1 . 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 |
2 . 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. |
3 . 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 |
4 . Thomas Hardy was a famous English novelist（小说家）and poet（诗人）. He was born in Dorset, England in 1840. Hardy was the eldest of four children in his family.
As a child, he was often ill. He spent a year at the village school at the age of eight and then moved on to schools in Dorchester, a nearby（附近的）town. Hardy was a small man, only a little over 1. 5 meters tall. His mother taught him to read books and his father taught him to play the violin.
Hardy has many great works（作品）in his lifetime. In the 1860s, Hardy began writing poems and novels. In 1874, Far from the Madding Croud came out. The book was successful and made Hardy famous. He continued to write novels. In 1874, Hardy married Emma Gifford. With his wife he travelled to Germany, France, and Italy. Hardy went on to write more novels, for example, The Return of the Native and The Mayor of Casterbridge. One of his most famous books is Tess of the D'Urbervilles.
Hardy continued to write poetry until his death. He died in 1928 at the age of eighty-eight.
1. Which of the following is NOT true about Thomas Hardy?| A．He was born in England. | B．He was a poet. |
| C．His parents had five children. | D．He was short. |
| A．mother | B．father | C．teacher | D．brother |
| A．Far from the Madding Crowd | B．The Return of the Native |
| C．The Mayor of Casterbridge | D．Tess of the D'Urbervilles |
| A．family | B．travel | C．education | D．works |
| A．Famous People | B．English Study | C．Science | D．Life |
Watching TV is an interesting and fun activity.
The first public TV broadcast was made in the USA in 1925. Back then, the pictures on a TV were black and white only. TV has changed a lot since then.
On TV, you can watch many different programs about many things. Some examples of TV programs are news, sitcoms, cartoons, dramas, reality shows, sports, documentaries and soap operas.
There are many channels（频道）on TV. They show different TV programs. TV guides tell people what programs are showing on different channels at different time.
Many programs on TV are TV series. Each of them has many episodes（集）. These episodes usually last for either 30 minutes or a full hour. There are movie channels on TV. So you can watch movies at home instead of going to the cinema on the weekend.
You can learn a lot from watching TV, but you’d better not watch too much, or it’ll hurt your eyes.
1. The first public TV broadcast was made in 1925.2. You can watch news, sports and movies on TV.
3. The episodes on TV usually last for over an hour.
4. Watching TV too much is bad for your eyes.
5. The passage mainly talks about the history of TV programs.
6 . There are many differences between Chinese eating habits and Western eating habits. In the West, everyone has their own plate of food. But in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares. If you are being treated by a Chinese host, there must be a lot of food prepared for you. Chinese are very proud of their culture. They will do their best to show their hospitality(好客).
And sometimes the Chinese hosts use their chopsticks to put food in your bowl or plate. This is a sign of politeness. The proper thing to do would be to eat the whatever-it-is and say how delicious it is. If you feel uncomfortable with this, you can just say a polite “Thanks” and leave the food there. Don’t stick your chopsticks upright into the rice bowl. Instead, lay them on your dish. The reason for this is that when people die, family members give them a bowl of rice with a pair of chopsticks sticking upright in it. It is impolite to set the teapot down where the spout (壶嘴) is facing towards somebody. The spout should always be directed to where nobody is sitting, usually just outward from the table.
Don’t hit on your bowl with your chopsticks. Beggars (乞丐) hit on their bowls, so this is not polite. Also, when the food is coming too slowly in a restaurant, people will tap(轻敲) their bowls. If you are in someone’s home, it is like offending(冒犯) the cook.
1. People in the western countries usually________.| A．share the dishes together | B．eat separately |
| C．prepared lots of food for the guests | D．use chopsticks |
2. Which is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Chinese people often prepare lots of food for the guests to show their hospitality. | B．We should lay the chopsticks on the dish. |
| C．It’s impolite to let the spout face towards someone. | D．We should use the chopsticks to hit the bowl when we have dinner in a Chinese family. |
| A．eat the whatever-it-is | B．say it is delicious |
| C．say “Thank you” | D．be angry |
| A．Because the chopsticks are dirty. |
| B．Because it means you don’t respect the cook. |
| C．Because it means that somebody will die. |
| D．Because it means that your friend is a beggar. |
| A．Chinese and Western eating habits are different | B．we should be proud of our culture |
| C．Chinese people are hospitable(好客的) | D．the writer is interested in Chinese culture |
We all need food. But when you can’t finish your meal, how do you feel? You might think that wasting a little food isn’t a big deal. The truth is that people in China waste 35 million tons of food each year. It’s nearly one third of food waste in the world. As we all know, food waste becomes a serious problem in China.
In order to cut down food waste,the government has started the “Clean Plate Campaign(运动)”. Especially in restaurants, we can see signs of the “Clean Plate”on the wall. Many restaurants remind their customers that they shouldn’t order lots of food. According to the law passed in April, 2021, if the restaurants always mislead (误导) customers to order quite a few dishes, they will face a fine(罚款). Restaurants in Wuhan have begun the N-1system, which means groups of customers are supposed to order one fewer dish than the number of people in the group. For example, a group of 7 people can order 6 dishes at most. Most restaurants provide customers with free packing boxes (打包盒), and customers can use them to take the leftovers (剩饭剩菜)home.
Today, more and more people start to realize the importance of saving food. Everyone should play a part in the “Clean Plate Campaign”and say no to food waste .
1. Chinese people waste twenty-five million tons of food every year.2. The Chinese government starts the “Clean Plate Campaign” to save food.
3. The restaurants will be fined if they mislead the customers to order lots of dishes.
4. According to the N-1 system, if five people go to the restaurant, they can order six dishes.
5. Nowadays many people find it important to save food.
8 . Dumplings are traditional Chinese food. On the lunar New Year’s Day, most families make a lot of delicious dumplings. To make them, we can follow these easy steps.
The first step is to mix the flour(面粉) with water. When the dough(面团) is ready, we can begin to make dumpling wrappers(饺子皮). We roll（卷） the dough into small, thin and round pieces so that they can be easy to cook. Then it’s time to prepare the filling(馅), we often use meat such as beef or pork, and some vegetables for filling. Remember to cut these things into small pieces, put some salt and oil into it and mix them.
When all these are ready, we can start making dumplings. First put a spoonful of filling in the center of the wrappers. Then stick(粘) the two opposite sides together. The best shape of dumplings is like a ship. When they are boiling in the pot, they look like ships sailing(航行) in the sea. The smell can make your mouth water.
阅读短文内容，选择正确的选项。
1. Most families make a lot of dumplings on ________.
| A．Boxing Day | B．Christmas Day | C．the lunar New Year’s Day | D．National Day |
| A．to make wrappers | B．to mix the flour |
| C．to prepare the filling | D．to cook the dumplings in the pot |
| A．some meat | B．some vegetables | C．some salt and oil | D．all of the above |
| A．round | B．like a ship | C．like a cake | D．like a dough |
| A．What Dumplings Look Like | B．How to Make Dumplings |
| C．The Lunar New Year’s Day | D．How to Make Filling |
For the first time ever, plants from Earth are growing on the moon. The China National Space Administration (中国国家航天局) showed photos of cotton plants. The administration said the cotton plants were among several plants that were “growing well”. Other plants that are now growing on the moon are vegetables.
The plants are part of a project to the far side of the moon. Project leader Liu Hanlong says the cotton seeds were the first to come up. He said the plants were chosen because they were small, strong and could grow in the difficult conditions on the moon’s surface.
Professor Hanlong said the project’s aim was to understand more about how plants grow outside of Earth. The long-term aim is to develop plants that can grow not only on the moon but also on the Mars (火星).
The professor said: “We have considered the future survival live in space. Learning about these plants growing in a low-gravity (低重力) environment would allow us to know that in the future humans may live in the space.”
1. Plants have never grown on the moon before this project.2. Chinese scientists showed photos of tea plants growing on the moon.
3. Cotton seeds were the first plants to come up.
4. Scientists said their long-term aim is to grow plants on Venus (金星).
5. There are no chances of survival in space.
10 . Once upon a time, a king went on a visit to his neighboring country and was given a pair of baby parrots (鹦鹉) as a gift, a red one and a blue one. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So, after returning to his country, he called for a bird trainer and asked him to train the parrots.
The king also set a place in the palace garden for the parrots. He often looked at them from his palace window. One day, the trainer came to the palace and told the king that the red parrot was flying high in the sky. However, the other one was not moving from his branch (树枝) since the day he had arrived.
Hearing this, the king sent for other trainers from the nearby countries. They all tried their best, but couldn’t make the parrot fly! He even asked many other people to try to make the parrot fly. But they all failed. The parrot was not moving from his branch at all. Finally, after trying everything, the king thought that maybe he needed someone who might know their nature well. He asked a minister to get a farmer from the countryside and take him to the parrot to see if he could solve the problem.
The next morning, the king was excited to see the parrot flying high above the palace garden. He asked his minister to call that farmer to meet him. When the farmer came and stood before the king. The king asked him, “How did you make the parrot fly?”
With his hands folded politely, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, my king. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting. If he always stayed at the branch without any challenges, he will never want to fly up.”
1. How did the king get the parrots?| A．His minister gave him. |
| B．He bought himself. |
| C．His neighboring country gave him as a gift. |
| D．A trainer bought for him. |
| A．He trained the parrots to make them fly. |
| B．He set a palace in the garden for the parrots. |
| C．He asked many people to make the parrots fly. |
| D．He enjoyed watching them from the window. |
| A．The king. | B．The minister. | C．The trainer. | D．The farmer. |
| A．Neither the two parrots can learn to fly quickly. |
| B．The farmer knew the nature of parrots well. |
| C．The king didn’t like the parrots so he wanted them to fly away. |
| D．The blue parrot couldn’t fly because he got hurt. |
| A．Stay away from strangers and protect yourself. |
| B．Think carefully about what to say and what to do. |
| C．Working hard will make you happy and successful. |
| D．Stepping out of comfortable situation helps you grow. |
