, Washington Posted, 1 hour ago | Re: First trip to the USA I agree with Lee. You probably won’t speak about business during dinner, so my advice is to know some topics of conversation. For example, you can talk about travel, food, music, or sports. But you’d better not question about age. |
1. Jun posted a question in the forum, because _______.
| A．he got a new job |
| B．he would meet his boss |
| C．his boss invited him to his home for dinner |
| D．he wanted to know business behavior and manners in the USA |
| A．开除 | B．移开 | C．脱下 | D．去掉 |
| A．bring a small gift from your country | B．open the gift right away |
| C．enter the house with your shoes on | D．ask a person’s age |
| A．shouldn’t use your hands to eat fried chicken |
| B．can’t stand and talk in the kitchen while the host is cooking |
| C．can’t talk with all the family members |
| D．probably won’t speak about business. |
| A．different countries have different customs |
| B．Japanese have the similar customs with Americans |
| C．everyone may take part in the dinner table conversation in Korea |
| D．only people from Korea and America can answer Jun’s question |
【推荐3】When Chinese people greet each other for the first time, they often ask, “May I know your family name, please?” There is no question that family names are very important to the Chinese. They are closely connected with the Chinese culture and values. In many ways, they hold the key to our understanding of the Chinese family history.
Chinese people usually talk about Baijiaxing or Surnames when it comes to Chinese family names. Written in the early Northern Song dynasty, the book recorded 504 common family names in China. But according to the present records, the Chinese have at least 5,662 family names altogether, 3,484 of them are single-character family names, and 2,032 are two-character family names. Another 146 are three-character family names, which are hardly seen today.
Chinese family names have a history dating back more than 4,000 years. But the origin (起源) of them is very complex. There is one family name with many origins, as well as several family names with the same origin. Still, there is the name that has changed into many in the course of the developed history.
Chinese family names have witnessed (见证) thousands of years of development. They are not just the characters that Chinese people put before their names, but a unique part of the Chinese culture. Experts are now making great efforts for the application (申请) of Chinese family names for the UNESCO (联合国教科文组织) program Memory of the World, hoping to introduce the culture behind Chinese family names to the world.
1. How many Chinese family names do the Chinese have now?| A．About 500. | B．About 2,000. |
| C．Less than 3,500. | D．More than 5,600. |
| A．正式的 | B．严格的 | C．复杂的 | D．古老的 |
| A．They didn't appear until the Song dynasty. |
| B．They are an important part of the Chinese culture. |
| C．There are about 2,032 three-character family names. |
| D．They are an important part of the UNESCO program. |
| A．To make Chinese names more popular. |
| B．To introduce a book named Baijiaxing. |
| C．To do a survey on Chinese family names. |
| D．To make the culture behind Chinese family names well known. |
【推荐1】Communication (交流) is very important in every part of life. According to a scientific study, 45% of communication is listening, but most people remember only 25% to 50% of the information they hear. That is sure to lead to big problems. Active (积极的) listening helps solve them.
Active listening means more than listening to the words. Instead, you think about what you hear, and try to find out the ideas and emotion (情感) from the speaker. Active listening needs paying attention. If you’re watching TV or looking at your phone while someone is talking, you’re not actively listening.
The other side of active listening is making sure the other person knows that you are doing so. For example, give some good opinions or ask follow-up questions when he finishes talking.
Active listening is important. Because it helps us communicate better, and build more successful family or working relationships. Jack, 35, can’t get along well with his family members. He doesn’t pay attention to what is said because he thinks he knows what is coming next. He hears what he expects to hear, instead of what family members actually say. And active listening helps him have a better understanding of his family members so as to avoid unnecessary argument.
Active listening takes practice. Here are a few tips on improving your listening skills:
Pay attention! Put down your phone and look at the person talking to you. Take notes in mind about the speaker’s main point. Show that you’re listening. The speaker can tell if you’re paying attention. Nod when you need to, and give small comments (评论) like “yes” and “huh”.
Don’t forget to offer feedback (反馈). If you have the chance, you can think about what was said and ask follow-up questions, or offer your own opinions
1. According to the passage, which one can be active listening?| A．Asking some questions before listening. |
| B．Guessing how the speaker feels before listening. |
| C．Thinking about what you hear while listening. |
| D．Listening to someone while watching TV. |
| A．raising a question. | B．giving an example. | C．showing numbers. | D．telling a story. |
| A．Why active listening matters. | B．Active listening makes communication better. |
| C．How active listening changes our life. | D．The ways to become an active listener. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
B2 is a robot made to understand bat flight. The strength of flying made by the bats’ wings comes from a strong piece of skin. If you want to make a flying robot, said Science Focus, don’t copy bats. But B2 has very thin “skin” made of silicone（硅酮）. It flaps its wings and does sharp drops and turns, just like a real bat!
Walking with Cockroaches’ sticky feet
It has four legs instead of six, but this 4.5-centimeter-long cockroach（蟑螂）robot can walk and climb walls just like real cockroaches which have sticky（有粘性的）feet. The robot uses electricity to stick to walls. The tiny robot can look around inside engines because humans can’t go there.
____________
German scientists used magnets（磁铁）to move a 3D-printed guppy（孔雀鱼）around. The magnetic robot roller around under the fish tank. It copied the speed and direction of a fish partner, who thought the printed guppy was real. The team now use the robotic fish to better understand group actions in guppies.
1. What can we infer（推断）from Science Focus about flying robots?| A．Bats fly in a different way from some other flying animals. |
| B．People should not make a flying robot that flies like a bat. |
| C．Robots cannot fly without strong wings like bats. |
| D．Flying robots need a thin skin made of silicone to fly. |
| A．It only has four legs. | B．It can’t climb walls. |
| C．It can’t go into an engine. | D．It is made of silicone. |
| A．Printing beautiful guppies. | B．Copying guppies’ speed and direction. |
| C．3D-printed guppy moving around by magnet. | D．Rolling around guppies. |
| A．Animal World. | B．Science Study. | C．Culture Corner. | D．School Time. |
【推荐3】In 2003, we won (赢得) the battle against (对抗，抵抗) SARS, which killed nearly 1,000 people around the world. At the moment, we are fighting against COVID-19 (新冠肺炎). In fact, there have been many terrible epidemics (流行病) and plagues (瘟疫), which changed the development of human history. Here are three of them.
Plague of Athens(雅典)
During the second year of the Peloponnesian War (战争) (431—404 BC) when an Athenian victory seemed within reach, a great plague hit Athens. The plague killed about 300,000 people. That means it caused (造成) the death of one in every three people in ancient Athens. Ancient Greek historian Thucydides suffered from the disease. Luckily, he got well. He said that birds and animals were also affected (感染) and that doctors were among the most affected by it. Modern historians think it caused the fall of ancient Greece.
Black Death
Black Death came from central Asia first and was carried by fleas (跳蚤) living on rats (老鼠). The skin of a person with this disease would turn black in places. It killed about 25 million people in the 14th century. Because of the disease, there were not enough farmers in Europe.
The Epidemic of 1918
The epidemic broke out (爆发) in Spain in May 1918. Within months, it killed more people than any other illness in recorded history. It caused about 50 million deaths world wide, far more than the deaths caused by World War I. The flu greatly changed the social situation of the world at that time.
1. How many epidemics and plagues are mentioned (被提及) in the passage?| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．In 429 BC. | B．In 430 BC. | C．In 431 BC. | D．In 432 BC. |
| A．SARS. | B．Plague of Athens. | C．Black Death. | D．The Epidemic of 1918. |
| A．It was very terrible for birds, animals and humans. | B．Nurses were among the most affected by it. |
| C．It caused the fall of ancient Greece. | D．It killed about 25 million people. |
| A．Modern historians think Plague of Athens caused the fall of ancient Greece. |
| B．Black Death was carried by fleas living on rats. |
| C．The Epidemic of 1918 broke out in central Asia. |
| D．Some epidemics and plagues changed the history of humans. |
