1 . Somebody is calling for help in the water. You want to jump in and save them, but that might put you in danger. What do you do?

Soon this won’t be a problem anymore because a robot swimmer called Swumanoid will be on hand to help.

Scientists from Japan designed this robot to swim like an Olympic athlete (运动员). They mapped a swimmer’s body and looked at how every part of the body moves while swimming. The robot can swim just like a human does.

Swumanoid can swim the backstroke (仰泳) and the front crawl (自由泳) at a speed of 0.64 meters a second, about one-third of the world record speed for these swimming styles, according to the Daily Mail.

Motomu Nakashima, head of the team that designed the robot, hopes that robots like Swumanoid can serve as lifeguards in the future.

Besides saving lives, Swumanoid can also be used in swimming research. It can test water resistance, which makes it move more slowly. And it helps to find out how people swim. The information that is collected could help scientists find ways to improve a swimmer’s skills.

Unlike human swimmers, robots don’t get tired from doing the same stroke (泳姿) again and again, so they do not slow down. Therefore, they can collect information more efficiently (有效地).

But the robot is not yet ready to take the place of human lifeguards. Scientists say there are still certain things that need to be improved, such as its motors (引擎) and waterproofing design (防水设计).

Choose the best choice from A, B or C according to the passage.
1. Swumanoid can swim just like a human does because ________.

A．it was created by an Olympic swimmer

B．it can swim the way real swimmers move

C．it can follow directions according to a map

2. The underlined word “resistance” in the sixth paragraph means ________.

A．阻力

B．压力

C．重力

3. Swumanoid can collect information more efficiently because ________.

A．it can do many types of strokes

B．it can swim as fast as world record-holders

C．it won’t feel tired and never slows down

4. There are ________ uses for the robot swimmers mentioned in the passage.

A．one

B．two

C．three

5. The story is written to ________.

A．show how swimming robots are built

B．describe how lifeguards do their work

C．introduce the swimming robot Swumanoid

3 . You may think you cannot live through summer without air conditioners （空调）. But in ancient China, hand fans were almost the only ones to help people keep cool.

Chinese people started to use hand fans more than 2,000 years ago. The fans came in different shapes, such as round and square. They were also made from all kinds of materials. Palm （棕榈） leaf fans were cheap and easy to make. Feather fans （羽毛扇） showed the owner’s high status （地位）. Sandalwood （檀香） fans could send out sweet smell.

Later, hand fans became far more than just something that could cool you down. They developed into art works, in which Tuanshan （round fans） and Zheshan (folded fans) were the most common.

In the shape of a full moon, Tuanshan were usually made of silk.They had beautiful birds and flowers on them.Women especially those in the imperial palace （皇宫）, liked to use them. Meanwhile, men, especially the literati （文人）, used Zheshan.The literati liked them because Zheshan were usually made of paper and they could paint and write poems on them.It was a way for them to show off their ability in literature, painting and handwriting.Almost anything can be painted on Zheshan.

Today, Chinese people still use these fans.Next time when you are waving a fan, you may think of the stories behind it.

Complete the chart according to the passage with only one word for each blank.

Stories and Art of Chinese Fans
History.	1    2000 years.
The number of kinds	There are    2    kinds mentioned in the passage.
3	Palm leaf, feather, sandalwood, silk and paper.
Feathers （特征）	Palm leaf fans were cheap and made     4    . Feather fans showed the owner’s status. Sandalwood fans could send out a sweet smell. Tuanshan were enjoyed by women in the imperial palace. Zheshan were    5    or written with poems in order to show the owners were talented.

4 . In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning, the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later, black clouds come, and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon, the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.

In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter, they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.

When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.

If you don’t take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.

1. Why do people in England often talk about the weather?

A．Because they may have four seasons in one day.

B．Because they often have very good weather.

C．Because the weather is warm just like in spring.

D．Because the sky is sunny all day.

2. From the story we know that when ______ come, there is a heavy rain.

A．sunshine and snow	B．black clouds
C．summer and winter	D．spring and autumn

3. “People can also have summer in winter.” means “it is sometimes too ______ in winter.”

A．warm

B．cool

C．cold

D．rainy

4. In the sunny morning, some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them because ______.

A．their friends ask them to do so	B．it often rains in England
C．they are going to sell them	D．they are their favorite things

5. The best title (标题) for this passage is ______.

A．Bad Seasons	B．Summer or Winter
C．The Weather in England	D．Strange English People

5 . Greeting people can be confusing (令人困惑的) during cross cultural (跨文化) communications.

Will a simple handshake do? Should you give a hug or offer a kiss on the cheek (脸颊)? People in different countries have their own greetings.

The COVID 19 (2019冠状病毒病) has challenged traditional greetings such as shaking hands, kissing and hugging. After all, close physical contact will increase the chance of spreading the virus (病毒). People have realized the risk and stopped using some traditional greetings.

Shaking hands is a common greeting. Now in the US, the elbow bump (碰肘) is the new handshake. US Surgeon General Jerome Adams introduced the elbow bump, which has been used by political (政治的) leaders, health officials and professional athletes (运动员). Brad Hazzard, a health minister in New South Wales, Australia, advised people to pat (拍) each other on the back in place of a handshake.

French Health Minister Olivier Veran has advised the public not to kiss on the cheek. Italian authorities (官方) have made the same suggestion. French lifestyle expert Philippe Lichtfus said simply looking into a person’s eyes is enough.

In the face of such changes, how should you go about changing the way you greet people? Australian etiquette expert (礼仪专家) Susan Wilson has suggested simply greeting people by looking them in the eye, smiling and saying hello.

Choose the best choice from A, B or C according to the passage.

1. Why did people stop using traditional greetings during the outbreak (疫情爆发) ?

A．Because it can be safer for each other.

B．Because different countries have different customs.

C．Because new greetings can increase the risk of spreading the virus.

2. Who has used the elbow bump according to US Surgeon General Jerome Adams?

A．The people all over the world.

B．Jerome Adams and Brad Hazzard.

C．Political leaders, health officials and professional athletes.

3. What does the underlined word “contact” mean in Chinese?

A．碰撞

B．接触

C．隔离

4. Which countries have suggested avoiding kissing each other on the cheek?

A．France and Australia.

B．France and Italy.

C．Italy and Australia.

5. What is the story mainly about?

A．Safer ways to greet.

B．Changing the tradition.

C．Smiling and saying hello.

6 . Black Friday
Thanksgiving is always on a Thursday. The day after it has been known as Black Friday. It is the start of the holiday shopping season, and it has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US since 2005.
Most stores offer big sales on Black Friday. They open their doors quite early in the morning. They try to attract shoppers with big discounts (打折). Some items (商品)like TVs and cloths are much cheaper than usual. Stores may even lose money on these items. They hope that shoppers will buy gifts for other people while they are in the store.
Black Friday is a great time to go shopping. However, there are problem. The biggest one is that there are not enough low-priced items. Each store may only have a few. These items are in great need, so people stand in long lines to get them. They may wait three to four hours before a store opens. They may be hoping to get a low price on a TV or computer, but not everybody can get one. Some people leave, disappointed.
The situation makes people worried. Some Black Friday events have been crazy. There have been fights over toys among shoppers. Some workers have even been hurt by large crowds. But most Black Friday events are safe and fun. Still, if you plan to go, you will expect large crowds and a bit of pushing.
So where does the name “Black Friday” come from? It was first used in Philadelphia in the 1950s. The police called this day Black Friday because of the heavy traffic it caused. In the 1960s, stores tried to rename the day “Big Friday”. It did not stick. The name “Black Friday” continued to spread across the country. It seems that it is here to stay.
Now people all over the country take part in Black Friday events. It is even spreading to other parts of the world. Stores have held Black Friday events in the UK, Australia, and Brazil since 2012. In Mexico, stores offer a weekend of discounts every year. They call it “El Buen Fin”, which means “the good weekend” in Spanish. I guess people everywhere like to buy things on sale.

1. Is Black Friday the start of the holiday shopping season?
_______________________________________________________
2. What is the biggest problem with Black Friday?
_______________________________________________________
3. How long may people have to wait before a store opens?
_______________________________________________________
4. Where was the name “Black Friday” first used in the 1950s?
______________________________________________________
5. Why do people like going shopping on Black Friday?
______________________________________________________

7 . Ted, my little brother, is in Grade One. Last Friday he came back from school with a letter. The letter was from his teacher. “I got a red flower today. Could you please sign this note?” he said to mum. The note showed that he had been talking in class.

Ted hardly gets top scores in his school work. The best he gets is “OK”, but he often gets “You can do better than this.” Mum knows what it means. She tells me “You can do better than this” means “Extremely bad” in China.

In the USA, teachers never say anything too bad about their students, even if the students are making trouble in class or not working hard enough. The worst they might say is “Please be nicer tomorrow”. Many parents are satisfied with a B-grade for each subject.

But things in Chinese schools are quite different. Parents have high expectations for their children. I sometimes felt that my second-grade cousin spend more time on homework than I did when I was 6th grade in the US! Yet his parents and teachers didn’t think he worked hard enough.

Is it too strict in China? Or is it not strict enough in the USA? Maybe both are true.

1. Why did Ted come home with a letter last Friday?

A．Because the teacher wanted to visit his mother.

B．Because he did something wrong.

C．Because the teacher was happy with his progress.

D．Because the teacher thought he was too lazy.

2. If a student in the USA gets “OK” in his schoolwork, it means ________.

A．he gets top scores	B．he gets medium scores
C．he gets extremely bad scores	D．he gets the worst scores

3. American parents will be ________ when their children get a B-grade in their school.

A．excited

B．sad

C．angry

D．happy

4. The underlined words “high expectations” in this passage means “________”.

A．很高的待遇

B．很多的自由

C．很高的期望

D．很多的关爱

5. The writer mainly wants to tell us ________.

A．the differences between Chinese education and American education

B．Chinese students are better than American students

C．American parents are not strict enough with their children

D．what’s the best way to educate child