1 . The swan(天鹅) is a very gentle bird. It likes to swim on lakes. When it is young, it is grey and not a pretty bird at all. But when it is full-grown, it is as white as snow.
Look at the swan in the picture. See how graceful(优雅的) it is while the swan is swimming.
The swan builds its nest(巢) among high grass near the water. It is made of dry sticks and is placed on the ground. Here the swan lays its eggs.
As soon as the young swans are born, their mother leaves them and returns to the water. They need no school and no teaching, they can swim well at once.
________ They are made for swimming. All birds that love the water and swim in it, have webs(蹼). Swans, ducks and a number of other birds have web-feet. They can all swim well, but hens(母鸡) and chickens can not swim at all, for they don’t have webs like the swan and the duck.
The swan has a long neck, so it can reach its food without diving(潜水) as ducks do. The swan feeds on the leaves of water-plants.
1. When the swan is young, it is ________.| A．white | B．black | C．brown | D．grey |
| A．leaves | B．grass | C．dry sticks | D．water-plants |
| A．Can the swan fly as the other birds? | B．Have you ever seen the swan’s feet? |
| C．What does the swan’s neck look like? | D．Is the swan different from the duck? |
| A．reach its food | B．wash its webs | C．build its nest | D．feed its baby |
| A．Science Study | B．Sports News | C．History Events | D．Animal World |
Ink wash painting, Peking Opera, paper cutting, puppets (木偶)... What will happen if we use these traditional art styles in animation (动画)?
(A)_______ fact, Chinese animators have been working on this. Their works are full of Chinese flavor (特色). Recently, restored 4K editions (修复的超高清版本) of several Chinese animations have come out to let audiences (观众) see what makes a classic.
Little Tadpole Looking for Mummy (《小蜊斜找妈妈》), which came out in 1960, is China’s first ink wash animation. You can enjoy its 4K edition on the video platform (平台). Getting ideas from the great artist Qi Baishi, the animators drew all the animals, plants and rocks in the film with ink and brushes. Though it was only about 15 minutes long, it took lots of work. Animators drew everything (B) ______ hand. (D) They used different kinds of lines and colors to bring everything to life, such as black tadpoles, red goldfish, pink lotus flowers and so on. The French newspaper Le Monde says the film is just like a poem.
The Legend of Sealed Book (《天书奇谭》), a cartoon film that first came out in 1983 and opened in cinemas on November 5, 2021. (C) It uses ink wash painting for its backgrounds, too. The cartoon film also borrows other arts. The makeup used in Peking Opera inspired the looks of the characters. It helps show their personalities. Lovely boy Dansheng looks like wawasheng, roles for kids in Peking Opera. A fox wears huadan makeup to make her more attractive.
There are other traditional art styles in animation like paper cutting and puppets, too. “It shows Chinese artists’ goals (目标) in animation — unique (奇特的), funny and beautiful,” said the director QianYunda.
1. 在文中 (A) 和 (B) 的空白处分别填入适当的词：2. 文中划线部分(C)指代的是：
3. 将文中划线部分 (D) 改写为Different kinds of lines and colors
4. 从文中找出两个能展现中国艺术家对动画期望的形容词：
5. 从文中找出能说明本文中心大意的单词或短语：
The word silk itself is beautiful. The story of silk started in China over 4, 000 years ago. One story says a silkworm’s cocoon (茧) fell into a woman’s teacup. It then opened into a single, unbroken thread (线). This was an important discovery. The Chinese learned they could use the cocoons to make cloth that was both beautiful to look at and soft to touch.
Making silk was a protected secret in China for many years. In other countries, silk was very valuable. Often it was worth more than gold. It was said that the secret was finally given away when a queen left China for India. In her hair, she secretly carried many silkworms.
By the year 1 A.D., silk was sold as far west as Rome, and all along the Silk Road. Finally, around the year 300, silk also travelled from China to Japan. In 1522, the Spanish brought silkworms to Mexico.
Today people around the world still make many beautiful things from silk. But silk isn’t only beautiful. It looks easy to break, but actually it’s very strong. For example, people have already used it to make bicycle wheels. And some doctors even use silk threads in hospital. Silk is also lightweight and warm. This makes it great for clothes like winter jackets, trousers and shoes.
All of this is from a little silkworm. That is the magic of silk.
1. How long has the story of silk been told in China?2. Which country did the queen leave for?
3. What did the Spanish bring to Mexico in 1522?
4. Can people use silk to make bicycle wheels?
5. Why is silk great for clothes like winter jackets, trousers and shoes?
Little life skills are a big help. Starting with the upcoming fall term, students in primary and middle schools will have at least one class every week to learn basic life skills like cooking and cleaning. These skills will help them for the rest of their lives. What will students learn in labor education (劳动教育)?
ØHousework labor: cleaning, cooking, using and repairing home appliances (家用电器).
ØProductive labor (生产劳动): farming, making traditional handicrafts (手工艺), experience and use of new technologies like 3D printing.
First —and second—graders in primary school
*Do basic cleaning. *Wash vegetables and peel fruit.
*Learn to raise one or two kinds of plants or small animals.
Third —and fourth—graders
*Wash socks and shoes. *Learn how to make cold dishes and use simple home appliances.
*Clean classrooms. *Try growing vegetables or keeping pet animals.
Fifth—and sixth —graders
*Learn to make a healthy recipe (食谱). * Cook two or three common dishes.
*Grow one or two kinds of common local vegetables.
Middle school students
*Cook three or four dishes independently. *Learn to repair some home appliances.
*Take part in local productive labor like potting plants (盆栽植物) and fishing.
*Learn how to make one or two kinds of traditional handicrafts.
| Topic: What will students learn in | ||
| Why | Life skills will help | |
| How | | Primary school students * Do basic cleaning. * Wash socks and shoes. *Learn to make a healthy recipe... Middle school students *Cook three or four dishes independently· * |
| Productive labor | Primary school students *Learn to raise one or two kinds of plants or small animals. * * Grow one or two kinds of common local vegetables... Middle school students *Take part in local productive labor. * Learn how to make one or two kinds of traditional handicrafts. | |
China is a large country. The population is over 1.4 billion. It has a special culture with a very long history.
Chinese food plays an important role for Chinese families. Different foods have special meanings. The main difference is that Chinese people eat their meals with chopsticks. One of the main foods in Chinese culture is rice. Tea is a favorite drink and it is popular in the market.
Chinese calendar is different from the one used in western countries. New Year’s Day is in late winter. It is also called the Spring Festival. It has special foods and traditions. For example, sweeping the floor before New Year’s Day sweeps away all the old year’s bad luck.
The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, follows a twelve—year cycle(循环). Each year is named for an animal. These animal signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. For example, the year that begins in 2022 is the year of the tiger.
Chinese is a complex (复杂的) language. Chinese writing developed almost 4,000 years ago and may be even older. Chinese writing has thousands of characters. A character stands for a word and also a meaning. Besides Putonghua, Chinese people speak six more forms of the language, and there are many kinds of dialects (方言).
1. The population of China is _________.| A．almost 4,000 | B．over 1.4 billion | C．1.4 billion | D．less than 1.4 billion |
| A．Chinese writing has hundreds of characters. |
| B．Chinese people eat their meals with chopsticks. |
| C．Chinese calendar is not the same as the one used in western countries. |
| D．Sweeping the floor before New Year’s Day sweeps away all the old year’s bad luck. |
| A．The tiger. | B．The dog. | C．The pig. | D．The dragon. |
| A．6 | B．7 | C．8 | D．9 |
| A．Chinese people speak many kinds of dialects. |
| B．The Spring Festive has special foods and traditions. |
| C．China has special culture with a long history. |
| D．Chinese food plays an important role for Chinese families. |
Last year, at 00:23 on October 16th, the Shenzhou XIII spacecraft (宇宙飞船) rose into the sky. After flying around the earth for six months, the three astronauts of the Shenzhou XIII mission (飞行任务) returned home on April 16th, 2022. Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu successfully finished China’s longest manned (载人的) spaceflight.
Chinese astronauts get difficult training before going to space. The high-G training simulates the environment when the spacecraft takes off. Sitting in a super-fast spinning (旋转) machine, astronauts’ face muscles (肌肉) change shape. They cry tears as they spin. Blood can’t flow (流动) to their brains properly, causing a lack (缺少) of oxygen (氧气) and even blindness. Astronauts must operate the spacecraft under these conditions.
Another exhausting (使耗尽的) exercise is the underwater training which lasts (持续) seven hours each time. It simulates a weightless environment. Wang Yaping had to wear a 200-kilogram suit and do tasks in 10-meter-deep water without eating or going to the toilet.
When Chinese astronauts do the high-G training, they have a red button on hand. If they feel too sick and can’t stand it anymore, they can press it to stop the spinning machine. But for over 20 years since China set up its first astronaut team in 1998, not a single person has ever used it.
1. According to the passage, China’s longest manned spaceflight lasted ________.| A．4 months | B．6 months | C．10 months | D．16 months |
| A．保护 | B．破坏 | C．改善 | D．模拟 |
| A．Astronauts may be deaf. |
| B．Astronauts may not see things. |
| C．Astronauts’ blood will stop flowing. |
| D．Astronauts’ facial (面部的) expressions won’t lose control. |
| A．make oxygen | B．start the training |
| C．stop the spinning machine | D．record the time |
| A．A newspaper. | B．A travel guide. | C．A story book. | D．A food magazine. |
Do you know someone who just can’t make friends? Sometimes we may find it hard to connect and make friends. When we talk with others, some social habits need our attention.
Talking about yourself
Conversations are give-and-take. When you only talk about yourself, you’re just taking, not giving. So learn to ask questions, and when you listen, don’t prepare your next thought in your mind. When both are listening, the conversation becomes much more interesting.
Looking at your phone
Every time you stare(盯着) at your phone, you miss the chance to connect with another person. This is not just important with strangers, but even with friends, because looking at your phone tells everyone, “My phone is more important than you.”
Uninterested body language
Some people use their hands a lot when they speak, and some of us don’t. But body language isn’t just about our hands. It’s about our whole body. When we don’t look at the person we’re taking with, it shows that we don’t really care. I feel bad about this sometimes, too.
Rushing
Friendships are a type of relationship, so it’s not proper to get too deep too quickly. Some people share their whole life story too fast, but that will make the listener feel uncomfortable.
| Social habits | Shouldn’t do | Should do | Reasons |
| Talking about yourself | *Prepare your next thought when you listen to others. | * *Listen. | Conversations are give-and-take. |
| Looking at your phone | Stare at your phone. | It may make people feel your phone is | |
| Uninterested body language | It may show that we care. | ||
| Rushing | That will make the listener feel uncomfortable. |
8 . In the past ten years, great progress has been made in technology. It seems like everything has been greatly improved. But there is one thing unlike them. It was invented over 100 years ago but remained unchanged until now. I’m talking about a blind walking stick.
The white stick has been used by many blind people for a long time. However, it hasn’t really been improved, until a blind engineer named Kursat decided to do something to change that. He hoped his invention would help the blind.
He invented a smart stick called the WeWalk. The smart stick uses built-in speakers and different sensors (传感) to warn about possible dangers. It helps blind people in navigating (航行) around their environment. It makes their travel much easier. The stick is priced at around $500. It is less than half the price of most smart phones. Most people can afford it. This invention is going to change life a lot for the blind.
Kursat well understands the difficulties that the blind face. That’s because he is blind himself. He decided to put his knowledge of technology into inventing something. It would not only change his life, but also the life of many others.
“In these days, we are talking about flying cars. But the blind have been using just a simple stick. As a bind person, when I am at the bus stop, I don’t know which bus is coming or which stores are around me. Now, that kind of information can be provided by the WeWalk,” he said, “I believe life of the blind will be much easier and safer.”
1. Kursat invented the WeWalk to ______.| A．become an engineer | B．help the blind |
| C．change everything | D．open a store |
| A．The name of the smart stick. | B．The reason for inventing the WeWalk. |
| C．The introduction of the WeWalk. | D．The future of the WeWalk. |
| A．Creative and caring. | B．Smart and thankful. |
| C．Healthy and lucky. | D．Rich and outgoing. |
| A．Flying cars are more important than the WeWalk. |
| B．The blind shouldn’t take the bus. |
| C．With the WeWalk, the blind can find their way more easily. |
| D．The WeWalk can solve all the problems for the blind. |
| A．A magazine about cars. | B．A magazine about health. |
| C．A magazine about teaching. | D．A magazine about science. |
9 . ①Otters (水獭) are cute water animals. Recently, there has been a trend (趋势) of keeping them as pets. In Japan, some “otter cafes” are open for business. People can pay to play with the otters there and to take photos with them. In Indonesia, people go swimming with their pet otters and take “funny” videos. These photos and videos posted online have attracted more people to buy otters as pets.
②However, these photos and videos mask the fact that the online trade is doing harm to otters. In the wild, baby otters usually stay with their mothers during their first year of life. According to a report, 70 percent of otters sold online are under a year old. These baby otters have been stolen from their mothers. When they’re kept as pets by humans, they do not live full, natural lives.
③Otters are very social (群居的). They live in family groups of up to fifteen in the wild. Keeping an otter as a pet can make it very sad and lonely. These animals also need enough space to swim. Their owners’ bathtubs (浴缸) or pools are much smaller than the bodies of water in the wild.
④On the other hand, it is not wise to keep otters as pets at home. They have a very special fishy smell. If they’re kept indoors, they will leave a lot of droppings around the house. This would make the smell even more unpleasant. Besides, when otters are upset, they will make loud noises and even attack (攻击) people. If a person is bitten by an otter, he or she needs to go to the hospital immediately.
⑤So, what can we do to stop the otter pet trade? Well, one of the main ways is to let more people know that otters should not be kept as pets. We should also keep an eye on online posts about these animals. When photos and videos show baby otters being kept or sold as pets, don’t share them.
1. People like to keep otters as pets because they are ________.| A．lonely | B．cute | C．friendly | D．quiet |
| A．show | B．protect | C．hide | D．change |
| A．may often fall ill | B．can’t live a social life | C．have no food to eat | D．have no place to swim |
| A．Otters don’t make good pets. | B．Otters are dangerous to people. |
| C．Otters may live a hard life as pets. | D．Otters often make a mess in the room. |
| A．To stop people from keeping pets at home. |
| B．To introduce the ways of protecting pet otters. |
| C．To show the facts of the online otter pet trade. |
| D．To tell people to say no to the otter pet trade. |
10 . Would you try food made of rubbish? When world leaders got together at the UN for a meeting on climate(气候) change, they had a special lunch. The food was made from something that most of us would throw away. There was a salad made of vegetable scraps(剩菜叶). The leaders also had hamburgers made of fruit left over from juicing.
The UN said this reminded people about food waste and the bad influence it has on climate change. “Food waste is not often noticed in climate change, and that is shameful when so many people are in hunger.” said a government secretary.
Most people don’t even realize how much food they throw away every day. Sometimes they cook too much or they don’t use it in time. Every year more than one-third of all food produced worldwide goes to waste, according to the UN. Stop the waste, and the whole world could save $300 billion from wasted food. More importantly, it could also do less harm to the environment.
Think about a bag of cheese(奶酪). Before we buy it at the store, people have to raise the cows, deal with the milk, and drive to the shop to sell the cheese. If you throw the cheese away, you have wasted energy, fuel(燃料) and water, which give out greenhouse gases that add to global warming.
The UN said if we stop throwing good food away, we could cut down up to 17 million tons of CO₂. The good of that would be the same as taking one in every four cars off the road.
1. Why did the writer think the lunch was special?| A．Because the vegetables were made into juice. |
| B．Because the leaders had a salad and hamburgers. |
| C．Because food was cooked from something thrown away. |
| D．Because the lunch was prepared with different fresh fruits. |
| A．Fuel. | B．Cars. | C．Cows. | D．Climate. |
| A．Even small actions can help make our world better. |
| B．We should buy a bag of cheese from the supermarket. |
| C．Most people have already paid attention to food waste. |
| D．Saving food is more important than driving cars less often. |
| A．Cheese—Healthy for people | B．A meeting—Traditional at the UN |
| C．Food waste—Bad for the environment | D．Greenhouse gases—Dangerous to the Earth |
