Maple trees are the most famous trees in Canada. Their leaves look like little red palms. You can see a maple leaf on Canada’s national flag. In March and April, maple trees shed (流淌) “tears”. They are as sweet as honey.
The sweet “tears” are sap (汁液). On cold days, the sap is frozen. When spring comes, it starts running. The native Americans were the first people to find sap. In an old story, the chief of a tribe (部落首领) threw his axe at a maple tree. The sap ran into a bucket under the tree. The next day, the chief’s daughter used the bucket to cook food. She found that the food was sweet and tasty. It was because of the sap!
People use these “tears” to make maple syrup (糖浆). The Maple Syrup Festival is a traditional festival in Canada. It usually lasts from the end of March to early April each year. Traditional Maple Syrup Festival is open to visitors from home and abroad, especially for children.
People boil the sap to make it sticky and sweeter. At the festival, you can enjoy lots of snacks made out of sap. For example, maple taffy is popular among kids. A candy maker pours hot maple syrup onto clean snow. Wait a few seconds for it to freeze. Tada! The taffy is ready!
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。1. When do maple trees shed “tears”?
| A．In Spring. | B．In summer. | C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
| A．Frenchmen. | B．Englishmen. | C．Spanish. | D．The native Americans. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．To introduce the traditional festival in Canada. |
| B．To advise the children to take part in the festival. |
| C．To explain the reasons for holding the festival. |
| D．To describe people’s ways to celebrate the festival. |
| A．Maple Syrup Festival. | B．Maple Trees. | C．Maple leaves. | D．Sweet “Tears”. |
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【推荐1】Bear and Hare Warm Up
One cold frosty morning, Bear woke up from the middle of his long winter sleep. He walked around outside his home and noticed that the water in the lake had frozen over.
“Good thing I’m not made of water,” he said, “or I’d turn to ice.”
“But you are made of water,” said Hare, who was turnbling around on a snow bank beside him. “Over half your body is water.”
“You must be fooling,” said Bear. He looked at his body. His arms didn’t look like water. His legs didn’t look like water. His paws didn’t look like water.
“Think of all your blood,” said Hare. “Your blood’s made of water. In fact, all your parts are made of cells, and cells are made of water.”
Bear rubbed his paws together and blew on them to keep them warm. “I don’t want to freeze like the lake,” he said.
“Don’t worry,” Hare giggled. “We’re warm-blooded animals. That means our body temperature stays the same, even when it’s cold outside. Besides, our body water isn’t pure water. It contains organic molecules (分子) like sodium (钠) and potassium (钾) that make its freezing point lower than regular. We can only freeze in very extreme conditions.”
“Brrrrrr.” Bear shook because of the cold.
“See, when you shake like that, your body’s using energy to make more heat and warm you up.”
“I know a better way to warm up,” said Bear. “Let’s go inside.”
They walked into Hare’s house. Bear relaxed by the fireplace. A few minutes later, the snow on his fur melted and dripped into puddles on the floor.
A teapot whistled on the store. Bear looked at the teapot and saw a thick stream of steam shooting into the air.
“How are you feeling now?” Hare asked as he brought Bear a cup of black tea.
“I’m still afraid,” Bear said as he touched the steaming teacup in his paws.
“Don’t be silly,” Hare told him. “Even though you’re made of water, you know you aren’t going to turn to ice.”
“I know,” Bear said. “But now I’m afraid I’ll evaporate.”
1. Why did Bear have a difficult time believing his body is made up of mostly water?| A．Bear looked at himself and didn’t see any water. |
| B．Bear just found the water in the lake turned into water. |
| C．Bear hadn’t drunk any water during his long winter sleep. |
| D．Bear couldn’t swim in the lake since the beginning of winter. |
| A．The water in their blood is less salty than the water in the lake. |
| B．The water in their blood is much thinner than the water in the lake. |
| C．The water in their blood has chemicals that make it harder to freeze. |
| D．The water in their blood is pure water, while the water in the lake is not. |
| A．he would turn into ice | B．he would turn into steam |
| C．his body was mostly made of water | D．his body couldn’t get used to the cold |
| A．tell adults a story about Hare knows much more than Bear |
| B．show children the close relationship between Bear and Hare |
| C．offer adults some advice on how to warm up during winter |
| D．teach children some knowledge about the water in the body |
Imagine: when you are about to pick a flower, suddenly, it starts to scream! Although this will never really happen, a new study shows that plants can make sounds when they are stressed.
Some researchers in Israel did the study. They used ultrasonic microphones (超声波麦克风) to record the sounds of tomato plants in boxes.
Three groups of plants were listened to: One group wasn’t watered for five days, another group had the stems cut off, and the third group was untouched. It turned out that the first two groups made sounds once per hour. “When tomato plants are not stressed at all, they are very quiet,” one of the researchers said.
The researchers didn’t know how the sounds were made, but they believed the noises came from the breaking of air bubbles(气泡) in the plants. This means the noises were produced by the plants themselves naturally.
Also, the researchers listened to other plants like corn and found they also made more sounds when feeling stressed. Researchers said the study would be good for the farmers in the future, as they could better take care of the crops (庄稼) by “hearing” the plants’ feelings.
1. We can easily hear plants shout whey they are stressed.2. The plants that weren’t watered for five days produced more sounds than the plants than that had their stems cut off.
3. According to Paragraph 3, we know that the plants like quiet environments.
4. The underlined sentence means that plants didn’t make the noises on purpose.
5. The study is meaningful and it can help farmers plant crops better.
According to the Sleep Council, "junk sleep" could compete with eating unhealthy junk food as a main worrying lifestyle for parents of teenage children.
Among the l, 000 students aged 12 to 16 who were tested in the survey, 30 percent just slept for 4 to 7 hours a day. Almost a quarter said they fell asleep, more than once a week, while watching TV, listening to music or using other electronic gadgets.
"This is a quite worrying trend（潮流）”， said Dr Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre. "What we are seeing is the appearance of terrible junk sleep - sleep that is of neither the length（长度） nor the quality it should be."
Nearly each of the teenagers had a phone, music system or TV in his or her bedroom, with around two-thirds owning all three. Almost one in five of the teenage boys said the quality of their sleep had been influenced by leaving their TVs or computers on. The survey also found that 40 percent of youngsters felt tired each day, with girls aged 15 to 16 feeling the worst.
"Teenagers need to wake up to the fact that to perform（表现） well. They need to do something about their sleep. I'm shocked（震惊） that so few teenagers have noticed
1. Among the students tested in the survey, about_______ of them fell asleep while using their electronic gadgets.
| A．200 | B．250 | C．300 | D．400 |
| A．A long sleep of good quality. |
| B．A short but good sleep. |
| C．A sleep with many dreams. |
| D．A short sleep of low quality. |
| A．hard work and good performance |
| B．good feelings and good performance |
| C．good sleep and good performance |
| D．good sleep and good looks |
【推荐1】Language students often think they have memory(记忆) problems. They worry because they can't remember words. In fact, the problem usually isn't with their memory. The problem is with how they study.
To remember words better, you need to understand how memory works. There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. When you see, hear, or read something, it goes first into short-term memory. But short-term memory lasts for only a few seconds. You will only remember something longer if it goes into long-term memory. Your long-term memory is like a very big library with many, many books. And like a library, it's organized(有条理的). When you put away a book or memory, you can't just leave it anywhere. You have to choose a place where you can find it again.
How can you do this with vocabulary? The answer is to work with the word and think about the word in new ways. You can do this by writing new sentences that include it. Even better, you can make up a little story about the word, with people or places that you know. Another way is to make a picture in your mind with the word. For example, if the word is "height", you can think of the tallest person you know and try to guess his or her height. All of these activities are good ways to think about words. They make the meaning of words stronger in your long-term memory. And they give a way to find a word when you need it.
1. According to the passage, students forget words easily because ________.| A．they don't study in the right way |
| B．they have a poor memory |
| C．they don't like to remember words |
| A．Students never use short-term memory. |
| B．What we see goes into long-term memory first. |
| C．We will forget a word soon if it goes into short-term memory. |
| A．we can solve(解决) memory problems by understanding how memory works |
| B．short-term memory is bad for students' study |
| C．both long-term memory and a library are organized |
| A．Making up a little story about the word. |
| B．Reading the word when you see it. |
| C．Drawing a picture of the word on paper. |
| A．discuss how to understand every word when we read |
| B．tell us how to remember words well |
| C．talk about students' problem in English learning |
【推荐2】Can you imagine a world without insects? Without ants or flies in your house, it might sound great. However, the results may be out of imagination.
The number of insects has dropped by half in the past few years, according to a British biologist Dave Coulson. You may think small insects are not important. But in fact they are the main part of the species(物种)on Earth.
Insects are indeed on the way to extinction, according to the first review of insect population. The researchers say the main reason for this is the use of pesticides(杀虫剂)because they destroy insects’ living areas. Also, weather change is another important cause.
“Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects will go down the way to extinction in a few years,” the researchers wrote in the review. “This will have huge influences on the planet’s ecosystem(生态系统).”
We need insects to pollinate(授粉)crops. They also break down(分解)dead plants and animals, which can keep the soil healthy. Without insects, many animals would have nothing to eat and die of hunger. Then, the ecosystem would be off balance.
“If the number of insect species keep dropping, this will have bad influences on both Earth’s ecosystem and the survival of us humans,” said one of the writers of the review.
“The first step to stop this is to let more people understand the values of the natural world,” he suggests. “The best place to start is from our children, who should realize environmental protection from an early age.”
1. The underlined word “extinction” means “________”.| A．pollution | B．death | C．harm | D．protection |
| A．the reason for producing food | B．the problem of animals and plants |
| C．the way to keep soil healthy | D．the importance of insects |
| A．insects may destroy the balance of the ecosystem |
| B．ants and flies are the main part of the species on Earth |
| C．humans’ actions influence the number of insects |
| D．weather change has little influence on insects |
【推荐3】 In American schools there is something called Homecoming Day. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a homecoming game. This can be the most important thing of the year except graduation of commencement day(毕业典礼日). Students plan Homecoming Day for many weeks in advance(预先).
Several days before Homecoming students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths(摊位)and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome the visitors.
During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students vote a most popular student as Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor(荣誉)to be chosen.
Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming Day. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering.
1. The most important thing of the year in an American school is_________.| A．winning the game | B．Homecoming | C．selling lemonade,apples and sandwiches | D．graduation of commencement day |
| A．many weeks before the day |
| B．three days before Homecoming |
| C．the day before Homecoming |
| D．when the guests arrive |
| A．To call on teachers they remember. |
| B．To watch the football game. |
| C．To go home to see their family. |
| D．To see old friends. |
| A．to have a football game | B．to have a celebration | C．to elect or choose | D．to attend a meeting |
| A．The teacher who is most popular with the students. |
| B．The student who is liked most by other students. |
| C．The player who plays best in the game. |
| D．The student who is liked most by teachers. |
【推荐1】When winter comes, most plants lose their leaves. But bamboo does not.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It can grow 60cm or more every day. No matter how strong the wind or heavy the snow is in winter, bamboo stands straight and grows fast. Chinese people consider this as bamboo’s spirit. It is about being brave enough to overcome difficulties. Because of this, bamboo has been loved by Chinese people for a long time. They call bamboo, along with the pine tree（松树）and plum blossoms（梅花），the “three cold-resistant friends of winter（岁寒三友）”.
Bamboo is a common plant in China. It has many uses in our daily life. Bamboo is used to make household goods such as chopsticks, baskets and even furniture. Its young shoots（笋）are also cooked into all kinds of food. Bamboo is also the main food of the giant panda.
Bamboo is also very useful in art. Because bamboo is naturally hollow（中空的）inside, it is a good choice for people to make different musical instruments. There are many kinds of bamboo flutes（长笛）all over the world, such as dizi and xiao in China.
1. What spirit does bamboo have according to the passage?| A．Not being afraid of difficulties | B．Being proud of oneself |
| C．Being warm-hearted | D．Being the fastest |
| A．bamboo | B．the pine tree | C．plum blossoms | D．the rose |
| A．Because it is a common plant in China. |
| B．Because it is strong enough. |
| C．Because it is hollow inside. |
| D．Because it is cheap and easy to find |
【推荐2】On May 22, 2021, the whole nation was saddened by the news that Chinese scientist Yuan Longping died.
Dr Yuan Longping worked most of his life growing better rice. As a result of his research, Chinese people are no longer worried about getting starved. His great work also helped the world produce more and more rice.
In the 1960s, Yuan saw many people die of hunger every day. Since then, he has researched how to grow much better crops.
In 1964, he happened to find a natural hybrid rice（杂交水稻）plant that had great advantages over others. He then began to study the parts of this unusual plant.
In 1973, he started to develop a type of hybrid rice species（种类）. It produced 20% more rice per unit than common ones. The seeding（种植）was very successful in the following year. This progress made China the world’s leader in rice production.
More than 50% of China’s total rice fields grow Yuan’s hybrid species. People call him the “Father of Hybrid Rice”.
Yuan once said he had two dreams—to “enjoy the cool under the rice crops teller than men” and that hybrid rice could be grown all over the world to help solve the food problem of the whole world.
1. What does the underlined word “starved” in paragraph 2 mean in Chinese?| A．挨饿 | B．受冻 | C．致贫 | D．衰老 |
| A．Yuan Longping succeeded in seeding hybrid rice in 1973. |
| B．Yuan’s hybrid rice is grown in all of China’s rice fields. |
| C．Yuan’s hybrid rice can provide all people in the world with rice. |
| D．Yuan’s hybrid rice made China the world’s leader in rice production. |
| A．How to grow rice. | B．What great dreams are. |
| C．The “Father of hybrid Rice”. | D．Different rice species. |
【推荐3】
There might not be anything cooler in the whole ocean than a coral reef (珊瑚礁)! Did you ever wonder how a coral reef forms? Tiny animals called coral polyps (珊瑚虫) are responsible for the formation of coral reefs. The coral polyps attach (依附) to rocks or other hard surfaces. When they die, they harden. Then new coral polyps grow on top of them. This makes the reef expand. In fact, coral reefs are always growing. They grow about 1-2 cm per year.
Coral polyps eat algae (海藻) and other tiny animals. The algae get their food from the sun. Because sunlight can only make a way into shallow (浅的) water, the algae and coral polyps live in shallow water. This is where coral reefs generally form.
Coral reefs live all around the world. The biggest one is called the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is located off the northeast coast of Australia. It is 2,300 kilometers long. It can even be seen from outer space! Every year, the beautiful Great Barrier Reef attracts many scuba divers and tourists, about 2 million visitors per year.
Coral reefs are an important part of our planet. First of all, they are a home for many animals. They also protect shorelines (海岸线) against storms and floods. They can even provide us with the natural resources we need to make some kinds of medicine. However, many coral reefs are dying. Pollution and over-fishing are the main causes. And since coral reefs take a very long time to grow, they cannot grow fast enough to take the place of the damage (损害). As a result, the coral reefs around the world are starting to disappear. Some scientists predict that some day soon most of the coral reefs will be gone. That is why we have to take good care of them.
1. Where do coral reefs generally form?| A．In the deep water. | B．In a quiet place without tiny animals. | C．In shallow water. |
| A．Because they take a very long time to grow. |
| B．Because many scuba divers and tourists have destroyed them. |
| C．Because we’ve polluted the ocean and caught too many fish. |
①many animals live in them ②they can cause some storms and floods
③they can used as medicine ④they can be seen from outer space
| A．①③ | B．②③ | C．①②④ |
| A．Coral Polyps | B．Coral Reefs | C．The Great Barrier Reef |
