1 . Everyone has their favorite food. Some might love chocolate. Some might love potato chips. Think about your favorite food. Have you ever wondered why your favorite food tastes so good? The answer is about your tongue (舌头) and your nose.

There are some taste buds (味蕾) on your tongue. They give you the sense of taste, How do the taste buds work? In fact, they have many tiny hairs on them. These tiny hairs send messages to your brain about the tastes of different food. In this way, you know whether it is sweet, sour, bitter or salty.

An average person has about 10.000 taste buds. They keep working all the time when we enjoy our food. The taste buds don’t always stay the same. They are replaced every two weeks or so. However, as a person gets older, some of these taste buds don’t get replaced. An older person may only have 5, 000 working taste buds. That’s why some food may taste stronger for you than they do for an older person.

Besides your tongue, your nose also helps you learn about the taste of food. Sometimes, strong smells can even confuse (使困惑) your sense of taste. Try holding an onion under your nose while eating an apple. What do you taste?

So the next time you enjoy salty pizza and sweet ice cream, thank your tongue and your nose. Without them, you won’t have any sense of taste at all! Without the sense of taste, life will be boring.

1. Which parts of our body can help us taste the food?

A．Tongue and eyes.

B．Tongue and hairs.

C．Nose and tongue.

2. What does the underlined word “replaced” mean in Chinese?

A．更新

B．启动

C．显示

3. What do you taste if you hold an onion under your nose while eating an apple?

A．The taste of apples.

B．The taste of onions.

C．The taste of sweet ice cream.

4. What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The use of taste buds.

B．How we can taste food.

C．Our favorite food.

2 . Do you know how to cook, clean or grow plants? You will soon learn these skills (技能)!

From this fall, primary and middle schools have had labor education (劳动教育). Every week, students will have one class at least to learn about cooking, keeping animals and more. This can make Chinese students’s life rich. Chinese school education didn’t give a lot of thought (考虑) to this in the past. According to a 2019 report, Chinese kids only do 12 minutes of practical activity each day. So, now, how do young people feel about the new subject?

I like the new subject. At school, I learned to cook eggs. I feel happy when I can cook a delicious meal. Wu Ruoxuan, 12, Tianjin

In May, I bought 12 chicken eggs and a hatching machine (孵化器). After17 days, the first chick came out. I felt very glad to see it. Zhang Siyi, 12, Beijing

Our school let students grow plants. This year we’ve planted tomatoes, potatoes, rice and Chinese cabbages. It’s not easy! They have different needs. Labor class not only teaches me important skills but also a great way to relax during a busy school day. Zhang Yuchen, 13, Zhejiang

1. What did Wu Ruoxuan do according to the passage?

A．Raised chicks.

B．Cooked eggs.

C．Planted tomatoes.

D．Planted rice.

2. How did Zhang Siyi feel to see the first chick?

A．Bored.

B．Interested.

C．Sad.

D．Happy.

3. What does the writer want to tell us?

A．Chinese students start to have labor education.

B．Labor education is different in different countries.

C．In 2019, Chinese students didn’t need labor.

D．Different students have the same idea about labor.

4 . Chinese scientists found a whale fall for the first time in the South China Sea during a deep-sea expedition (考察) carried out by oceanic research ship Tansuo-1.

It’s sad to learn that a whale has died in the ocean. However, that’s not the end for the whale. It has a lot to give to other sea animals after death. When a whale dies, it quickly sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. There, the whale body provides food for deep-sea animals, which are often hungry for food. It creates an ecosystem called a whale fall “oasis (绿洲)” of life in the deep sea. The remains can last for lots of years.

The whale fall ecosystem can exist in the deep ocean because great pressure and cold temperatures there prevent the body from decomposing (腐烂) too quickly. But the depth also makes it hard for scientists to discover them.

There are less than 50 known whale falls in the world, so it’s lucky for China to find the valuable one. The whale body in the South China Sea is about three meters long. Scientists have found several kinds of shrimp and fish near the whale body. Some fish have started to eat the whale’s tail. The whale fall might be quite recent and needs long-term watching, according to Xie Wei, a scientist who took part in the expedition.

By studying the whale fall, scientists can better understand how marine (海洋的) ecosystems support life and how to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) resources in the deep sea.

1. A whale fall is called an “oasis” because ______.

A．it changes the sea’s ecosystem.

B．it grows at the bottom of the ocean.

C．it provides food for deep-sea animals.

D．it can remain under the sea for years.

2. Why is it hard to find whale falls?

A．Because the temperature is low.

B．Because the ocean is very deep.

C．Because the decomposition is fast.

D．Because the water pressure is high.

3. What do we know about the whale fall in the South China Sea?

A．The dead whale has been eaten up.

B．This whale fall may have formed recently.

C．It’s not the first time we’ve seen a whale fall.

D．It is as common as other whale falls around the world.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．How whale falls happen.

B．The marine ecosystems support life.

C．We need to protect natural environment.

D．A whale fall discovered in the South China Sea.

5 . The weather is getting hotter. You are thirsty after playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful about what you are drinking. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.

There are plenty of “energy drinks” on the market. Most of them have beautiful colors and cool names. The lists on them tell you they are helpful to your health. Sounds great! But after a careful check, you may find that most energy drinks have lots of caffeine (咖啡因) in them. These drinks are especially aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players. Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much.

Caffeine makes your heartbeat fast. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited its use. Caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as strong as that in a cup of coffee or tea. Possible health dangers have something to do with energy drinks. Just one box of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart problems. Scientists say that teenagers should be stopped from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them.

So we should stay away from the energy drinks to keep healthy.

1. Why do many people like drinking energy drinks?
①Because they have lots of caffeine.
②Because they are said to be helpful to health.
③Because they have beautiful colors and cool names.
④Because they can keep them awake and better at sports.

A．①③④

B．①②③

C．②③④

D．①②④

2. What does the underlined word “limited” mean in Chinese?

A．限制

B．讨厌

C．帮助

D．开始

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Energy drinks are helpful to teenagers’ study.

B．Sports players need to drink a lot of energy drinks.

C．The makers want to interest customers like teenagers.

D．Caffeine in energy drinks is less than that in a cup of tea or coffee.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Energy Drinks—Be Careful

B．Energy Drinks—Little Caffeine

C．Energy Drinks—Good for Health

D．Energy Drinks—Sportsmen’s Best Choice

6 . Birthdays are celebrated all over the world. There are different ways to celebrate birthdays in different countries.

Denmark If a child is on his/her birthday, there is a flag outside the window of his/her house. Parents put presents around the child’s bed while he/she is sleeping, so he/she will see them in the morning.	India Usually Indian children wear white to school. However, on their birthdays children wear colored clothes to school and give out chocolates to everyone in the class. Their best friend will help them do this.
Korea The birthday child wears new clothes to mark the special time. Some birthdays are more important than others. They are the third and seventh birthdays for girls and the fifth for boys.	Holland The birthday child gets presents, especially large presents. The family also put flowers on the birthday child’s chair to make it beautiful.

1. When a child is on his/her birthday in Denmark, you can see ______ outside the window.

A．flowers

B．a light

C．a flag

D．presents

2. In which country children can wear colored clothes to school on birthdays?

A．India.

B．Korea.

C．Holland.

D．Denmark.

3. In Korea, the birthday is more important to boys when they are ______ years old.

A．two

B．three

C．four

D．five

7 . Teens today spend much time on social media (社交媒体). Short video apps have made things worse. You can see almost everything on these apps—jokes, role-play, scientific experiments and so on. With continuous scrolling (连续的滚屏), music and fun never stop. You could never find short video apps dull.

Some researchers wondered what influence short video apps might have on teens. A research team interviewed 31 teens between the ages of 13 and 18. The team noted that more than 60% of the teens said they often used short video apps. “The main reason is that short video apps are really good at connecting teens with information that they’re interested in and that they can share with their friends,” one researcher said.

At the same time, some teens were uncomfortable with the addictive (使人成瘾的) nature of the apps. One teenager explained, “I use them for hours without realizing it, because I just keep scrolling.”

Some other teens said that the apps’ videos of many perfect faces and lives could hurt their self-respect. “I see someone ’s really nice house, cute dogs, or happy family. There’s just so much information about those things that I often compare them with what I have in my own life. It makes me a little nervous,” said another teenager.

So how can teenagers avoid those bad influences? They can control their addictive habits by reducing their screen time. They can choose a certain time as their “social media time”. They can also avoid using their phones for a few minutes and try to enjoy the real world by taking a walk, meeting up with friends, and going on a phoneless adventure.

1. What does the underlined word “dull” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Strange.

B．Boring.

C．Useless.

2. What can we learn from the researcher’s words?

A．Short video apps offer useless information.

B．Teenagers can’t learn a lot from short video apps.

C．Short video apps help improve friendships among teens.

3. Why do short video apps make some teens feel nervous?

A．Because they often compare their lives with others’.

B．Because they can see some bad words about themselves.

C．Because they can’t help spending too much time on them.

4. What is the structure of the passage?

A．①/② ③ ④/⑤

B．① ②/③ ④ ⑤

C．①/② ③/④ ⑤

8 . At school, students learn different subjects like English, math, art and so on. They learn these subjects in the classroom. These days, a new subject becomes popular in many schools! That is school gardening. Students learn it outside the classroom. It is not only an interesting subject, but also a great way to keep healthy.

In the gardening class, students can go outside and get fresh air. More importantly, they can learn a lot. When some young students have food, they always ask, “Where does the rice come from?” In this class, they can get the answer. And they can learn to do things with their own hands. They can also learn some teamwork-skills and care about nature, others and themselves.

Keeping a school garden is difficult, but teachers are trying to make it work. Some schools can have gardens inside, but other schools are small. So teachers turn to gardens and parks near the school.

The school garden doesn’t have to be very big. Students can have a lot of fun in it. At first, teachers decide what vegetables to grow. Then they grow them with students. Carrots and tomatoes are their favorites because it is nice for them to get a carrot or a tomato, wash it and eat it right in the garden. Some vegetables are easy to grow, but others need a long time. This can teach students hard work pays off.

Gardening is as important as any other subject. Students should learn it at school.

1. According to the passage the gardening class is a(n) ________ subject.

A．interesting

B．difficult

C．sleepy

D．tiring

2. Which of the following sentence is NOT TRUE according to Paragraph 2?

A．Students can go outside in the gardening class

B．Students can get fresh air in the gardening class.

C．Students never get the answer in the gardening class.

D．Students can learn some teamwork skills in the gardening class.

3. Teachers and students like to grow carrots and tomatoes because ________.

A．they are really easy to grow

B．they can eat them right in the garden

C．they can have fun when eating them

D．they don’t need a long time like others

4. What can we infer (推断) from the passage?

A．Most students don’t like gardening very much

B．The garden in the school must be big enough.

C．Schools are supposed to have gardening as a subject.

D．There will be more outdoor subjects for students.

9 . Wind power is a very clean source of energy. This is how wind power works. Wind makes windmills spin (旋转). When the windmills spin, they make electricity. Then we can use the electricity.

A lot of people think that wind power is new, but that’s not true. For thousands of years, people have used wind to sail boats and move water. We still do those things today, but these days we mostly use wind power to make electricity.

Wind power is a very popular source of energy. Most people think that we should use it more and more. First of all, it’s clean. Windmills don’t pollute the environment at all. Second, we can use wind power forever. After all, we will always have wind. Also, wind power is cheap, and it’s getting even cheaper.

A lot of people don’t understand wind power very well. They believe that there are problems with wind power, but many of those problems are not real. For example, some people say that windmills are dangerous for birds. That used to be true, but it isn’t true anymore. Old windmills killed birds because they spun very fast. New windmills spin slowly, they aren’t dangerous for birds.

However, there are real problems with windmills. One problem is that many people think windmills are very ugly. This is a problem for some people because windmills are often in very pretty areas. Also, wind doesn’t blow all the time, so we can’t use wind power all the time. Finally windmills are noisy.

Wind power is becoming more and more common. Right now, more than 80 countries use wind power. About 2.5 percent of the world’s power comes from the wind. For some countries, that number is a lot higher. Wind power gives Denmark more than 25 percent of its electricity.

1. What can we know from Paragraph 2?

A．All of us think wind power is new.	B．People have used wind for a long time.
C．People can’t use wind to move water.	D．People use less wind power than before.

2. How many advantages of wind power are mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

3. What does the underlined word “they” refer to?

A．People.

B．Problems.

C．Windmills.

D．Birds.

4. What do you think “Denmark” belong to?

A．One of the countries.

B．People of a country.

C．A kind of wind.

D．A kind of power.

5. What’s the best title of the passage?

A．History of Electricity.

B．Source of Energy.

C．Noisy Windmills.

D．Wind Power.

10 . Imagine you walk into your office, with the temperature just right. You sit down and begin what will be a very productive (富有成效的) dау. Тhіѕ іѕ thе kіnd of smart office that engineers are trying to make. It uses technology to help workers perform at their best while at work.

Sitting in front of a desk for too long can be bad for your health. For example, it can cause back and waist (胸) pain. Sanon, a company (公司) in Zhejiang, built UP7 to help address this. As a smart lifting desk, UP7 can tell how long a user has been sitting in the chair. When it reaches the time set by the user, it will “tell” the user to stand up and walk around. It does this by either vibrating (震动) the table or sending messages to the user’s phone.

The company also designed a type of smart chair to match with the table. “The chair is so comfortable. It can adjust (调整) the arms and height according to your body shape,” a user in Zhejiang posted on Xiaohongshu. In smart offices, you probably won’t use paper notebooks. Instead, you can try electronic (电子的) paper books to put every work document (文件) online. N10, created by Hanvon Technology in Bejing, is a new “notebook” like this. It uses a screen that doesn’t produce much light. Users write with an electronic pen, and they can pick from options (选项) like a pen, a pencil, an ink brush and many more.

“It truly feels like reading and writing on real paper, completely meeting my office needs,” a user surnamed (姓) Lin said to People’s Daily. “Notes recorded can be easily organized, searched and stored. You usually need several paper notebooks to do what the electronic notebook does.”

1. What can the smart office do?

A．Check a person’s body temperature.	B．Make the work day longer.
C．Offer more jobs to engineers.	D．Help workers work at their best.

2. How does UP7 protect users’ bodies?

A．By lifting the desk to stop users from working.

B．By making calls to users.

C．By vibrating the chair to relax users’ bodies.

D．By stopping users from sitting for too long.

3. Why is N10 better than a paper notebook?

A．Because N10 can read and write on its own.

B．Because people don’t need a pen to use it.

C．Because N10 has a big screen.

D．Because N10 can easily organize, search and store notes.

4. How can we describe the smart office?

A．Smart and small.	B．Comfortable and user-friendly.
C．Healthy but tasteless.	D．Fashionable but impractical.