①Memory is the ability (能力) to remember things. A good memory can help us do better in school, such as language-learning. A few people are born with amazing memories, but most people need to improve their memories by practising. Here are some secrets (秘密) about memories.
②We can still remember things happened in our childhood (童年) but not those last week. In fact, if the things have strong connections with our feelings in our mind, we can remember them longer. When things happen for the first time, children often have strong feelings. Also, parents tell us the interesting or funny stories from our childhood again and again. As a result, we remember them much better.
③It’s natural for common people to forget the new words which they learnt yesterday. Hermann Ebbinghaus wrote a book called Memory and showed a famous forgetting carve. According to him, the quickest loss (失去) of memory happens during the first two days after learning. That means going over what we’ve learned during this time can help us very well to remember the information.
④A 15-year-old sometimes forgets things, but that doesn’t mean his or her memory is getting worse. Our memory gets the top at the age of 25. At that point, we can remember over 12,000 pieces of information in a minute. But after this age, the brain (大脑) starts to get smaller. By middle age, our memory is much worse than when we were young.
1. Why is it easier to remember things in our childhood?a. Because they were special. b. Because we got strong feelings from them.
c. Because they were helpful. d. Because we heard them many times.
| A．ad | B．bd | C．ac | D．bc |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．A person has his or her best memory at the age of 25. |
| B．A fifteen-year-old’s memory is worse than a middle-aged man’s. |
| C．A person’s memory gets worse only because the brain gets smaller. |
| D．A child usually remembers over 12,000 pieces of information in a minute. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
The history of chocolate begins with Theobroma cacao. People make chocolate from the seeds on the tree. Chocolate means “food of the gods”. For many years, people enjoy the chocolate very much.
It is said that Mayan people of Central America first learned to plant cacao trees around 2,000 years ago. The Maya took the cacao trees from the rainforest and grew them around their homes. They cooked the cacao seeds, then made them into a soft paste. They put water and spices in the paste to make not sweet chocolate drink. But not all people could drink it because it was so expensive. Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America. The trees are difficult to grow.
Cacao and chocolate are an important part of Maya culture. Some people think the word for chocolate come from the Aztec word “xocolatl”, which means “not sweet water” in the Nahuatl language. Others think the word “chocolate” is from Mayan and Nahuatl words.
Chocolate making is a big business. Each year, the market of the cacao crop around the world can provide more than five billion dollars. People in the United States like chocolate very much. Everyone in America eats more than five kilograms of chocolate every year.
1. According to the passage, we know that Theobroma cacao is a kind of ________.| A．food | B．drink | C．plant | D．vegetable |
| A．water | B．spices | C．cacao seeds | D．chocolate drink |
| A．The history of chocolate. | B．The people of Mayan. |
| C．The way of growing cacao. | D．The business of chocolate. |
Without the Internet or phones, communicating long distance is limited. Yet throughout history, cultures have developed ways to produce messages that travel miles. Morse Code is a system of communication. It uses patterns of signals to send and receive messages, often with a machine called a telegraph.
A telegraph is a machine that creates different signals from different messages. These signals are then changed into electrical current. They are sent across a wire. They can travel long distances, such as across the country or ocean. Another telegraph receives these signals. The machine changes the signals back into the original message.
In Morse Code, there are three types of signals. They are dots, dashes, and pauses. Dots (•) are the short noises or flashes of light. Dashes (━) are longer noises or flashes of light. Spaces (____) are the pauses. Patterns of these signals represent letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. In Morse Code, letter A is one dot and one dash, letter E is one dot, letter I is two dots. As for consonants, letter C is one dash, one dot, one dash and one dot, letter D is one dash and two dots, Letter T is one dash.
Morse Code was invented in the United States by Samuel Morse during the 1830s. People soon realized that the code could not transmit all messages in other languages. To fix this problem, a newer version called the International Morse Code was developed. International Morse Code is simpler and more exact. For example, the original Morse Code could only represent a few of the letters. The International Morse Code, on the other hand, is for all letters.
1. According to Paragraph 2, how does the telegraph work?①The signals are sent across a wire.
②The signals are changed back to letters.
③Another telegraph receives these signals.
④The telegraph changes signals to electricity.
| A．①④②③ | B．①④③② | C．④①②③ | D．④①③② |
| A．Cat. | B．Act. | C．Eat. | D．Ted. |
| A．It became very popular. | B．People stopped using it. |
| C．The telephone was invented. | D．A newer version was created. |
| A．To explain a secret message. | B．To introduce a type of phone. |
| C．To show a way to communicate. | D．To tell stories of an old machine. |
 | The year 2023 is filled with unusual holidays. Share them with your parents, teachers and friends. |
 | Fry An Egg On The Sidewalk Day (July 4) Have you heard the expression “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk”? It has been around for a long time, perhaps since a newspaper on June 11, 1899, according to the Library of Congress. No one knows who asked people to try this on July 4 (it is often very hot on that day). But Oatman, Arizona, takes it seriously. Each July Fourth, the Solar Egg Frying Competition in Oatman, Arizona, offers a prize for the best sun-cooked egg. |
 | Wonderful Weirdos Day (September 9) Austin, Texas, takes pride in being weird — doing things differently. A group of local people suggested an unofficial holiday encouraging everyone to do the same. To celebrate, be a little weird. Wear strange clothes or try an unusual hairstyle. And do it, as Austinites do, with pride. |
 | National Cocoa Day (December 13) People in South America started making chocolate from cocoa thousands of years ago. The drink they made was not very sweet, though. Spanish explorers later added sugar to it and brought it back to Europe. On December 13, have a cup of cocoa, and don’t forget the marshmallows. |
| A．Texas. | B．Austin. | C．Arizona. | D．South America. |
| A．June 4. | B．June 11. | C．September 9. | D．December 13. |
| A．Dates of some surprising holidays. | B．Important holidays in the US. |
| C．Places for celebrating different holidays. | D．Reasons to celebrate a few holidays. |
Imagine a large open space with two teams running, throwing, passing and catching a disc, a thin flat round dish. It is called flying disc, the newest popular sport in young people in China. A research shows about 60% of people saying they like to make new friends through the sport. The Chinese Flying Disc Administrative Committee says about 500,000 people in China played flying disc last year, producing over 8,000,000 yuan.
How did flying disc get such great popularity in China in a short time? First, it is a team sport. It helps everyone quickly get to know each other. Second, it is played with a flying disc, thrown by hand. It needs little or no body-touching so it helps avoid being angry and fighting. What’s more, this sport allows people to enjoy it without spending a lot of time learning about the rules or skills.
The growing popularity has drawn attention of the Chinese government. In 2019, the Asia Oceanic Ultimate and Guts Championships was held in Shanghai. It is the first world match in this sport held in China. In July 2022, the General Administration of Sport decided China’s first flying disc tournament starting in August and the final match to be held in May next year. The sport will certainly have a bigger home market going forward.
1. How does the writer show the popularity of flying disc?| A．By asking questions. | B．By using numbers. |
| C．By telling a short story. | D．By giving an example. |
| A．stop from | B．take away | C．think about | D．warm up |
| A．Someone who wants to do sports alone. |
| B．Someone who wants to do sports inside. |
| C．Someone who wants to do sports easily. |
| D．Someone who wants to do sports slowly. |
| A．The great future of flying disc. |
| B．China’s first flying disc tournament. |
| C．The government’s help for flying disc. |
| D．The bigger world market of flying disc. |
Sometimes the easiest way to get somewhere is on the back of a bike.
More and more people are using cars in many places in Africa today. However, things are different in Malawi. Bikes are the most popular in this African country.
Bike riding is a way of life in Malawi. People use them to carry heavy things. They also use bikes to carry people, especially tourists. These years, taking a “bicycle taxi” to travel around Malawi has become quite popular among tourists from all over the world.
If you go to Malawi, you will find a lot of bike taxis waiting on the sides of the roads. The riders make the bikes comfortable for passengers to sit on. You can jump on a bike taxi and get around at a very low cost.
Alice is a 21-year-old student from Canada. She enjoys the special bike riding a lot. “I really like the bike taxi,” she says. “It’s easy and cheap.” Alice usually pays 1 dollar for going shopping in town.
28-year-old Panjira Khombe began to ride a bike taxi two years ago. The young man enjoys this job. “I make boats in the past, but that’s a hard job. Being a bike taxi rider is easy for me and I don’t mind carrying heavy people,” he says.
1. What is the most popular way for people to get somewhere in Malawi?| A．Cars. | B．Buses. | C．Bikes. | D．Trains. |
| A．Because it’s on the road. | B．Because it’s cheap and easy. |
| C．Because it’s popular and heavy. | D．Because it’s all over the country. |
| A．Tourists can take a “bicycle taxi” with much money. |
| B．It’s comfortable to sit on the “bicycle taxi” in Malawi. |
| C．Tourists can take a “bicycle taxi” to travel some places in Malawi. |
| D．Bikes can carry heavy things and people, especially tourists. |
| A．Bike Taxis | B．Bike Riders | C．A Cheap Journey | D．A Special Country |
All aboard! Let’s take a ride on the world’s highest railway—the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
We’re leaving Qinghai Station. The scenery along the way is some of the wildest in all of China. You’re your eyes open as we go through this beautiful land. You may see some Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) from your window.
Before we begin our journey, let’s learn about this fantastic railway. It’s truly one of the great engineering buildings of the 21st century. When it was completed on July 1st, 2006, the Tibet Railway set nine world records (纪录), like the world’s highest railway at 5, 072 metres above sea level, the world’s highest tunnel at 4, 905 metres, and the longest tunnel ever built on permafrost (冻土).
As we travel higher, the air gets thinner and thinner. Soon there will only be 50% to 60% of the oxygen (氧气), but don’t be afraid, Each railcar has two oxygen systems (系统). One system gives oxygen in the train all the time. And each passenger can also get a personal oxygen mask just like those used in planes.
Here are a few more things to think about as our train leaves the station. The workers solved three main problems when building this great railway. First, the high altitude (海拔) made the building difficult because there was no enough oxygen. Then, much of the railway runs across permafrost. It’s a kind of ground and keeps changing when the weather warms and cools. Finally, the railway goes through some of the most sensitive ecology (敏感的生态环境) in China. Great care was a must to make sure of the smallest influence on nature.
All three problems were met, making our trip come true. All aboard! The train to Tibet is leaving in fifteen minutes.
1. How does the writers how the railway is fantastic in Paragraph 3?| A．He tells a story. | B．He uses a worker’s words. |
| C．He shows the world records. | D．He compare snow with the past. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．The dirty air. | B．The hot weather. |
| C．The dangerous animals. | D．The changing ground. |
| A．A Magic Railway to Tibet | B．A Beautiful Land in Tibet |
| C．A Comfortable Trip to Tibet | D．The Hardest Building in the World |
The United Nations has 6 official (官方的) languages. Each of them has their own days with the aim to show the rich history and culture (文化) of each language. UNESCO first created (创造) Chinese Language Day in 2010 to celebrate Chinese as one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
The first Chinese Language Day was on November 12th. But since 2011, it has been on the April 20th. The date was chosen from Guyu to remember Cangjie. Cangjie is very important in Chinese culture. People believed he created Chinese words 5,000 years ago. In old stories, it’s said that Cangjie had 4 eyes and he was good at observing (观察). He often watched the sun and the moon with his upper 2 eyes, and mountains and rivers with the lower 2 eyes. His long-time observation made him create the earliest written words according to the shape of things.
On Chinese Language Day, there are different activities to celebrate the Chinese language and the theme (主题) is different each year. In 2022, “China Chic” was chosen as the theme. Chen Xu, an officer said, “Choosing this theme, we hope to spread what most of Chinese people like today so that foreigners can know more about Chinese culture and have a better understanding of China.” A video festival called “Foreigners look at China Chic” was held. In the videos, foreigners showed their love of Chinese fashion.
Chinese Language Day is an important carrier for Chinese learners, lovers, and users from all over the world to get close to Chinese. Nowadays, more than one sixth of world’s population speak Chinese as their first language—that’s more than any other population in the world! Learning Chinese is more like a key to knowing China and feeling the beauty of Chinese culture.
1. The Chinese Language Day was first created _______.| A．in 2011 | B．13 years ago | C．to celebrate Guyu | D．to remember Cangjie |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Make something cheap. | B．Make something beautiful. |
| C．Make something popular. | D．Make something traditional. |
| A．To tell some facts about a language day. |
| B．To make foreign people love to visit China. |
| C．To tell stories about a famous man Cangjie. |
| D．To show the history of the language of Chinese. |
①A Turkish proverb says. “The more languages you know, the more people you are!” There are about 35 languages spoken in Turkey, but 90% of the people speak Turkish.
②Turkish uses an alphabet that is not strange to many English speakers, but when you look at Turkish spelling, you may find it so difficult. There are 29 letters in the Turkish alphabet and six of them—c, g. t, ō, s and ü—aren’t in the English alphabet. For example, all those marks in a word like gūnes gōzlügü (“sunglasses”) can really daunt you!
③But luckily, Turkish pronunciation isn’t always as hard as it seems. In Turkish, each letter is pronounced only one way. So it can become quite easy to pronounce a new Turkish word.
④Turkish is an agglutinative language. That means it puts pieces together to make words. In Turkish, this practice can make some very long words. You can add suffixes to most Turkish root words. For example, the word ev means “house”. Add the ending ler to make evler, “houses”. Then add den, meaning “from”, to make evlerden, “from the houses”. Or add li, meaning “having” and you get evli, “having a house”. The suffix ci can mean “one who does something”. Gazete is “newspaper”; gazeteci means “a newspaper writer”.
⑤There are more facts about Turkish for you to learn. You’ll find that learning about it helps open up door to a different culture.
1. What does the underlined word “daunt” probably mean?| A．make people more excited | B．make people more tired |
| C．make people less confident | D．make people less afraid |
| A．Turkish people can speak more than one language. |
| B．Turkish uses an alphabet the same as English. |
| C．A Turkish letter can have different pronunciations. |
| D．Turkish words can get long by adding suffixes to root words. |
| A．sarkiler | B．sarkici | C．sarkili | D．sarkilerden |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．To help people learn about Turkish. | B．To ask people to visit Turkey. |
| C．To teach people how to speak Turkish. | D．To advise people to save Turkish. |
10 . Earth is home to lots of wonderful wildlife, but sadly, some animals don’t live on the earth any more today. These are called extinct animals.
 The sabre-toothed cat | This dangerous cat lived thousands of years ago in America. It had two very big teeth that it used to kill animals. You could see these teeth even when its mouth was closed. People think that this cat could kill very big animals. It was extinct around 10, 000 BCE because there wasn’t enough food for it. |
 The woolly rhinoceros | This big animal lived in the middle of Europe and Asia until about 8, 000 BCE. It had two horns—the big one could be one metre long. It had a thick woolly coat to keep warm in the cold winters. But then the weather changed a lot and the woolly rhinoceros couldn’t live in the warm weather. Also, many people killed them for food. So they died out. |
 The dodo | The dodo was a bird. It lived on the island of Mauritius. Once there were thousands of them on the island. Then people from Europe arrived and started to eat them. The Europeans took animals such as dogs and cats to the island, and the animals ate the dodo eggs. Why didn’t the dodo fly away from the people? Because it couldn’t fly. In 1681, it became extinct. |
1. The woolly rhinoceros was a kind of animal that ________.
| A．lived in the middle of America | B．died out before 8000 BCE |
| C．had two one-metre-long horns | D．had to live in cold weather |
| A．other animals ate them | B．it had no place to live |
| C．people caught them for food | D．there wasn’t enough food |
| A．nature | B．travel | C．sports | D．study |
