1 . Have you astonished by the amazing dance “The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting”（《只此青绿》）on the Chinese Spring Festival Gala. Along with its perfect performance, the background music which was played by the ancient instrument—Qin was also a highlight.
One cannot discuss Chinese music without mentioning the Chinese seven-string zither（弦）, also known as the guqin, one of the four arts—along with go, calligraphy and painting. It first appeared over 3, 000 years ago and represents China’s solo musical instrument tradition.
At first, the guqin had only five strings, representing the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Later, in the Zhou dynasty, King Wen of Zhou added a sixth string for his son. King Wu of Zhou, added a seventh string to encourage his army to fight with the Shang.
Ambience was important in playing the Chinese zither. Usually, it was practiced in quiet setting and never for public performance.
Ancient artists enjoyed performing by a stream in the mountains. The sound of the guqin mixed with the echoes（回音）from the mountains, until the musician found himself at one with nature. Playing it in snow was also a favorite pastime for ancient artists, who believed the instrument was the purest of its kind in the world. Also, a night with moonlight was considered ideal（理想的）for playing the guqin. Wang Wei（701—761）, a highly talented man of the Tang dynasty, liked playing it in a bamboo forest on nights with moonlight most.
Guqin pieces are usually around three to eight minutes long, with the longest being Guangling Verse, which is 22 minutes long. Other famous pieces include Plum Blossoms in Three Movements（《梅花三弄》）, Wild Geese Landing on the Sandbank（《平沙落雁》）and Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute（《胡笳十八拍》）.
Now, there are fewer than one thousand well-trained guqin players and perhaps no more than fifty living masters. The original number of several thousand pieces has greatly reduced to only a hundred works by today. The guqin and its music was added to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity（人类非物质文化遗产）in 2003.
1. Today, the guqin has _________ strings.| A．four | B．five | C．six | D．seven |
| A．演奏技巧 | B．环境氛围 | C．天气状况 | D．弹奏曲目 |
| A．at a quiet restaurant | B．at a welcome party |
| C．in a peaceful yard with flowers | D．on a dark night with rainstorm |
| A．The guqin has a history of less than 3000 years. |
| B．The strings mean metal, wood, water, fire and stone. |
| C．The longest guqin piece is Guangling Verse. |
| D．The guqin is very popular and many people can play it. |
| A．The guqin and its music. | B．The guqin and its players. |
| C．Four Chinese traditional arts. | D．The development of guqin music. |
2 . A healthy amount of sunshine may be the secret to staying young. British scientists have discovered.
Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to（对……的反应）sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study.
Researchers from King’s College London studied 2, 160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres（端粒）—a biological marker of ageing found in DNA. As people get older, their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible（易受伤害的）to certain illnesses.
But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres—a sign of being biologically younger and healthier.
The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole.
Lead researcher Dr. Brent Richards said, “These results are exciting because they show for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D.” This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer.
Professor Tim Spector, a co-author of the report, added, “Although it might sound absurd（荒唐的）, it’s possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have ahealthy effect on the general ageing process.
Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 percent of the body’s supply, but lower levels can also be got through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals（粥）.
Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease.
1. A certain amount of sunshine helps people stay young because _________.| A．people feel happy and energetic in the sun |
| B．sunshine protects people against heart disease |
| C．vitamin D makes one’s skin look young and healthy |
| D．vitamin D may help to slow the ageing process |
| A．10% | B．90% | C．80% | D．20% |
| A．sunlight causes skin cancer to people with high level of vitamin D |
| B．the study generally has a healthy effect on the general ageing process |
| C．vitamin D can only be got from fish, eggs and breakfast cereals |
| D．the higher levels of vitamin D people have, the more slowly people may age |
| A．Vitamin D can also be gained from food. |
| B．Telomeres are important as they are signs of ageing of the DNA. |
| C．Sunlight does more good than harm to our health. |
| D．Sunlight can be dangerous as it causes skin cancer. |
| A．Secret of Staying Young. | B．Vitamin D Helps Slow Ageing. |
| C．Sunlight and Vitamin D. | D．Sunlight and Health. |
When you are in your favorite clothing store, everything is so cheap and fashionable(时尚的) in your eyes! Even if you don’t need anything, you still leave the store with bags of new clothes.
This doesn’t seem so bad. However, there are a lot of other costs behind the low price. It’s clear that the fashion industry is terrible for the earth. It uses a lot of resources(资源) and pollutes the environment with waste.
Fashion is one of the least sustainable(可持续的) industries. We’ve all become our own waste managers, collecting fashion waste in our homes. It doesn’t just take up space but also ends up in landfills(垃圾场). Three out of every five pieces of clothing are sent to landfills. Luckily, second-hand clothing is becoming popular. It’s cheaper. More and more people choose to buy second-hand clothing. The value of the second-hand market may reach $80 billion(十亿) by 2029, an increase of 185% compared to the value at present.
In fact, there is still an even better choice. It’s not to shop at all. Making full use of what you have already had is the best choice of shopping.
1. Is the fashion industry good for the environment?2. Where will most of our clothing end up?
3. Why is second-hand clothing becoming popular?
4. How much may the value of the second-hand market reach by 2029?
5. What’s the best choice of shopping according to the passage?
4 . Yuebai(月白), qielan(窃蓝) and shiqing(石青)... Do you know these words about the color blue? It’s how ancient Chinese people talked about different kinds of blue—light or deep. Yuebai is not white. It’s a kind of blue close to the color of the moonlight.
Ancient Chinese people divided colors into basic colors and mixed colors. There were five basic colors: blue, red, yellow, white and black. People could put them together to get mixed colors. For example, mixing yellow and blue gets green. Thousands of colors came in this way.
Colors have special meanings in Chinese culture. In ancient China, color was a symbol of social positions. For example, yellow stood for power. And officials of different ranks(不同品级的官员) wore clothes with different colors. Only officials of the top three ranks could wear purple clothes. Blue was for those in the two lowest ranks.
In fact, many beautiful color names come from famous works. For example, dongfangjibai(东方既白) is a light blue color. It comes from a work written by Su Shi. The blue color describes the color of the sky before the sun rises. Like this, the pink color taoyao comes from The Book of Poetry (《诗经》). This color describes blooming peach trees(盛开的桃树). Sounds beautiful, right? These colors from ancient China show the understanding of beauty.
1. According to the passage, yuebai is a word about ________.| A．light blue | B．deep blue | C．light green | D．deep green |
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．six |
| A．the cloud | B．the sky | C．the water | D．the land |
| A．qielan and shiqing are the same blue | B．mixing red and blue gets green |
| C．yellow stood for power in ancient China | D．pink taoyao is from Su Shi’s work |
| A．Different kinds of purple | B．The symbols of several colors |
| C．The understanding of blue | D．The colors from ancient China |
We spend one third of our lives in bed! Everyone needs a relaxing sleeping environment. There is no doubt that the design of your bedroom is really important. But how? Here are some golden rules to remember if you are decorating your bedroom.
Choose a proper color
Color is the key! Choosing the right color of your bedroom should be the first decision when designing the space. A general rule is to avoid using overly bright colors in it. You might be pleasantly surprised when you try out the colors that bring you peace.
Light it up
It is important to choose the correct lighting when designing a bedroom. Besides practical ceiling lighting(天花板照明), lamps and floor lamps can also make it easy for you to get into a sleep in the evening. So don’t forget to introduce smaller pockets of light around the room.
Create space to breathe
A tidy room helps you feel calmer. Please remember to reduce the unnecessary furniture(家具) and choose the one with doors to hide away the messy clothing shelves. The less furniture you have, the better your room will be, as you will open up floor space to allow the room to look bigger and less crowded.
Give it a soft touch
The material of bedding can bring you different sleep feelings. Something soft is always the first choice. For example, good quality pillows(枕头) will make you relaxed and suit almost all requirements. A well-chosen duvet(羽绒被) will keep you sleeping through the coldest winter nights, and it won’t be too hot or heavy during the summer.
In a word, the standard of designing your bedroom is to keep it comfortable.
How to make your bedroom relaxing | |
Golden rules | Detailed suggestions |
| Choosing a proper color | Use the peaceful colors |
| The right lighting is important for your bedroom design. Smaller pockets of light can help you go to sleep more easily. | |
| Creating pace to breathe | Reduce the unnecessary furniture to make bigger space. |
| Giving it a soft touch | Different sleep feelings can Good quality pillows can help you relax. A well-chosen duvet is always suitable in winter or in summer. |
The standard of your bedroom design is to keep it comfortable. | |
6 . A man sees a butterfly (蝴蝶). The butterfly tries to get out of its chrysalis (蛹). Feeling sorry for it, the man decides to help. He cuts the chrysalis and the butterfly comes easily. Surprisingly enough, the butterfly is unable to fly. If the butterfly doesn’t struggle (挣扎) to leave the chrysalis, it can’t fly! The struggle develops the energy in the butterfly which makes it fly. Similarly, the challenges of life bring out the best in young people and make them fly.
When people are young, meeting and getting over challenges will make them strong and try to face life. When we look at successful people, we see that the most successful of them are people who have had to struggle. One famous businessman who now owns many big supermarkets, used to carry clothes on his back and sell them from door to door when he was young. Another successful man is Dennis. His father died when he was only twenty. His father’s death forced him to mature fast. He had to bring up a family of nine people. He took up the challenges and get over them. Today his brothers and sisters are leading successful lives.
Sometimes challenges do not appear to us because we keep away from them. So some parents and teachers actively encourage young people to face challenges. They might organize activities for young people which provide them with challenges, like rock-climbing camping, volunteer work and so on. However, just passing exams will not prepare a person for life. We must meet and get over challenges. The young people of today will become the leaders of tomorrow. If countries want to continue to become successful, it is important that the young people learn to meet challenges and get over them.
1. From the story we know that the butterfly can’t fly because _____.| A．it gets out by itself | B．the man feels sorry for it |
| C．the man helps it come out | D．it doesn’t want to fly |
| A．get over the difficulties | B．bring up a family |
| C．become the leaders of tomorrow | D．take up business early |
| A．wake up | B．give up | C．grow up | D．get up |
| A．Challenges appear to us because we keep away from them. |
| B．Young people are actively encouraged to avoid challenges. |
| C．Parents organize activities to offer challenges to young people. |
| D．We should part with challenges instead of getting over them. |
| A．Successful People Have a Sense of Achievement |
| B．Young People Must Develop Their Energy Actively |
| C．Countries Should Continue to Become Successful |
| D．Challenges of Life Bring Out the Best in Young People |
7 . Everyone gets sad. Being sad can happen pretty often. More than half of teenagers go through a period of sadness at least once a month. When you’re sad, it feels like it will last forever. The world seems dark and unfriendly. You might feel like you have nothing to look forward to. Many times, you cry, and it’s hard to stop. However, your feeling of sadness usually doesn’t last very long—a few hours, or maybe a day or two.
When sadness starts to go away, it feels like a big stone is being lifted from your body. If sad feelings go on for too long, it’s called depression (抑郁症). Children who have depression may not know it. Often, it’s a parent or teacher who notices children’s changes.
When depression happens, it’s very important for children to receive treatment. When they do, they can get better quickly. Sometimes treatment includes talking to someone who knows all about depression. Sometimes it means taking medicine. Sometimes both of these things are used. If you think you have depression, or you just have sadness that simply will not go away, it is important to talk to an adult about it first. This person can help you find the right kind of treatment. Many cities also have mental health hotlines (心理健康热线) that are listed in the phone book. There is always somebody who can help.
1. What might you look forward to at the time of sadness?| A．Sadness. | B．Nothing. | C．Depression. | D．A stone. |
| A．a few days | B．a few weeks | C．a few years | D．a few months |
| A．We ourselves. | B．Our parent or teacher. | C．Our classmate. | D．Our friend or neighbor. |
| A．talk to an adult | B．go to hospital | C．take medicine | D．call their friends |
| A．Culture. | B．Travel. | C．Health. | D．Education. |
People from all over the world like giving chocolate as a gift. Made from Cocoa bean(可可豆), chocolate was a drink in the beginning. It was first drunk by Central America thousands of years ago. In the 16th century, Spanish explorers(探险家) brought cocoa beans to Europe. At the time, only rich people could drink chocolate because it was expensive. About 170 years ago, people started to eat chocolate.
Nowadays, everybody can enjoy chocolate. Studies suggest that eating a little chocolate once a week can help lower your blood pressure and keep you from heart disease. Dark chocolate is better than milk chocolate because it has more cocoa. However, too much chocolate is unhealthy because it’s rich in sugar and fat.
We often hear fun news about chocolate. Here are two pieces of them.
Every year in the United States, a chocolate company holds a competition and the prize is a chocolate hotel room. Almost everything in the room is made of chocolate and even the walls are covered with chocolate. The lucky winners can eat as much chocolate as they like in the room.
Do you know that chocolate can also be used to run a car? A special truck once ran 4,500 miles from the UK across the Sahara Desert to West Africa. And it ran on fuel (燃料) made from waste chocolate.
Chocolate | |
History | ◆It appeared as a ◆Coca beans were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th Century. ◆People have eaten chocolate for about |
| Advantages& disadvantages | ◆A little chocolate a week is ◆Too much chocolate is |
Fun news | ◆The winners of a competition can stay in a chocolate hotel room and eat as much chocolate as they want. ◆Waste chocolate can be used for |
9 . The 24th Winter Games is from February 4th to 20th. This is the first time that China has held the Winter Games, and Beijing has become the first city in the world to hold both the Summer Games and the Winter Games.
Emblem (会徽)
The emblem is called “Winter Dream”. The idea comes from the Chinese character “dong (winter)”. The emblem shows the movements of skaters and skiers. The pattern has the same colors as the Olympic Rings, including red, yellow, green, black, and blue. Below it are the words “BEIJING 2022” written in traditional Chinese calligraphy (书法). The emblem shows winter sports are becoming passion all over the world. More and more people join in winter sports and have great fun.
▲
In 1980, China joined for the first time in the Winter Games in New York, the United States. At the 1992 Winter Games in France, Chinese players won medals for the first time: Ye Oiaobo won two silver medals and Li Yan won one silver medal. At the 2002 Winter Games in the United States,Yang Yang won the first gold medal in Chinese history, At the 2014 Winter Games in Russia, China won three gold medals, four silver medals, and two bronze (铜) medals.
1. How long does the 24th Winter Games last?| A．15 days. | B．17 days. | C．19 days. | D．21 days. |
| A．is written in Chinese | B．is colorful with six colors |
| C．looks much like the Olympic Rings | D．has something to do with Chinese culture |
| A．much-loved activity | B．wonderful dream |
| C．big change | D．traditional sport |
| A．The 1980 Winter Olympics. | B．The 1992 Winter Olympics. |
| C．The 2002 Winter Olympics. | D．The 2014 Winter Olympics. |
| A．Modern Olympic Games |
| B．China and Winter Olympic Games |
| C．The development of Winter Olympic Games |
| D．Famous Chinese players in the Olympic History |
10 . On November 6, 2021, thousands of fans were in Reykjavik, Iceland watching, shouting and cheering. Millions more were watching online. But this wasn’t a football, basketball or tennis match. It was esports, or competitive computer gaming. This year EDG, a fiveperson Chinese esports team, won the championship.
Millions of people in China play games for fun. Some of them have become professional gamers. They play games as their full-time job. They go around the world to compete in video game competitions. It’s not easy being a professional gamer, though. They practise for ten or more hours a day, five or six days a week. They do exercises like typing something and trying to type it faster and faster. They also study videos of other players and plan ways to beat them.
As well as playing games, many people like watching them too. You can watch esports games on mobile apps, video websites and some TV channels. They are showing esports 24 hours a day. They can be as exciting as other sports.
But are e-sports really sports? Are players sportsmen? Some say no. Esports players don’t need to run, jump, throw or do big physical actions. But others say Yes: esports are sports. Players need some physical skills, especially handeye coordination(协调), accuracy(准确) and timing. Like darts, snooker and shooting, esports should be considered as sports too. In fact, the governments of China and South Korea do take esports as sports, and they will be an official medal sport in the Asian Games starting from 2022. Next step: the Olympics?
1. What game was held in Reykjavik, Iceland on November 6, 2021?| A．Tennis. | B．Esports. | C．Football. | D．Basketball. |
| A．Comfortable and creative. | B．Relaxing but boring. |
| C．Simple but tiring. | D．Busy and hard. |
| A．sports | B．websites | C．skills | D．players |
| A．More people will agree esports are sports. |
| B．You will see esports in 2022 Asian Games. |
| C．There will be more professional esports gamers. |
| D．Esports will be one of medal games in next Olympics. |
| A．Life. | B．Technology. | C．Sports. | D．Education. |
