Liu Yi, 26, went on a train for six hours to reach Tianshui in Gansu, China. He waited two hours just to eat special spicy soup called malatang. This soup has rice noodles, chilies(辣椒), vegetables and meat. Liu loves spicy food, and he heard that the malatang there was unique and delicious. He said it tasted great after he ate it all.
Now, many people are visiting Tianshui to taste malatang. This is making the city well-known and helps the local food places make more money. Ga Haiying’s place is now open from early morning to late night because everyone wants malatang. Ma Yulin, who owns another food place, says many people are visiting. He had to hire more people because it’s so busy. In his typical malatang restaurant, people pick what they want in their malatang from fresh foods on sticks. They cook it in the soup and add some oil and pepper to make it even tastier (味道更鲜美的).
A short video online made everyone want to try Tianshui’s malatang. So now, lots of people arc coming to the city. More people arc booking hotels, and the area is seeing many tourists.
Tianshui is making tourists feel welcome with free bus rides and places to park. The city’s leaders think the love for malatang is a chance to make Tianshui famous. They want to make sure visitors have a good time by making services and safety better. They are trying to ensure everyone who visits Tianshui can eat, play and travel with pleasure.
1. Finish the chart according to the article. Fill in each blank with no more than 3 words.| Burst of flavor puts city in Gansu under spotlight | |
| Malatang | The special spicy soup with rice noodles, chilies, |
| Popularity | An Liu Yi is one of them. He spent 6 hours taking a train and 2 hours |
| The popularity of Gansu malatang makes the city Tianshui become famous and helps the | |
| Reaction | -provide -improve services and safety measures. |
2. Why did Liu Yi travel all the way to Tianshui to eat malatang?（Answer the following questions.）
3. What do the leaders think of people’s love for Tianshui malatang? （Answer the following questions.）
4. Do you want to eat Tianshui Malatang? Explain your reason(s) in more than 20 words. （Answer the following questions.）
2 . Imagine—you are running to catch a train, only to find that you forgot your ID card (身份证)! There is no way you can board without it. However, don’t worry. In the near future, all the people in China will just need a new one on their smartphones (智能手机).
In fact, China’s first ID cards appeared in 1984. But the ID cards now are the second ones with 18 numbers, standing for one’s birthplace, birth date and gender (性别), which have been widely used in China. In 2018, China has already started the first try of digital (数字的) ID cards. It was only used among the people in cities including Quzhou, Hangzhou and Fuzhou to open bank accounts (账户), check into hotels and buy high-speed railway tickets and so on.
This year, the government will introduce these new digital ID cards to the whole country. That’s better to meet the basic living needs of more than 100 million people who live away from their home provinces. These people have to go to school or work at different places away from their homes. Sometimes to prove that “I am who I am”, they have to run back to home provinces. It is a waste of time and money.
Digital ID cards can allow related information to be accessed (获取) by a simple scan (扫描) with a smartphone, which is like the way we pay for the bills with WeChat (微信). It is easier than the old IDs.
Also, the government will provide convenience (方便) for people who do not use smartphones, especially the old. Certainly, at this time we should pay more attention to the information safety and privacy.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。1. According to the passage, you can’t ________ without ID cards.
| A．get on the train | B．pay for the bills | C．buy bus tickets |
| A．meet the needs of the people who live away from their home provinces |
| B．provide the convenience only for the old people and children |
| C．protect personal information (个人信息) very well |
| A．China’s First ID Cards | B．Digital ID Cards in China | C．To Prove That “I am who I am” |
| A．The first digital ID cards were used in 3 cities in 1984. |
| B．The second ID cards are now used among people in China. |
| C．The digital ID cards have been used in the whole country since 2018. |
| A．Using the digital ID cards is easier than the way we use WeChat. |
| B．The government can provide convenience for old people to use the digital ID cards. |
| C．People can just use smartphones to get related information of the digital ID cards. |
| Welcome to the City of Ice Harbin, the City of Ice. A huge snowman is waiting for you there. It sits on the banks of the Songhua River and stands 20 meters tall. The giant wears a red hat and holds a torch (火炬). Doesn’t it look lovely? |
| Ready for the Year of the Dragon? Hello, everyone! I am a Chinese dragon. My name is Loong Chenchen. I am the mascot (吉祥物) of the 2024 Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan). I will spend New Year’s Eve with you in February. My creators used many traditional Chinese cultural elements in my design. Can you find them? |
| Potato Mona Lisa An artist from Brazil painted another image (画像) of the famous Mona Lisa, but not on paper. He got creative and used 22 potatoes instead. This work quickly became popular after the artist shared it on social media. |
1. Where is the huge snowman?
| A．On the banks of the Songhua River. |
| B．In the 2024 Spring Festival Gala. |
| C．From the City of Ice’s social media. |
| A．Chunwan. | B．Loong Chenchen. | C．Mona Lisa. |
| A．It wears a red hat and holds a torch. | B．It doesn’t look lovely. | C．It’s made of ice. |
| A．Brazilian. | B．Chinese. | C．Italian. |
| A．Painting on the potatoes instead of paper is more creative. |
| B．The dragon has many traditional Chinese cultural elements. |
| C．This snowman is the most popular and tallest in the world. |
4 . Tree Planting Day is an important day in the world. Today, many countries have such a holiday. In China, Tree Planting Day is on March 12th. It is a day to remember Sun Yat-sen (孙中山). Sun Yat-sen was a great person in China. But many people don’t know that Sun Yat-sen helped to save trees.
Tree Planting Day in China started in 1915. From 1916 to 1928, Tree Planting Day was celebrated (庆祝) on the Chinese Qingming Festival each year. Sun Yat-sea asked people to stop cutting down trees in many of his books. He even planted trees himself with many people. Sun Yat-sen died on March 12th, 1925. In order to remember Sun Yat-sen, Chinese people decided to set Tree Planting Day on March 12th every year.
Planting trees is good for our Earth. It can make the world beautiful. Trees give us forests, stop soil (土壤) from losing, and protect farmland. They can make the Earth a good place for us to live in.
Without trees, our lives will be difficult. For example, we can’t get fruit or oil from trees. So it’s important for everyone to plant more trees an Tree Planting Day.
1. When did Tree Planting Day start?| A．In 1915. | B．In 1916. | C．In 1928. |
| A．Qingming Festival is a day to celebrate Tree Planting Day. |
| B．Many people know Sun Yat-sen helped to save trees. |
| C．Sun Yat-sen told people not to cut down trees in his books. |
| A．Forests. | B．Soil. | C．Trees. |
| A．The ways to protect trees. |
| B．The importance of planting trees. |
| C．The history of Tree Planting Day. |
| A．To show us some helpful ways to save more trees. |
| B．To ask us to learn from a great person in China. |
| C．To tell us something about Tree Planting Day in China. |
5 . To me, music is food and water. I like traditional Chinese music very much. What do you think of music?
Music is everywhere in our life. When you watch films or TV plays, do you find them interesting if there is no music? You would find them boring. And when you are waiting for your friends, you would like to listen to a piece of music because it helps you enjoy your time. Sometimes you may go to concerts. Yesterday, I went to a concert with my parents.
Different people have different understanding of music. Music has meaning for everyone in some way. Some people like to sit by the sea and listen to the sound of the sea. Some enjoy listening to the singing of birds, like my brother. Those sounds are a kind of music to him. Of course, it has a special meaning for me. Through music a child goes into a world of beauty, learns to take care of others and makes his mind and body strong. Music is an important part of life.
1. What music does the writer like?| A．Pop music. | B．Rock music. | C．Traditional Chinese music. |
| A．interesting | B．boring | C．happy |
| A．his parents | B．his child | C．his friends |
| A．go to concerts | B．listen to the singing of birds | C．sit by the sea |
| A．You can listen to music when you’re waiting. |
| B．All the people like the same music. |
| C．Music is an important part of life. |
At present, there is much homework for American students. But a home is not a good place for students to do their homework. So there come Homework Clubs. And they are more and more popular in America.
What is the Homework Club?
The Homework Club is a good place for students to do their homework. It is very quiet. A teacher will help students prepare for the tests there. The teacher is not to teach students but to give them help when they need.
Where is the Homework Club?
The Homework Club is usually in a library or in a classroom. It is a popular activity after school every day. If there is no school that day, Homework Clubs will NOT meet.
What will students do in the Homework Club?
In the Homework Club, the students will do their homework for the first hour and then they will draw pictures or play football.
1. According to the passage, finish the chart with no more than three words.| American | Meaning | The teacher helps students |
| Places | It’s in a | |
| Activities | • •Draw pictures •Play football |
2. When do students have Homework Club? ( According to the passage, answer the following questions.)
3. Why is American Homework Club more and more popular? ( According to the passage, answer the following questions.)
4. What do you think of American Homework Club? Explain your reasons in 20 words. ( According to the passage, answer the following questions.)
7 . Everyone needs friends. How do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seaman tells young students some smart ways to find friends. Sally says finding friendship is just like planting (种) a tree. You plant it and look after it to make it grow.
What makes a good friend? It’s not because a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be friendly and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints (抱怨) and do his or her best to help you.
But things can’t always be happy. What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her.
These steps (措施) can make you be friends again: say sorry to him or her; tell him or her how you are feeling; explain why you did this or that.
Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
1. Sally wants to tell students the way to ________.| A．find friends | B．plant trees | C．get happy |
| A．be lovely and cool | B．be friendly and patient | C．have lots of money |
| A．talk to | B．never say a word to | C．have dinner with |
| A．four | B．three | C．two |
| A．Teenagers (青少年) and Friendship |
| B．The Good Friends Around You |
| C．Finding and Keeping Friendship |
8 . Some animals can easily find their way home after a long journey. How do they make it? Scientific research shows that they are born with certain unusual abilities for direction.
A certain kind of ants, for example, can count their steps to avoid getting lost. They can go as far as 110 metres and bring food home. These ants live in the open desert (沙漠), so they have nothing to guide them along the way. It’s like someone walking six kilometres through a dark forest.
Some fish have an unbelievable sense of smell. They can smell even a single drop of their home water in a large sea area. Some sea birds have a similar ability. They are able to make a smell map of their flying area.
Some animals can sense the earth’s magnetic field (磁场), while humans can’t. This magnetic field guides a certain kind of fish when they swim a long way to a place and then back. How can this kind of fish do that? It is still a mystery. Scientists have no good answers yet.
However, animals with such unusual abilities still have difficulty dealing with environmental changes caused by human activities. For example, many birds depend on stars for direction, but they get lost easily at night when city lights are kept on all night. To solve this problem, we can simply turn off some lights at night. Clearly, one small act of humans may mean a lot to animals.
1. Where is this passage most probably from?| A．A storybook | B．An art magazine | C．A science magazine |
| A．By imagining the way. | B．By counting their steps. | C．By bringing food together. |
| A．Secret. | B．Choice. | C．Reason. |
| A．To help animals | B．To travel at night | C．To keep city lights on |
| A．Birds’ Sense of Light | B．Fish’s Sense of Smell | C．Animals’ Sense of Direction |
9 .
When it’s hot outside and we have to go out, surely we want to keep cool. We can put on hats, wear light clothing, or stay at a cool place. However, nothing can beat a good fan (扇子). Now I’ll show you how to make a good DIY (Do It Yourself) paper fan. What to preparePlease prepare two pieces of paper. All paper will work, but your DIY fan can be used for a long time with quality paper. Then get glue (胶水), two sticks, etc. How to make a DIY fanThe first step is to draw pictures on the paper. Just draw anything you like. The next step is to fold up the paper. Then glue the two pieces of folded paper together. After that, paint the sticks. The final step is to glue the sticks onto the folded paper. And everything is done. If you look at your watch, you will be surprised: it takes less than 15 minutes to make a good paper fan. Then you can fold it up and drop it in your bag. When you are out in the heat next time, just take it out and enjoy the gentle wind. |
1. Which is the best way to keep cool according to paragraph 1?
| A．Putting on hats. | B．Using a good fan. | C．Wearing light clothing. |
| A．It is light. | B．It is colorful. | C．It lasts long |
| A．Painting the sticks. | B．Drawing pictures on the paper. | C．Folding up the paper. |
| A．quick | B．difficult | C．boring |
| A．To sell paper fans. | B．To show how to save time. | C．To teach how to make paper fans. |
10 . When you think of the sea, you may not think of Xinjiang or Inner Mongolia (内蒙古). But recently, the “seafood” from these places has become popular, especially after Japan put nuclear-contaminated water (核污染水) into the sea, reported China Daily.
In Xinjiang, about 6,000 tons of rainbow trout (虹鳟鱼) will be produced this year. Rainbow trout is in the same family as salmon (鲑鱼), a kind of well-known seafood. It tastes like salmon, too.
Why do farmers there choose to grow fish? The weather in some parts of Xinjiang is seldom hot, and the rivers are full of the melt-water from the Tianshan Mountains, Water deeper than 6 meters always stays at 10℃. As the melt-water is very clean and cold, it’s a suitable home for fish, a worker at a fish company in Xinjiang, told China Daily.
To make sure the river stays clean, the company uses machines to clean fish waste in the water. They also use net cages. They are good for the environment. The nets are about 51 meters wide and reach 25 meters deep in the river.
Meanwhile, in Inner Mongolia, white-leg shrimps (南美白对虾) grows well. Saline soil (盐碱土) covers a large part of the desert. In the past, farmers put water from the Yellow River onto the farmland to wash away the salt. This was a waste of salty water.
Scientists then came up with a new idea. They decided to make “seawater” with the salty water by adding in some other components (成分). White-leg shrimps can live well in this kind of water. They taste no different from the same kind of shrimp that grows in the sea.
1. The underlined word “melt-water” probably means “________” in Chinese.| A．纯净水 | B．冰雪融水 | C．矿泉水 |
①cleans the water with machines
②uses net cages to grow fish in the water
③adds in some other components in the water
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．①③ |
| A．To tell people it is safe to eat seafood. |
| B．To compare them with the shrimps that grow in the sea. |
| C．To show another “seafood” grown without using the sea. |
| A．Xinjiang has grown many kinds of seafood. |
| B．Chinese people won’t worry about not having seafood. |
| C．The Yellow River is fit for growing white-leg shrimps now. |
A． | B． | C． |
