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 |
When winter comes, Siberian cranes migrate (迁徙) from northeast Siberia in Russia to Poyang Lake in Jiangxi province, China.
In some years, the Poyang Lake met floods and droughts. These natural disasters led to little food for cranes there. To work out the problem, the local government built a large area of lotus roots (莲藕) in Nanchang.
China keeps working hard to protect migratory birds. These years, the government build about 1,140 places for animals to have babies, including wintering grounds and migratory stops.
Thanks to all the hard work, more birds like to spend winter in the national wetlands. In December 2022, Shanghai Chongming Dongtan Bird National Reserve recorded over 2,900 tundra swans.
| A．In fact, most of these special places lie in wetlands. |
| B．Lotus roots grow quickly and the lotuses look pretty nice in summer. |
| C．About 95 percent of the birds spend winter there. |
| D．Fishermen keep fishing in the Poyang Lake these years. |
| E．These plants provided food for the cranes through the winter. |
| F．The number of these swans was only around 1,000 there in the winter of 2021. |
| G．Moreover, the Chinese government made the Wetlands Protection Law on June 1, 2022. |
4 . When you think of a terrible hunter, lions and sharks may first come to your mind. However, some scientists now find that humans are the most terrible hunters. Human activities even bring animals close to extinction. In the last 500 years, more than 300 types of animals have disappeared (消失). How do human activities make the wild animals in danger?
On one hand, hunting and fishing make the number of wild animals become smaller and smaller. Some people hunt animals just for food. It’s a real shame that people in some parts of the world often eat dolphin meat. What’s more, some hunt animals for fashion. Animal skin is used to make coats and bags. Still others hunt animals just for fun. They kill deer and enjoy the excitement of deer hunting.
On the other hand, building more farms or factories causes less and less space for wildlife. Many animals have no comfortable places to live, or enough food to eat. Humans also put animals in danger without going into their living areas. Because of serious pollution from ship traffic and other human activities, the number of wild animals drops greatly.
Luckily, now humans have known the importance of protecting wild animals and already taken action. Our government has made a 10-year fishing ban (禁渔令) on the Yangtze River. Fishermen once fished there for a living. They had to say goodbye to their old job because of the ban. Instead, some fishermen joined a team to clean up rubbish in the Yangtze River and report where to see finless porpoises (江豚). It’s glad to see so many people act to protect animals’ living areas. Keeping on protecting wildlife can make the earth a healthy and beautiful home.
1. The underlined word “extinction” in Paragraph 1 means “________”.| A．dying out | B．going wrong | C．giving up | D．coming down |
| A．The lions and sharks are the most terrible hunters. |
| B．Humans hunt animals for food to make a living. |
| C．Animals live in their living areas without danger. |
| D．Humans should care about wild animals and protect them. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
5 . 
Woodcut is a kind of art work on a piece of wood. Many traditional woodcuts are printed either black and white or simple in color, but reduction woodcuts (绝版木刻) often show rich colors like Western oil paintings.
The reduction woodcuts are famous for their rich colors. On the same piece of wood, the artist cuts and prints different layers (层) in order. The artwork was listed as an intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产) in Pu’er city, Yunnan province, in 2009.
Leng Guangmian, 40, is a reduction woodcut artist. He started learning the art at college in 2003. He thinks that making reduction woodcut prints is just like an amazing journey. “Every time we cut a model on the woodblock and then print, we never know what it will be like in the end.” As he sees beautiful models layer by layer, he gets more excited.
But finishing such work is not easy. Before cutting, he needs to plan for the whole print and choose colors for different layers. A big print usually takes months to finish.
Leng hopes his artwork can show not only excellent woodcutting skills but also local culture and life. “My works have two series (系列). One is called the Tea Horse Road, since Pu’er is one of the starting points of that road. The other is the Disappearing Villages.” Leng said. “Many old villages in Pu’er need rebuilding for safety, so I want to make people remember their beauty before they are gone.”
1. What’s special about the reduction woodcut?| A．It has one layer. | B．It is colorful. |
| C．It uses a piece of wood. | D．It is simple in color. |
① Start to print ② Cut on the wood
③ Plan for the whole print ④ Choose colors for different layers
| A．③④②① | B．④②①③ | C．④③①② | D．③②④① |
| A．To tell his personal stories. | B．To rebuild old local villages. |
| C．To teach woodcut skills in Yunnan. | D．To show local life and culture. |
| A．An artist’s story | B．A Chinese artist |
| C．Making a colorful artwork on wood | D．Learning special works in Yunnan |
6 . Poems play with sound, words and grammar. They use colors, feelings, and experiences to paint a picture in your mind. Spring is a fine season. It lights up people’s feelings and brings hope. Read the following poems.
A Spring Morning (By Meng Haoran, China) This spring morning in bed I’m lying, Not to awake till the birds are crying. After one night of wind and ________. How many are the fallen flowers?——Translated by Xu Yuanchong | Spring (By Thomas Nashe, UK) Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king, Then blooms (开花) each thing, and girls dance in a ring. Cold a bit not sting (刺痛), the pretty birds do sing, Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!(An excerpt) |
The first poem might be one of the most famous poems about spring in China. It’s simple and easy to keep in mind. Meng writes about more detailed information of the season, including the weather, birds and even sounds. Thomas Nashe’s poem celebrates the coming of spring. As spring comes, everything seems to grow actively. Just as a Chinese saying goes, “A year’s plan starts with spring.”
1. Which word may be the most suitable for the blank “________”?| A．rains | B．showers | C．storms | D．snows |
①flowers ②sky ③wind ④birds
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①④ | D．②④ |
| A．Boring. | B．Silent. | C．Comfortable. | D．Hopeful. |
7 . One Saturday morning, Tommy’s mum had a bad cold and she had to stay in bed.
“Mum is ill now. What can I do to help?” Tommy said to himself.
Then he got a good idea. Saturday is the day when Mum does the laundry. “Why don’t I wash my own clothes this week?” Then he ran to his room to get his clothes. He put them into a washing machine (机器). Finally, he closed the door of it and started the machine.
After the washing was over, Tommy took out the clothes. Everything seemed clean, and he felt very happy. Then he saw a pink T-shirt.
Tommy stopped. “Where does it come from? I don’t have a pink T-shirt,” Tommy said to himself. When he took out more clothes, there were more pink clothes! What was wrong?
Then Tommy saw a bright red sock. When he took it with his hand, he found that the sock turned his hand red. “The sock must turn all of my white clothes pink,” Tommy thought. He was happy to have the pink T-shirt.
The next day, Tommy put on his pink T-shirt and went to have breakfast. “Where did you get that T-shirt?” Mum asked. “It looks nice.”
Tommy smiled. “I made it yesterday when I washed the clothes. I like it.”
“I like it too.” said Mum. And they began their breakfast.
1. Why did Tommy help around the house?| A．Because his mum didn’t feel well. |
| B．Because his mum asked him to do it. |
| C．Because it was part of his homework. |
| D．Because he liked working with machines. |
| A．does the cleaning | B．does some reading |
| C．washes the clothes | D．takes some exercise |
| A．The T-shirt was pink because it was not clean. |
| B．The T-shirt turned pink because of a red sock. |
| C．Tommy coloured the T-shirt red with his red hand. |
| D．Tommy made the new shirt because he liked pink. |
| A．He always helps do housework on Saturday. |
| B．He is really good at doing all the housework. |
| C．He loves his mother and is glad to help her. |
| D．He often has good ideas to make new things. |
8 . The festival parade was in two weeks. Victor and Carlos’s neighborhood club decided to put a Firebird on their float (彩车) . Victor and Carlos were chosen to paint it.
Victor’s grandmother told many stories about the Firebird. She said it represents never-ending life. His grandmother said the Firebird is the color of gold (金色的) .
At the store, Victor Lopez was buying gold paint. He glared at Carlos Garcia. Carlos was buying red paint.
The boys couldn’t agree (同意) on the color. Victor and Carlos argued (争论) about what color to paint the Firebird. “Fire is red!” Carlos shouted.
“The Firebird is gold!” Victor shouted.
They would not compromise (妥协) .
The next day Victor carried his gold paint to the float. He couldn’t believe what he saw. The Firebird had been painted red! Carlos must have painted the bird red the night before.
Victor climbed up on the float with his gold paint. He touched the Firebird. The red paint was dry. He was angry with Carlos.
Victor opened the gold paint can. He dipped his brush in the can. He started to paint over the red paint.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Carlos shouted at Victor. Carlos climbed up on the float.
“I told you that the Firebird is gold,” Victor said. He kept brushing gold paint over the red paint.
Carlos grabbed (迅速抓取) a cloth. He tried to wipe (擦) the gold paint off. It streaked. He rubbed the cloth over more gold paint.
1. Why did Victor and Carlos argue?| A．They couldn’t agree on the color to paint the Firebird. |
| B．They didn’t have enough time to paint the Firebird. |
| C．They wanted to paint different designs on the float. |
| D．They wanted to paint the Firebird without each other’s help. |
| A．Gold. | B．Blue. | C．Yellow. | D．Red. |
| A．He took a cloth and wiped the gold paint off. |
| B．He climbed up on the float and drove Victor away. |
| C．He called for help from other members of the neighborhood club. |
| D．He took away Victor’s paint and ran away quickly. |
9 . Middle school is a good time to try new things. Why not join a school club in your free time?
Reading Club Do you enjoy reading different books? In the club, you can read all kinds of books and talk about them with the club members. You can also bring in your favourite books from home and share them with others. Mr. Wu will come and give lessons on some popular books. Time:16:30—17:10, Tuesday Place: Room 401, BuildinglPlease call Miss Tang on 832-1357 |
Sports Club Do you only watch sports games on TV at home? Come to our club. We have great teachers here to help you practice all kinds of ball games in a right way. You’ll have fun and build up your body. Time: 16:30—17:10, WednesdayPlace: Playground Please call Mr. Liu on 832-1658 |
Science Club Come and learn more about the world. You can do some maths games and interesting activities like making robots（机 器人）. You can also design your items on the computer. Mr. Wang will give lessons here. Time:16:30—17:30, ThursdayPlace: Room 302, Building 2 Please call Miss Zhang on 832-1314 |
Music Club Join the club if you are good at singing, dancing or playing musical instruments like the piano! At the end of the term, you’ll sing some songs together with your teachers in the school hall. Time:16:30—17:20, FridayPlace: Room 503, Building 3 Please call Miss Xu on 832-9595 |
| A．832-1357 | B．832-1658 | C．832-1314 | D．832-9595 |
| A．The Reading Club. | B．The Sports Club. |
| C．The Science Club. | D．The Music Club. |
| A．Students in the Reading Club can only read books from the school library. |
| B．Students in the Sports Club will learn how to play games by watching TV. |
| C．Students in the Science Club will do more maths homework to learn it better. |
| D．Students in the Music Club will sing songs with their teachers at the end of the term. |
10 . 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. |
