The ocean is beautiful and important, but in many areas of the ocean the water is dirty and the animals and plants are in danger. That’s why Sylvia Earle, an ocean scientist, started Mission Blue in 2009. Many scientists and volunteers have joined the Mission Blue (蓝色任务).
Mission Blue divided the parts of the ocean that are in danger into many small areas and calls them “hope spots”. There are rules to keep “hope spots” clean and healthy. For example, in some areas people can’t fish or even use boats.
Mission Blue teaches people about “hope spots” and looks for ways to help the waters. Scientists often go into the ocean to study and get information about plants and animals. These scientists often take beautiful pictures underwater. Then they shared pictures with others. By doing this, they hope people will become interested in protecting the ocean.
Mission Blue does important work on land, too. Its members teach people about the ocean in many ways. Some members write books about special places in the ocean. Others talk about Mission Blue’s goals at special events.
At an event in Japan, the members of Mission Blue offered a beach part to a group of kids. The kids enjoyed snacks and games and played in the water. They also learn about the ocean and spend time cleaning up the beach. At this event, kids helped the ocean and had fun at the same time.
Mission Blue believes people of all ages can work together and help save earth’s wonderful waters
1. What do you know about Mission Blue from Paragraph One?①When it started. ②Who started it? ③Why it started? ④how many members it has?
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Teaching people to fish. |
| B．Dividing the ocean into smaller areas. |
| C．Getting information about plants and animals |
| D．Sharing beautiful pictures of the underwater world |
| A．Educational, but boring. | B．Boring and meaningless. |
| C．interesting but meaningless | D．Educational and interesting |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
Laws (法律) are the rules of society, like when you play games you need rules to tell you how to play. In our everyday life, there are laws that act like rules to tell you what to do and not to do. Every country has its own set of laws and some are special to that country. Of course, laws are more powerful than game rules. If you break the law, you may be fined or go to prison.
Laws are very important because they bring order to society. For example, drivers must stop when the traffic light turns red and go when it is green. If people go and stop freely, driving will be dangerous. That’s when the Road Traffic Safety Law is used. There is also Criminal Law (刑法). It punishes people’s bad behaviors such as stealing or killing someone. Usually, a country has many laws to guide us in life. Among them, the constitution (宪法) is the most important.
The constitution lists people’s basic rights and duties (义务). For example, China’s Constitution (宪法) protects peoples privacy. This means that nobody can look at your letters without your permission (允许). It also says that when you reach the age of 18, you will have the right to vote (投票) and stand for election (选举). Since the constitution is so important to our everyday life, it must be taken seriously. In China, the National People’s Congress (NPC), which is made up of a group of people who are elected by Chinese citizens is the highest authority (行政管理机构). It has the power to make and change the constitution and other laws.
1. What may he be done if a person break the law?2. Why are laws very important?
3. What are listed in our country constitution?
4. What do you think of the laws as a middle school student in your life? Why?
3 . Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don’t know is that junk (垃圾) has become a problem in outer space too.
According to BBC News, there are more than 22,000 pieces of space junk floating around the earth.And these are just the things that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes (望远镜). There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can’t see.
Objects (物体), like bits of old space rockets or satellites, move around the planet at very high speeds. They are so fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become a danger to astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spaceship, it could damage the spaceship.
To make things worse, when two objects in space crash, they break into many smaller pieces. For, example, when a U.S. satellite hit an old Russian rocket in 2009, it broke into more than 2,000 pieces , increasing the amount of space junk.
To reduce additional space junk, countries have agreed that all new space tools can only stay in space for 25 years at most. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth’s atmosphere (大气层) after that time. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up.
Many scientists are also suggesting different ways to clean up space junk. In England scientists are testing a metal net that can be fired into space junk. The net catches the junk and then pulls it into the earth’s atmosphere to burn up. The Germans are building robots that can collect pieces of space junk and bring them back to Earth to be safely destroyed.
“The problem is becoming more challenging because we’re sending more objects into space to help people use their mobile phones and computers,” says Marco Castronuovo, an Italian space researcher.
“The time to act is now. The longer we leave the problem, the bigger it will become,” he says.
1. What does the underlined word “these” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Telescopes. | B．Satellites. | C．Pieces of space junk. | D．BBC News reports. |
| A．It burns up after it reenters the atmosphere. |
| B．It often stops the view of telescopes on Earth. |
| C．It could force (迫使) new space tools to travel at slower speeds |
| D．It may crash into other space tools causing damage or death. |
| A．the tools can be reused later | B．the tools don’t become space junk |
| C．the earth’s atmosphere can stay clean | D．the effects of space flight can be studied |
| A．Catch it with nets. | B．Use robots to collect it. |
| C．Burn it ‘in the earth’s atmosphere. | D．Send it further away from the earth. |
4 . Different countries have different ideas about how to be polite. In Britain, table manners are important. Good table manners in England are as follows:
★How to sit
You should sit up straight in your chair. When you eat, don’t pick up the bowl and bring it to you. This is called very bad manners.
★Noises at the table
It is never a good idea to make a noise at the table.
★Using your fingers
Usually we don’t pick food up with our fingers when we are eating main dishes, but there are some foods such as pizza, sandwiches, chips (or fries) and fruit, we can eat them with fingers.
★Your mouth
It is not polite to talk with your mouth full of food, or to eat with your mouth open. And if possible, do not make any noises.
★How much to eat
It is polite to eat the food clearly that you have been offered, so a clear plate is a good plate. It shows that you enjoy the food. If you can’t finish everything and need to leave a little, that’s OK. You could saysomething like “That was very nice. ..Thank you.”
1. It is ________ to make a noise when you are eating.| A．polite | B．rude | C．funny | D．relaxing |
| A．Leaving much food | B．Asking for more food |
| C．Bringing the bowl to you | D．Eating up everything on the plate |
| A．eat chips with your fingers | B．sit up straight on the table |
| C．talk with your mouth full of food | D．eat with your mouth open |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
5 . A guide to making a summer diary
| Imagine summer full of adventures and discoveries. Now imagine collecting all of that excitement in a correct place just for you. Sounds exciting, right? |
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| Why keep a summer diary? A summer diary is like a treasure box, filled with memories and experiences from your summer days. It’s a way to remember all your adventures, big and small, and all the things that make summer such a wonderful time. It is also a great place to show your ideas, and let your imagination (想象力) run wild! | |
| |
| Choose your favourite diary notebook Every great adventure begins with the right tools. For your summer diary, the first step is to find the perfect notebook. It could be a simple pocket notebook or a diary with a lock and key. Look for something that catches your eye, and don’t forget that it should have pages to last you the whole summer. | Ideas to get more creative Here are some ideas to get you started: ◇Daily Activities: Every day is an adventure! Write about what you did, saw or felt ◇ Nature Observations ( 观 察 ): You could write about a tiny insect you saw or the way the leaves rustle (make soft sounds when they move) in the wind. ◇Simple Doodles (涂鸦): A diary doesn’t have to be all about words. Paint something you saw, or draw a picture about your summer holiday. ◇Goals: What are your hopes for this summer or the new school year? Write them down and make a plan on how to achieve them. |
| The reward (回报) of your summer diary By the end of the summer, you’ll have a collection of memories and experiences. It will remind you of all the fun you had and show how much you’ve grown and learned. It’s a gift you can keep and share with your family and friends. | |
1. A summer diary is made NOT for ________.
| A．showing ideas | B．remembering summer adventures |
| C．doing as homework | D．keeping a record of summer days |
| A．It’s necessary to choose a right notebook for summer diaries. |
| B．We can write some daily simple things and our feelings in summer diaries. |
| C．Summer diaries are all about words. Drawing is not advised in them. |
| D．It’s good to make a plan for the next term in summer diaries. |
| A．Worries and pains. | B．Progress and growing up. |
| C．Gifts from families. | D．Love from best friends. |
| A．teach students to keep a diary in summer holidays |
| B．call on teenagers to care more about themselves |
| C．attract parents to buy a notebook as a gift |
| D．encourage students to make a plan for the future |
Wang Qian was a lovely girl, who never argued with her parents before 15. But when she became a ninth-grader, things started to change. “We often argue, sometimes because of unimportant things,” she said.
Maybe Wang has got the “ninth-grade syndrome (综合症)”. Some experts (专家) think ninth-graders usually suffer a lot because of the changes in their body and mind. A survey shows that the lack (缺乏) of support from parents makes the thing even worse. Wang’s classmate Liu Shijia is an example. “The exams in Grade 9 are more difficult, but my parents still don’t support me,” she said sadly.
As ninth-graders enter the rebellious phase (叛逆期), they want to be free and have their own ideas. The survey shows that about 47 percent of ninth-graders try to persuade (说服) their parents when they have different ideas. Wang feels this deeply. “I think I have been an adult already. I can make decisions by myself,” she said. For example, she thinks there is nothing wrong with playing with boys, but her parents don’t agree with her. They often argue about this.
To deal with these problems, an expert from Nantong gives useful advice to ninth-graders. “First, calm down and pay more attention to your studies. Second, develop some interests and share them with your parents. Finally, learn about your changes and know yourself well. Then try to accept them,” she said.
1. What are the reasons for the “ninth-grade syndrome”?2. What does Liu Shijia think of the exams in Grade 9?
3. Why do about half of ninth-graders try to persuade their parents instead of accepting their ideas?
4. What can you do if you argue with your parents except the advice given by the expert from Nantong?(At least 30 words)
7 . ①Think of these scenes. A girl is walking alone in the street and watching a short video on her mobile phone without noticing a car just stop beside her. Or she is walking in an empty street in the dark night without any adults with her. What if something unsafe happens? Being street smart is an important skill to have and a good way to take care of yourself if something unsafe happens.
②Always carry your cell phone with you, but do not look at it while you are walking. Being able to communicate or call for help is important, so keep a list of useful numbers. But put your cell phone away while you are walking so that you can keep your head up and see what’s going on around. If you do need to check your cell phone, stop and look at it quickly.
③Don’t wear earphones (耳机) while you are out. If you have to listen to something when you’re out, use only one earphone or play it at a very low volume.
④Travel with friends or family members when possible and never go anywhere with a stranger. It’s important to be careful with strangers. Remember not to get into a stranger’s car if they call you over.
⑤ Avoid dark and out-of-the-way places. Do not take short cuts through dark areas, even if it will make your trip much faster. If you have to go to unsafe places, go with someone you know or speak to someone over the cell phone while you are there.
⑥Run and shout if you feel unsafe. Run away as fast as you can towards a police station, hospital, on nearby business for help. Shout as loudly as you can to get the attention of people nearby.
⑦As you see, being street smart can help us avoid some possible problems. The smarter we are in the street, the safer we will be. So watch out!
1. The writer begins the passage by ________.| A．listing numbers | B．telling a story |
| C．giving an example | D．describing different situations |
| A．水平 | B．质量 | C．音量 | D．节奏 |
| A．It’s sometimes dangerous to travel alone without parents around. |
| B．If you need to check your cell phone in the street, look at it quickly. |
| C．We mustn’t listen to music with earphones in the street. |
| D．It we meet something dangerous in the street, stay calm and run home fast. |
| A．①/②③④/⑤⑥⑦ | B．①②/③④⑤⑥/⑦ |
| C．①/②③④⑤⑥/⑦ | D．①②③④/⑤⑥/⑦ |
8 . 
We can see more and more driver-less cars in the streets and our homes can be controlled by voice. AI (人工智能) has developed so fast recently. “AI is going to change the world more than anything in the history of mankind (人类), more than electricity.” said AI expert Dr. Kai Fu Lee. That’s true. According to a research by scientists at the University of Oxford, AI will be better than humans at translating languages by 2024, writing school essays by 2026, selling things by 2031, writing a bestselling book by 2049, and treating diseases by 2053. In the next few years, AI will become an important part in our lives.
These are just a few examples of how AI will change the future. What about jobs? Will they take our jobs in the future?
“AI will take our jobs!” is the most common fear. In fact with AI automating (自动操作) all kinds of work, we can think of a more comfortable future for ourselves with millions of new job chances. According to a report on the Future of Jobs by World Economic Forum (世界经济论坛), AI will create 58 million new AI jobs by 2022. There is an excellent chance that AI will replace humans in most of the mental (脑力) tasks by 2030. However, that does not mean it will take away jobs. Taking India as an example, the Indian AI industry doubled in size in 2019 compared to the year before. In just one year, three times more companies are working on AI-based projects and this may continue. India almost doubled its AI engineers in 2019 (from 40. 000 in 2018 to 72. 000 in 2019), but still faces a talent shortage (人才短缺). Top technology companies are racing to implement (实施) AI in our daily lives, which will lead us to a really exciting AI future.
AI Future is coming soon! And there will be more new jobs in the AI industry. Do you want to be a part of this fourth industrial revolution (革命)? Will you upgrade (升级) your skills to stay ahead or will you remain still and slow in the industry? The choice remains with you. With the progress of education and training, now is the time to prepare for the age of AI.
1. From the first paragraph, we can know that AI will ________.| A．replace humans in many ways | B．be more powerful than electricity |
| C．change the long history of electricity | D．change the world greatly |
| A．writing books | B．translating languages |
| C．inventing new robots | D．treating patients |
| A．job shortage | B．job chances | C．losing jobs | D．taking away jobs |
| A．We should improve our skills for AI future. |
| B．AI gets more jobs than people do in India. |
| C．The fourth industrial revolution is a part of AI Future. |
| D．AI will take all our jobs away in the future. |
Paris is on track to become a greener city. Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, the government is making plans to create a car-free zone (区域) in the city.
According to Bloomberg, the ban (禁令) on “non-essential (非必要的) through-traffic” in the city center will begin in early 2024. “The plan is expected to cut around half of the daily car journeys through the core (核心区) of the city. Residents (居民), public transit (交通), emergency vehicles (紧急救援车) and people with disabilities will find it easier to move,” Brent Toderian, a city planner and urbanist from Canada, wrote on Twitter. Other measures have already been put in place. These include increasing the number of bike lanes (车道) and pedestrian routes (人行道), and banning cars from some major streets.
But the Olympics are only the beginning. Paris Mayor (市长) Anne Hidalgo wants to make the city more human-focused by adding more nature. Famous landmarks (地标) such as the Eiffel Tower and Place de la Concorde will also be turned into park areas before the 2024 Games. “By 2026, Mayor Hidalgo has promised to plant more than 170, 000 trees across the capital, with 50 percent of the city covered by planted areas by 2030,” reported Time Out Paris. These policies will also reduce the city’s climate influence.
1. What is Paris planning to create in the city?2. According to Brent Toderian, how will the ban affect disabled people?
3. Besides the ban, what other measures (措施) has Paris adopted to achieve its goal?
4. What do you think of Paris as a greener city? Why? (Write 30 words or more)
10 . After Chinese Poetry Conference and Letters Alive became pretty popular in China, a new show focusing on national treasures also became popular. It showed Chinese viewers’ growing interest in the traditional culture.
As soon as National Treasure was shown on TV, it quickly became one of the most popular TV shows in China. “Fun”, “Creative” and “Informative (增进知识的)” were the most widely-used words to describe the show on the Internet.
The show mainly introduced the history and stories of some national treasures which were kept in nine key museums in China. To some viewers’ surprise, they found some famous actors in every episode (一集) of the show, which made them feel more interested. At the end of the show, the nine most valuable treasures would be chosen by viewers to take part in an exhibition at the Palace Museum in Beijing to celebrate the 600th anniversary (周年纪念日) of the Forbidden City.
In the first episode of National Treasure, the Palace Museum showed three treasures: Stone Drum, The Panoramic Painting of Rivers and Mountains by Wang Ximeng and Large Vase with Variegated Glazes (斑釉大花瓶). Famous actors Wang Kai, Li Chen and Tony Leung Ka-fai played roles of national treasure keepers along with other actors. They introduced the treasures and told viewers stories about these treasures.
Do you want to watch the show? You can go online to watch it!
1. The show National Treasure ________.| A．is only shown on TV |
| B．is a documentary about nature |
| C．mainly introduces some national treasures |
| D．mainly introduces experiences of famous people |
| A．Informative. | B．Strange. | C．Interesting. | D．Creative. |
| A．Because it’s only shown on TV. |
| B．Because people can see many famous actors in it. |
| C．Because people can enjoy national treasures from any museum in China. |
| D．Because it helps people learn about national treasures in an interesting way. |
| A．To introduce a TV show called National Treasure. |
| B．To introduce the reason why some actors are so popular. |
| C．To introduce some of the most popular TV shows in China. |
| D．To introduce the reason why Chinese people like the traditional culture. |
