1 . We think the tomato is a vegetable, but it is actually a fruit. Because it is not sweet and is used for providing flavor (滋味) to food, we think of it as a vegetable.
The tomato is from Mexico. Spanish explorers (探险者) who went to South America about 500 years ago brought back the tomato to Europe. The French called tomatoes “love apples”, while the British called them “apples of gold”. Young men made rings of tomato seeds and gave them to their loved ones.
The first people in Europe to eat tomatoes were Italians. As far back as 500 years ago, the joys of eating fried tomatoes with salt were known to them. They also discovered that the tomato made pasta (意大利面) taste better.
In other countries like England, tomatoes were thought to have poison (毒) in them. But people grew them in their gardens because of their beautiful colors and looks. They even thought that tomatoes caused diseases. But they soon got over their fear and began to eat tomatoes.
It is believed that the British brought the tomato to India. This was about 300 years ago. Gradually, the people of Bengal started discovering that the tomato gave a good flavor to their dishes. Today, the whole world is crazy about the tomato.
1. Spanish explorers brought the tomato to Europe probably in the ________.| A．1800s | B．1700s | C．1600s | D．1500s |
| A．Mexico | B．Spain | C．Britain | D．France |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Because they had poison. | B．Because they caused diseases. |
| C．Because they looked nice. | D．Because they were delicious. |
| A．The Story of Tomatoes | B．The Place of Planting a Fruit |
| C．The Flavor of Tomatoes | D．The Way of Planting a Vegetable |
Most people have map apps on their phones that can show their locations (位置) and guide them to where they want to go. But how do these app systems know your locations at any time or place? They find you by using satellite navigation (satnav) systems (卫星导航系统).
A satnav system uses groups of satellites to find the users’ locations. This location information is then sent to a receiver, such as a smartphone.
The first satnav system is the Global Positioning System (GPS) (全球定位系统), which belongs to the United States. The system is the world’s leading satnav system. But China’s satellites are important for improving the satnav system. BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), has overtaken (超过) GPS in size, Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review reported. China sent BeiDou’s first navigation satellite into space in 2000. China also built a satnav system after the United States and Russia, People’s Daily reported. Until now, over 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East are using BeiDou system.
With its world-leading technology, BeiDou is leading Chinese people to a better life by playing important roles in different areas.
1. Map apps can guide people to where they want to go.2. The users’ locations are found by groups of satellites.
3. The world’s first satnav system is the BDS.
4. The BDS is used by less than thirty countries in Africa and the Middle East so far.
5. This passage is mainly about how to make the BDS.
3 . Ordering takeouts is very popular nowadays because it is convenient. More than 60 percent of the people in China order takeout food at least twice a week. If people don’t want to eat out, they can just order takeouts on the smartphone and wait for it to be delivered (送达). What about people living in ancient times? Did they eat takeouts?
In fact, there was takeout as far back as the Song Dynasty. According to history books, Emperor Xiaozong (1127—1194) liked to order takeouts late at night. His servants then went around the city to pick up the dishes and bring them back to the palace.
Ordinary (普通的) people also ordered takeouts. Restaurant waiters would go out into the streets and shout out which dishes could be ordered that day. After hearing the waiters, people could then place an order. Later, delivery workers would bring food to their homes. In the famous Song Dynasty painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival (《清明上河图》), a takeout worker can be seen on a delivery with food in hand.
People at that time even had a special meal box for takeout dishes. It was a long wooden box with several layers. People also used warming plates made of two layers of porcelain (瓷). Hot water could be put between them to keep dishes warm.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Eating out. | B．The smart phone. | C．Takeout. | D．A phone call. |
| A．900 | B．1100 | C．1500 | D．2000 |
| A．Many people like to order takeouts nowadays because it is very cheap. |
| B．Only the Emperor could order takeouts in ancient times. |
| C．People can see a takeout worker in Along the River During the Qingming Festival. |
| D．People used special plastic boxes for takeout dishes in ancient China. |
| A．hot water | B．fire | C．plastic plates | D．special paper boxes |
| A．the emperor who liked takeouts | B．takeouts in Ancient China |
| C．the advantages of ordering takeouts | D．the way to order takeouts in ancient China |
4 . Can plants talk? Modern research has found something amazing: they do communicate with each other.
It has been known for some time that plants use chemicals to communicate with each other. This happens when a plant gets attacked(受到攻击) by insects. The plant gives out chemicals from the leaves that are being eaten. This is like a warning, or a call for help: “I’m being attacked!” When another plant gets the chemicals, it starts to give out its own, different chemicals. Some of these chemicals drive insects away. Others attract the wasps(黄蜂)! The wasps kill the insects that are eating the plants. Scientists hope to learn more about this plant warning system, so that we can use it to grow more crops.
More surprisingly, plants also use sound to communicate. People can’t hear these sounds; but plants are making them. Some plants make noises with their roots. Corn and chili plants do this. Some trees make clicking noises when there is not enough water.
Most surprisingly of all, plants have an amazing system of communication that can link nearly every plant in a forest. Scientists call this system the “wood wide web”. The wood wide web is linked underground by fungi(真菌). It links the roots of different plants to each other. It is in some ways similar to the Internet we use. Using the wood wide web, plants can share information and even food with each other.
Scientists are learning more every day about the secret ways in which plants talk to each other. Maybe one day we will know enough about plant communication to be able to “talk” with them.
1. What will plants do when they are attacked by insects?| A．They will kill the insects quickly. |
| B．They will control the wasps to kill the insects. |
| C．They will send out signals to ask for help. |
| D．They will produce chemicals as a warning or a call for help. |
| A．By making noises with their roots. |
| B．By connecting the roots of different plants to each other. |
| C．By sharing food and information with each other. |
| D．By spreading chemicals to each other. |
| A．To give people hope for further studies. |
| B．To praise scientists for their great achievements. |
| C．To call on people to protect the plants on Earth. |
| D．To encourage people to communicate with plants. |
| A．culture | B．science |
| C．health | D．business |
| A．The secret language of plants. |
| B．The study about the plant warning system. |
| C．The plants that give warnings. |
| D．Why scientists do research about plants. |
5 . At the beginning of human history, people could only eat food they found. But then people learned to find more ways to get food. About 10, 000 years ago, people started to farm the land. After that, people developed farming skills.
People eat different food in different areas. In China, rice is the main food for people in the south while the people in the north eat noodles. People who live in European countries near the sea eat lots of fish. But in Central Europe, people are away from the sea. So they don’t eat so much fish. They eat more meat instead.
People eat food with different tools in different areas. In China, people always like using chopsticks while in North America, Australia and Europe, people always like using knives and forks. To our surprise, in India and the Middle East, people always pick up food with their own fingers.
Now people can eat different food from different areas. As we can see, it is possible to convey food easily from one part of the world to another. We can almost eat whatever we like at any place of the world. For example, people in Britain can eat bananas from Africa and rice from India. Food is becoming a very big business now.
1. People ________ at the beginning of human history.| A．could only eat food they found | B．started to farm the land |
| C．developed farming skills | D．could eat food from other countries |
| A．they are near the sea | B．they like eating noodles |
| C．they are away from the sea | D．they don’t like eating fish |
| A．捐赠 | B．传导 | C．购买 | D．运输 |
| A．People in the south of China eat bananas as their main food. |
| B．People in India and the Middle East always pick up food with their own fingers. |
| C．People in Britain can only eat rice from Africa. |
| D．People in the world get used to picking up food with knives and forks. |
| A．People’s Table Manners | B．People’s Eating Tools |
| C．People and Food | D．People’s Habits |
6 . There are many interesting animals from all over the world in the zoo. Lions are from South Africa. They’re strong, and scary. Koalas and kangaroos are from Australia. They’re shy, cute and lovely. I know giraffes are very thin and tall. They’re kind and interesting animals from Africa. Pandas are from Sichuan, South China. They’re black and white. They’re beautiful and lovely. I like pandas best. Tigers are strong and scary, too. They’re from northeast of China.
A kind of animals are living in deserts before. There are two “mountains” on the back. They store too much fat. These animals can carry heavy things for people in deserts. They can eat or drink nothing for a long time. They don’t feel hungry. What kind of animals are they? They’re quiet camels! I like to watch a group of camels walking in deserts at sunset. That’s a beautiful view. I know a camel is a good guide for travelers or visitors in deserts. They can’t lose their ways in deserts.
Animals are our friends. And they can make our lives interesting. So we should protect them.
1. The lions are from ________.| A．South America | B．South Africa |
| C．South China | D．Australia |
| A．Tigers and Koalas. | B．Tigers and lions. |
| C．Kangaroos and giraffes. | D．Camels and pandas. |
| A．Store water. | B．For riding easily. |
| C．For carrying things. | D．Store fat. |
| A．a wide road | B．a good guide |
| C．a beautiful view | D．an interesting story |
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Six | D．Seven |
“Smart House” System in Everyday Life
“Smart House” system will play an important part in our daily life.
Before you go to bed, press the “sleep” button beside the bed. The computer system closes the windows, turns off lights and adjusts (调节) temperature for you.
Inside the toilet next to the bedroom, there is an examination system. It can tell from your urine (尿) and blood pressure if you’re OK. If there’s something wrong, the system will ask you to see a doctor.
There’s a set outside the house. It tells the computer inside the house the temperature outside. It can tell how strong the wind outside is. The computer then controls the temperature and the windows. It makes the house comfortable. At the same time, it helps save energy.Cooking is easy in the “smart house”. The computer knows all kinds of recipes (食谱). Videos show you how to cook.
There’s a video camera on the gate. It can read people’s faces. If the computer sees a stranger, he or she can’t get in. Only when the owner welcomes someone can he or she get into the house.
1. The computer system can adjust the temperature and clean the bed for you.2. The system will ask you to see a doctor if there’s something wrong with you.
3. The computer can make the house comfortable and help save energy.
4. The computer can not only show you how to cook but also cook for you.
5. Only the owner can get into the house according to the passage.
What will you do with a huge bag of waste when you see the four waste bins in your community (社区)? They are “Wet”, “Dry”, “Recyclable” and “Harmful.”
Many people know the importance of waste sorting, but they just don’t know what falls into which kind. This makes it see a little time—taking and difficult.
As a pioneer city, Shenzhen is also taking steps to encourage people to do waste sorting. Not only has the government tried hard to tell the public about the different four kinds of waste through posters and media, but also it is going to give prizes to people across the city. The total prize is 62.5 million yuan. As long as they take part in waste sorting, everyone has a chance to get the money. The purpose is to help people form a green idea of thinking of waste sorting as a good behavior.
Take Meilin No. 1 Village as an example. After several months of efforts, most people there can now sort out kitchen waste before throwing it out between 7 p. m. and 9 p. m. each day at proper places. The amount of sorted kitchen waste has increased from several hundred kilograms to about two tons.
1. Which waste is NOT mentioned in the passage?| A．Wet waste. | B．Harmful waste. |
| C．Dry waste. | D．Plastic waste. |
| A．Many people are against it. | B．People know how to do it. |
| C．It’s not important to do so. | D．It’s not easy and takes time. |
| A．To make people rich. | B．To make people happy. |
| C．To help form a green idea. | D．To help people live longer. |
| A．All the people there can sort out kitchen waste now. |
| B．It has set a good example for us in waste sorting. |
| C．It did very badly to make more waste than before. |
| D．All the people there throw rubbish between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. |
| A．In a magazine. | B．In a novel. |
| C．In a dictionary. | D．In a storybook. |
9 . As we all know, sugar painting has a very long history. It always plays a necessary role in our childhood which is a traditional Chinese form of folk art, and it used hot, liquid sugar to create figures. This delicious snack was the most popular among the children in the past.
In and around the southwestern part of China, one can often find folk artists producing sugar paintings with liquid sugar along the streets, in the parks and around the schools.
The artists sit before a table on which there is a board in the middle. On the side of the table is another board painted with different kinds of pictures in a circle such as a dragon, bird, dog and so on.
After paying about 5 jiao, or 1 to 2 yuan, the customers, usually kids, can choose one from the pictures for the sugar painting artist to make with sugar.
Before painting, the painter cooks white sugar to get liquid sugar for sugar painting. Then, the liquid sugar falls down from a big spoon as a thin line onto the board and after a short while an “animal” appears. At last the painter puts a wooden stick on the painting and gives it to the customer. Most kids would be excited to see the sweet art shining in gold under the sun.
As a special art for producing pictures of sugar, sugar painting is very different from common painting. First, since the hot liquid sugar could be hard if it cools, the painter has to produce his/her work very quickly. So the painter has to draw a continuous line into a picture of an animal. To learn the whole thing, the painter has to do some practice of common painting in the first place.
1. The underlined word “liquid” in Paragraph 1 means “________” in Chinese.| A．奶油的 | B．陈年的 | C．液体的 | D．固体的 |
| A．Teachers | B．Artists | C．Parents | D．Children |
| A．do practice of common painting | B．cook to get the liquid sugar |
| C．put a stick on the sugar painting | D．draw an animal on the board |
| A．A cultural introduction. | B．A weather report. |
| C．A travel guide. | D．A sugar advertisement. |
| A．A Sweet Art—Sugar Painting | B．How to Make Sugar Paintings |
| C．Customers’ Favorite Paintings | D．An Art in the Southwest of China |
Robbie looks out of the window. It’s still snowing heavily and there is ice on the window. It is another day. Robbie is told to do the cleaning. And he does it. The family are getting home. So after he turns the heat on, he begins to cook supper for the family. All of the housework is easy for Robbie, but a hard one for its master, Helen. Robbie really saves the family a lot of work.
ASIMO is a clever robot created by the Honda Motor Company. He is about 120 centimeters tall and looks like a kid in a spacesuit. Tiny computers are used to control the things ASIMO can do. He can shake hands with people, give and receive objects. He can walk and run forward or backward on two legs. Besides, he can also talk and understand many voice commands（指令）. When something is in his way, he can change directions.
Mr. Green is a fourth grade robot teacher. He never forgets details and he makes no mistakes. He even knows each child’s pets and hobbies. He has his lessons in an orderly way, and he never feels tired. The children like Mr. Green very much. They feel happy and relaxed in his class. When they make a mistake, they don’t feel upset. They have a lot of fun with a robot teacher.
Robots are smart because they have computer brains. Some of them have explored other planets. These machines also do many jobs in factories and other places. For example, robots are used to make cars. People also use robots to do dangerous work such as exploring volcanoes（火山）or the ocean floor. Robots are also used to give directions in shopping centers and amusement parks.
Scientists keep finding more ways for robots to help us.
1. Robbie is a cook.2. ASIMO can explore the moon.
3. The children have a good time with Mr. Green in his class.
4. According to the passage, robots can feel upset when making mistakes now.
5. From the passage we can know that many more uses will be found for robots.
