The history of tofu in China—Tofu is very popular in the East today, but tofu was first eaten in China over 2, 000 years ago. There is an ancient Chinese picture. It shows a kitchen scene which proves that soymilk（豆浆）and tofu were being made in China. The oldest written material of tofu also appeared in China about 1500AD, in a poem named Ode to Tofu by Su Ping.
The history of tofu in Japan—Kento priests（教士）, who went to China, brought tofu back to Jap during the Nara era（奈良时代）（710-794）. The word “tofu” was first mentioned in Japan in the diary of another priest called Nakaomi. The word “tofu” was first written in the actual Japanese characters in 1489. Tofu gradually became popular in Japan. The cooking book Tofu Hyakuchin came out in 1782 and sold very well.
The history of tofu in Western world—In 1603, a Spanish dictionary was the first European document（文献）with the word “tofu”, The first English reference（参考书目）to tofu was in1704. And tofu was first produced in France by Paillieux in 1880. Hirata & Co started to make tofu in San Francisco in 1895.
The title: | |
| In China | ◆Tofu was first eaten by Chinese over 2,000 years ago. ◆The oldest |
| In Japan | ◆During the Nara era, Kento priests brought tofu back to Japan. ◆In 1489, “tofu” was first written in ◆In 1782, the book Tofu Hyakuchin |
| In Western world | ◆In 1603, the first European document with the word “tofu” was a Spanish dictionary. ◆In 1704, the first English reference to tofu appeared. ◆In 1880, the man who first |
Artificial intelligence is often considered as something from the future. We might think of intelligent computer networks that try to destroy humans, or robots that can feel human emotion.
But in fact, AI is already here—and many of us benefit from it every day. It might not be as exciting as the al of science fiction, but it is much more useful.
Probably the best example of this would be voice-activated virtual assistants（声控助手）. Siri, created by Apple, came out in 2011. It won over Apple fans with its ability to recognize a user’s voice and de certain things without the user having to do anything. For example, you can tell Siri “call mom” or “set a timer for10 minutes”, and the software will automatically（自动地） do these things for you.
Over time virtual assistants have become more sophisticated（复杂的）. can be used to order food, schedule（安排）meetings, and even control the lights in your home.
But how will we use AI in our daily life in the future? The possibilities seem quite endless. Perhaps the most exciting possibility is driverless cars.
Researchers have been working on self-driving cars for quite some time now. The first automated car was developed in 1977 by Japan. It was able to track street markers by using two cameras and a computer. Since then, dozens of companies have tried to develop their own cars, Developments like these are a sign that AI will become increasingly popular in our daily life in the future.
1. When did the voice-activated virtual assistant Siri come out?_________________________________________________________
2. Can Alexa be used to order food and control the lights in your home?
_________________________________________________________
3. What's the most exciting possibility of Al in our daily life in the future?
_________________________________________________________
4. Which country developed the first automated car?
_________________________________________________________
5. How many companies have tried lop their own cars since 1977?
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Chinese stage performances have been popular for thousands of years. They attract not only many Chinese but also many foreigners. Some are listed here.
Ventriloquism （口技）
The ancient ventriloquism was an imitation （模仿） of sound art. In order to catch animals, ancient people had to cheat animals by imitating their sounds with their mouth. But as a performing art, it was popular no later than the Song Dynasty.
Crosstalk
Crosstalk, known as “xiangsheng”, appeared in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty. Modern crosstalk includes four skills: speaking, imitating, amusing and singing. Performers do all these things to make people laugh. The performers also tell funny stories about everyday life or historical events.
Beijing Opera
Beijing Opera is the soul of Chinese national culture. It came into being in the 1790s. It is full of historical stories, beautiful clothes and wonderful performances. There are four kinds of roles in Beijing Opera: Sheng, Dan, Jing and Chou. Beijing Opera presents plays and characters mainly by four artistic methods. They are singing, speaking, acting and acrobatic （杂技的） fighting.
Shadow Play
Started from the Han Dynasty, shadow play became popular among ordinary people in the Tang Dynasty. It was a mixture of dance, drama, music, art and so on. When it became dark, the performers set up the light and paper screen. Then they held the human characters behind the paper screen and the audience saw the stories from the other side. The characters were made of animal skin. As the shadow players moved their fingers, the characters came to life and their looks, dresses and movement could be clearly seen. At the same time ,the performers told war or traditional stories.
1. The ancient people caught animals by _____.| A．giving them food | B．playing with them |
| C．imitating the sounds of animals | D．singing songs with the sound of animals |
| A．listening to crosstalk | B．speaking on a stage |
| C．telling funny stories | D．telling historical events |
| A．Speaking, imitating, amusing and singing. | B．Singing, speaking, acting and acrobatic fighting. |
| C．Jumping, acting, imitating and talking. | D．Dance, drama, music and art. |
| A．animal skin | B．paper screen | C．lights | D．dresses |
| A．four Chinese stage performances | B．excellent traditional culture of China |
| C．the influence of Chinese culture | D．the fun time of ancient people |
 | Lifepack Carry-on Closet The Lifepack Carry-on Closet is designed by the Danish startup Solgaard Design. From the outside, the Lifepack looks like an ordinary suitcase. But inside, it contains a set of retractable shelves (可伸缩的架子) to keep clothes in good order and maximize the space. Its shelf system has many extra pockets and is removable. |
 | LynQ Becoming separated from friends in crowds or losing contact with your family in a strange place can be a nightmare. But now, LynQ, a new location tracker (追踪器) has a fix. When you wear LynQ, you use a combination of GPS technology and long-range radio frequencies ( 无线电频率) to find other LynQs to a distance of up to 5 kilometers from you. |
 | Gravity Jet Suit Developed by London-based technology company Gravity Industries, the flying suit, a real gravity jet suit, is equipped with five power engines—four are built into units close to the hands and one is built into a backpack. If these engines fuel together, they can provide 1,050 horsepower to make the wearer move at a speed of up to 51 kilometers per hour. So, for people who can balance with the suit on, it's easy to fly. |
 | 5G 5G tests started as early as 2018 in the US and in 2019 in the UK. China has already tested 5G since 2016.5G promises download speeds that are 10 to 20 times faster than what we have now. For example, you could download a whole film in just 1 second, according to Xinhua. This used to take several minutes with a 4G network. |
1. The Lifepack Carry-on Closet was designed by_____.
| A．a technology company | B．the Danish startup Solgaard Design |
| C．the clothing company from London | D．Xinhua |
| A．download speeds | B．losing contact with family |
| C．taking up too much space | D．losing balance. |
| A．at a speed of 51km/h | B．at a speed of 70km/h |
| C．at a speed of 75km/h | D．at a speed of 63km/h |
| A．the United Kingdom | B．the United States | C．Japan | D．China |
| A．Novel | B．newspaper | C．science magazine | D．storybook |
Sophia（索菲亚）is a robot in Saudi Arabia（沙特阿拉伯）.She made history at a meeting on October 25th. 1. On that day，she became the first robot that got citizenship（公民身份）in the world.
In the future，Sophia may have the same rights as a human Saudi Arabian citizen.
But not everyone is happy with Sophia's citizenship. Some think robots like her could be dangerous. 2.They could become enemies of humans if they go out of control. For this，Sophia said she also had values like wisdom（智慧）and kindness.“Don't worry. If you're nice to me，I'll be nice to you，" she said.
1.2.
6 . Mount Huang is in the south of Anhui Province. It was not called Mount Huang until 747 AD，and was given that name because of an old story about Huang Di. He was the ancestor(祖先) of the Chinese people，and made magic immortality pills(药丸) there. It was thought that after taking the magic pills，people would live forever.
There are five famous Chinese mountains. We call them the Wuyue. They are Mount Tai(Shandong Province)，Mount Hua(Shanxi Province)，Mount Heng(Shanxi Province)，Mount Song(Henan Province) and Mount Heng(Hunan Province).Though Mount Huang isn't one of the Wuyue，it is very famous as well. It's said that you won't want to visit any other mountain after seeing the Wuyue，but that you won't want to see even the Wuyue after returning from Mount Huang. These words should give you some ideas of the beauty of Mount Huang.
There are many places for people to watch the sunrise on Mount Huang. The best times are 5：30－6：00(spring)，4：40－5：10(summer)，4：50－5：20(fall) and 5：30－6:00(winter).When you visit Mount Huang，it's best if you get a chance to see the seas of clouds. September to May is the best season，but you're welcome to visit Mount Huang at any time!
1. Why did people call the mountain Mount Huang in 747 AD?| A．Because it was one of China's most famous mountains. |
| B．Because it is in the south of Anhui Province. |
| C．Because it didn't have a name before 747 AD. |
| D．Because of an old story about Huang Di. |
| A．病人 | B．皇帝 | C．永生 | D．长眠 |
| A．Because Mount Huang is not as famous as the Wuyue. |
| B．Because the Wuyue are not worth visiting. |
| C．Because the Wuyue are the highest mountains in China. |
| D．Because Mount Huang is even more beautiful than the famous Wuyue. |
| A．5：30－6：00. | B．Before 4：00. | C．After 6：00. | D．6：30－7：30. |
| A．Mount Huang is in the south of Anhui Province. |
| B．Huang Di named the mountain Mount Huang. |
| C．Mount Song isn't in Hunan Province. |
| D．The writer thinks Mount Huang is very beautiful. |
7 . The purpose of students who come to school is to study. But studying needs right ways, or we would waste the time or the money. The followings are ways for studying.
The best time for reading is morning. Because in the morning, the air is fresh and our minds are clear. For that reason, we can set good results.
When we study we must be patient. If we don’t understand a text well, we must read it again. We should not read the next until we have learned the first one well.
When we are studying, we must put our hearts into the book. We cannot read absent-mindedly(心不在焉地), or we could get nothing from the book while we are reading.
We must always ask “why”. If we can’t understand well, write it down and ask our teachers or parents, brothers or friends, in any possible ways. We must know it completely and then our knowledge can be used well.
Though there are many ways for studying, however, the above mentioned(提到的) will be helpful if we can keep them in heart.
1. Morning is the best time for reading because .| A．we can be more patient |
| B．we can have a good time |
| C．the air is fresh and our minds are clear |
| D．we can relax ourselves |
| A．we must chat with friends on the phone |
| B．we’d better Listen to pop music |
| C．we have to eat something |
| D．we should put our hearts into the book |
| A．we should copy others’ answers |
| B．we should read it again till understand it |
| C．we don’t do it any more |
| D．we should give it up and read the next one |
| A．The purpose of students who come to school is to study. |
| B．When we are studying, we can’t be absent-minded. |
| C．We don’t have to ask “why” when we can’t understand well. |
| D．We should know knowledge completely and use it well. |
| A．Right Ways of Studying | B．Don’t Waste Time |
| C．Be Patient | D．Learn to Ask “Why” |
The World Wide Web（www.万维网）turned 25 years old on March 12th. It has become a very important part in our daily lives. We can’t imagine living without the web, the short form of the World Wide Web.
In 1989, a British engineer named Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea of the Web. It is a group of “pages” of information that are connected to each other around the world. That is the very beginning of the Web. Since then, the Web has greatly changed the way people live. With a click(点击)of a mouse we can read news, buy things, make friends and learn anything we’re interested in.
Now, 25 years after its birth, how will the Web influence life in the future? Scientists believe there are both advantages and disadvantages. w W w .x K b 1.c o M
A growing Web will help build “better relationships” between different cultures. Also in the future, everyday items could be connected to the Web. We could share plenty of information to make our daily lives more convenient(方便的). So one day in the future, your front door could send you a message. “Dear sir, everyone has left the house, but I’ m still open!”
But scientists warn（警告）us that if we share personal information on the Internet it could get into the wrong hands.
“It’s not wise to spend a whole day in front of the screen. People need to get close to nature and enjoy the sun. Never be controlled by the Internet.” said Berners-Lee.
1. How old is the World Wide Web?
2. Who came up with the idea of the Web?
3. What can we do by clicking a mouse according to the passage?
4. Will the Web influence life in the future?
5. What could happen if we share personal information on the Internet?
