1 . Pipa is one of the most popular traditional Chinese instruments. It first appeared in the Qin Dynasty in ancient China and has a history of over two thousand years.
The word “Pipa” came from two main skills needed to play the instrument. “Pi” means finger pushing, and “Pa” means finger pulling. In the Tang Dynasty, “Pipa” was used as a general name for all Chinese plucked string instruments (拨弦乐器). At the same time, Pipa was also introduced to other East Asian countries.
As to Pipa music work, most of Chinese people will remind of the classic Pipa work—Shimianmaifu. It’s one of the top ten ancient music works in China. It’s really a piece of great music. Sunny Spring and White Snow is one of the several traditional Chinese pieces for Pipa. It was said that the piece was created by either Shi Kuang from the State of Jin or Liu Juanzi from the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period. Now, Sunny Spring and White Snow is also used to describe highbrow (高雅的) art forms such as classical music, painting and literature (文学).
根据短文内容，判断正误（正确“T”，错误“F” ）。1. The history of Pipa is less than 2,000 years.
2. Pipa was introduced to other East Asian countries in the Tang Dynasty.
3. Shimianmaifu is one of the most famous ancient music works in China.
4. Sunny Spring and White Snow was created by two people.
5. This passage is mainly about the process of making Pipa.
2 . Dragons are not real animals, but look like a combination (组合体) of many animals such as snakes, fish and deer. They have two horns (角) and a long moustache (胡子). With fantastic powers, they can fly in the sky or swim in the sea. They can make rain, too. The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of dragons.
We are proud to call ourselves the “descendants (传人) of the dragon”. In Chinese, “excellent” people are often called “dragons”. A number of Chinese sayings and idioms talk about dragons, for example, “Hoping one’s child will become a dragon,” which means he or she will be successful. It is said that people born in the Year of the Dragon have certain characteristics. They are creative, confident, brave and quick-tempered. There are some famous “dragons” who have done excellent things, for example, Deng Xiaoping, and the famous businessman Li Jiacheng. They are all successful.
There are also some traditional festivals about dragons in China, such as Dragon Head-Raising Day and Dragon Boat Festival. We have different kinds of activities to celebrate them. These two festivals come every year, but the Year of the Dragon comes every twelve years.
The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. As the “descendants of dragon”, it is necessary for us to know the views on dragons in our culture. It can help us understand why our parents always want us to be “dragons”.
2024 will be the Year of the Dragon. Good luck to you!
1. In ancient China, why do the emperors’ clothes covered with pictures of dragons?| A．Because dragons look cool. |
| B．Because they hope to fly, swim or make rain like dragons. |
| C．Because dragons mean good luck and strength. |
| D．Because dragons are special animals. |
| A．龙马精神 | B．望子成龙 | C．龙飞凤舞 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
| A．Creative, independent, brave, quick-tempered. |
| B．Confident, brave, quick-tempered and creative. |
| C．Successful, lucky, confident and creative. |
| D．Powerful, confident, brave and quick-tempered. |
| A．1998. | B．2008. | C．2012. | D．2002. |
| A．The Year of the Dragon | B．Dragon Boat Festive |
| C．Great China | D．The culture of the Chinese dragon |
3 . Even in early time, people could realize the importance of dreams and knew that dreams gave meaning to life. Every great achievement has been the result of years of dreaming. If a person has a dream and holds fast to it, he or she will find a way to bring it into reality.
Children do not have much experience or knowledge. However, they are natural dreamers. We should not laugh at them for being naive. Many great men were dreamers when they were children. One such dreamer was Thomas Edison. He used to be ostracized (排斥) when he was in primary school, but his achievements were greater than everyone else’s in his time.
Teenagers and young people should also be encouraged to dream. The world is full of successful teenagers and young people. They dreamt big and their dreams changed their lives and even the world. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are the good examples. They have developed technology and brought great progress to human besides making money for themselves.
Older people should believe that it is never too late to dream and that human mind is never too old to make dreams turn into reality. Colonel Saunders realized his dreams at the age of 67 and set up the biggest fried chicken company (KFC) in the world.
To dream is a wonderful ability which can lead to wonderful results. Olympic records were broken by players who were brave enough to dream. No one is too young or too old to dream and to make dreams come true.
1. People who ________ could probably realize their dreams.| A．find a way to dream | B．dream and hold fast to them |
| C．get the meaning of life | D．have very good school results |
| A．their dreams are natural | B．they are greater than everyone else |
| C．they have much knowledge | D．their dreams might change the world |
| A．Setting up a big company is a wonderful ability. |
| B．Developing technology can bring great progress. |
| C．Even older people can make their dreams come true. |
| D．People should be brave enough to dream when they are young. |
| A．逆反的 | B．幼稚的 | C．调皮的 | D．冲动的 |
| A．From Dream to Reality | B．Good Examples of Dreams |
| C．Achievements in History | D．A list of Successful Dreamers |
Recently, people pay special attention to a highway (高速公路) project from Shenzhen to Zhongshan. The highway is 24 kilometers long. And it includes one underwater tunnel (隧道), two bridges and two man-made islands. So it is one of the most challenging projects in the world.
The underwater tunnel of the highway project is the most difficult part. Although it’s about only 6.8 kilometers long, it is the largest and widest underwater tunnel in the world. Luckily, it was completed on November 28, and it will open in 2024. When it is open, the travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan will be much shorter. People spend two hours from Shenzhen to Zhongshan now.
The highway will not only be a transport link. It will be a social, economic, cultural (大湾区). “It will provide more space for the development of cities along the highway.” said Deng Xiaohua, Party Chief of Guangdong Transportation Group.
1. The tunnel is 24 kilometers long.2. The highway project is one of the most challenging projects in the world.
3. On November 28, 2023, the underwater tunnel was completed.
4. The travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan will be much longer.
5. The text comes from a music magazine.
5 . People celebrate birthdays in nearly every country in the world. And they celebrate them in many different ways.
In Brazil, the special birthday food isn’t a cake but special candles. In China, people eat long noodles as a wish for long life. In Iceland, people have pancakes with sweet candies in them on birthdays.
In Britain, people celebrate the birthday all day. The birthday child is lifted up by his or her classmates. That is to say the child can grow up happily and healthily.
In Holland, children not only get gifts (礼物), but they get things to others, too. They give cakes, cookies and candies to their classmates and teachers on their birthday.
In Thailand, the birthday person holds a tall candle. The candle is as tall as the birthday person. It will bring good luck to him or her.
In many countries, birthday customs (习俗) are changing. But one thing never changes—birthdays are special days for everyone.
1. What is the symbol of long life in China?| A．Candles. | B．Pancakes with candles. | C．A big birthday cake. | D．Long noodles. |
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
| A．Britain | B．Holland | C．Thailand | D．Iceland |
| A．a cake | B．a tall candle | C．some cookies | D．some candies |
| A．people celebrate birthdays in the same way | B．the special birthday food in Brazil is a cake |
| C．children in Holland can’t get gifts | D．birthdays are special days for people |
6 . The year of the Dragon will begin on February 10, 2024. The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). Dragons are not real animals. Chinese dragons can fly in the sky or swim in the sea. In stories, dragons rule over water, rainfall, wind and flood.
The Chinese dragon is a symbol of strength and good luck. The emperors of ancient China loved dragons. Their clothes were covered with pictures of yellow dragons. The dragon is very important in Chinese culture. We Chinese people are proud to call ourselves “the descendants (传人) of the dragon”. A number of Chinese sayings refer to dragons. For example, “Hoping one’s child will become a dragon”, which means hoping he or she will be successful.
Unlike in China, dragons are seen differently in Western countries. Western dragons often look like dinosaurs. They breathe fire and catch people. It is a common fairy tale about a man who becomes a hero after killing a dragon and saving a princess. In the English movie How to Train Your Dragon (《 驯龙记》), a little boy becomes much braver by killing some bad dragons. In one of the Harry Potter stories, Harry Potter has to fight against a scary dragon and get back the golden egg from its nest.
Because of this, some Chinese experts have suggested changing the English word “Dragon” into its pinyin “Long”. They believe the name “Dragon” makes Western people think badly about China. But some don’t agree. They think Chinese people can look after their own culture. Many Western people already know the differences between Chinese dragons and Western ones.
1. Which power of dragons is NOT mentioned in Chinese stories?| A．They can fly in the sky. | B．They can swim in the sea. |
| C．They can rule water and wind. | D．They can catch and eat people. |
| A．龙马精神 | B．龙飞凤舞 | C．望子成龙 | D．龙腾虎跃 |
| A．A man who can train a dog. | B．A man who can get an egg. |
| C．A man who can breathe fire. | D．A man who can kill a dragon. |
| A．There are many Chinese sayings about dragons. |
| B．The Dragon is the first sign of the Chinese Zodiac. |
| C．Harry Potter becomes much braver by killing some bad dragons. |
| D．Emperors in China liked wearing clothes with red dragon pictures. |
| A．Because Chinese are proud of their own pinyin. |
| B．Because dragon makes Western people think highly of China. |
| C．Because Western people know nothing about Chinese culture. |
| D．Because “Dragon” in Western countries doesn’t carry the same cultural meanings as in China. |
7 . Every student must know the importance of school safety. What should we do if we meet the safety problems? Here are some examples we can follow：
| Peter fell down to the ground in the P. E. class. It really hurt. He was nervous and went to the teacher for help. The teacher called his parents to pick him up. Then his parents took him to the hospital. The doctor told him to get an X-ray and rest for a few days. |
| Alice had a nosebleed in the English class. Her classmates told the teacher about it at once, but Alice said she could deal with it by herself. She first put her head down. Next, she pressed the sides of her nose. After the bleeding stopped |
| Jimmy cut himself by accident in the art class. He was really afraid. His friend said it was okay and went to the school doctor with him. First, the doctor cheered him up and ran his cut under water. Then she put some medicine on it and covered the cut with a bandage. |
| Lucy got a burn in an after-school cooking program. She was really worried. She wanted to use the ice, but the school doctor told her not to do so. The doctor ran the burn under cool water first. Then he advised Lucy to go to hospital as quickly as possible. |
1. Who came to school to pick Peter up?
| A．His grandparents. | B．The doctors. |
| C．His parents. | D．Nobody. |
| A．She had a nosebleed. | B．She cut herself. |
| C．She got a burn. | D．She fell down to the ground. |
| A．The school doctor got him an X-ray. |
| B．The school doctor ran his cut under water. |
| C．The school doctor put some medicine on the cut. |
| D．The school doctor covered his cut with a bandage. |
| A．She used ice to cool it. |
| B．She ran it under cool water. |
| C．She ran it with hot water. |
| D．She covered it with a bandage. |
| A．A school map. | B．A movie introduction. |
| C．A fairy tale. | D．A school magazine. |
8 . Hello, everyone. Today we come to Hangzhou to meet some new friends. This boy in blue is Chenchen. He’s a mascot (吉祥物) of the 19th Asian Games (第19届亚运会). He has two good friends, Congcong and Lianlian. They are the mascots, too. They have the same birthday. Congcong is a boy. He likes yellow, so he is always in yellow. The girl in green is Lianlian. Her favorite color is green. The three mascots like sports very much. They love watching sports games and they can play sports very well.
They need to eat well because they do sports every day. Look! Here is their menu on Wednesday. In the morning, they have eggs, some bread and milk for breakfast. Then they have some fruit at about 10:00 a. m. For lunch, they eat rice, chicken and vegetable salad. In the evening, they have carrots, some chicken and bread for dinner. They all think ice-cream is delicious (美味的), but they don’t eat it because it’s unhealthy.
Welcome to Hangzhou and meet them! Let’s eat well and play sports well together.
1. What’s the relationship (关系) of Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian?| A．Good friends. | B．Good classmates. |
| C．Mom and sons. | D．Teacher and students. |
| A．Yellow. | B．Green. | C．Blue. | D．Black. |
| A．课程 | B．行程 | C．兴趣 | D．菜单 |
| A．Because they play sports every day. | B．Because they can’t play sports well. |
| C．Because they have the same birthday. | D．Because they love watching sports games. |
| A．Not good. | B．Healthy. | C．Delicious. | D．Unhealthy. |
9 . Today I’ll talk about how to improve your pronunciation. Language researchers say pronunciation and fluency (流利度) are the biggest difficulties, followed by grammar and listening. However, most people don’t regard pronunciation as a very important part of communication skills. They pay more attention to vocabulary. One reason is that most people don’t even realize their mispronunciations. So it’s important to find out the words you mispronounce first. You should listen to experts those who make fewer pronunciation mistakes. When listening to them, you should pay attention to words that sound strange, because you may pronounce the same words differently. When you meet such words, look up their right pronunciations in a dictionary. You can also search for words that are difficult to pronounce and make a list (清单) of them. At last, read aloud. Now you’ve got the correct pronunciations of the words. It’s time to practice reading them out every day.
阅读短文，根据短文内容判断句子正误。正确的写“A”，错误的写“B”。1. Most people think grammar is the most important part in communication.
2. Most people don’t realize the importance of pronunciation because they are able to pronounce correctly.
3. Experts think there is no need to find out the words you pronounce in a wrong way.
4. After pronouncing these words correctly, you should practice reading these words loudly.
5. The writer gives us some advice on improving pronunciation.
10 . Forget（忘记） about the super soccer stars like Messi and Ronaldo, and go to watch “Cun Chao”. Some Chinese people will say to a soccer lover like this.“Cun”in Chinese is village and“Chao”is super.“Cun Chao” in Chinese is a soccer game among different villages in Guizhou. Guizhou people call these games Cun Chao and CunBA just for fun, without（没有） thinking about that the names will soon make them so popular. People watch it from May 13th to July 29th in 2023. There are many“Cun Chao” teams in Guizhou.
The soccer players come from different backgrounds（背景）. They are sellers, drivers, students, workers, etc. They come from different ethnic groups（少数民族） such as Miao, Dong, Shui, Zhuang and Yao. Their ages are from 15 to over 40 years old. When they put on their soccer clothes and walk onto the field（足球场）, they play soccer for the love of sports, for teamwork and sportsmanship. Villagers play soccer together after a day’s work, and go back to work after a friendly game.
“Cun Chao”enjoys a long history of 90 years in Guizhou. At that time, there were no fields for villagers to do sports, but nothing stopped them. Thanks to the government（政府）, more people enjoy playing soccer on their own fields and live a healthy life. At the same time, the government also makes the villages become better and better.
1. When does Cun Chao usually start in Guizhou according to the text? ________| A．In January. | B．In March. | C．In May. | D．In August. |
| A．For money. | B．For soccer stars. | C．For food. | D．For teamwork. |
| A．100 years. | B．90 years. | C．80 years. | D．50 years. |
| A．The government. | B．Soccer stars. | C．Ethnic groups. | D．Drivers. |
| A．Soccer’s history. | B．Soccer games—“Cun Chao”. |
| C．Players’ ages. | D．Different jobs in Guizhou. |
