1 . What color of wearing do you like? Do you know “dopamine dressing (多巴胺穿搭)”? It’s one of the most talked about fashion trends (趋势) for 2023. However, is there any science behind this?
“Dopamine dressing” came out from the book Dress Your Best Life. American fashion psychologist (心理学家), Dawnn Karen wrote this book in 2020. In the book, dopamine dressing is about wearing colorful clothing to get more dopamine.
Dopamine is a chemical in our brain. This kind of chemical makes people feel good. Our brain gives it out when we eat delicious food, play with our pets, listen to our favorite songs, after we exercise or when we win a game.
According to Science Focus Magazine, there are studies that show a relationship between the colors of the clothes we wear and how we act and feel. One study found that wearing red can bring better physical performance. It also showed bright colors can make people feel active. One more study showed that wearing green can help people relax because it is the color of nature. Yellow, the color of summer and warmth, can bring people happiness. But there are some problems with these studies, as people from different cultures have different ideas about dressing and colors.
In a word, “dopamine dressing” shows that we can wear colorful clothes to get more dopamine and feel good. Dressing is more than just a trend. It’s also a way of showing ourselves. So, next time you’re getting dressed, think about which colors will bring out yourself best.
1. What is dopamine dressing according to the text?| A．A way of dressing. | B．A kind of chemical. |
| C．A book about dressing, | D．A fashion trend for 2020. |
| A．eat terrible food | B．hear the bad news |
| C．lose a football game | D．read our favorite books |
| A．Dressing is just a trend. | B．Dopamine can’t make people feel good. |
| C．Wearing green can help people relax. | D．Bright colors can make people feel upset. |
| A．In a storybook. | B．In a newspaper. |
| C．In a guidebook. | D．In an advisement. |
| A．Delicious food and feelings. | B．The importance of dopamine. |
| C．Dopamine dressing and feelings. | D．The way of choosing colourful clothes. |
2 . Why did ancient Chinese emperors call themselves zhen (朕) or guaren (寡人)? Research shows that the word zhen used to be a first-person pronoun. Before the Qin Dynasty, it meant “I” or “me” and everyone from farmers to state rulers could use it. The word can be found in books like Li Sao and Shi Jing.
However, when the state of Qin defeated all the other six states and unified China, Qinshihuang, the first emperor in Chinese history, changed how this word could be used. He made it a rule that the word zhen could only be used by the emperor himself. Since then, it has been kept only for rulers.
Chinese emperors also called themselves guaren, In ancient China, emperors regarded themselves as the “Sons of Heaven”, and believed they had a “Mandate of Heaven” to rule. However, if the “Son of Heaven” was found to have poor morals (德行), they would lose the mandate, So, the rulers used the phrase guaren or guadezhiren, meaning “a person who doesn’t have morality”. In this way, they could show their modesty (谦虚). In Chinese culture, people should not talk proudly about their own abilities and beliefs. Modesty is seen as a virtue (美德). Ancient rulers hoped to win people’s hearts by calling themselves guaren.
However, historical records show that guaren lost its popularity after the Tang Dynasty. The emperors of the following dynasties used zhen more often.
1. Why does the writer start the passage with a question?| A．To attract (吸引) readers’ interest. | B．To describe a famous person. |
| C．To help readers understand an idea. | D．To tell the background of the writer. |
| A．The state of Qin. | B．Chinese history. | C．The word zhen. | D．The phrase guaren. |
| A．Because they were lonely. | B．Because they had poor morals. |
| C．Because they were sons of heaven. | D．Because they wanted to win people’s hearts. |
| A．Before the Qin Dynasty, zhen meant “I” or “me” and only rulers could use it. |
| B．In ancient China, emperors regarded themselves as the “Sons of Heaven”. |
| C．In Chinese culture, people should talk proudly about their abilities and beliefs. |
| D．Historical records show that guaren was still popular after the Tang Dynasty. |
| A．Art. | B．History. | C．Sports. | D．Science. |
3 . What will life in the future be like? And what will we be able to do in the future?
Genetic engineering (基因工程) may help us make the perfect human. Babies may grow up to play basketball like Yao Ming. Also, we may be able to bring the dead back to life. Maybe people will be able to meet and talk with their dead family members.
Over the next 20 to 50 years, it will become harder to tell (分辨) if a person is dead or alive. Perhaps humans will be able to make copies of ourselves, so we will appear to be alive long after we are dead. Humans may be able to find ways of putting the life of a person into a new body.
Nanobots (纳米机器人) will be important. We will use them when we are sick. For example, when we have a stomachache, we will swallow (吞下) a nanobot and it will tell the doctor what’s happening in our stomachs by taking a video with its camera.
In the future, computers may have feelings. They may be able to think better than us. We may be more and more interested in computers and spend all our time in front of computers. Perhaps we will forget our real needs. Perhaps we will weigh 250 kgs!
1. Why does the writer give examples in Paragraph 2?| A．To describe what babies will be like. |
| B．To tell why we use genetic engineering. |
| C．To describe how to bring the dead back to life. |
| D．To tell how genetic engineering may help humans. |
| A．Everyone in the future will be made into robots. |
| B．Nobody will be alive over the next 20 to 50 years. |
| C．It will become harder to tell if a person is dead or alive. |
| D．Humans will be able to live a long life in another world. |
| A．It will tell the doctor what to do. |
| B．It will help to cut off the stomach. |
| C．It will send medicine directly to the stomach. |
| D．It will tell the doctor what’s wrong through a video. |
| A．Computers may have feelings. |
| B．Computers will weigh 250 kgs. |
| C．Computers may think better than people. |
| D．People may spend all the time on computers. |
| A．Life in the future | B．People never die |
| C．The world of robots | D．Super future computers |
Music plays an important role in our daily life. We can hear music when we’re at a store or a restaurant. People call it background music. Recorded background music was first used in shops and restaurants, but it soon became popular in other public places. Now many sports centers, children centers and theaters also like to use background music.
Why do many stores use it? Well, because they want to make customers stay longer. Then customers may buy things if they stay longer. In fact, some background music is soft. However, some background music is too loud. Many customers don’t like any background music. When they hear it, they may get angry and walk out of the shop.
According to a study, 75% of the customers care about the background music when they go into a store. If they like the music, they’ll stay longer and they’ll come to the store again. However, 50% of the customers will leave the store because they don’t like the music. They even say that they may not return to the store again.
So stores should choose a proper ‘sound’ for their customers. The proper background music is a good way to attract (吸引) more customers. Some restaurant owners even say that background music is as important as the taste of the food.
1. The theaters and sports centers were the first to use recorded background music.2. Many stores use background music to make the customers stay longer.
3. 85% of the customers care about the background music when they go into a store.
4. The background music can make the owner’s places look more beautiful.
5. The text mainly talks about background music in shops and restaurants.
5 . Being outgoing is good for your life. Those who are more outgoing like to meet lots of people and have more fun in life. In fact, being outgoing is not so hard as you think. Even shy people can be outgoing.
You can start becoming outgoing with your best friend. But the difficulty comes when you meet strangers or new friends. Smile more, and usually they will return your smile. In this way, you may have more talks. Start a talk, and just a simple. “Hello!” or “How is it going?” is a good start. If you want to make interesting talks, you should read news in newspapers and prepare your views (看法), or surf the Internet for new information and then keep them in mind.
The easiest way to become more outgoing is to go out. This is also the most important step. Goto a park, beach, club, party or any other place that you think can be fun.
1. You should start to be outgoing with ________.| A．your parents | B．your teachers | C．your best friend | D．your new friend |
| A．talking | B．smiling | C．playing | D．going out |
| A．strangers or new friends | B．your best friend |
| C．lots of people | D．yourself |
| A．Being outgoing is really difficult. |
| B．Being outgoing is good for your life. |
| C．Being outgoing helps people have more fun. |
| D．Being outgoing with strangers is not easy. |
| A．a diary | B．a storybook | C．a magazine | D．an advertisement (广告) |
6 . Is that Yao Ming playing basketball?! Ha! It looks like the Chinese player, but it is a robot! The Yao Ming robot was one of the many “stars” at the 2017 World Robot Conference (WRC). It was from Aug. 23 to 27 in 2017 in Beijing.
Robots from across the world came to WRC. Some can work in factories. Some go to outer space or underwater. But service robots were the big hits at the WRC. Service robots can help do many jobs in our daily lives, such as washing, teaching and playing sports.
For example, the Yao Ming robot can teach kids how to play basketball. If schools use it, it can bring lots of fun to PE classes.
Alpha 2 is a housekeeper robot. If you want to turn on the lights, or TV, just tell it before going to sleep, children may also want to hear Alpha 2 tell them a bedtime story.
A supermarket robot makes shopping easier. You can talk with the robot. It will help you find things. It also carries them for you. You can even use the robot to pay for your things.
Do you want to have a service robot, too?
1. How long was the WRC?| A．Two days. | B．Five days. | C．One week. | D．One month. |
| A．Factory robots. | B．Space robots. | C．Service robots. | D．Underwater robots. |
| A．售货员 | B．厨师 | C．教练 | D．管家 |
| A．Turn on the TV. | B．Find things in the supermarket |
| C．Tell a bedtime story. | D．Teach children to play basketball. |
| A．Sports. | B．Stars. | C．Jobs. | D．Robots. |
Let’s learn something about the 2022 Men’s World Cup
What is the World Cup? The World Cup is an international football competition that takes place every four years. It is one of the most popular competitions in the world.
The first World Cup event was held (举办) in 1930 and it has only been canceled (取消) twice in the history of the competition—in 1942 and 1946, because of the Second World War (战争). The World Cup can take place anywhere in the world . In 2018 the host country was Russia, in 2014 it was Brazil, in 2010 it was South Africa, and this year, in 2022, the host country was the State of Qatar. There were 32 national teams participating (参与). It was the first time that a country in the Middle East was hosting the World Cup and only the second time that a country in Asia was hosting the competition.
1. The host country was the State of Qatar in 2022.2. The next World Cup will be held in 2026.
3. Thirty-one countries took part in the World Cup in 2022.
4. Qatar was the first country to host the World Cup in Asia.
5. People did not hold the World Cup in 1942 and 1946.
8 . When your parents are busy with work and have no time to cook, you can pick up the phone and order some food for yourself. Lots of people order takeaway these days. But did people eat takeaway in ancient China?
The answer is yes! There was takeaway from the Song Dynasty. People at that time didn’t have phones. But they could still order food. Families with much money had servants. They went out to pick up dishes for their hosts. Some restaurants had delivery workers(外卖员). They walked around the city or waited outside theaters. People paid them to deliver food. People also liked to order takeaway for big days, such as birthdays, festivals and some days when friends visited. People would order their food before the big day came. The delivery workers would bring dishes to their houses.
Now delivery workers use electric bikes(电瓶车) to deliver food. But in the past, delivery workers delivered food on foot. It took a long time and the food would get cold easily. Some restaurants used a special plate to keep their food warm. It had two layers of porcelain(两层陶瓷). People put hot water between the two layers to keep the dishes warm.
1. When did people have takeaway in ancient China?| A．Qin Dynasty | B．Tang Dynasty | C．Song Dynasty | D．Ming Dynasty |
| A．朋友 | B．亲戚 | C．仆人 | D．主人 |
| A．birthdays | B．festivals | C．days with friends | D．sad days |
| A．By walking. | B．By using the phone. |
| C．By using electric bikes. | D．By riding a horse. |
| A．only rich family could ask for takeaway |
| B．both servants and delivery workers delivered takeaway |
| C．people ordered takeaway on or after their big days |
| D．people had no idea about keeping the food warm |
9 . You may have known about many traditional Chinese festivals such as the Spring Festival or the Lantern Festival, but have you ever heard of Dragon Heads-raising Day?
Dragon Heads-raising Day is also called the Spring Dragon Festival. It is on the second day of the second lunar (农历) month. It’s on February 21st this year. It came from an old story. After that day, the Dragon King will wake up from his winter sleep and bring more rain. So that day is the start of spring and farming season.
One of the most interesting things related to the day is about haircut. People believe that a haircut during the first lunar month is not a good idea. It may bring bad things to your uncles. So people can only cut it on or after Dragon Heads-raising Day. Although it’s not true, many people still do it.
There are also other ways to celebrate this festival. For example, people eat food with dragon names. People call noodles dragon’s beard (胡须). Dumplings are dragon’s ears and spring rolls (春卷) are dragon’s scales (鳞).
People also do dragon dances and make dragon lanterns. The lanterns stand for people’s best wishes and good luck.
1. When is Dragon Heads-raising Day?| A．On the second day of February. | B．On the second day of the second lunar month. |
| C．On February 21st last year. | D．On the first day of the second lunar month. |
| A．Haircut. | B．Farming season. | C．Food with dragon names. | D．Dragon dances. |
| A．Dragon Heads-raising Day is also called the Spring Dragon Festival. |
| B．After Dragon Heads-raising Day, there will be more rain. |
| C．A haircut will bring good things to uncles during the first lunar month. |
| D．People eat food with dragon names to celebrate the festival. |
| A．culture | B．business | C．health | D．nature |
| A．To ask students to cut their hair. | B．To introduce Dragon Heads-raising Day. |
| C．To ask people do the farm work. | D．To teach people celebrate the festival. |
10 . Many people around the world have heard of the Great Wall of China, but not many of them know about the Grand Canal, or the Jing-Hang Grand Canal. This famous waterway is known in China as Da Yunhe.
The Grand Canal is the earliest and longest man-made canal in the world. It was first built in 486 BC and has a history of more than 2,500 years. The Grand Canal runs from Beijing in the north to Hangzhou in the south. It is about 1,800 km long. In fact, it is not a river, but a system of canals and rivers linked（连接）together. It serves as one of the greatest waterways in human history. In early times, people used it to transport（运输）food. In addition, it has also played an important role in linking the south and the north of China over the ages.
Today, the Grand Canal is still an important part of the transport system in China. Thousands of boats use it every day to transport different kinds of goods. The canal is also used to bring water from the south to the north, where there is a lack of water.
The Grand Canal shows the wisdom and hard work of ancient Chinese people. If possible, you can go on a boat trip along some of the oldest parts of the canal to enjoy its beauty.
1. How long is the Grand Canal?| A．About 486 km long. | B．About 1,800 km long. |
| C．About 2,500 km long. | D．About 5,000 km long. |
| A．go sightseeing | B．improve environment |
| C．transport food | D．link China and foreign countries |
| A．泛滥 | B．缺乏 | C．资源 | D．源头 |
| A．The Grand Canal is the longest man-made canal in China. |
| B．The Grand Canal brings water from the west to the east of China. |
| C．The Grand Canal played an important role only in ancient China. |
| D．The Grand Canal serves as the greatest waterway in human history. |
| A．the large population of China | B．the kindness of Chinese people |
| C．the natural transport system in China | D．the creativity of ancient Chinese people |
