Tea and coffee are two of the most popular drinks in the world. However, people usually like one more than the other. These drinks also have very different uses.
Tea drinking started in China over 4,000 years ago. These days, some people drink tea for health, using it to help with stress or losing weight. However, most people in tea-drinking countries think of tea as more than just a healthy drink. In fact, tea drinking in some countries is a part of the culture. In Turkey, tea is always there when people meet. Whether in someone’s home or a company, tea is always offered as a way of welcome. In the UK, homes and offices usually have tea time. Tea and other dishes are served at tea time in the afternoon. It is a way of relaxing with friends or co-workers (同事).
Coffee came much later than tea, just over 1,000 years ago. Coffee is made from beans. Something in the coffee beans makes a person feel active. Most people do not drink coffee to relax. Instead, they drink coffee to get going. Many people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up. Others will also drink coffee during short breaks in the afternoon to keep going through the working day. Some people may visit coffee shops just to meet and talk with friends. However, many people in coffee shops drink coffee while working on their computers.
Is tea or coffee more common in your country? Between the two, which do you like to drink more?
Tea and Coffee —Two of the Most Popular Drinks | |
Tea | Chinese people have drunk tea for Now when people feel stressed or get Most people in tea-drinking countries think tea is not only a drink but also a People in Turkey offer tea as a way of welcome. In the UK, tea is served with other dishes at tea time in the afternoon. |
Coffee | Coffee appeared over 1,000 years ago. Most people drink coffee in order to make themselves Some people go to the coffee shops to meet friends while many people go there to |
2 . Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen... Do you know where the name s of Chinese space programs come from?
Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite (暗物质粒子探测卫星), is named after a Chinese superhero the Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, the Monkey King has a pair of sharp (锐利的) eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as the Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.
The name of the space station, Tiangong, means “Heavenly Palace (天宫)”. In Chinese myths (神话), this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space. And China welcomes foreign astronauts to Tiangong so that they can work together.
Tianwen, China’s Mars mission (火星任务), gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet (诗人) from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen mission will end up answering some of Qu Yuan’s questions.
If you look into more names of Chinese space programs, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished (珍藏已久的) space dream. So the naming of Chinese space programs is taken very seriously.
1. The underlined word “evil” means “________”.| A．诚恳 | B．善良 | C．邪恶 | D．丑陋 |
| A．It’s used for searching dark matter. | B．It’s used as a home for the astronauts in space. |
| C．It’s used to explore (探索) the Mars. | D．It’s used to send astronauts to the space. |
| A．a superhero | B．a book | C．a palace | D．a poem |
| A．They’re both sharp-eyed. | B．They’re both superheroes. |
| C．They both help the good and punish the bad. | D．They both help with scientific studies. |
| A．What Meaningful Names! | B．What Beautiful Space! |
| C．What A Famous Poem! | D．What A Sweet Dream! |
3 . We all know the folk musician Abing and his famous erhu piece Erquan Yingyue. But how much do you know about the erhu?
Erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument with a long history. The modern erhu developed from the xiqin, which was played by many ethnic minorities (少数民族) during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use the erhu to perform different kinds of music, and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying (伴奏) instrument in different folk music. At present, it is used in both traditional and modern music, such as in pop, rock and jazz. It has even become a solo (独奏) instrument.
As the erhu was mainly played by common people and the playing skills were passed down orally (口头地), there are few written records about the erhu that can be found. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians usually turn to ancient paintings. The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province, where five erhu pictures were discovered on murals (壁画).
1. Erhu became popular ________.| A．in the Tang Dynasty | B．in the Song Dynasty |
| C．in the Ming Dynasty | D．in the Qing Dynasty |
| A．when the erhu became an important instrument | B．who played the erhu first |
| C．the rise of different folk arts | D．the development of the erhu art |
| A．a person who studies history | B．a person who studies music |
| C．a person who plays the erhu | D．a person who writes the erhu pieces |
| A．The erhu can’t be used to play pop music. |
| B．People can find a lot of written records about the erhu. |
| C．The earliest picture of the erhu was found in Gansu. |
| D．The erhu has been a solo instrument since the Qing Dynasty. |
| A．travel | B．health | C．nature | D．culture |
4 . There’s nothing quite like falling sound asleep after a full day of work. Like people, animals need to rest after working hard. Some animals sleep in water. Others dig holes under the ground. Some even sleep high in trees or under leaves. But they all find a way to rest.
Some animals in the sea sleep in strange ways. Fish sleep with their eyes open. They seem to look ahead far into the sea while they rest. Sea otters sometimes sleep in beds of the plants that grow in the sea. This keeps them from moving away. Parrotfish blow something from their mouths when they are ready to sleep. Then a bubble (气泡) will be formed around them. The bubble protects them from harm while they sleep.
Some animals sleep under the ground. Chipmunks (花粟鼠) sleep curled up (蜷缩) in a ball. Their beds are made of leaves and grass. In winter, they sleep for two weeks and wake up to eat the stored food. Then they go back to sleep for another two weeks before waking up again. Some desert frogs dig underground holes during the hot, dry season. A frog may stay in its hole for months.
High above the ground, monkeys find leafy places in trees each evening before they sleep. The tall trees help to keep monkeys safe during the night. Some insects even sleep under the leaf that will be their next meal. A bee may climb down into a flower to rest. When it climbs out the next morning, it is rested and ready for work.
1. What animals blow bubbles when they sleep?| A．Sea otters. | B．Monkeys. | C．Desert frogs. | D．Parrotfish. |
| A．sleep with their eyes open | B．never sleep curled up in a ball |
| C．wake up now and then in winter | D．don’t eat any food during the winter |
| A．The forest where monkeys sleep safely. |
| B．The animals that sleep above the ground. |
| C．The reason why bees climb down into flowers. |
| D．The ways that keep animals away from danger. |
（①＝Paragraph 1, ②＝Paragraph 2,… ）
A． | B． | C． | D． |
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a new AI robot. It is a tool made by the company OpenAI in November 2022. They wanted to show everyone what a very large, powerful AI system can achieve.
ChatGPT remembers your conversations, it makes its answers from lots of information on the Internet. It can do many other things, such as writing papers, describing art very well, creating AI art ideas, having thoughtful conversations and even writing computer codes (密码) for you!
A few days after its launch (上市) , more than 1 million people were trying out ChatGPT. About 100 million people used ChatGPT in February 2023.
However, ChatGPT cannot replace Baidu. ChatGPT is an AI robot that gives answers to your questions, but Baidu is a website that helps you look for information.
ChatGPT is still new and has a lot of problems. Here are some big problems that experts have noticed:
1. ChatGPT might give wrong answers. Don’t use it for math questions!
2. ChatGPT might take jobs from humans. It could make it harder for writers, teachers, artists and computer programmers to make their living.
3. ChatGPT could challenge (挑战) high school writing homework. It will make it easier for students not to write their own papers and lose their own responsibility (责任).
4. ChatGPT could cause harm to people. If someone asks it a question instead of going to the hospital, it will be very dangerous.
ChatGPT is a fun and exciting new technology for everyone to use and experiment with. We can make the best use of ChatGPT for learning. But be careful with it!
1. When was ChatGPT made?2. How many people used ChatGPT in February 2023?
3. Why can’t Baidu be replaced by ChatGPT?
4. Will you use ChatGPT for your homework during the winter holidays? Why or why not? Write 30 words or more.
What do you do with clothes you don’t want to wear anymore? You may donate (捐赠) them or give them to other people. What happens next? Where do these clothes end up?
Sadly, the beaches of Ghana, a country in West Africa, are among these places. Now, the beaches are covered with clothing waste.
People from all over the world donate clothes to charity (慈善机构). However, charity shops only sell up to 20 percent of donated clothes, said The Guardian (英国《卫报》 ). The unsold clothes are then put in large bags and travel to other countries to be sold again or for waste disposal (处理).
The Kantamanto market in Accra, the capital of Ghana, is one of the world’s largest secondhand clothing markets. Every week, 20 million pieces of clothes arrive at Kantamanto.
But about 40 percent of them leave the market as waste. Workers either burn the waste or put it underground. However, the city is near the sea, so there’s not enough space for landfills (垃圾填埋场). This is why a lot of clothing waste ends up on the beach.
As it goes into the sea, fish and other sea life are in danger. Sea turtles (海龟) can’t get to the land, and fish can’t grow because they may get caught in the clothes.
The waste is also hurting the economy (经济), Ernest Ijawan, a worker at a landfill in Ghana, told Forbes. Fishers can’t catch as many fish as before since most of the things they catch are clothes.
1. The beaches of Ghana are covered with _________.| A．food waste | B．clothing waste | C．dead fish | D．plastic bags |
| A．4 million. | B．6 million. | C．8 million. | D．10 million. |
| A．In Accra, workers bury all the secondhand clothes. |
| B．In Accra, people like to pick secondhand clothes on the beach. |
| C．In Ghana, workers make a lot of money at landfills. |
| D．In Ghana, clothing waste in the sea is harmful to sea life. |
| A．Clothing Pollution | B．Secondhand Economy |
| C．The Beaches of Ghana | D．The unsold clothes |
7 . Four students are talking about the best museums they have ever been to.
 | Jenny The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which was built in 1872, is very popular in the world. It is one of the world’s finest art museums. I really enjoyed my trip because I love modern arts very much. I think the Dance Class by Edgar Degas is the greatest work of art there. |
 | Sandy Built in 1204, the Louvre Museum in Paris is the world’s largest art museum. Nearly 38,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited there. It was great to enjoy so many treasures at one time there. Among them. I think the Mona Lisa is a must-see. |
 | John First built in 1912, the National Museum of China in Beijing shows well the cultural aspects of China. Since I’m crazy about Chinese culture and history. I really enjoyed this trip. It has a large collection of bronze vessels (青铜器). My favorite one is “Hou Mu Wu” Bronze Ding. |
 | Sam Built in 1753, the British Museum in London is the greatest museum I’ve ever been to. I enjoyed my trip there because I’m very interested in the culture of ancient Egypt. That’s why I was deeply attracted by the famous Rosetta Stone (罗塞塔石碑) . |
1. Where is the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
| A．In New York City. | B．In London. | C．In Beijing. | D．In Paris. |
| A．In 1753. | B．In 1204. | C．In 1912. | D．In 1872. |
| A．the Dance Class | B．the Mona Lisa |
| C．the Rosetta Stone | D．“Hou Mu Wu” Bronze Ding |
| A．Travel. | B．Art. | C．Technology. | D．Sports. |
8 . The ocean is not a quiet place. This is partly caused by sea animals. They use sound to find what they eat, whom they play with, or which place they move towards. But noise from human activities is increasingly troubling the lives of ocean animals.
According to scientists, loud noise may increase mass strandings (大规模搁浅)of sea animals. Researchers recorded only five of these events in the first half of the 20th century. From 1950 to 2004, they recorded more than 1,200 mass strandings. This is perhaps because of the use of sonar (声呐) underwater. Another main reason of loud underwater noise is pile driving (打桩). Piles are supports for bridges, oil and gas producing areas. They’re driven deep into the floor of the ocean. Driving in a single pile can take several hours and as many as 5,000 hits. This process creates a lot of noise.
To restrain (抑制) that noise, some companies are making use of tiny bubbles (气泡). A single bubble is easily broken. However, the bubble wall can make pile driving quieter. The bubble wall is usually created in this way: A tube (管) is placed in a ring around a pile. Air is then let out through closely spaced openings on the tube. When the bubbles rise, they act as walls and take in some of the noise. Some more of the sound comes back and becomes stuck inside the wall. Such bubble walls are really helpful.
Other changes to pile driving can help as well. For example, people can take breaks in pile driving and let animals travel through.
Our noise in the ocean is causing big problems. But small changes in our behavior can make a big difference to animals’ lives in the world’s oceans.
1. What is troubling the lives of ocean animals according to the text?| A．The gas produced in the sea. | B．The food polluted by humans. |
| C．The noise from human activities. | D．The bubble walls made by some companies. |
| A．①② | B．③④ | C．①③ | D．②④ |
| A．Culture. | B．Health. | C．Education. | D．Nature. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
9 . Spain is famous for its tomato festival, called La Tomatina. It happens in a small town Bunol on the last Wednesday of August every year. During the festival there are all kinds of activities, but the most exciting part is the tomato fight. It takes place at the end of long celebration (庆祝). You are encouraged to throw tomatoes in the fight. There are many stories about how the festival began. One of the stories goes that during the 1940s, some friends started a tomato fight, while another story is about a local band. Anyway, everyone in Bunol seems to have a different story.
Before the tomato fight, there are parades (游行), musical bands, street parties and so on.
On the day of the fight, shopkeepers cover their windows and doors in order to keep away from the tomato fight. At the same time, thousands of tourists and local people come to the town square together. Then large trucks (卡车) full of tomatoes arrive. From the back of the large trucks, a great town band start to throw tomatoes at others. Then the crowds fight back, throwing the tomatoes at anything and anyone. Soon the streets are in the sea of red tomato juice.
Everyone should obey (遵守) a small number of rules: You must squash (压烂) the tomato before throwing it and you are allowed to throw nothing but tomatoes.
It is usually over in less than half an hour. Everyone then sets off to the river to clear up. Sounds like fun!
1. The most exciting activity of La Tomatina is________.| A．parades | B．street parties | C．the tomato fight | D．the musical band show |
| A．very clear | B．quite sad | C．very famous | D．quite different |
| A．people fight for the whole day |
| B．people can throw everything |
| C．shopkeepers are not allowed to watch people fight |
| D．lots of tourists and local people join in the fight |
| A．The festival happens on the last Wednesday of August every year. |
| B．On the fight day, shopkeepers cover their windows and doors. |
| C．The fight usually lasts half an hour. |
| D．Everyone should obey some rules on the fight day. |
10 . “We all have suffered from the air pollution. If we don’t call for an end to the firecrackers (鞭炮), the environment will get worse and worse in the future.” said Zhang Wei. He put up a notice in his neighborhood. In the notice, he called on more people to set off (引爆) fewer firecrackers during this year’s Spring Festival.
Lots of parents agreed with Zhang Wei. They said that they hated the noise of firecrackers. It often woke up their babies easily. And the babies really needed a quiet place to have enough sleep.
More Chinese are looking forward to celebrating the holiday in greener ways. Many people decide not to set off firecrackers. They decided not to waste food. They think that the new ways are fashionable (时尚的).
“My family didn’t buy firecrackers this year. Instead, we gave the money away to a charity. It’s good for the environment and the charity.” the Internet user “Fighter” wrote on the Blog.
In my opinion, it’s very important for us to celebrate our traditional festival—the Spring Festival. But it’s more important to reduce air pollution and protect our environment. We had better express our cheerful feeling and best wishes in greener ways. We need more people like Zhang Wei or “Fighter” who uses electronic ways like QQ, Wechat or Blog. I believe more and more people will join them and our environment will get better and better.
1. Where did Zhang Wei put up a notice?| A．In his office. | B．In the street. |
| C．In his house. | D．In his neighborhood. |
| A．the noise of firecrackers | B．the Spring Festival |
| C．the environment | D．a quiet place |
| A．Eating a lot of food. | B．Making more money. |
| C．Celebrating in a greener way. | D．Setting off more firecrackers. |
| A．Don’t Waste Food | B．The Spring Festival Goes Green |
| C．Firecrackers and Noise | D．The Christmas Holiday |
