When the first person looked up to the sky, people’s imagination of space began. In China, there are many stories about the exploration(探索) of space.
Thousands of years ago, there was a lady named Chang’e that flew to the Moon and lived there with a rabbit. It’s just a story in myths(神话).
In the Ming Dynasty, a man named Wan Hu used a machine which was made of a chair, some fireworks and a kite as a rocket to fly to space but failed. He was considered as the first human that tried to explore space.
Our exploration of space never stopped until it became a reality in modern times. Without doubt, Chinese space technology has made great progress.
In 2003, when Shenzhou V set off successfully, Yang Liwei’s words “I am proud of our motherland” brought tears to our eyes. Carrying the flying dream of the Chinese nation for thousands of years, as the first space visitor of China, he started the Space Age for the Chinese.
In 2008, Zhai Zhigang in Shenzhou VII had the first Chinese spacewalk, “I am out of the capsule(太空舱), and I feel good,” he told the world proudly.
In the next years, China kept making its way in order to step further on exploring space. Especially in the recent years, China has sent up Shenzhou XI and Shenzhou XV. Six astronauts have been sent to space with two women included. On May 30, 2023, Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao in Shenzhou XVI were sent into space successfully.
From 2003 to 2023, Chinese people go farther and farther in space, In the near future, China will send astronauts to the Moon and explore the Moon.
Stories about China’s | |
Thousands of years ago | Chang’e flew to the Moon in myths. |
In the Ming Dynasty | Wan Hu made a machine and tried to explore space. |
In 2003 | Yang Liwei started |
In 2008 | Zhai Zhigang had the first Chinese spacewalk. |
In the next years | We Chinese people kept making our way |
On | China sent Shenzhou XVI into space successfully. |
In the future | Chinese astronauts |
2 . Chinese researchers reached the top of Qomolangma on May 4, 2022. They set up the world’s highest automatic(自动的) weather station at an altitude(海拔) of 8,830 meters. This helps them to study the influences of climate change on the environment.
It is the highest automatic weather station in the world now. It has taken the place of the station sitting at an altitude of 8,430 meters on the south side of the mountain, which is the second highest now. This allows Chinese scientists to directly collect data(数据) for the first time from the top of the world’s highest mountain.
Collecting and studying data from Qomolangma is not easy. But the data will give valuable information about the condition of local glaciers(冰川) and mountain snow. It will also help scientists study and understand the global monsoon(季风) system, so experts can make proper decisions about climate change.
Yao Tandong, a famous expert, said Chinese scientists had set up eight weather stations from 5,200 to 8,830 meters above sea level. Half of the stations were set up at an altitude higher than 7,000 meters. “Along with strong government support and hard work by scientists, China has become a global front-runner in fields such as climate change.” Yao said.
1. What is the altitude of the highest automatic weather station?| A．5,200 meters. | B．7,000 meters. |
| C．8,430 meters. | D．8,830 meters. |
| A．Reaching the top of Qomolangma. | B．The influences of climate change. |
| C．The data from Qomolangma. | D．The highest automatic weather station. |
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Six. | D．Eight. |
| A．Chinese scientists can directly collect data from the top of Qomolangma now. |
| B．It is hard to collect and study data from Qomolangma. |
| C．The second highest weather station is on the north side of the mountain. |
| D．China has made great achievements in fields such as climate change. |
| A．Science. | B．Sports. | C．Travel. | D．Health. |
3 . Every month, Julia and her cousins would go for the big family meal at their grandparents house. On each visit, their grandpa would give them a few coins. Then all the children would run off to buy sweets. One day, he gathered the children together. He said, “Let’s have a competition to see who can manage money wisely. At the end of this year, tell me how you’ve used your money.”
Ruben and Nico, the two smallest kids, continued spending their money all on sweets. Every time, they would show off their sweets in front of the other children. This made Clara and Joe so angry that these two could no longer keep saving their money. They soon joined Ruben and Nico.
Monty was a clever boy. He decided to manage his money by buying and selling things. Soon he made a lot of money with little effort. The way he was going, he would end up almost a rich man. However, he began to spend his money on more and more expensive things for himself. A few months later, he hadn’t a single penny left.
Alex saved and saved all the coins he was given, and at the end of the year he had collected more money than anyone. He was the clear winner.
There was also Julia. Poor Julia hadn’t a penny on the day of the competition. She had spent all her coins on her secret plan. Julia knew a poor violinist who played in the park, and she offered him all the coins for his violin lessons. Although it wasn’t much money, on seeing Julia’s excitement, the violinist agreed. A little after a year the violinist lent her a violin so they two could play together in the park. They were so successful that she managed to buy her own violin. Even better, she later became a very famous violinist.
1. Why did the children’s grandpa suggest the competition to them?| A．To encourage them to win competitions. |
| B．To teach them how to manage their money. |
| C．To tell them money was important to them. |
| D．To know who was the cleverest child in the family. |
| A．Clara and Joe | B．Ruben and Nico | C．Monty and Alex | D．Alex and Julia |
①buying a violin ②taking violin lessons
③giving the money away ④achieving her dream
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②④ | D．③④ |
| A．Monty. | B．Alex. | C．Clara. | D．Julia. |
| A．Grandpa’s coins | B．Julia’s cousins |
| C．A saving competition | D．A happy family |
We sometimes say the lion is “the king of the jungle” because it is stronger and more dangerous than the other animals. Most other animals in the jungle run more slowly than the lion, so it can hunt better. The lion is the top animal in the land food chain.
In the sea, the shark is at the top of the food chain. Most other sea animals swim much more slowly than it. It can also use its big teeth to catch other sea animals and eat them.
What is at the top of the world's food chain? Humans are! We are not the biggest or fastest, but we are the cleverest! We could not catch up with most animals, so we invented cars and now we can move the fastest. We could not fight better than a lion, so we invented guns. Now we can hunt the best.
People’s inventions help a lot, but they can be dangerous, too. For example, many years ago in Inner Mongolia, people used guns to kill a lot of wild wolves.
The wild wolves usually eat wild rabbits. But in recent years, the number of wild rabbits is becoming bigger and bigger because the number of wild wolves is getting smaller and smaller.
The wild rabbits competed for the grass with the sheep and cows. Much of the grassland became desert because the rabbits destroyed (毁坏) it seriously.
Remember that we are a part of the food chain, we are in danger, too! If we protect animals, we are protecting ourselves. Luckily, people have paid much attention to such problems. We will do more things to keep the balance of ecosystem in the future.
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Xian Xinghai is a very famous musician in China. He has written many great pieces of music. In his short life, he wrote nearly 300 songs and an opera.
Xian was born in Panyu, Guangzhou in 1905.Because his father died before he was born, Xian had to move from place to place with his mother. He began learning to play the violin when he was 20 years old. At first, his violin was so cheap and in a poor quality that he could not play it well. His friends laughed at him. However, Xian did not stop practicing and soon showed his talent. In 1934, he became the first Chinese student who studied in a special music school in Paris. Before he left, Xian became the school's best student and won several prizes for his talents.
The next year, be got back to China and helped fight against the Japanese army. Later, he came to Yan’an to teach music at a college. Although there were no pianos in Yan’an at that time, Xian still wrote some of his most important music there, including The Yellow River Chorus, his most famous work.
In May 1940, Xian Xinghai went to the Soviet Union (苏联) to write music for movies. Life there was so hard that he got very sick. Later he died of a lung illness on October 30, 1945, aged only 40.
Xian Xinghai is such a great man and his music will live on in people’s hearts forever.
1. Was Xian Xinghai talented in the violin or the piano at first?2. When did Xian Xinghai get back to China from Paris?
3. What is Xian Xinghai’s most famous work?
4. Why did Xian Xinghai go to the Soviet Union?
5. How do you like Xian Xinghai?
Beginning of Summer, one of the Chinese 24 solar terms, usually falls each year on a day between May 5 and 7 according to the calendar. For centuries, people of the Banshan neighbourhood in Hangzhou, Zhejiang hold a lot of events. Celebrations usually begin with parade made up of people dressed up in traditional Chinese clothing, Hanfu. After the parade, local people take part in some activities at the square.
Eating black rice: A few days before Beginning of Summer, people of Banshan begin busying themselves with cooking black rice. They mix rice and the juice of fresh-picked sea bilberry leaves. Black rice culture started from the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is believed that children who eat black rice will not be bitten by insects and will be fit the whole summer.
Weighing people: Local people of Banshan developed the interesting tradition of weighing people on this day to check the changes in their bodyweight over the past year. People of all ages take part in the activity. Locals believe that people who weigh themselves on this day will not only have good luck, but also guard against weight loss during the coming summer.
Egg fights: Children are undoubtedly crazy about this game. With a boiled egg, each child tries to break the egg of their competitor. Whoever’s egg breaks first is the loser, and needs to eat the egg as a punishment. The champion in the game is awarded the title of “Egg King”.
Today these activities have given birth to a series of special customs in Banshan on Beginning of Summer.
Title: Traditions on Beginning of Summer: A Taste of Food and
| Background information | » Beginning of Summer usually falls each year on a day between May 5 and 7. » Local people in traditional Chinese clothing take part in some activities to |
| Special activities | » Eating black rice has a long » Weighing people on this day is » Egg fights is a game that children are crazy about. If a child |
7 . An American woman offered to teach English to a Japanese woman. “Before each lesson, and on each and every visit,” the American reported, “the Japanese lady brought me a gift—a book, some paper sculpture, flowers, or candy. It was embarrassing.”
Unknowingly, this American was experiencing a part of protocol(社交礼仪) in Japanese culture.
In America, valuable gifts are surely out. A proper(适宜的) behavior on a gift is to take the person to dinner, or to an entertainment or a sporting event. On the contrary, gift-giving is a custom in Japan. In Japan, the proper gift is thought to express the giver’s true friendship, gratitude, and respect far better than words can. So you know gift-giving plays an important role in nowadays society. Now let’s see what happens in other countries.
Australia is known for its kindness and honesty. So proper gifts, such as a business diary, a paperweight, or a coffee cup might be presented as a memento(纪念品) of a business meeting. At a trade show, T-shirts, ties, baseball caps, or a pin may be proper mementos.
1. What does the underlined word “it” refer to in the first paragraph?| A．The gifts were so small and poor. |
| B．The Japanese woman was not good at learning English |
| C．The Japanese woman brought gifts on each and every visit. |
| D．A gift—a book, some paper sculpture, flowers, or candy. |
| A．A business diary. | B．A coffee cup. | C．A gold watch. | D．A paperweight. |
| A．The USA. | B．Japan. | C．China. | D．Australia. |
| A．Japanese | B．Americans | C．Australians | D．Chinese |
| A．People should give some valuable gifts when going to different countries. |
| B．Gift-giving is an important kind of protocol nowadays. |
| C．Bringing gifts often makes people embarrassed. |
| D．We can give some cheap gifts to the person we visit. |
8 . Lots of people love giant pandas. They all agree that giant pandas are very cute and lovely. Giant pandas are the symbol of China and they are known as a “national treasure” in China. We can see their pictures on some different things such as toys and bags. The giant panda is also on the WWF logo. Let’s get to know more about giant pandas.
What giant pandas look like.
Giant pandas look like bears but they have a black and white appearance. Their four legs are covered in black fur and they have a black band around their shoulders as well as their eyes and ears.
Where giant pandas live.
Giant pandas only live in large bamboo forests because bamboo is their main food. Chengdu（Sichuan Province）has many large panda bases and nature reserves（保护区）that protect wild giant pandas. If you want to see baby pandas and get close to pandas, go to Chengdu.
What giant pandas do.
They spend about 14 hours eating every day. Their main food, bamboo is low in calories, so they get hungry very quickly. When they are full, they will sleep for 2 to 4 hours. When they wake up again, they will look for more food. Besides eating and sleeping, they also climb trees. Yes, a giant panda can climb trees!
1. Why does the writer mention the WWF?| A．Because the giant panda is on its logo. | B．Because the WWF loves giant pandas best. |
| C．Because the WWF is an organization. | D．Because lots of young people support the WWF. |
| A．their ears | B．their eyes | C．their tails | D．their shoulders |
| A．2 to 4 hours. | B．About 6 hours. | C．8 to 10 hours. | D．About 14 hours. |
| A．To invite more people to visit Chengdu. |
| B．To tell us why most people love giant pandas. |
| C．To introduce some information about giant pandas. |
| D．To encourage people to learn more about wild animals. |
| A．History Stories. | B．Animal World. | C．Funny Jokes. | D．Good Food. |
9 . The Palace Museum also known as the Forbidden City, is shaping a new image for itself. With technology, it brings 600 years of history and culture closer to visitors.
The museum opened websites in Chinese and English. Visitors could check the latest information and book tickets on them before their trip. Interestingly, to attract more young visitors, there is also a website for children. It shows information and notices in short sentences with colorful cartoons.
Technology is making the visiting experience impressive (令人印象深刻的). The Palace Museum opened a digital gallery (数字馆) at Duanmen Gate. With VR, visitors may walk directly into the emperor’s living room and bedroom, make food that emperors had, wear their clothes and see their collections. Visitors can even talk to an AI senior minister (大臣)! Although buildings are of the same style in this big museum, visitors won’t get lost. A real time map with audio guide (语音导览器) on WeChat leads visitors to all the halls they plan to visit, It tells the buildings’ stories along the way.
Visitors can enjoy the museum home by visiting its online shops. Things like watches, books, paintings and scarves are quite popular among young people. Another way to enjoy the museum back home is following it on Weibo, Six million fans there have seen wonderful distant views of the museum. Don’t miss them!
1. How many years of history and culture does the Palace Museum bring to visitors?| A．500. | B．600. | C．700. | D．800. |
| A．On the websites. | B．In a magazine. | C．By telephone. | D．By e-mail. |
| A．walk directly into the emperor’s living room and bedroom |
| B．make food that emperors had |
| C．wear emperors’ clothes and see their collections |
| D．see a real time map with audio guide |
| A．visitors can even design an AI senior minister by themselves |
| B．visitors won’t get lost because of a real time map with audio guide on WeChat |
| C．things like watches, books, paintings and scarves are quite popular among old people |
| D．six thousand fans there have seen wonderful distant views of the museum |
| A．A Successful Technology | B．with the help of Technology |
| C．A New Image of the Palace Museum | D．History and Traditional culture |
Most people drink tea in the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to different people. In different countries, people have different ideas about drinking tea.
In China, for example, tea is often served when people get together. Chinese people drink it at home or in tea houses at any time of the day. They often use hot water to boil tea leaves.
Tea is also important in other Asian countries. People in these countries have a special way of serving tea. They hold a tea ceremony in their houses when important guests come. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in their houses.
In the United States, people usually drink tea at breakfast or they drink it after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make tea. This way is faster and easier than the way of making tea in teapots. In summer, most Americans drink iced tea. They like to put some ice in their tea.
1. Do most people drink tea in the world?2. What do Chinese people often use to boil tea leaves?
3. What does the underlined word “It” mean?
4. When do people usually drink tea in the USA?
5. What kind of tea do most Americans drink in summer?
