1 . You may have ever heard someone say that dogs are color-blind. But is this true?
A dog’s eyes have many similarities with human eyes. Just like us, dogs have retinas (视网膜). The retina is an important light-sensing structure. Dogs also have cone cells (视锥细胞) and rod cells (视杆细胞) on their retinas. The cone cells allow dogs to perceive (感知) color and see things in detail, while the rod cells help them see things in the dark and notice movement.
Most humans have three kinds of cone cells: blue, red and green. They allow us to tell the difference between all the different colors. Dogs, on the other hand, have only two kinds of cone cells. One kind is blue, and the other lies somewhere between red and green. Therefore, dogs are unable to tell orange, red and green. They can only see things in yellow, blue, grey, brown, white and black. In other words, the vision (视力) of dogs is similar to that of a red-green color-blind human. Although they have fewer kinds of cone cells, dogs have more rod cells than humans. This allows them to see more clearly in the dark and notice movement more exactly than us. For example, in the dark a dog may see a small mouse moving in the distance that we might never be able to spot.
While it may be true that our lovely animal friends see fewer colors, they can still see better than us in many other ways!
1. What’s the main idea of the second paragraph? ________| A．The fact that dogs have more cone cells than humans. |
| B．The reasons why dogs can see clearly in the dark. |
| C．The similarities between dogs’ eyes and human eyes. |
| D．How the rod cells help dogs see the world in the dark. |
①black②orange③blue④yellow
⑤green⑥brown⑦white⑧grey⑨red
| A．①③⑤ | B．④⑥⑧ |
| C．②⑤⑨ | D．⑤⑦⑨ |
| A．表现 | B．参加 |
| C．隐藏 | D．看见 |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．Whether dogs are color-blind. |
| B．Whether dogs have retinas. |
| C．Why dogs are people’s friends. |
| D．Why dogs can see better than us. |
Motuo lies in the south of the Himalayas in Tibet. It is known as the “Natural Museum of Tibet”. It is home to all kinds of mountains, rivers, waterfalls, plants and animals. Its special geographic location (地理位置) makes it a beautiful place. It was one of the hardest places to reach and was the last city in China without a highway.
The construction (施工) of the first highway to Motuo started in the 1960s. However, it was not completed until over 50 years later. In 2014, the construction of its second highway—the Paimo Highway started. In October 2022, the construction of the main body of the highway was completed.
They are great engineering projects. In this area, earthquakes and heavy rains happened very often. There could be falling rocks or even landslides (滑坡). People must build many walls and nets to protect the two highways. Another challenge was the snow. Plenty of snow sometimes destroyed rocks and roads. As a result, the construction of the highways to Motuo was stopped several times. To solve this problem, people built a tunnel (隧道) that goes through the mountain area.
The two highways stand for the Chinese spirit of “never giving up”. They are ways to connect Motuo to the outside world and show how China cares about people in the far areas.
1. Motuo is in the north of the Himalayas in Tibet.2. People started to build the first highway to Motuo in 2014.
3. Many walls and nets were built to protect the two highways from falling rocks and landslides.
4. Strong wind sometimes destroyed rocks and roads.
5. The two highways to Motuo stand for the Chinese spirit of “never giving up”.
3 . DOGTV is a television channel (频道) for dogs. It first appeared in America in 2012. Now, it is available in 14 countries, including China, Australia, France, the UK, etc.
Believe it or not, DOGTV didn’t start as a TV channel for dogs. The idea for Pet TV came from Ron Levi. To let his cat Charlie have fun while he was out, Ron did some research and began to work with scientists and pet experts to bring his idea to life. To their surprise, dogs showed more interest in different kinds of programs than cats. Pet TV finally became DOGTV.
DOGTV was developed to make stay-at-home dogs happy. It provides enjoyable videos and music for dogs. Each program is about three to six minutes. The programs are different from time to time during the day. In the morning, programs are to get dogs out of bed. In the middle of the day, programs are to make dogs become relaxed while they are home alone. Dogs are scared of things like cars or loud noises. So DOGTV has special programs with pictures and sounds to help them get used to those things. The channel even has educational programs on health and training.
DOGTV creates proper shows for dogs’ seeing and hearing. Dogs are color-blind (色盲).They can only see blue and yellow, and they can’t see red or green. So the DOGTV shows might sound and look a little different to people’s ears and eyes. But don’t worry. DOGTV has programs for pet owners, too.
1. DOGTV first appeared in ________ in 2012.| A．America | B．China |
| C．the UK | D．France |
| A．Charlie. | B．The expert. |
| C．Ron Levi. | D．The scientist. |
| A．get up easily | B．have a better hearing |
| C．have a good time | D．get used to things they scare |
| A．Dogs can’t see red or blue. |
| B．DOGTV also provides programs for pet owners. |
| C．Dogs can’t watch programs on health or training. |
| D．In the morning, programs are to make dogs become relaxed. |
| A．DOGTV | B．Pet TV | C．Pet Shows | D．Dog Owners |
4 . People have seen lots of cool technologies these days. What are they? Let’s have a look!
| Racing through work This is a chair you can drive! A car company made this office chair. It has big wheels and lights. With a top speed of twenty kilometers each hour, people can go to and back from coffee machines and meetings quickly by driving the chair. They will also have no problem being first in line for lunch. |
| Sleep with a smart bed We all want a better sleep at night. The new smart bed can be a good helper. You can decide how soft you want it to be. There is a smartphone app (应用程序) that goes with it. The app gives information about your sleep. It also gives you suggestions on how to sleep better. |
 | Hug you back A US company made some special toys. When you hug them, they hug you back! Each toy weighs about two kilograms. The company makes the toy heavier so that it can give people the feeling of being hugged. The company hopes the toy can help both kids and adults to lower stress and have a good sleep. |
 | A smart helmet (头盔) When delivery (快递) people send food around, they often use their phones while riding. It’s very dangerous. To be safer, a Chinese food delivery company made a new kind of helmet. It connects with the mobile phone and can “talk”. The delivery people can take orders, get addresses and answer messages by talking to the helmet. If the delivery people have an accident, the helmet can make a call for help right away. |
1. What’s the top speed of the office chair?
| A．40km/h. | B．30km/h. |
| C．20km/h. | D．10km/h. |
| A．decide how soft it is |
| B．become a good helper |
| C．play games with the app |
| D．get suggestions on a healthy diet |
| A．Because the toy is made to be soft. |
| B．Because the toy is made to be heavier. |
| C．Because the toy can help to lower stress. |
| D．Because the toy can help people to sleep well. |
| A．take new orders | B．make a call for help |
| C．answer messages | D．help people send food |
| A．To sell a special chair. | B．To describe a smart helmet. |
| C．To introduce an amazing bed. | D．To show some cool technologies. |
5 . Sometimes people come into your life and you know at once that they are sure to be there. They serve you on purpose, teach you a lesson or help you find out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be: your classmates, neighbors, teachers, long-lost friends or even a real stranger. But you know that every moment they influence your life in some serious ways.
Sometimes things happen to you. They may seem terrible, painful and unfair at first. But later you get to know that without overcoming those difficulties, you would have never got to know your further ability and strength. Everything happens for a reason and nothing happens by chance or with good or bad luck.
The people you meet influence your life, and the success and failure you experience create who you are. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant but the most important ones.
Enjoy every day even every moment, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people you have never talked to before, and really listen to them. You should set your sights high, hold your head up, and believe you are a great one.
You can make anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
1. The people whom we meet ________.| A．all know where to find us | B．serve us on no purpose |
| C．won’t become our neighbors | D．will change us in some ways |
| A．terribly meet bad luck | B．get to know our further ability |
| C．find no success | D．possibly enjoy every moment |
| A．开心的 | B．舒服的 | C．令人沉痛的 | D．兴奋的 |
| A．In a P.E. report. | B．In an education magazine. |
| C．In a travel guide. | D．In a storybook. |
| A．Create Your Own Life | B．Hold Your Head Up |
| C．Things Happen to You | D．People You Meet in Life |
6 . Have you ever heard of the term “children of the stars”? It’s a special name for children with autism (自闭症). April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. It was started by the United Nations to help people know more about autism and offer better care and support to those who have it.
Autism affects how a person grows and learns. It usually starts to show in the first three years of life. The official name for this condition is “autism spectrum disorder (自闭症谱系障碍).”
Doctors use a handbook called DSM-5 to diagnose (诊断) autism. It talks about two main autism signs: problems with talking and being with others and doing the same things over and over again.
“When I talk to my daughter or ask her to do something, she won’t pay attention to me,” said MengLingdi. Her daughter was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. “She doesn’t make as much eye contact with people as other kids do.”
Children with autism also feel physical pain. “Many of them have epilepsy (癫痫) because their brain activity is different from that of other kids,” said Sun Zhongkai at Beijing Stars and RainEducation Institute for Autism (Stars and Rain).
We don’t know exactly what causes autism. But scientists think it might be a mix of things like how we grow, our genes (基因), and our environment. If a family has a child with autism, the chance of their other children having autism is about 10 times higher than usual.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The term “children of the stars”. | B．The disease called Autism. |
| C．World Autism Awareness Day. | D．The better care and support. |
| A．Before birth. | B．On April 2nd. | C．At the age of 12. | D．In the first three years. |
| A．They can communicate with people easily. | B．They do the same things over and over again. |
| C．They pay attention to what their parents say. | D．They make much eye contact with people. |
| A．Autism won’t affect a person’s growth. | B．Doctors use DSM-5 to diagnose autism. |
| C．Children with autism cannot feel physical pain. | D．Scientists have found out what causes autism. |
| A．Nature. | B．Sports. | C．Health. | D．Travel. |
7 . March 22 is World Water Day. Believed to be the source (源头) of all life, water plays a great role in the beginning of Chinese civilization (文明) and has inspired wise ideas in Chinese philosophy (哲学).
Chinese civilization is one of the world’s ancient river civilizations. It began thousands of years ago along the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, linking the culture to water from its beginning.
However, the way people and water get along has two sides. Water is highly important for life and growing things, but if we can’t control it, it can cause big problems. Knowing the strong power of water, Chinese people have always tried to use it in the best way possible. For example, Yu, the first ruler of the Xia Dynasty (朝代), controlled floods by changing and digging the waterways so that the water could easily go into the sea.
The Dujiangyan irrigation (灌溉) system in Sichuan was cleverly built. It makes full use of the natural features of the area without harming the environment.
Water is also given philosophical meanings to educate Chinese people and rule the country. According to Xunzi, Confucius (孔子) believed water had qualities such as justice and courage. He once said that: “He who is wise loves water; he who is virtuous loves mountains.” So, Confucianism suggests that people should learn from water and train their sense of morality (道德感). Inspired by water, Laozi gave birth to the idea of “overcoming hardness with softness and non-action”. These ideas later inspired rulers to follow the rules of nature and respect the will of the people.
1. When is World Water Day?| A．March 12. | B．March 22. | C．May 1. | D．May 20. |
a. Water is really important for life and growing things.
b. Water only plays an important role in Chinese philosophy.
c. If people can’t control water, it can cause big problems.
d. It’s impossible for people to control water.
| A．ab | B．bc | C．ac | D．bd |
| A．Yunnan. | B．Hainan. | C．Shanxi. | D．Sichuan. |
| A．智者乐水，仁者乐山。 | B．所谓伊人，在水一方。 |
| C．海纳百川，有容乃大。 | D．上善若水，水善利万物而不争。 |
| A．Laozi’s Ideas about Water | B．Water Plays A Great Role in China |
| C．Confucianism Influences China | D．The First Ruler of the Xia Dynasty |
8 . National Smile Month is the largest and longest-running oral (口腔的) health campaign (运动) in the UK. National Smile Month will be sharing positive messages and encouraging others to develop and have a healthy mouth between May 13 and June 13, 2024.
The British are known for their bad teeth because they have too many sweet foods and drinks. It seems that most of them don’t often show their feelings. They neither smile nor cry. But this is not true. The British like to smile as much as anyone else. They just don’t want to show their bad teeth.
There are three key messages in helping people develop and have a healthy mouth. They are:
■ Brush your teeth at night and at least once a day.
■ Cut down on how much sweet food and drink you have, and how often you have them.
■ Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they ask you to do.
With the help of these three messages, people can realize the importance of good teeth and be confident enough to open their mouths to smile. National Smile Month isn’t just about education and stressing the importance of a healthy mouth. The key to the success of the campaign is that we have lots of fun doing it!
A smile might be a small body language, yet it can make a great difference to our state of mind. You can support National Smile Month in so many ways. Hold events to raise awareness (意识) of oral health, or simply post something on social media. By taking part in National Smile Month, you can help to create a healthier and happier world.
1. When is National Smile Month in the UK in 2024?| A．Between March 13 and June 13. | B．Between May 13 and July 13. |
| C．From May 13 to June 13. | D．From March 13 to July 13. |
| A．Because they never go to the dentist. |
| B．Because they don’t like to brush their teeth. |
| C．Because they have too many sweet foods and drinks. |
| D．Because they think there is no need to show their feelings. |
| A．By raising more money. | B．By posting something online. |
| C．By holding sports events. | D．By having classes at school. |
| A．The British like neither smiling nor crying. | B．You must brush teeth at least 3 times a day. |
| C．Only smile can make you more confident. | D．National Smile Month is meaningful and fun. |
| A．Health. | B．Nature. | C．Business. | D．Sports. |
9 . What do we look forward to in winter? Snow and ice festivals! Many of them hold fun ice sculpture contests (冰雕比赛). Check out these four famous winter sculpture contests!
| Kiruna Snow Festival, Sweden This festival started in 1986. A snow sculpture contest is held during the festival every year. Artists from all over the world show their skills in the contest. Tourists can also have a lot of fun there. They can skate and take part in snow blowing games. This year’s festival was held from January 24 to 28. |
| Geilo Ice Music Festival, Norway This festival began ninetheen years ago. Artists come to Geilo to make working musical instruments out of ice. People can enjoy musical shows in an igloo (冰屋). The 2024 festival took place from February 19 to 24. |
| International Snow Sculpture Championships, U. S. A. This contest has been held for more than thirty years. Teams of artists compete to turn ice into art works by hand. No power tools are allowed! Their works will be displayed in an outdoor art gallery in Colorado. This year, the contest was held from January 22 to 26. And the art gallery was open from January 26 to 31. |
| Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, China It started on January 5th, 1985, and has become the world’s biggest winter festival. As China’s economy (经济) grows, the size of the snow and ice sculpture shows keeps growing. Besides that, the beautiful lighting also make the festival stand out. The festival is officially held from the end of December through February. Opening dates keep changing, and ending dates partly depends on the weather. |
1. Which is the youngest of the four winter sculpture contests?
| A．Kiruna Snow Festival. |
| B．Geilo Ice Music Festival. |
| C．International Snow Sculpture Championships. |
| D．Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. |
| A．watch musical shows | B．experience skating | C．show their skills | D．play interesting games |
| A．Swden. | B．Norway. | C．America. | D．China. |
① Its longest history. ②The size of the snow and ice sculpture shows.
③ The beautiful lighting. ④ The changeable opening time.
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．③④ | D．①③ |
| A．Poem. | B．Story. | C．Letter. | D．Introduction. |
10 . Have you ever dreamed of traveling to space? With the development of science, you may soon be able to book a ticket. Many companies now can offer space travels. Let’s take a look.
| Fly me to the moon A rich man in Japan named Yusaku has invited eight famous people to join him for a trip around the moon with the help of Elon Musk’s Space X company. The trip, called Dear Moon, will take three days to fly to the moon orbit (沿轨道运行) and then spend three days returning. It will take place in 2025. |
| Living in a space hotel The US company Orbital Assembly Corporation (OAC) planned to start building the world’s first space hotel in 2025. It will turn itself around to create artificial gravity (人造重力). The hotel is expected to have restaurants, cinemas and rooms for up to 400 guests. |
| Short space trips Some people may prefer to simply have a taste instead of staying in space for a long time. Tickets for a 90-minute journey have been on sale to the public since Feb. 16. The first short space trips of Virgin Galactic, a company set up by a British businessman, are set for later this year. The spaceship travels in space while people enjoy several minutes of views of the earth from the windows. |
1. What do we know about Dear Moon?
| A．It will be carried out next year. | B．It includes eight members in total. |
| C．Its members will walk on the moon. | D．It will take three days to go to the moon and back. |
①It will create artificial gravity. ②It will have restaurants and cinemas.
③It will be built on the surface of the moon. ④It will be able to hold 400 guests at a time.
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．www.virgingalactic.com. | B．www.dearmoon.com. |
| C．www.orbitalassembly.com. | D．www.spacex.com. |
| A．Elon Musk will pay for the costs of the trip Dear Moon. |
| B．OAC planned to start building the space hotel at the end of 2023. |
| C．You can buy tickets for a space journey of Virgin Galactic after Feb. 16. |
| D．The Space X company was set up by Yusaku and other eight members. |
| A．compare some space scientists | B．sell tickets to travel to the moon |
| C．show the development of science | D．introduce some kinds of space travels |
