1 . Many Chinese people will wonder what presents to get for their mums on Mother’s Day, but not many know Mother’s Day is in fact a festival from the west. Mother’s Day first began in America during the early 20th century. The festival came to China as early as in the 1980s and was widely accepted.
Why did a foreign festival become popular in China? In fact, Chinese traditional culture has always encouraged filial devotion (孝顺) to parents.
One of the examples is the story of Taste Liquid Medicine for Mother (《亲尝汤药》). It tells us the filial virtue (美德) of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty. His mother had been ill for three years. He often stayed up by her bedside and looked after her day and night. He tasted the liquid medicine first before she drank it. Also, mother’s love is an eternal (永恒的) subject in Chinese ancient poems, like Song of the Parting Son by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty.
Now poems like these are still a must-read in school textbooks. Children in China are brought up with the education of filial devotion. On special days, people often use the rose or the forget-me-not (勿忘我) to show love. The carnation (康乃馨) is seen as the perfect flower for mothers around the world, but few know that China has its own flower for mothers —the tiger lily.
We can have different ways to show our love for mothers. What matters most is love, not the festival itself.
1. What do we know about Mother’s Day from the first paragraph?| A．It came from America. |
| B．People all over the world celebrate it. |
| C．It first came to China during the early 20th century. |
| D．People usually buy flowers for mothers on that day. |
| A．To introduce some stories in ancient China. |
| B．To explain why Mother’s Day is popular in China. |
| C．To help people know more about Mother’s Day. |
| D．To compare different traditions on Mother’s Day. |
| A．Children in China are asked to buy flowers for their mothers. |
| B．Sending flowers is the best way to show love to mothers. |
| C．Chinese prefer the tiger lily to the carnation. |
| D．The education of filial devotion is very important in China. |
| A．preparing presents |
| B．celebrating the festival |
| C．understanding the love from mothers |
| D．showing our love to our mothers |
2 . What do you think of the most important inventions in the world? The TV? The printing? The telephone? Or the computer? A report shows that they are not the only important inventions. Here are three other important inventions.
One of the simplest（最简单的）inventions is the toilet（冲水式马桶）. Before toilets, waste ran into rivers from people’s houses. Illnesses were common in big cities, and it was often difficult to find clean drinking water.
Animal food is another important invention. Before the invention, most animals were killed（杀死）every autumn because there was not enough food for them in winter. After hay（干草）became a kind of common animal food, animals could live through the long winter.
The third great invention is glasses. Glasses help people read, write and do “close work” after the age of 45. Without glasses, the world would be difficult for the people above 45.
Inventions | ||
| Some most important inventions | Three other simple inventions | Before the inventions |
| The TV The printing The telephone | The toilet | Waste ran into rivers from people’s house. Illnesses were common in big cities. It was often difficult to find |
| Hay/Animal food | People killed most animals in autumn because | |
| Reading, writing and other “close work” would be difficult for the people | ||
The Chongyang Festival is one of the traditional Chinese Festivals. It falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and it is specially celebrated for the old. On that day, people show their love and respect for the old, wishing them good health and a long life.
The meaning of the festival
The Chongyang Festival is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. Among the numbers from zero to nine, nine is the highest odd number（奇数）. In China, the character “nine” has the same pronunciation as the word “forever”, meaning long life. People believe that two “ninths” meeting together stand for（代表）a long life.
________
The festival has a history of over 2, 000 years. During the Warring States Period（战国）, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the palace. From the Han Dynasty（朝代）, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum（菊花）and drinking wines on the day. It was not officially set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with all kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The king climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day.
The celebrations on the festival
People in China celebrate the Chongyang Festival in different ways. Some popular ones are as follows.
As September has the clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb the mountain.
There will be a happy sense of excitement by climbing the mountain in this season. Also, it is good for health.
People enjoy chrysanthemum on the Chongyang Festival as the flower means long life. And drinking chrysanthemum wine is seen as a way to avoid bad things.
Wearing Zhuyu is also a tradition to avoid bad things as the plant has a special smell that can repel（驱逐）insects and keep out the cold.
Eating Chongyang cakes is another tradition on the festival. It is especially popular in southern China. The cake with nine layers（层）with two sheep on it is usually the best. Two sheep mean Chongyang and nine layers show people could do well in everything.
1. When is the Chongyang Festival?2. Why is the Chongyang Festival also called the Double Ninth Festival?
3. What can be put in the
4. What do people do to avoid bad things according to the passage?
5. What do you think of the Chongyang Festival? Why?
What will our future be like? No one knows, but most people think that robots will be part of our lives. Will they be friendly or unfriendly? So far, robots haven’t caused us any problems. They work for us like servants all the time. They help us do dangerous and difficult work.
People are surprised at the rapid development of robots. In a few years, perhaps robots will think on their own, just as people use their brains and act for themselves. However, once robots can think for themselves, problems may appear. One scientist warns that if robots start to think for themselves, they will no longer want to be our servants, but our masters. The scientist also warns that if we are lucky, they might treat us as we now treat our pets; if we are not lucky, who knows what will happen? Perhaps there will be a war between human beings and robots.
1. Who knows what our future will be like?2. What kind of work do robot help us do now?
3. What will possibly happen with the rapid development of robots in a few years?
4. If you had a robot, what would you like it to do for you? Why? (at least 20—30 words)
5 . How many men do housework? Recently, a European commission (委员会) tried to find out people’s ideas and reactions to the movement. As part of their survey (调查), they asked many men and women the question: “Who does the housework?” The men answered very differently from the women.
The housework they asked people about were preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and babysitting. 48% of British husbands said they did these things. 37% of Danish men helped in the house. But only 15% of Italian wives said that their husbands hardly ever helped. The Italian and British men did not tell the truth! The Commission found that Danish men were the most trustful husbands; their answers were the same as their wives’ answers.
Do the men you know help in the house? Do you think the survey gives a true picture in your experience? Write and tell us what you think.
1. Why does the author ask a question at the beginning?| A．To lead in the topic. | B．To explain the doubt. |
| C．To provide the information. | D．To express the worry. |
| A．How many boys do the housework? |
| B．Who does the housework at home? |
| C．How many women do the housework? |
| D．Who are busier, wives or husbands? |
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
| A．Giving an example. | B．Raising a question. |
| C．Listing numbers. | D．Giving reasons. |
6 . Girls, what do you want to do when you grow up? Maybe you would say, “I want to be a teacher, an actress or a painter.” But people might be surprised if you said “astronauts.” Can girls be astronauts, too? Sure, they can!
To set a good example for young girls, the European Space Agency (ESA, 欧洲航天局) is working with Barbie (芭比娃娃). They have made two new Barbie dolls. Both of them are based on Samantha Cristoforetti. She is the first Italian woman that has flown into space. She spent 200 days in space, from November 2014 to June 2015.
There aren’t a lot of female astronauts in the world. Currently (目前)，only 15 percent of all active spacefarers are women.
The Cristoforetti Barbie is part of the Barbie Dream Gap Project. The project started in 2018. It tries to encourage more girls to devote themselves to science. Cristoforetti hopes that girls can go after their dreams with her help. After all, anything boys can do, ________. Don’t you think so?
1. Which of the following can best describe people’s feeling to a woman astronaut?| A．Excited. | B．Amazed. | C．Impatient. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．15. | B．30. | C．85. | D．170. |
| A．girls are unable to do the same | B．girls aren’t expected to do |
| C．girls are supposed to do better | D．girls aren’t encouraged to do |
| A．To teach girls how to make more lovely dolls. |
| B．To encourage more girl to take jobs in science. |
| C．To tell us the life of an Italian woman astronaut. |
| D．To ask us to work hard and achieve our dreams. |
7 . Many young people have trouble communicating with their parents. However, there are some very useful tips to help solve this problem.
First, make a list of the things you and your parents disagree about most. With each of these things, try to find an answer acceptable to both you and your parents. It is no good for you to require everything to go your way. You have to be ready to change a little if you want them to change.
Second, talk to your parents when it is convenient for them. Remember that your parents may have to work long hours and this can make them tired, so be patient with them.
Third, listen to what your parents have to say. How can you expect them to listen to you if you are not ready to listen to them? In addition, your parents were once young like you, so they understand your situation better than you expect.
Finally, if you do not get a satisfactory result, try not to get too angry. Talk with your parents and find out their reasons, Part of growing up is learning to live with these kinds of disagreements, and learning to understand another person’s way of looking at things.
With a little hard work, you can learn to communicate better with your parents.
1. Who is the text written for?| A．Many old couples. | B．Many old parents. |
| C．Many young parents. | D．Many young people. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．To teach us some useful skills to communicate with our parents. |
| B．To encourage us to help with the housework for the whole family. |
| C．To warn us to obey the family rules and always listen to our parents. |
| D．To share his or her personal experience with people of the same age. |
| A．Culture | B．Business | C．Life | D．History |
8 . School Gardens Could Help Children Try More Vegetables
It’s not always enjoyable for children to eat vegetables. But what if a garden is built in the school? New research suggests that a gardening program in schools can increase children’s vegetable intake (摄入量) .
How the Study Was Carried Out
The study was carried out in eight schools. Each school was in the gardening program for one school year. Every child in grades 3-5 received a total of eighteen 60-minute lessons across the school year. In the program, each school built a garden, where children learned to grow their own fresh produce, like fruit and vegetables.
The Benefits Children Could Get
The study found that vegetable intake of the children who grew their own produce increased greatly across the year. Related studies show that increased vegetable intake can improve health and cut the risk of chronic diseases (慢性疾病) . Not only are there benefits to health, increasing the variety of vegetables children are exposed (接触) to may also make mealtimes much easier. “Children who are often exposed to a variety of vegetables are more likely to try new foods,” explains Dr. Kerry Jones. For children, growing their own food is a powerful tool to increase their intake of the food.
________
Any opportunity to expose children to more vegetables is meaningful. “If children are learning about vegetables at school, it’s important to encourage this interest” says Jones. Parents can listen to their children about what they have learned and read the handouts they bring home from school. Parents and children can also read books together. Younger: children can enjoy reading stories about vegetables with parents who offer useful message. Older children may enjoy searching through cookbooks with parents to find new dinner ideas to cook vegetables in a tasty way. Besides, a small planter box in a sunny part at home can encourage children to understand more about where their food comes from.
Teaching children to grow their own produce is a great way to increase their preference for the produce. If children are taught to enjoy vegetables early in life, they will probably continue eating vegetables in the long term.
1. According to the new research, what can increase children’s vegetable intake?| A．A gardening program in schools. | B．Teachers in schools. |
| C．Classmates in schools. | D．Scientists. |
| A．They did research on new plants. | B．They grew fresh produce at school. |
| C．They took home green vegetables. | D．They built gardens for their classes. |
| A．Ideas to Encourage Children to Cook at Home |
| B．Ways to Expose Children to Vegetables at Home |
| C．Reasons Why Parents Should Understand Children |
| D．Suggestions Which Children Could Get from Parents |
| A．Parents’ support might improve children’s reading. |
| B．School programs could develop students’ creativity. |
| C．Doing studies can prepare students for future learning. |
| D．Hands-on experience may influence children’s preference. |
9 . Parents helped us in all sides when we were very young. As we grow older, we may help them. Families can succeed in reaching goals when all family members help one another.
What makes real family members? Whoever we are, our family members are the most important in our lives. Family members support each other in many ways besides money or helping around the house. On the one hand, we can share our hopes, dreams or problems when we communicate with them. On the other hand, we can get a strong feeling of satisfaction and confidence with their help.
How to build good family relationships needs a lot of efforts. Firstly, everyone in the family needs to get along well with each other and shouldn’t have conflicts. Secondly, family members should share thoughts and feelings while eating meals, traveling or working together. Thirdly, we should talk with each other about our worries and then solve them together because family members can encourage one another to set goals and achieve dreams. Finally, we are supposed to spend time listening to family members. Listening shows we care about them as much as they care about us.
In a word, family members can make us full of energy and powerful all the time.
1. Who helped us in all sides when we were young?| A．Teachers. | B．Friends. | C．Classmates. | D．Parents. |
| A．Money. | B．Dreams. | C．Family members. | D．Problems. |
| A．Discussions. | B．Fights. | C．Happiness. | D．Kindness. |
| A．To set goals and achieve our dreams. | B．To get good grades. |
| C．To spend time traveling. | D．To avoid arguments with others. |
10 . Have we ever thought what we read for, information or skills? How do we feel when we read, excited or upset? We read word by word aloud and think about them. Is that enough? I think reading is more than pronouncing or thinking about words.
The Reader, a very popular program, is staged in the form of reading. It’s a national reading program, Dong Qing works as both a hostess and a producer. The Reader hopes to tell us what the world is and it takes us to see the beautiful world by reading. The show has invited some influential guests who have rich experiences and touching stories.
“Reading touches people’s hearts” is the slogan (口号) of The Reader. What it wants to present isn’t reading skills but real feelings. They are what touches the audience most.
The Reader is of great importance to the audience and Chinese culture. It also tells us if we keep our mind on what we are reading, we’ll know what reading really is and we’ll become better readers.
1. The underlined word “influential” means “________” here in Chinese.| A．无人知晓的 | B．有影响力的 |
| C．大公无私的 | D．能歌善舞的 |
| A．reading skills | B．real feelings |
| C．rich experiences | D．touching stories |
| A．know what the world is | B．see the beautiful world |
| C．become better readers | D．all of the above |
| A．Dong Qing works as not only a hostess but also a storyteller. |
| B．Its slogan is “Listening touches people’s hearts”. |
| C．It is very important to the audience and Chinese culture. |
| D．It is staged in the form of acting. |
