1 . Universal Studios theme parks are known for rides and buildings based on popular movies and TV shows. They turn things from these movies and shows into reality. Now one of these parks is coming to China! The Universal Beijing Resort(UBR) will open on Sept 20. UBR is the fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world. As the first of its kind in China, UBR has elements from Chinese culture to draw Chinese visitors.
The Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness is Universal’s first themed area based on the Kung Fu Panda movies. It’s an indoor area. “When I walked into the place, it was like I traveled back to the night market of the Tang Dynasty,” said Lu Peiyao, 26, who took part in a test of the park. It has lanterns and dragons. The restaurants look like ancient buildings, selling noodles and Chinese desserts. Even the area’s music is Chinese. Visitors can ride on huge colorful swinging lanterns or carousels based on characters from the movies.
The themed area Transformers Metrobase brings a new story and art style with Chinese elements. Setting the Metrobase headquarters in Beijing, it tells the story of a 750-million-year-old Autobot who tries to save the world. Visitors will become members of an army to join him. “To tell a famous Western or even alien story about Transformers with a Chinese background, we needed to find a way that Chinese guests will understand and prefer,” said Sabrina Han, a park employee. The story features lots of Chinese humor and pop culture. Designers around the world also carefully studied Chinese culture, such as flying fairies and water ink paintings, and used them in the design.
Other parts of the park have Chinese elements as well. There is a statue of “two dragons chasing a pearl(双龙戏珠)”, a common theme in Chinese culture. The shopping street City Walk borrows Chinese building styles, such as Beijing’s Hutong. Red and gold are used in the lights and ground along the walk.
| Word bank elements元素 carousels旋转木马 Transformers Metrobase变形金刚基地 employee员工 flying fairies飞天 |
1. Which is correct about Universal Studios theme parks?
| A．Actors from popular shows work there. | B．It’s a place to make movies. |
| C．There are five of them around the world. | D．The first one was built in China. |
| A．Ride dragons. | B．Eat desserts. | C．Build carousels. | D．Play roles from movies. |
| A．He is one of the designers. | B．He causes trouble for visitors. |
| C．He is a flying fairy. | D．He has had a very long life. |
| A．创造 | B．产生 | C．……为缘由 | D．……为特色 |
| A．It is mainly for foreign visitors. | B．It is environmentally friendly. |
| C．It is rich in Chinese culture. | D．It is the biggest park in China. |
2 . Are you learning English and do you need help with grammar? Do you want to learn new vocabulary or slang?Well, you can find help online with these top 5 free English as a Second Language websites.
Dave’s ESL Cafe
This is a complete website that can help you learn and practice English. You can read many stories and do a lot of exercises to test yourself. You can also post questions and answers onto the help center.
About.com
You can get free English courses from About.com and you’ll get regular e-mails that will help you get hold of English.
The Classroom by Voice of America
You can watch videos and listen to news stories to improve your listening and vocabulary skills. You can also hear English words and their meanings.
Heinle’s Newbury House Dictionary of American English
Do you need to find the definition of a word?Use this online dictionary to find simple and clear definitions, as well as example sentences and idioms.You can also find different cultural facts.
Personal English Portal on YouTube
You can watch this series of videos on YouTube to develop your listening skills. You can also do a search for “learn English” on YouTube to find other videos. This is a good way to practice English and have fun.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
| Word bank slang俚语 idioms习语 Portal门户网站 |
| A．About.com | B．YouTube |
| C．Dave’s ESL Café | D．the Classroom by Voice of America |
| A．watch videos and pictures | B．listen to news and music |
| C．watch movies and matches | D．read questions and answers |
| A．get relaxed | B．have fun | C．become famous | D．learn English |
| A．cultural information | B．online libraries | C．interesting news | D．many storybooks |
| A．You can watch series of videos and learn English in a fun way. | B．You can find different idioms and slang through the websites. |
| C．They are helpful English as a second language websites free of charge. | D．They are top 5 free websites that will help you a lot. |
3 . Shopping for clothes is not the same experience for a man as it is for a woman. A man goes shopping because he needs something. All men simply walk into a shop and ask for what they want. If the shop has it, the salesman quickly finds it, and the business of trying it on continues at once. All being well, the deal can be and often is completed in less than five minutes.
For a man, small problems may begin when the shop does not have what he wants. Then, the salesman tries to sell the customer something else. “I know this jacket is not the style (款式) you want, sir, but would you like to try it for size? It happens to be the color you mentioned.” Few men have patience with this treatment, and the usual reply is, “This is the right color and maybe the right size, but I should be wasting my time and yours by trying it on.”
However, a woman does so in the opposite way. Her shopping is not often based on (以……为基础) need, and she is only “having a look around”. She is always open to persuasion, really she believes in what the saleswoman tells her. She will try on any number of things. Most women have an excellent sense of value when they buy clothes. They are always on the lookout for the unexpected sale. Faced with a roomful of dresses, a woman may easily spend an hour going from one room to another, often going back over again, before choosing the dresses she wants to try on. It is always tiring, but obviously (明显的) enjoyable. Most dress shops provide chairs for the waiting husbands.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将答题卡相应选项涂黑。
1. The shopping deal for a man is completed in less than five minutes because ________.
| A．he can try it on quickly | B．the shop sells very cheaply |
| C．the salesman quickly finds it | D．he can buy what he really wants |
| A．He does not buy anything. | B．He tries on something else. |
| C．He buys another he doesn’t like. | D．He follows the salesman’s advice. |
| A．答复 | B．劝说 | C．请求 | D．逼迫 |
| A．They know what they want to buy. | B．They listen to advice but never take it. |
| C．They welcome suggestions from others. | D．They hardly consider buying cheap clothes. |
| A．a man often buys what he doesn’t need | B．a man’s shopping is often based on need |
| C．a woman’s shopping is never based on need | D．a woman goes shopping to look for cheap things |
4 . “I sometimes get up three or four in the morning to surf the Internet.”
“I check my e-mail almost forty times a day.”
“I seldom spend less than three hours each time on the net.”
“I spend more time in chat rooms than with my ‘real-life’ friends.”
Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction(瘾) called Internet addiction. According to experts, Internet addicts(迷) spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. They lose control of the time they spend on the Internet.
And how much time do you spend online? Could you be addicted to the Internet?
The Internet can make our lives easier and more fun. We can use it to learn new things, to talk to friends, to go shopping and to play games. But some people use the Internet too much. They become addicted to it.
Someone who is addicted to the Internet spends too much time online. If they cannot get online, they may feel depressed. They may stop spending time with friends and family. Their marks in school may also go down because they do not study or do homework.
Being addicted to the Internet is also bad for people’s health. Some people forget to eat because they are playing games. If they do eat, they often eat fast food or unhealthy snacks. They also get less exercise.
If someone is addicted to the Internet, they should take a break for a while. The Internet is fun and useful, but we should not forget about all there is to do in the real world offline!
1. An Internet addict spends at least ________ online every week according to experts.| A．ten hours | B．forty hours | C．twenty hours | D．thirty to forty hours |
| A．make our lives easier | B．make us do more exercise |
| C．make our families happy | D．make us be classmates |
| A．surprised | B．delighted | C．unhappy | D．amazed |
| A．forgetting to eat | B．eating unhealthy food |
| C．doing exercise less | D．spending more time with friends and family |
| A．the users of the Internet | B．being addicted to the Internet |
| C．playing Internet games | D．spending more time with friends and family |
5 . Is there a way to quickly remember information just before taking an exam? Walking backwards might be a good way. Scientists from the University of Roehampton in the UK said this activity can help people improve their short-term memory.
Researchers asked 114 volunteers to watch a video. After watching the video, volunteers were divided into three groups. One group was told to walk ten meters forward. The second group walked ten meters backwards. The third group stood in one place. All three groups were then asked 20 questions about what they saw in the video.
The scientists found that the group of walking backwards got two more answers correct on average than the other two groups.
This suggests that the relationship between the concepts(概念) of time and space is important considering how our minds form memories. “Time is really expressed through space,” Aleksandar Aksentijevic, who led the study, told the Daily Mail when you walk backwards, you see things from a different way compared to walking forwards. This difference helps people recall things that happened in the past.
And walking backwards is not just good for our brains, it is also good for the rest of our body. Compared to walking forward, walking backwards is more challenging. This can improve our health. according to New Scientist. Walking backwards uses more energy in a short time and burns more calories. Besides, walking backwards puts less stress on our knees. It could be helpful for people who often have pain in their knees. Walking backwards also keeps our spines(脊柱) strong, which can help to reduce pain in the back. This might be why many old people like walking backwards.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. What was the third group asked to do by the researchers?
| A．To walk up and down. | B．To walk ten meters forward. |
| C．To stay in one place. | D．To walk ten meters backwards. |
| A．It is only good for our brains. | B．It puts less stress in our spines. |
| C．It helps put on weight. | D．It improves our short-time memory. |
| A．Five. | B．Four. | C．Three. | D．Two. |
| A．Because it helps them remember things better. |
| B．Because it helps them think back the past. |
| C．Because it helps them lose weight. |
| D．Because it helps them reduce pains in their backs. |
| A．It is good for us in several ways to walk backwards. |
| B．Walking backwards is a good way for old people to keep healthy. |
| C．Walking backwards can help us do better in exams. |
| D．Walking backwards is more popular among old people. |
6 . China is the home of tea, which has more than 4000 years of history. Among the three main drinks—tea, coffee and cocoa, tea is drunk by the largest number of people in the world. Tea from China, along with silk and porcelain, began to be known by the world over a thousand years ago.
The words for “tea” in different languages came from the Chinese character “cha”. The English word, “tea”, sounds similar to the pronunciation of it in Xiamen. The Russians call it “chai’i”, which sounds like “chaye”(tea leaves). The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as it is in Chinese.
Tea leaves are produced mainly in the south of China because of the mild climate and rich soil there. Longiing, Pu’ er, Wulong and Tieguanyin are all famous tea. Over the past centuries, Chinese people have developed their unique tea culture. Tea is also a popular topic in dances, songs, poems and novels.
1. What kind of drink is drunk by the largest number of people in the world?| A．Coffee. | B．Cocoa. | C．Tea. | D．Milk. |
| A．4000 | B．3000 | C．2000 | D．1000 |
| A．America. | B．Russia. | C．Japan. | D．Britain. |
| A．The Chinese and Japanese characters for tea are the same. | B．Three kinds of tea are mentioned in the passage. |
| C．Tea leaves are produced mainly in the north of China. | D．Tea isn’t a popular topic in poems and novels. |
| A．The History of Tea | B．China’s Tea Culture | C．Tea Drinking in China | D．All Kinds of Tea in China |
7 . Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province. It’s a city with a long history. Kunming has a population of more than 5,000,000. Though the weather in Yunnan changes from place to place, Kunming is famous for her beautiful weather. It’s neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter. That’s why more and more people like to travel and even to live here. You can see that great changes have taken place here. A lot of tall buildings, cinemas and hospitals have been put up. You can cross the streets over footbridges in the city. You can buy whatever you want in shops and supermarkets in or around the city. People’s lives are becoming better and better.
At weekend or on holiday, people like to relax themselves in different places and in different ways. In winter, people, especially old people would like to climb the Western Hills. From the top of the Hills, you can have a good look at the beautiful scenery of Kunming. Far away from the Hills, you can enjoy the Sleeping Beauty among the Hills. After supper, families take a walk along the bank of Dianchi Lake. The Golden Temple and EXPO Garden are two famous places of interest in the north of the city. EXPO Garden is known to people both at home and abroad. You can spend a whole day visiting the world-famous garden. A little farther away from the southeast of the city, a special forest welcomes you. It is not a tree forest, but a stone forest. So it is called the Stone Forest.
People in Kunming are really friendly. They often invite their friends home to try delicious food, like rice noodles. If you want to know more about Kunming and taste her food, please visit her yourself!
1. —What’s the population of Kunming?—_______.
| A．Over five million | B．Over five thousand | C．Over five billion | D．Over five hundred |
| A．the same in different places | B．neither too hot nor too cold |
| C．different in different places | D．different in the same place |
| A．person | B．hill | C．shop | D．film star |
| A．The Western Hills | B．The Stone Forest | C．The Golden Temple | D．EXPO Garden |
| A．invite tourists to Kunming | B．visit Kunming | C．taste her food | D．know more about Kunming |
8 . There's much to see under the sea, but you need to remember that light behaves differently in water than in air. The objects appear closer to you than they exactly are. You might find yourself reaching out to touch something and completely missing it.
Objects under water will appear larger than they would on the surface, too. Be careful not to tell any stories about the big fish that got away. That fish might not be so big after al! It's just because sometimes things can seem to be as much as about 33 percent bigger in water!
What's more, in deeper water, colors just don't seem as bright. In fact, it looks as if some colors are missing. Remember the color of an object results from the wavelengths（波长）of light that are reflected from its surface. And light is taken in as it moves down through the water.
Swimmers wear wet suits to keep warm underwater. Let's take a bright red, yellow, and blue wet suit as an example. These colors are hard to miss on the surface of water. Watch carefully the changes in color as you descend in the water. The red part now looks almost black because the red light wavelengths, the longest among these three colors, are missing. As you go down deeper, the same thing will happen to the yellow part and in the end to the blue part. Even at a place of about 6 to 9 meters underwater, you will look terrible, like a ghost! And you have to wait for your return to the surface to enjoy the bright colors again!
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. You miss the object underwater when you want to touch it because __________.
| A．your eyesight is quite poor | B．you are not quick enough |
| C．it is not as close as it seems | D．it disappears very quickly |
| A．the size | B．the color | C．the position | D．the weight |
| A．Red | B．Black | C．Blue | D．Yellow |
| A．A four-meter-long fish looks about three meters long underwater. |
| B．Some colors are missing in deeper water. |
| C．Much water will be taken in by the swimmer deep in the water. |
| D．You will see a ghost if you go as deep as 6 to 9 meters into the sea. |
| A．The Standard of Color Underwater | B．The Direction of Light Underwater |
| C．The Brightness of Color Underwater | D．The Behavior of Light Underwater |
9 . Inventions That Will Make Your Life Easier
LynQ |  | Getting separated from friends or a family member at a music festival can be a real headache. LynQ helps you find your loved ones when you get separated from the group. Unlike your smart phones, this small thing does not need any WiFi to stay connected. It is a great tool for family vacations. |
HabitAware |  | A common new year's resolution centers around the idea of kicking some kind of bad habit. HabitAware is here to make your life a little easier. The beautiful little thing vibrates anytime it catches you falling into the bad habit you are trying to break. |
Philips Somneo |  | The company Philips has something to help you get up earlier in 2020. The Phillips Somneo is here to help you wake up better without very annoying sounds of a traditional alarm clock. It creates what is like a natural sunrise each morning, while helping with your sleeping habits. |
Eargo |  | The American company is here to add a little excitement to the hearing aid market. With 48 million Americans having hearing problems, the team hopes that their easy-to-use comfortable product will give these people the ability to hear again. |
根据材料内容选择最佳答案
1. Which of the following can help find family members?
| A．Philips Somneo | B．HabitAware | C．Eargo | D．LynQ |
| A．For finding your loved ones. | B．For helping correct your bad habits. |
| C．For helping you with your sleeping habits. | D．For helping people listen better. |
| A．It helps them form a good sleeping habit. | B．Its natural light helps them sleep better. |
| C．It wakes up its users in a nice way. | D．Its noise helps them get up early. |
| A．It has better sound. | B．It's a bit hard to use. |
| C．It already has 48 users. | D．It helps people hear better. |
| A．website for traveling | B．A story about science |
| C．A magazine of technology | D．A book on American culture |
10 . Homework is a problem for students all over the world. As a student, you have a lot of homework to do every day. It's a major part of a student's schooldays. It's the best way to review what you have learned in class. And it helps you understand important concepts（概念）. Luckily, there are several things you can do to make homework less diffiicult.
Be sure you understand the homework
Write your homework down in your notebook if you need to. Don't be afraid to ask questions about it. It's much easier to ask the teacher during or after class than to try to remember later that night!
Use your time at school
Many schools have study halls. It is designed to allow students to study on their own. It's more interesting to play with your friends. But the more homework you finish at school, the less you’ll have to do that night.
Take a break
It's difficult to hold your attention for too long. So take some breaks while doing your homework. Siting for too long without relaxing will make you feel very tired. Taking a 15-minute break every hour is a good idea for most people.
Make a plan
If you don't finish your homework at school, think about how much you have left, so you can budget your time. Most students have between 1 hour and 3 hours of home-work a night. If it's a heavy homework day, you'll need to spend more time on it. It's a good idea to make a homework timetable, especially when you want to enjoy sports or other activities.
1. The first paragraph is mainly about_____| A．why homework is hard to do |
| B．why students should do homework |
| C．how much homework students should do |
| D．when students should do homework |
| A．writing your homework down in your notebook |
| B．trying to finish your homework at school |
| C．doing homework without taking a break |
| D．making a plan for your homework |
| A．plan | B．save | C．waste | D．kill |
| A．do less homework at night |
| B．do other activities first |
| C．take a break and do some chores |
| D．make a homework timetable |
| A．Too much homework means too much pressure |
| B．Students should learn to relax |
| C．Ways to make homework easier |
| D．Problems students meet when doing homework |
