1 . In recent years, mobile phones and e-readers have become more common. Some people worry that the days of paper books will be gone. So we did a survey about paper books. Here is what we have got. In the UK, sales of e-books are dropping while sales of paper books are rising. More surprisingly, it’s young people who are buying the most paper books. Another survey of university students from the United State, Japan and Germany also showed that 92 percent of them preferred paper books.
The most popular reason was: “I like to hold the product.” It’s true that paper books bring a very different reading experience. Some students said that they liked the smell of paper books. Other students said that they got a sense of accomplishment (成就感) when they finished reading a paper book and they enjoyed seeing it on the bookshelf.
Paper books can also be very personal objects to readers. Many people like to sign their names on the inside cover. If the cover gets bent (弯曲) or there’s a stain (污点) made from coffee or food, it will make the book even more personal. It’s more like the readers’ old friends.
This “friendship” between people and books isn’t just sentimental (情感的). Students have shown that readers remember more information from paper books. People also more easily have sore eyes while reading e-books.
It seems that paper books still have an attraction. So why not pick up a book and start reading?
Surveys about | |
| FACTS | The Most young people like paper books better. |
| REASONS | Readers were brought Readers think paper books are Readers can remember more information and paper books are better for |
| CONCLUSION | Paper books still have an attraction. |
2 . Have you ever heard of “Who knows that each bowl of rice is the fruit of hard toil (苦工)?” It tells us not to waste food.
As we all know, every bit of food we eat comes from hard work. It’s not easy to turn a seed into the food you can eat. Recently, to help students better understand this, Zhejiang held an activity. Under the hot sun, hundreds of students went to a field to experience farming.With the help of others, they better understood how hard farming was.
Many countries are facing the food shortage problem now. According to the UN, there are 820 million people living in hunger today.Our country used to face this problem, too. In the 1960s, many people even died from hunger. In 1973,Yuan Longping and his team succeeded in the development of hybrid (杂交).
When we waste food, we waste not only food but also resources (资源) for growing, time and water. Wasting food also creates greenhouse gas. So food waste is bad for the environment, too.
Please value what you’re eating.
1. The poem tells us not to ________.
| A．throw food | B．waste food | C．pollute food | D．hate food |
| A．sold seeds | B．grew vegetables |
| C．understood each other | D．experienced farming |
| A．had a hard life | B．died from illnesses | C．had much food | D．ate a new kind of rice |
| A．how we should save food |
| B．why we should value food |
| C．where we can experience farming |
| D．how we should protect the environment |
3 . According to a recent survey by Xinhua Research Center, Chinese people prefer buying local brands over foreign brands. The first China Brand Day fell on May 10, 2017. A lot of activities take place to help Chinese brands develop across the country on that day every year. Let’s take a look at the results of the survey.
In the past, “Made in China” made people think of cheap and poor quality(质量) products. But that seems to be changing. Chinese people show a lot of interest in low prices, good quality and creative design. Experts say Chinese brands will continue to be more popular over the next 10 years.
1. Xinhua Research Center did a survey about ________.
| A．prices | B．quality | C．brands | D．design |
| A．10% | B．22% | C．31% | D．47% |
| A．fine materials | B．good quality | C．creative design | D．low prices |
| A．“Made in China” is popular among Chinese people all the time |
| B．foreign brands will not be accepted by Chinese people in ten years |
| C．only 10%of Chinese people prefer foreign food while others hate it |
| D．many activities are organized to help Chinese brands to develop on China Brand Day |
4 . In the West, if you are going to visit someone`s home, it is polite to take a present with you. Flowers, wine and sweets are good choices. But if you really want to impress the host or hostess, (A)_____ not bring something Chinese? ①
It is always wise to bring books and DVDs about China to your friends so that they can know China better. If you think books and DVDs are too ordinary, you can bring some traditional handicrafts(手工艺品) such as fans. In the past, fans were not just used to cool oneself. Sometimes, fans were decorated with paintings or poems. You can also bring papercuts to them. In China, people put papercuts on gates, windows, walls and mirrors at important festivals. (B)当你把这些礼物送给他们的时候, you can tell your foreign friends a little about Chinese culture and history. For the hostess, (C)you can give silk or presents with beautiful Chinese decoration, such as a handmade purse or a Chinese comb. ②
You can also send your foreign friends something to eat or drink. You can make some Chinese dishes and take them to the house.③Tea is a national drink in China. It is (D)________ important part of Chinese culture.
If you need to bring a present to children, toy pandas are a good choice. The giant panda is China’s national treasure. It is popular around the world.
1. 在文中(A)和(D)的空白处填入适当的单词：2. 将文中画线部分(B)译成英语：
3. 将文中画线部分(C)改写为：you can give silk or presents
4. 在文中①②③选出能够填入“You can also bring Chinese tea.”的位置：
5. 在文中找出用于装饰扇子的两个名词：
Some of us have little difficulty in falling asleep anywhere. But there are also quite a few of us who find it’s really hard to fall asleep when we need rest. It often makes us crazy.
So, how to get a better night’s sleep? Here are the 3 things that I’ve found to be the most useful for helping me fall asleep faster and finally get a better night’s sleep:
Put down your phone
The first decision that I’ve found to be really helpful in getting me to sleep faster at night is not to end my night by being on my phone. Every day I try to put my phone away at least one hour before bed. Of course, it’s of great help.
Meditate (冥想)
I’ve heard that some people say when they try meditation, they can’t seem to focus (集中注意力) and as a result they fall asleep. But, don’t we want to have a good sleep? I often choose to guide myself through my bedtime meditation and it helps me sleep.
Write it out
The last tool I’d like to suggest is keeping your diary. I personally love to just let my mind say everything it wants to, so that it feels heard. After writing out what happened in the day, you simply end your day with ease (缓解).
Not only is sleep quite comfortable, it’s also a very important activity that can help us to recharge and reset (恢复体力和调整).
Title: | |
Put down your phone | ▼ |
Meditate | ▼ |
| ▼After writing out what happened in the day, you simply end your day with ease. | |
| All in all, sleep is | |
6 . Do you know the two lovely mascots (吉祥物)? You may know the five “Fuwa” dolls from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. On September 17 of this year, the two lovely mascots first showed on TV. Now, let’s see who they are.
 | It is a black and white panda that wears a full-body “shell” made of ice and looks fat, so we call it “Bing Dwen Dwen”.The red heart shape in its left palm(手心）means welcoming the friends from other countries. The bright colours of the circles around its face stand for ice and snow sport tracks, meaning connectivity and advanced technologies. “Bing Dwen Dwen” likes ice sports very much and is good at them. That’s why it is the mascot of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. |
 | Do you think the red mascot looks like a lantern? The lantern’s name is “Shuey Rhon Rhon”. When the Chinese New Year comes, people always make or buy red lanterns. Red is the colour of hope and good luck, so people think their dreams will come true in the new year. Take a look at its head. There are paper cuttings of doves(鸽子）. They make up a circle. “Shuey Rhon Rhon” can give players hope and help them do well in the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games. |
Many people in different countries like the two mascots very much, and they show their love for them on the Internet.
1. Where is the red heart?| A．It’s on Shuey Rhon Rhon’s face. | B．It’s on Bing Dwen Dwen’s neck. |
| C．It’s on Shuey Rhon Rhon’s lantern. | D．It’s in Bing Dwen Dwen’s left palm. |
| A．Paper cuttings of doves. | B．Paper cuttings of pandas. |
| C．Bright colours of the circles. | D．Chinese characters of Olympics. |
| A．Because it is easy to make red lanterns. |
| B．Because “Shuey Rhon Rhon” is a mascot. |
| C．Because people think red lanterns are very lovely. |
| D．Because people think red lanterns can bring good luck. |
| A．“Bing Dwen Dwen” can skate very well |
| B．“Shuey Rhon Rhon” likes ice sports and is good at them |
| C．The two lovely mascots first showed on TV on September 16 |
| D．Everybody likes the two mascots and shows his love on the Internet |
| A．The sports in Olympic Games | B．Two Olympic mascots come to life |
| C．2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games | D．2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games |
Asian Elephant Fact File
Appearance
Asian elephants are huge and grey. They weigh up to 5,400 kilograms and are 3.2 metres tall at the shoulder.
Home
Asian elephants live in the grasslands and forests of South-East Asia.
Food
Asian elephants usually eat grass, leaves and fruit.
Behaviour
Asian elephants often move in large groups.
Life
In the wild, Asian elephants may live for up to 60 years, but most do not live that long.
Why in danger
People are cutting down forests. They are also killing them for their teeth. It is important for us to protect them.
1. What do Asian elephants look like?2. Where do Asian elephants live?
3. How do Asian elephants often move?
4. How long do most Asian elephants live?
5. Why do people kill Asian elephants?
8 . Most people who move to a foreign country may experience a period of time when they feel very homesick and have a lot of stress. This feeling is often called “culture shock”.
Generally speaking, there are four stages that you will experience after you move to a foreign country. The first stage is usually referred to as the “excitement” stage. When arriving in a new environment, you’ll be interested in the new culture-everything will seem exciting.
But it won’t be long before you move from the “excitement” stage to the second stage. It seems that everything is difficult. The language is hard to learn, friends are difficult to make and even simple things like shopping have become challenges. It is at this “stress” stage that you are likely to feel worried and homesick. This is the stage which is referred to as “culture shock”.
However, “culture shock” doesn’t last for very long. If you are one of those who manage to deal with it, you’ll move to the “recovery” stage. At this stage, you start to understand and accept the way things are done and the way people act in your new environment.
The last stage is the “home” stage. This is the stage when you start to feel at home in the new culture. You start to learn from your new home and to like certain aspects of the new culture better than those of your own culture.
“Culture shock” is common. Everyone in a new situation will go through some forms of it. Continue to be brave! And dealing with “culture shock” will be a piece of cake.
1. According to the text, what makes people experience “culture shock”?| A．Being homesick. | B．Having much stress. | C．Living in new homes. | D．Moving abroad. |
| A．nervous | B．interested | C．stressful | D．moved |
| A．The first stage. | B．The second stage. | C．The third stage. | D．The fourth stage. |
| A．Accepting others. | B．Copying others’ act. | C．Keeping brave. | D．Feeling at home. |
Each language is unique （独一无二的） and there is no “easy language” in the world to learn. But some of them are easier, and some more difficult. Now I’d like to talk about the top 5 most complicated sign systems （复杂的字符系统）.
The Chinese language is worthy of the most difficult language. The Chinese dictionary lists more than 87, 000 characters. Many of them don’t reflect the phonetic （语音的） meaning of the word（声调）. Using the wrong tones can change the meaning of your sentences.
The Arabic language is the second on my list because it is one of the most complicated sign systems in the world. One letter can have up to 4 different forms in writing, depending on its position in the word. It uses a right—to—left writing system. How strange!
The Russian language is difficult, though it’s my native language. There are words which sound the same but written in different ways, or words that are written the same（逗号） has different meanings. The punctuation（标点符号） is of great importance as well.
The Basque language is considered to be one of the most ancient languages in Europe. It has been mastered by some populations in southern France and northern Spain. The interesting thing is that this language was used by American soldiers during WWⅡto communicate secret information.
Inuit languages have so many tenses（时态） which makes them difficult to study. There are about 63 tenses. The Inuit writing system is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most complicated.
Five Most Complicated Sign Systems | |
Some points | |
The Chinese language | If you want to pronounce the language, you must know it well. |
The Arabic language | One letter can have up to 4 different forms in writing. It’s strange that a letter is written |
The Russian language | The punctuation |
The Basque language | It is one of the most ancient languages in Europe. During WWII, |
Inuit languages | |
10 . You pick up your phone and look at it, and the screen unlocks (解锁) right away. The phone knows who you are. It recognizes the shape of your face. This kind of face recognition technology is called Face ID. Nothing has been more simple, natural and effortless.
Actually, your face isn’t the only part of your body you can use as a password (密码). Many smartphones already accept fingerprints. Other systems check the shape of the ear, patterns in the eye, or the way a person walks. All of these are special enough to say who you are. People like using body parts as the password because it’s easy and convenient. Besides, it’s also usually very safe. It’s hard to make another person’s body parts, isn’t it? However, it is not impossible. The face may be one of the easiest body parts to copy. Most teenagers put plenty of their own photos online. These could help some bad people easily hack into a system of their phone like Face ID.
There is one more thing that worries experts. It would be easy for someone else to hold your phone in front of your face to unlock it. For example, your brother may unlock your phone against your will and see something you don’t want to show him. Some people don’t worry about that. It’s just so cool to be able to unlock a phone with a quick look.
What do you think? Is facial recognition a good thing, or are you worried about its safety?
1. How many kinds of body parts can be used as a password?| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
| A．Many phones can be unlocked by recognizing fingerprints. |
| B．Many experts worries about Face ID technology. |
| C．The disadvantages of face recognition technology. |
| D．The shape of your ear is special enough to say who you are. |
| A．the face recognition technology being safe |
| B．teenagers sharing their photos online |
| C．using our body parts as the password |
| D．copying another person’s body parts |
| A．侵入 | B．改善 | C．退出 | D．保护 |
| A．Good ways to keep your phones safe | B．Technology called Face ID is impossible |
| C．Face recognition: safe or not | D．Face recognition a perfect technology |
