1 . China has just opened its FAST radio telescope (射电望远镜) to international scientists. It means scientists across the world can apply for using the telescope to do astronomical observations.
FAST is short for Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. It was completed in September 2016 and it officially began operating in January 2020. Measuring 500 meters in diameter. FAST is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, and is 10 times more sensitive than the 100-meter Radio Telescope Effelsberg in Germany.
The major scientific task of the telescope is the observation of pulsars (脉冲星). The study of pulsars can help to confirm the existence of gravitational radiation (引力辐射) and black holes, and help solve many other major questions in physics. Another major scientific goal of FAST is to search for life outside the Earth.
The telescope is located in a naturally deep and round karst depression (喀斯特洼地) in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. The first advantage of the selected site is the altitude (海拔). The average altitude of Guizhou is about 1,100 meters. Generally, the higher the altitude, the more the telescope can observe. Secondly, the radio telescope needs to have a “big pan” to receive better signals. The huge natural depression could reduce the difficulty of construction. Moreover, the selected site in Guizhou is far away from cities, and has a low population density, which reduces the interference (干扰) caused by wireless devices such as TVs, mobile phones and radios from human activities.
So far, FAST has found over 300 pulsars. Experts predict that the number could reach 1,000 in five years and that the telescope could find and locate the first pulsar outside the Galaxy.
1. When did FAST start working officially?| A．In 2015. | B．In 2016. | C．In 2020. | D．In 2021. |
| A．To study black holes. | B．To explore the sun. |
| C．To observe pulsars in the universe. | D．To send signals into space. |
| A．The advantages of the selected site for FAST. |
| B．Guizhou Province has the highest altitude in China. |
| C．The reasons for using mobile phones less. |
| D．FAST is built in a pan-shape place to keep people out. |
（①=Part 1,②=Part 2,…）
A． | B． | C． | D．① ② ③ ④ |
2 . With the help of a new mobile app called Farm Assistant, developed by Wu Zeyin, farmers in Botswana can make their work much easier. Wu from Hubei Province, moved to Botswana with his family seven years ago. He is only 11 years old now.
Fewer trees and dry weather are the norm (通常情况) in most parts of the country, making it difficult to grow common crops. Botswana had to import (进口) many grains, fruits and vegetables from neighboring countries, such as South Africa, to meet the needs of its people.
To deal with food shortages, Botswana has carried out a series of cooperation (合作) with China. In July last year, a test project to grow China’s water-saving and drought-tolerant (耐早的) rice was finally grown in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana. It brought Wu some new ideas on local farming.
When Wu got the news, he decided to develop an app for agriculture (农业). The app supports eight crops commonly grown locally, including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corm, carrots, cabbages, eggplants and radishes.
Farmers who use the app can click on the crop picture to see its planting nodes (节点), watering seeds, ripening time, seed price, selling price and yield. After planting the seeds, farmers click the timer to start, and the app reminds them what to do at each step.
Wu quotes (引用) an old saying in China: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
1. ________ can make farmers in Botswana work much easier.| A．A student | B．A family’s help |
| C．A cooperation with China | D．A new mobile app |
| A．Wu Zeyin is a creative boy |
| B．Wu Zeyin is good at farming |
| C．Wu Zeyin is different from other pupils in Hubei |
| D．Wu Zeyin is born with the ability to develop an app |
| A．When to water seeds |
| B．Why to use Farm Assistant |
| C．How to use Farm Assistant |
| D．What to do at each step of growing apples |
| A．To say Chinese old sayings are important. |
| B．To tell us eating fish is good for people in Botswana. |
| C．To express giving people ways is better while helping them to solve problems. |
| D．To explain quoting Chinese old sayings is the best way to talk about the subject. |
3 . Autumn is here. Why not go outdoors and discover the world of fungi (真菌)? Fungi are everywhere—not just under our feet when we go for a walk, but living on surfaces everywhere, even in the air we breathe. Autumn is the perfect time for all kinds of fungi to grow.
There’s no doubt that fungi are not animals since nobody has seen them moving around. “Then they have to be some kinds of plants,” you may think, but no. They are not plants because they do not make their own food from sunlight and air. Instead, they get food by digesting (消化) wood, leaves, and dead things.
If fungi are not animals or plants, then what are they? Well, scientists put fungi in their own kingdom, completely separate from animals and plants. Fungi come in all shapes, colors, and forms. Scientists think that there are at least 1.5 million kinds of fungi in total. Humans have found only about 100, 000. “I never know what I might find in the forest,” said Greg Mueller, are expert in fungi.
When referring to vegetables, fungi are commonly known as mushrooms (蘑菇). Mushrooms are delicious food, but you should NEVER eat wild mushrooms. Many wild mushrooms can easily cause sickness or even death. The only way to know if a mushroom is safe is to have an expert take a good look at it or buy it from the supermarket. NEVER taste even a tiny bit.
The world of fungi is fascinating (极有吸引力的). The next time you are out in a park or forest, taking a look around you will have great fun!
1. From Paragraph One, we can know ________.| A．what fungi are | B．how to find fungi |
| C．when to go for a walk | D．the place and time for fungi to grow |
| A．Fungi are plants. |
| B．Fungi are here and there. |
| C．Fungi are only found in autumn. |
| D．Fungi come in a few kinds of shapes, colors and forms. |
| A．NEVER taste even a tiny bit |
| B．The world of fungi is fascinating. |
| C．Then they have to be some kinds of plants. |
| D．Why not go outdoors and discover the world of fungi? |
| A．We can eat mushrooms from any place. |
| B．It wants us to learn something about fungi. |
| C．Many mushrooms can easily cause sickness. |
| D．When we talk about fungi, we always think of mushrooms. |
4 . 
Wen Shishan has been making oilpaper umbrellas for more than 30 years. As an intangible cultural heritage inheritor (非物质文化遗产传承人) of the art in Fuyang District in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Wen has made 10 umbrellas to celebrate the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou on September 23, 2023.
The 59-year-old told China Daily, “The Asian Games is an important event in Asia. I hope to use the chance to improve the international popularity of oilpaper umbrellas. I also hope to improve oilpaper umbrella culture during the Games,” Wen said.
Production includes 106 steps, from selecting and cutting bamboo, to sticking it onto the paper shade, drying it in the sun and brushing it with oil. The process usually takes about 15 days. And the bamboo used should be at least 6 years old and should be soaked (浸泡) for a month to remove sugars to stave off decay.
The oilpaper umbrella were used on rainy days, as well as during weddings and ceremonies. They are traditionally associated (有关联的) with wishes for quick progress and happiness. Now, beautifully drawn and more decorative (装饰性的) than functional, they are found for sale at tourist sites or used in hotels as decorations.
In 2012, the Zhejiang Fuyang oilpaper umbrella was listed as an intangible culture heritage, drawing increasing attention to the handicraft (手工艺).
1. The second paragraph tells us ________.| A．where oilpaper umbrellas are from |
| B．who the inventor of oilpaper umbrellas is |
| C．how Wen came up with the idea to make oilpaper umbrellas |
| D．why Wen decided to make oilpaper umbrellas for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou |
| A．planting | B．choosing | C．heating | D．stealing |
| A．Wen Shishan | B．Oilpaper Umbrellas |
| C．The Use Of Oilpaper Umbrellas | D．The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou |
| A．Wen’s family | B．oilpaper umbrella culture |
| C．the time of using oilpaper umbrellas | D．the price of oilpaper umbrellas |
5 .
| In ancient China, bell and drum towers used to play the role of clocks in telling people the time. The bell sounded at dawn (黎明) and the drum at dusk (黄昏). Today, bell and drum towers remain in some time-honored (久享盛名的) cities like Beijing and Xi’an. The Bell and Drum Towers in Xi’an are symbols of the city’s rich past. |
| In Guangdong, many local people start a day with morning tea at a tea house. For them, it is the most important meal of the day. They go out to meet friends, eat and have fun. Guangdong morning tea is not just tea. It is a special breakfast with different kinds of snacks and tea. For the local people in Guangdong, drinking morning tea at a tea house is not only a lifestyle but also an important way of social communication. |
| The Fish Festival is a traditional festival of Miao People in Guizhou. It’s from June 2 to 16 of the Chinese lunar calendar. Fish-catching includes catching fish from the sky as well as taking them in the river. A group of people jump into the river and try to catch fish. At the same time, another group tries to catch fish that people throw into the air. If one catches one fish, he will get good luck. Besides fish-catching, other activities include bamboo pole dancing, winding Lusheng (a traditional Miao instrument) and singing Miao songs. The festival usually ends in a happy water fight. |
1. Xi’an is famous for ________.
| A．ancient clocks | B．the city’s rich past |
| C．the Bell and Drum Towers | D．the dawn and dusk |
| A．local and big | B．different and social |
| C．delicious and fun | D．important and special |
| A．2 days | B．14 days | C．15 days | D．16 days |
| A．only men can catch fish |
| B．one catches one fish will be unlucky |
| C．Miao people end up fighting with Miao songs |
| D．Miao people catch fishes from the air and in the river |
6 .
OVERSEAS WRITERS JOIN IN ONLINE LITERATURE As Chinese online literature becomes popular all over the world, more and more young people overseas are joining in writing online literature. | |
Who are they? There were 400,000 online literature writers by October 2023. They are located in more than 100 countries and regions. The post-00 generation makes up 42.36 percent of these writers. | What do they write? By October 2023, 610,000 online novels had been written. They include 15 different types, such as fantasies, wu xia and romance. Male online literature writers abroad prefer:● Adventure novels ● System novels ● Weak-to-Strong novels Female online literature writers abroad prefer: ● Comedy novels ● Revenge (复仇) novels ● Mystery novels |
Top 5 countries where they are from Top 1 The US Top 2 The Philippines Top 3 India Top 4 Indonesia Top 5 Nigeria | |
1. How many online novels had been written by October 2023?
| A．40,000. | B．400,000. | C．61,000. | D．610,000. |
| A．Adventure novels. | B．Romantic novels. |
| C．System novels. | D．Weak-to-Strong novels. |
| A．The post-10 generation makes up 42.36% of these writers. |
| B．Indonesia is the third largest country in which young people overseas join in it. |
| C．The people in over 1,000 regions are joining in writing online literature. |
| D．Female online literature writers abroad prefer to write mystery novels. |
| A．Health. | B．Sports. | C．Literature. | D．Science. |
7 . Humans are getting away from the nature little by little because of the developing technology. But now AI Technology is offering us a chance to listen to the sounds in nature in powerful ways, making us get closer to the worlds of animals and plants.
In nature, there are sounds difficult for us to pick up and understand. Elephants, for example, communicate with each other using a sound far below our human hearing range. Corals (珊瑚) in the ocean also communicate with each other through sound waves to draw baby coral to areas where it can successfully grow.
To pick up sounds that humans are unable to hear, scientists place listening devices (装置) in these environments. They work like a hearing aid (助听器): making humans observe and record nature’s sounds. Then AI can explain their meanings.
With AI technology, humans can not only understand the animals, but also communicate back with them. For example, a team of researchers can understand the bees’ behavior with AI. They can order the bees to stop moving and communicate where to fly to collect honey. Besides, the researchers can also create a form of healing for animals and plants. That’s to say, in the near future, scientists can get coral to grow in certain areas by playing “healthy reef” sounds, which could help some harm we have caused to become healthy again.
The dream of allowing humans to communicate with different animals and plants in nature is on the way.
1. What can we know about the sounds from Paragraph 2?| A．Corals make use of sound waves to get food. | B．There are sounds difficult to pick up in nature. |
| C．We can’t hear any kind of sounds from nature. | D．We can hear elephants’ communicating sounds. |
| A．It can copy nature’s sounds. | B．It can create nature’s sounds. |
| C．It can record nature’s sounds. | D．It can explain nature’s sounds. |
| A．Killing. | B．Feeding. | C．Communicating. | D．Repairing. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Science. | C．Sports. | D．Travel. |
8 . Poems from Tang and Song Dynasties, operas from Yuan Dynasty, and novels from Ming and Qing Dynasties are very famous in China’s history. Today, I’d like to recommend Song of Autumn, one of the poems by Liu Yuxi (772~842), a famous poet and writer in the mid-Tang Dynasty.
Just as shown in the first line of the poem, most ancient poets liked to describe autumn as a sad time, but in this poem the season appears differently. In Liu’s eyes, autumn, full of life and hope, is even better than spring morning. He describes the bright scene of a crane riding the clouds and flying into the blue sky.
With his poems paying special attention to expressing personal feelings, as well as the daily life of common people, Liu wrote poems with beautiful music-like words. You may feel it in this poem. Though being translated thoughtfully by experienced Xu Yuanchong, the poem still reads not so beautifully as that in Chinese. I personally think that English is sometimes not so powerful as Chinese.
Here is another example, in Liu’s essay An Eulogium on a Humble Cell (《陋室铭》), with less than 100 words, he shows a lively picture of his humble cell. However, it also shows how he was pleased with the poor and simple life. People may find it strange that one can feel happy living in such a humble cell. Learning from his famous sentence, “be fragrant because of my virtues” (斯是陋室，惟吾德馨), I think to be a respectable man is more important than to live in big houses, to wear beautiful clothes, to enjoy delicious food, and even to gain knowledge.
1. Which word can best describe autumn in the poem Song of Autumn?| A．Busy. | B．Hopeful. | C．Cold. | D．Special. |
| A．Expressing personal feelings. | B．Describing lives of young people. |
| C．Picturing blue sky and cranes. | D．Writing songs according to music. |
| A．Strange. | B．Unhappy. | C．Satisfied. | D．Lonely. |
| A．To be a respectable man. | B．To live in a big house. |
| C．Tow ear beautiful clothes. | D．To gain more knowledge. |
9 . ①Have you ever wondered what animals are talking about? With the development of AI, we may be able to understand their language!
②In Professor Karen Bakker’s new book, The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants, she talks about how AI is helping us to make an animal version of Google Translate.
③All around the animal kingdom, there are sounds that we can hardly pick up and decipher (翻译). Elephants, for example, talk with each other using infrasound (次声波)—far below our human hearing range (范围). Coral in the ocean also send sound waves to attract (吸引) baby coral to safer areas to grow. This is surprising as coral doesn't have any ears! Scientists have placed listening equipment (设备) into these environments to pick up the sounds humans cannot hear.
④After the sounds are recorded, AI can study their meaning, according to the news website Vox. For example, Israeli researchers used AI to translate bats' 15,000 calls. They found that more than 60 percent were arguments about four things: food, sleep positions (姿势), invasion (侵犯) of personal space, and unwanted advances (求爱).
⑤This technology can not only understand the animals but communicate back to them. For example, bees use dances to communicate. A research team in Germany, therefore, put the bee language AI system into a robot bee. They asked the robot to create a dance routine (路线) to tell the bees where the nectar (花蜜) was, Vox reported.
1. Karen Bakker’s new book is mainly about ________.| A．the unique ways that animals communicate |
| B．it would be a good thing to use the AI |
| C．how AI helps translate animals’ sounds |
| D．why animals need help from human beings |
| A．is a kind of plant | B．is a kind of animal | C．has two ears | D．looks like humans |
| A．more than 60% of bats like arguing | B．the human can hear all the sounds in the world |
| C．AI can record 15,000 bats’ sounds | D．how AI can study the meaning of animal’ sounds |
| A．by placing listening equipment in their bodies |
| B．by training other bees to follow it to get there |
| C．by creating a special sound to attract the bees |
| D．by telling the bees about the routine by dancing |
10 . Safety is very important to everyone. As a teenager, do you know how to protect yourself in different situations?
If there is a warning sign near the water, don’t go into it. Only swim in the area where there is a lifeguard. Never swim alone. When you see someone drowning, never jump into the water to try to save him if you can’t swim. Remember to ask adults for help in time. When you go boating, you must wear a life vest(救生衣).
Some strangers may give you snacks or other things to show kindness. They may also invite you to his or her home, offer you a ride, or ask you for detailed information about you or your family. Say no to them and leave as fast as you can. If you find yourself in danger, shout “Help!” loudly or find out a safe way to get help.
Bullying(欺凌) is a dangerous and serious offense (冒犯行为) these days. If it happens to you, you should report it to the headmaster and your teachers. They will work with the parents to solve the problems.
Stay away from places that are very crowded. Once you go, watch out your feet and avoid falling down. When people around begin to push, try to keep your cool and never push harder. If you fall down in the moving crowd, cover your head with both hands.
1. What does the underlined word “drowning” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．boating in water | B．dying in water | C．playing in water | D．swimming in water |
| A．refuse | B．accept | C．believe | D．eat |
| A．Try to fight with them. | B．Ask classmates for help in time. |
| C．Tell the headmaster and your teachers. | D．Leave the man as soon as possible. |
| A．Swimming in the safe area. | B．Staying away from the crowded places. |
| C．How to get help from others. | D．How to protect yourself in different situations. |
