1 . Amanda was born in 2000. She has a big dream for her future. She does’t want to orbit (绕……运行) the earth on the space station or go to the moon. She wants to travel to Mars, the red planet.
Amanda made the decision when she was three years old. After that she read lots of books on Mars and attended her first space camp when she was seven. Since then, she’s learned a lot about travelling to other planets. It’s an expensive trip and requires many years of training. This is a problem for Amanda’s family, but her parents try to support her because she has been trying her best to make her dream come true. Amanda believes the mission (飞行任务) to Mars will help us get to know the planet better.
More than 100, 000 people have already applied for a journey to Mars. If they pass the tests, like Amanda, they will start a training program. Amanda can speak English, Spanish, French Chinese and some Turkish, so this should be enough!
Only a few people can go on the first Mars mission. The flight to Mars won’t be easy. So, if you were an astronaut on Mars, what would life be like? You would live in a very small space called a pod and you would wear a space suit all the time. If you made a phone call home, it would take half an hour for the sound to reach the earth! Also, if you got ill, there wouldn’t be any hospitals. Life wouldn’t be as easy, that’s for sure! But it would be really exciting to see.
1. Amanda’s dream is to ________.| A．go to the Mars | B．orbit the earth | C．land on the moon | D．travel to the moon |
| A．In 2003. | B．In 2007. | C．In 2015. | D．In 2020. |
| A．English | B．French | C．Japanese | D．Spanish |
| A．she didn’t pass the tests | B．she had a fear of heights |
| C．her parents didn’t support her | D．she requires many years of training |
| A．It’s quick to call friends. | B．It’s relaxing to stay in a pod. |
| C．It’s convenient to see doctors. | D．It’s exciting to see different views: |
2 . Over the past ten years, great changes have taken place in the countryside of China. Bacha Village in Heilongjiang Province is one of them. The people there have become rich with the development of the tourism (旅游业).
You Mingfen, a 57-year-old local woman, opened a hotel in her own two-floor house. Her family also has a fishing boat. Her husband can use it to get the fresh fish, which will be offered to the guests from all over China. The fish skin and bones can also be made into hand-made gifts. They are very popular with the tourists.
“The busiest tourism season in Bacha lasts from May to October, which can bring us more than 50, 000 yuan a year,” she said, “In winter, we can stay in a warm room and enjoy the leisure time. It was impossible before. At that time, we almost depended on fishing for a living.”
Since 2016, the tourism industry in Bacha Village has developed rapidly. Last year, more than 60, 000 tourists came here, and the income for each person in the village increased to 25, 600 yuan. Now, the roads are wider, the houses are brighter and the living conditions are more comfortable.
Thanks to the good policies of the government, villagers get more ways to make money. Many young people who work far away come back and work in their own hometown. They can not only care for their families but also build their hometown. People in China have a sense of happiness from the bottom of their hearts.
1. According to the passage, people in Bacha have become rich with the development of the ________.| A．fishing | B．farming | C．tourism | D．education |
| A．税收 | B．支出 | C．价格 | D．收入 |
| A．She has a nice car. | B．She has a three-floor house. |
| C．She has two fishing boats. | D．Her hand-made gifts are popular. |
| A．health | B．society | C．science | D．sports |
| A．many young people go to big cities for work |
| B．the government decides to protect the environment |
| C．villagers can get more ways to make money than before |
| D．many old people have to look after their grandchildren at home |
3 . A little stream (小溪) ran down from a high mountain far, far away through many villages and forests, until she reached a desert. The stream then thought, “I’ve been through countless difficulties, I should have no problem crossing this desert!” But as she started her journey, she found herself slowly disappearing into the sand. After many tries, she still failed and was very unhappy, “Maybe I can’t reach the ocean in the end,” she said sadly to herself.
At this time, a voice came, “If a breeze (微风) can cross the desert, so can a stream.” It was the voice of the desert. But the little stream replied, “That’s because a breeze can fly, but I cannot.” “That’s because you can’t give up what you are. If you like to do it, and let yourself evaporate (蒸发) into the breeze, it can take you across, and you can reach the ocean.” said the desert.
“Give up what I am now and disappear into the breeze? No! No!” The little stream could not accept this idea. After all, she had never experienced anything like it before.
“The breeze can carry the vapor (蒸气) across the desert and let it leave as rain. The rain will form a stream again to continue its course.” explained the desert very patiently.
“And whether you’re a stream or vapor, your nature never changes,” continued the desert. Hearing this, the little stream rushed into the open arms of the breeze, which carried her to the next stage of her life.
The course of our lives is like the experience of the little stream. If you want to overcome the difficulties in your life to get success, you should also change the way you used to be.
1. The little stream planned to reach ________.| A．the ocean | B．the desert | C．the forest | D．the village |
| A．the stream | B．the breeze | C．the ocean | D．the desert |
| A．she failed many times | B．she was afraid of nature |
| C．she didn’t meet any difficulties | D．she wouldn’t give up what she was |
| A．By forming a river. | B．By changing her nature. |
| C．By disappearing into the sand. | D．By evaporating into the breeze. |
| A．The road to success is always easy. |
| B．Our lives can be as difficult as the little stream’s. |
| C．To succeed, we should change the way we used to be. |
| D．We may experience difficulty in life just like the little stream. |
People all need friends because nobody wants to be lonely and a friend can help you in your good and bad times. You’ve made friends since childhood, but you still don’t know who your true friends are.
Always honest
Honesty is important to keep a relationship alive.
Always there for you
There are always periods in your life when you have problems or difficulties.
Always respectful (尊重人的)
A true friend will always respect your opinion no matter whether he or she agrees or not.
Always understanding.
| A．A true friend will never hurt you. |
| B．A true friend always tells you the truth. |
| C．There is a saying, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” |
| D．Here are some signs to tell you if your friend is a true friend. |
| E．It is possible that some problems will appear between two friends. |
| F．Your true friend may disagree but never insist (坚持) that he is correct. |
| G．A true friend will always have time to listen to your problems and give advice. |
The world is getting bigger, or at least fatter. Recent studies show that more and more people are living an unhealthy life.
| A．Of course, not all of these are bad for us |
| B．We are becoming sofa potatoes |
| C．We can’t eat junk food |
| D．We should choose the delicious food |
| E．They sit in front of the computer all day and eat junk food |
| F．One reason is our modern way of life |
| G．To be healthy, we should make good choices about what we eat |
6 . Are you dreaming of future travels to space? Your dream will come true soon.
It’s reported that people will have an “out-of-the-world” experience by staying at a hotel high above the place where we live in 2027.
The hotel is called Voyager Space Station (VSS). There will be rooms, restaurants, reading rooms and scientific research laboratories. It’s good for the environment by getting power from the sun. It will have rooms for up to 400 people, including scientists, astronauts and even some people to live there for a long time. You’ll pay 5 million dollars for each 3-day stay.
The hotel will serve traditional “space food”. You’re going to have the top chefs making really good food. You can go on spacewalks to enjoy the beauty of the place where we live. You can enjoy 32 sunrises and sunsets each day.
“The building of the VSS will start in 2026 and welcome its first visitors in 2027. It will be the world’s first space hotel. We’re trying to make people realize that this golden age of space travel is just around the corner. It’s coming fast.” Scientists say.
1. What is the Voyager Space Station (VSS)?| A．A space hotel. | B．A space laboratory. |
| C．A kind of space food. | D．A space supermarket. |
| A．For 3 days. | B．For 6 days. | C．For 9 days. | D．For 12 days. |
| A．The golden age of space travel. | B．The building of the VSS. |
| C．The beauty of the earth. | D．The dream of space travel. |
7 . Sugar is a sweet thing that is used to cook food and make drinks. Humans have a natural sweet tooth and it can be difficult to stop eating sugar, but how can it be harmful to our health?
Without doubt, naturally produced sugar is good for our health. However, refined (精制的) sugar is not healthy and is added into many processed foods (加工食品) to make them taste better. Most importantly, refined sugar does no good to our health, which is unlike the natural sugar in fruit, so it is unnecessary to eat it. Too much sugar also gets our teeth worse and even makes us get fatter or fall ill in later life.
So, what can we do about too much sugar, especially the hidden sugar in our food? On one hand, the government must take action for this situation. It should regulate the amount (数量) of sugar that companies can add to food so that they won’t add too much. On the other hand, schools should tell students the health problems about eating too much sugar. What’s more, it is necessary for students to eat vegetables and fruit with less sugar.
I think it is quite important that we young people should know about the danger of sugar so that we can make wise choices. Although it is sweet, we must not put our future health at risk.
1. Why do people often add sugar to most food?| A．To make food more expensive. | B．To make food look better. |
| C．To make food more delicious. | D．To make food become healthier. |
| A．Choose. | B．Provide. | C．Doubt. | D．Control. |
| A．Make strict rules about eating. |
| B．Eat vegetables and fruit with less sugar. |
| C．Share health problems with others. |
| D．Make delicious food at home. |
| A．Travel. | B．Health. | C．Sports. | D．Science. |
8 . Where do you paint? Maybe you can paint on paper, on a piece of cloth and even on the wall. But have you ever thought of creating pictures in the fields? In Anhui, every year farmers plant different kinds and colours of rice to “make” pictures in the fields. This is rice paddy art (稻田画).
Some villages were trying to do something to help the farmers make more money. They needed a way to attract tourists and then the rice field art came into being. During the first few years, the farmers created simple pictures. Later they were able to make more complex (复杂的) ones.
Every April, the villagers meet and decide what to plant for the year. Before planting, farmers make the pictures on computers to work out where and how to plant the rice. After that, farmers plant different kinds of rice in different areas of fields. When rice grows tall, different colors will come out in the fields.
Now, the countryside in Anhui has become one of the most popular places of interest for both the young and old. So what are you waiting for? Just bring your camera, come and enjoy the beauty of nature for yourself!
1. Where do people make rice paddy art?| A．On paper. | B．In the fields. | C．On the wall. | D．On a piece of cloth. |
| A．To help farmers make money. | B．To help farmers grow more rice. |
| C．To help artists learn about art. | D．To help villages become clean. |
| A．The advantages of rice paddy art. | B．The problems of rice paddy art. |
| C．The colors of rice paddy art. | D．The steps of creating rice paddy art. |
9 . Do you know that Asian Games are held every four years? Did you watch the 19th Asian Games in 2023? On September 23, Asian Games were held in Hangzhou. Do you still remember who won the first gold medal (金牌) for the Chinese team?
On the first day of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Chinese team did very well in the women’s lightweight double sculls (女子轻量级双人双桨) and got the first gold medal in less than 10 minutes.
From the 2002 Asian Games in Busan (釜山) to now, the Chinese team has been the first one to win the first gold medal in six Asian Games. This time Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping defeated (击败) the other players, finishing at 7′06.78″, about 10 seconds earlier than Team Uzbekistan in second. Indonesia won the third place.
Zou, 22, a Hangzhou girl, got a gold medal in her hometown. Qiu, 24, is from South China’s Guangdong. After joining hands, they won a lot of great results. In 2022, they finished second at the World Rowing (划船运动) Cup in Belgrade. Now the two are already able to go for the Paris Olympics through the 2023 Rowing World Championships (锦标赛).
In men’s lightweight double sculls, Chinese rowers Fan Junjie and Sun Man won another gold medal for China. Chinese players tried their best at the Asian Games.
1. What sport are Zou Jiaqi and Qiu Xiuping good at?| A．Swimming. | B．Running. | C．Jumping. | D．Rowing. |
| A．The 13th. | B．The 14th. | C．The 15th. | D．The 16th. |
| A．They are of the same age. |
| B．Both of them come from Hangzhou. |
| C．They worked together for three years. |
| D．They will be in a great game next. |
| A．China’s First Asian Games Gold Medal. |
| B．The Friendship between Two Girls. |
| C．A Beautiful City to Visit in China. |
| D．An Interesting Game. |
10 .
Celebrate the Natural World and Win Prizes! |
Planet Earth is a beautiful place. Now, we are asking our readers to draw a poster that celebrates the natural world and write a pledge (誓言) to protect Planet Earth. The competition is inspired (启发) by Earth Day, which takes place on April 22nd each year. It is a time to celebrate the planet and think about how to protect it better. So we are asking readers to think about what their favorite things are in the natural world and then draw them. We can’t wait to see your drawings. Good luck! |
| Instructions Draw your poster on the white card. Then write your wishes to the planet. Ask a friend to take a photo and send it to theplanetearth.com by May 17th, 2024. |
| Prizes We will give away meaningful prizes to 11 winners.
|
1. What can readers draw on their posters?
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．April 22nd, 2024. | B．April 21st, 2024. |
| C．May 16th, 2024. | D．May 17th, 2024. |
| A．To teach readers drawing skills. | B．To encourage people to read more. |
| C．To ask people to protect the Earth. | D．To guide people to enjoy the world. |
