1 . In the UK, September is usually the end of summer and the start of autumn. Children go back to school after their summer holidays, but what do you know about British schools?
There are two kinds of schools in the UK. State-run schools are paid by the government (政府), so they are free to go to. Independent (独立的) schools are private, which means you have to pay to go to.
The school day usually starts at 9 in the morning and finishes at 4. In many schools, you have to wear uniforms too.
Children start their school when they are 5 years old. This is called primary (小学教育的) school. Children will stay in primary school until 11. Then they must study in middle school till 16 years old. At 16, every student in the UK must take the tests called GCSE’s. After this, students can stay in the same school for another 2 years and take A Level tests. Students need to take these tests if they want to go to college at 18.
Colleges in the UK were free in the past, but many students now have to pay for part of their courses.
1. After summer holidays, British school usually starts in ________.| A．January | B．September | C．December | D．February |
| A．Colleges in the UK are free now. | B．Students in many British schools have to wear uniforms. |
| C．British schools usually start at 9 in the morning and finish at 4. | D．Students have to pay to go to the independent schools in the UK. |
| A．Children start their school at the age of 6. | B．Children can go to college when they are 16 years old. |
| C．Every student must go to middle school and college in the UK. | D．Students need to take GCSE’s and A Level tests if they want to go to college. |
| A．British schools | B．Colleges in the UK |
| C．GCSE’s and A level tests | D．September is a good season in the UK |
A Recently, millions of people have started to watch short videos online. Many people make and share short videos on popular video apps (应用软件) Douyin and Kuaishou. You can even add music and special effects (特效) to your videos. The videos are a few minutes long. They show people doing activities like cooking, exercising and singing.
B Teenagers especially enjoy these videos. More than 50% of high school students say they enjoy watching these short videos. About 47% have posted (发布) their own videos according to a report. The videos let young people see funny and exciting things they wouldn’t usually see. Many young people like to share the fun things they do with others.
C Some students spend too much watching them and not enough time studying. Some videos have a bad effect on young people. So Douyin added a new function (功能) in April, 2021. It locks the app if someone uses the app for over two hours a day. In the same month, the government (政府) also did something to stop young people using this app too much.
注：每题答案不超过6个词。
1. What can young people add to their short videos with these apps?
2. How long are the short videos?
3. How many of high school students have posted their own videos?
4. When did Douyin add a new function?
5. The sentence “However, the videos can also bring some problems.” is missing. Where should we put it, A, B or C?
3 . The Australian Koala Foundation says Australia has lost about 30 percent of its koalas over the past three years. The number of koalas is getting so small because of the loss of living space, and being killed by cars, as well as dying from illness. The Foundation says droughts, wildfires and development projects also played a part in the drop in the koala population. They are calling on the government to do more to protect the environment.
The group says the koala population has dropped to less than 58,000 this year from more than 80,000 in 2018. The state of New South Wales, where the numbers have dropped by 41 percent, lost more koalas than other places.
Deborah Tabart, leader of the Australian Koala Foundation, said only one area in the study was thought to have more than 5,000 koalas. Some areas were believed to have as few as 5 or 10. Tabart said the country needs a koala protection law. She added, “What we’re worried about is places like western New South Wales. The drought over the last ten years has just had this result—rivers were nearly dry for years. As a result, river red gum plants, which are the lifeblood of koalas, died.”
The loss in New South Wales became more serious after large forest areas were destroyed by wildfires in late 2019 and early 2020. And some of those areas already had no koalas.
Land clearing by road builders has also destroyed the koala’s environment. “I think everyone gets it, we’ve got to change. But if those machines keep working, then I really fear for the koalas,” Tabart said.
1. The state of New South Wales has lost ___________ of its koala population this year.| A．about 30% | B．about 40% | C．about 50% | D．about 60% |
| A．Drought. | B．Flood. | C．Wildfires. | D．Earthquakes. |
| A．showing some pictures | B．listing some numbers |
| C．playing some videos | D．using other reports |
| A．How Australian Koala Foundation works. |
| B．Why the number of koalas is getting smaller. |
| C．What action people should take to protect koalas. |
| D．What the numbers of koalas in different states are. |
4 . China has many special forms of traditional art. They are usually used to represent things that are important in life such as love, beauty and family.
It was said that sky lanterns were first used by Zhuge Liang. He sent them out to ask for help when in trouble. They are made of bamboo and covered with paper. Sky lanterns are used at festivals and other celebrations today. They are seen as bright symbols of happiness and good wishes.
Chinese paper-cutting has been around for more than 1,500 years. It may sound very easy but is difficult to practise. The paper, usually red, is folded (折叠) before it is cut with scissors. The most common pictures are flowers, animals and things about Chinese history. During the Spring Festival, they are put up on windows, doors and walls as symbols of wishes for good luck and a happy new year.
Chinese clay (泥塑) art is famous because the clay pieces are so small but they look very real. The pieces are carefully shaped by hand from a very special kind of clay and then allowed to air-dry. After drying, they are fired at a very high heat. Then they are painted after polishing (抛光). Finally, materials such as wood or paper are added as decorations (装饰). It takes several weeks to complete everything. These small pieces of clay art show the love that all Chinese people have for life and beauty.
根据上面短文的内容回答问题（每小题答案不超过6个单词）。1. Who first used sky lanterns?
2. What are sky lanterns seen as bright symbols of?
3. How long has Chinese paper-cutting been around?
4. Where are the most common pictures put up during the Spring Festival?
5. How are the clay pieces carefully shaped from a very special kind of clay?
5 . The use of chopsticks has been a part of Chinese food culture. There are some taboos (禁忌) that you must pay great attention to, or you may make mistakes and be laughed at.
First, don’t use chopsticks to hit the side of your bowl or plate to make a lot of noise, because Chinese people think only beggars would do this to beg for meals. Second, when you use chopsticks, don’t use them to point at others, which would be regarded as a bad manner to others. Third, it is thought to be an impolite behavior when you suck (吮吸) the end of a chopstick. People will think you lack family education. Fourth, don’t use chopsticks to pock at (拨弄；捅) every dish without knowing what you want. And last, don’t insert (插入) chopsticks straightly into the bowls or dishes. Chinese people do this only when they burn incense (焚香) for the dead.
Nowadays, chopsticks are used more wisely. For example, you can buy a pair as a gift for your friends or relatives. In Chinese, it reads “Kuaizi”, which means to have sons soon, so a newly-married couple will be happy to accept it as their wedding gift.
An interesting experiment shows that many joints (关节) and muscles are being exercised when you use chopsticks. They certainly make you cleverer, don’t they?
根据上面短文的内容回答问题。（每题答案不超过6个单词）
1. How many taboos are there in the passage?
2. Why aren’t people allowed to use chopsticks to hit the side of their bowl or plate?
3. Is it polite to suck the end of a chopstick at meals?
4. For a new-married couple, what does the wedding gift—chopsticks mean?
5. What can you exercise when using chopsticks?
Chishan Lake Wetland Park is in Anhui Province. It has become home to many different kinds of birds because of its good environment. Every year, a lot of tourists go there to watch the birds. Do you know how to watch the birds? The following advice will help you.
Birdwatchers enjoy looking for and listening to different kinds of birds. To watch the birds, all you need is a pair of binoculars, a field guide and love for birds.
When you are ready, it’s best to go to the wild with some experienced (有经验的) people. You can join a birdwatching group to learn about some skills.
Start birdwatching in the morning when birds are searching for food. Most of the time, you will hear bird calls from all around you, but you will not see any birds easily. Look for movement in trees, and bring your binoculars to your eyes to see more clearly.
The most important work for a birdwatcher is to identify (识别) the birds. A bird’s shape, size, colour and habits can help a birdwatcher identify it. When you identify a bird, don’t forget to take notes about it on your notebook.
When watching the birds, you should always keep in mind: respect (尊重) wildlife and protect its living areas.
根据上面短文的内容回答问题（每小题答案不超过6个单词）。
1. Why has Chishan Lake Wetland Park become home to many different kinds of birds?
2. Do you need a pair of binoculars, a field guide and love for birds to watch birds?
3. When do you start birdwatching in the morning?
4. What’s the most important work for a birdwatcher?
5. What’s the main idea of the passage?
7 . Many Chinese mothers are afraid that their children will fall behind their classmates, so these mothers are becoming “tiger mothers”. They believe the harder their children study, the happier life they will have in the future. Is it true? Lulu and her sister Sophia may have a say.
Lulu and Sophia have a “tiger mother”. She pushed them a lot when they were young. For example, they were not allowed to get grades lower than A’s. They had to practice the piano or violin for several hours a day. There were no games or TV.
The tiger mother, Amy, is a Chinese-American professor at Yale Law School in the USA. Several years ago, she wrote a book named Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and shared her strict parenting style in it.
Many people don’t like Amy’s style of parenting. They once worried that her daughters would not be happy. However, the two girls have grown up and they are thankful to their mother.
Sophia has just graduated from Yale University. She is hard-working, friendly and helpful. Not long ago, she shared some useful studying tips online. Lulu is also a warm smart and popular girl in her friends’ eyes. She said tiger mothers believed that a child could succeed by being pushed to go all out.
Still, not everyone agrees with the tiger mother’s parenting style. In fact, there isn’t a parenting style that fits everyone. What’s the best parenting style for you? Maybe you should work it out together with your parents.
1. According to the passage, “tiger mothers” ________.| A．don’t mind their children falling behind their classmates |
| B．don’t care about their children’s feelings when they grow up |
| C．believe pushing their children hard can help them succeed |
| D．believe the more happily the kids study, the harder their life will be |
| A．She is teaching in China. | B．She loves playing the violin. |
| C．She is the mother of the two girls. | D．She is liked by many people. |
| A．great | B．worried | C．humorous | D．hateful |
8 . We all know teeth are important to our life. We celebrate National Teeth-Loving Day on September 20.
Do you know the life cycle of teeth in your mouth? Children under 6 years old have 20 baby teeth. From 6 to 13, people lose their baby teeth one by one. Now permanent teeth (恒牙) begin to grow. Between the ages of 17 and 25, some people grow wisdom teeth (智齿). Of course, wisdom teeth don’t make you any smarter. They look like a symbol (象征) of being grown-ups.
Do you know how to keep our teeth strong and healthy? Let’s look at the following tips.
What we can do:
Brush your teeth at least twice a day: in the morning and before bedtime. Brush for at least two or three minutes every time.
Brush up and down on every tooth.
Use a dental floss (牙线) for your teeth to make them cleaner. Get a new toothbrush every three months.
What we can’t do:
Don’t eat too much candy and sweet food, or don’t drink too much soda. Don’t eat very hard food. That can hurt your teeth.
Don’t eat snacks before bedtime.
Teeth are important to everyone. Healthy teeth help us eat food to let us grow. They help us speak clearly. And yes, they help us look good.
根据上面短文的内容回答问题。（每题答案不超过 6 个单词）
1. When do we celebrate National Teeth-Loving Day?
2. How many baby teeth do children under 6 years old have?
3. Why do we need to use a dental floss?
4. How often should you get a new toothbrush?
5. How do you keep your teeth healthy in your daily life? (请自拟一句话作答)
9 . The price of rice changes during the year.
It is useful for rice farmers to know how the price changes, then they can sell their rice when the price is high. But it was hard for farmers to guess how the price would change from month to month.
For example, one year in the past, the price of rice was very low in November. This was a bad time for farmers to sell their rice. November, December and January were all bad months. The best month for farmers to sell rice was April, July and August were also good times to sell rice.
Between August and November, the price of rice went down every month. During other parts of the year, the price went up and down.
Price per kg（ $ ）
1. The price of rice was the highest in ________ one year in the past.
| A．January | B．April | C．July | D．November |
| A．December | B．April | C．July | D．November |
| A．less | B．lower | C．no more | D．higher |
| A．April and May | B．February and December | C．July and August | D．March and September |
| A．Farmers and Rice. | B．Buying and Selling Rice. |
| C．High Price of Rice. | D．Changes in Price of Rice. |
10 . When you are reading something in English, you may often come across a new word. What’s the best way to know it?
You need an English-Chinese dictionary（字典）. It will tell you a lot about the word, for example（例如）, how to read this word, what it means in Chinese and how to use this word. But there are so many English words in the dictionary and how can you know where the word is? There is a way to look for it.
In the dictionary you can first see the words beginning with the letter A, then B, C, D, E…. That means, if there are two words, “desk” and “hour”, “desk” will be before “hour”, “story” before “Sunday” , “tomato” before “tomorrow” etc. The English-Chinese dictionary will be your good friend. I hope you will often use it in your English learning.
1. When you don’t know a new word, the best way according to the passage is ________.| A．to use a dictionary | B．to guess | C．to ask your friends | D．to ask your teacher |
| A．过来 | B．撞倒 | C．越过 | D．遇到 |
| A．film, face, April, autumn | B．April, autumn, face, film |
| C．face, film, April, autumn | D．April, face, film, autumn |
| A．how to use an English-Chinese dictionary |
| B．how to read the new words in the English story |
| C．how to use the right words in your English writing |
| D．how to choose a right English-Chinese dictionary |
