1 . A guide to making a summer diary
| Imagine summer full of adventures and discoveries. Now imagine collecting all of that excitement in a correct place just for you. Sounds exciting, right? |
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| Why keep a summer diary? A summer diary is like a treasure box, filled with memories and experiences from your summer days. It’s a way to remember all your adventures, big and small, and all the things that make summer such a wonderful time. It is also a great place to show your ideas, and let your imagination (想象力) run wild! | |
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| Choose your favourite diary notebook Every great adventure begins with the right tools. For your summer diary, the first step is to find the perfect notebook. It could be a simple pocket notebook or a diary with a lock and key. Look for something that catches your eye, and don’t forget that it should have pages to last you the whole summer. | Ideas to get more creative Here are some ideas to get you started: ◇Daily Activities: Every day is an adventure! Write about what you did, saw or felt ◇ Nature Observations ( 观 察 ): You could write about a tiny insect you saw or the way the leaves rustle (make soft sounds when they move) in the wind. ◇Simple Doodles (涂鸦): A diary doesn’t have to be all about words. Paint something you saw, or draw a picture about your summer holiday. ◇Goals: What are your hopes for this summer or the new school year? Write them down and make a plan on how to achieve them. |
| The reward (回报) of your summer diary By the end of the summer, you’ll have a collection of memories and experiences. It will remind you of all the fun you had and show how much you’ve grown and learned. It’s a gift you can keep and share with your family and friends. | |
1. A summer diary is made NOT for ________.
| A．showing ideas | B．remembering summer adventures |
| C．doing as homework | D．keeping a record of summer days |
| A．It’s necessary to choose a right notebook for summer diaries. |
| B．We can write some daily simple things and our feelings in summer diaries. |
| C．Summer diaries are all about words. Drawing is not advised in them. |
| D．It’s good to make a plan for the next term in summer diaries. |
| A．Worries and pains. | B．Progress and growing up. |
| C．Gifts from families. | D．Love from best friends. |
| A．teach students to keep a diary in summer holidays |
| B．call on teenagers to care more about themselves |
| C．attract parents to buy a notebook as a gift |
| D．encourage students to make a plan for the future |
2 . ①Think of these scenes. A girl is walking alone in the street and watching a short video on her mobile phone without noticing a car just stop beside her. Or she is walking in an empty street in the dark night without any adults with her. What if something unsafe happens? Being street smart is an important skill to have and a good way to take care of yourself if something unsafe happens.
②Always carry your cell phone with you, but do not look at it while you are walking. Being able to communicate or call for help is important, so keep a list of useful numbers. But put your cell phone away while you are walking so that you can keep your head up and see what’s going on around. If you do need to check your cell phone, stop and look at it quickly.
③Don’t wear earphones (耳机) while you are out. If you have to listen to something when you’re out, use only one earphone or play it at a very low volume.
④Travel with friends or family members when possible and never go anywhere with a stranger. It’s important to be careful with strangers. Remember not to get into a stranger’s car if they call you over.
⑤ Avoid dark and out-of-the-way places. Do not take short cuts through dark areas, even if it will make your trip much faster. If you have to go to unsafe places, go with someone you know or speak to someone over the cell phone while you are there.
⑥Run and shout if you feel unsafe. Run away as fast as you can towards a police station, hospital, on nearby business for help. Shout as loudly as you can to get the attention of people nearby.
⑦As you see, being street smart can help us avoid some possible problems. The smarter we are in the street, the safer we will be. So watch out!
1. The writer begins the passage by ________.| A．listing numbers | B．telling a story |
| C．giving an example | D．describing different situations |
| A．水平 | B．质量 | C．音量 | D．节奏 |
| A．It’s sometimes dangerous to travel alone without parents around. |
| B．If you need to check your cell phone in the street, look at it quickly. |
| C．We mustn’t listen to music with earphones in the street. |
| D．It we meet something dangerous in the street, stay calm and run home fast. |
| A．①/②③④/⑤⑥⑦ | B．①②/③④⑤⑥/⑦ |
| C．①/②③④⑤⑥/⑦ | D．①②③④/⑤⑥/⑦ |
3 . 
We can see more and more driver-less cars in the streets and our homes can be controlled by voice. AI (人工智能) has developed so fast recently. “AI is going to change the world more than anything in the history of mankind (人类), more than electricity.” said AI expert Dr. Kai Fu Lee. That’s true. According to a research by scientists at the University of Oxford, AI will be better than humans at translating languages by 2024, writing school essays by 2026, selling things by 2031, writing a bestselling book by 2049, and treating diseases by 2053. In the next few years, AI will become an important part in our lives.
These are just a few examples of how AI will change the future. What about jobs? Will they take our jobs in the future?
“AI will take our jobs!” is the most common fear. In fact with AI automating (自动操作) all kinds of work, we can think of a more comfortable future for ourselves with millions of new job chances. According to a report on the Future of Jobs by World Economic Forum (世界经济论坛), AI will create 58 million new AI jobs by 2022. There is an excellent chance that AI will replace humans in most of the mental (脑力) tasks by 2030. However, that does not mean it will take away jobs. Taking India as an example, the Indian AI industry doubled in size in 2019 compared to the year before. In just one year, three times more companies are working on AI-based projects and this may continue. India almost doubled its AI engineers in 2019 (from 40. 000 in 2018 to 72. 000 in 2019), but still faces a talent shortage (人才短缺). Top technology companies are racing to implement (实施) AI in our daily lives, which will lead us to a really exciting AI future.
AI Future is coming soon! And there will be more new jobs in the AI industry. Do you want to be a part of this fourth industrial revolution (革命)? Will you upgrade (升级) your skills to stay ahead or will you remain still and slow in the industry? The choice remains with you. With the progress of education and training, now is the time to prepare for the age of AI.
1. From the first paragraph, we can know that AI will ________.| A．replace humans in many ways | B．be more powerful than electricity |
| C．change the long history of electricity | D．change the world greatly |
| A．writing books | B．translating languages |
| C．inventing new robots | D．treating patients |
| A．job shortage | B．job chances | C．losing jobs | D．taking away jobs |
| A．We should improve our skills for AI future. |
| B．AI gets more jobs than people do in India. |
| C．The fourth industrial revolution is a part of AI Future. |
| D．AI will take all our jobs away in the future. |
Weeks before Tomb-Sweeping Day on April 4 this year, hundreds of qingtuan were sold each day. The snack was still a must-have for many people. In the southern part of China, eating qingtuan at the beginning of spring is a kind of tradition. Chinese people started to eat it more than 2,000 years ago. It is made of sticky rice (糯米) and red bean paste (红豆沙), and is famous for its softness, freshness and sweetness. The secret behind its mouth-watering taste is one of its materials—mugwort leaves (艾蒿叶). The plant is mainly found in the Yangtze River Delta (长江三角洲) where it has perfect conditions to grow.
People in this area usually put qingtuan on the tombs (墓) of their dead family members to cherish (怀念) the past memory. Making qingtuan is also a chance for family members to get together at home. It really takes time and effort to make the snack.
Now, qingtuan has already spread its special taste to the northern part of China. Li Yuan, a 30-year-old engineer who grew up in Zhejiang Province, brought qingtuan back to Beijing where he works. “It tastes different in and out of my hometown,” he said. “There’s no place like home.”
Qingtuan has many different tastes inside it, such as apples and bean milk, to meet customers’ tastes. The difference of the taste shows that it’s getting more and more popular across the whole country.
Even though there is warm weather and green leaves in spring, the season wouldn’t be complete without a taste of qingtuan.
1. Tomb-Sweeping Day is in ________.| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
| A．sticky rice | B．green color | C．red bean paste | D．mugwort leaves |
| A．loves no place | B．sells qingtuan | C．works in Beijing | D．works as a cook |
| A．How to grow up in Beijing. | B．What to mark the start of spring. |
| C．When to plant rice in Zhejiang. | D．Why to meet customers’ tastes. |
Do you know mint(薄荷)? It may be added into summer drinks to let us feel cool. Mint plays an important role in our daily life. It keeps our breath fresh and gives food and drinks a kind of fresh smell. But why is this little plant so popular with people?
Mint is found almost everywhere in the world, except in South America and Antarctica. There are 600 varieties of the plant, but a lot of them are so similar that even scientists have trouble telling the differences among them. What we have known for thousands of years, however, is that eating mint is good for our body health.
For starters, if people’s stomachs are not very comfortable, mint can be used to relieve(缓解) that uncomfortable feeling in people’s stomachs. That’s because of the acid(酸) that it contains. What’s more, if you have a common cold, drinking mint tea can reduce your sore throat.
While mint is safe to eat and used to treat people, it has its disadvantages. First of all, eating too much mint can be harmful. If you’re taking it for any health condition, don’t use it too much. Also, mint oil should not be used on the faces of children. This could cause breathing problems.
1. The writer starts the passage by ________.| A．listing numbers | B．asking a question | C．giving an example | D．comparing things |
| A．special smell | B．long history | C．similar look | D．strange taste |
| A．Because it contains acid. | B．Because it has a long history. |
| C．Because it is easy to find. | D．Because it keeps our breath fresh. |
| A．To encourage people to use mint more. | B．To explain how to rightly plant mint. |
| C．To tell us where to find mint easily. | D．To introduce why to be popular and how to use mint. |
6 . Health problems which are related to climate change are getting worse, say two research reports.
The reports followed 44 health problems that are related to climate change around the world. They include heat deaths, infectious diseases (传染病) and hunger. “All of them are getting worse,” said Marina Remanello. She is research director of the Lancet Countdown project. “With globalwarming getting worse, doing nothing on climate and health will cost more than acting now,” one of the reports says.
The reports are called “code red for a healthy future”. One report is centred (集中) on the US and the other is centred on the whole world. The reports found some dangerous facts. At-risk populationslike older people and the very young are more easily influenced by high temperatures. For people over 65, the researchers found they stayed living in warm places where it is easier for some diseases to spread. For example, coast areas are warm enough for dangerous bacteria (细菌) to grow. In some poor nations the season for disease-spreading mosquitoes (蚊子) has got longer since the 1950s.
The research also found that 72 percent of countries saw an increase in wildfires. And in 2020, up to 10 percent of the world’s land surface was influenced by extreme(极端的) drought. In the US, the heat, fire and drought caused the biggest problems. The Pacific Northwest and Canada saw extreme heatwaves. An earlier study found that the heatwaves would not have happened if there were no human-caused climate change.
1. The underlined word “related” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.| A．connected | B．spread | C．accepted | D．considered |
| A．A 15-year-old boy is more easily influenced by high temperatures. |
| B．Climate change doesn't influence people who are under 65. |
| C．It’s easier for some diseases to spread in warm places. |
| D．In the US, the season for mosquitoes becomes longer. |
| A．The results of climate change. |
| B．The reasons why climate changes. |
| C．Health problems caused by climate change. |
| D．Deaths caused by human-caused climate change. |
( ①=Paragraph 1, ②=Paragraph 2, …)
A． | B． | C． | D． |
7 . Imagine a perfect day: the weather is good and everything seems fine. When, suddenly, your mobile phone loses its signal, the television has no programmes, and you can’t get online with your computer.
What has happened? These are just the types of problems a solar storm (太阳风暴) might cause. You may not think of storms as putting our society in danger. But today, a solar storm is as serious as other bad events, such as earthquakes.
A solar storm is caused by solar flares (太阳耀斑): large explosions (爆炸) near the Sun that can give off lots of energy. The strong energy can stop the satellite systems (卫星系统) that control our computers, telecom networks and so on. These storms can even cause the power to go out for weeks or months.
Scientists have recorded some of the strongest sun flares in years. One happened around Valentine’s Day, 2011. It caused radio and satellite signals to go down in some northern cities in China.
“Solar flare activity is going to be much worse than what we’ve seen in the past. We’re not talking about a few cities losing power, it could be half of the country, may be more,” SolarStormWarning.com, a US website about space weather, warned.
Scientists say that little can be done to predict such a storm. Governments around the world are trying to work together before the next storm, although they are not sure when that may happen.
1. From the first two paragraphs we can know solar storms are ________ our society.| A．good for | B．far from | C．seldom in | D．harmful to |
a. Solar flares give off lots of energy. b. People cannot get online with their computers.
c. Solar storms happen. d. Satellite systems are stopped.
| A．a-b-c-d | B．a-c-d-b | C．c-a-b-d | D．c-b-a-d |
| A．a solar storm stopped | B．an earthquake happened |
| C．a strong sun flare happened | D．the satellite systems didn’t work |
| A．To introduce what solar storms are to people. |
| B．To ask people to prevent the solar storm from happening. |
| C．To tell people how to solve the problems caused by solar storms. |
| D．To call for scientists to predict when the next solar storm will happen. |
8 . Do you make your bed every morning? It may seem like a small act, but don’t look down on the benefits of making it a habit. This is good for both your physical and mental health.
First of all, making your bed can be your first step towards having a successful day. Tidying up your bedding may only take a few minutes. But this can be your first task of the day. Completing it will give you a small, simple sense of pride. And this will encourage you to move on to other tasks.
Besides, your sleep environment plays an important role in the quality of your sleep. Poor “sleep hygiene (卫生)” includes not only noise and light, but also clutter (杂乱). In other words, an untidy bed will distract (分散注意力) you and keep you from falling asleep. On the other hand, keeping your bedroom clean and comfortable will help you sleep better at night.
How can you make bed-making a daily habit then? Well, connect it to a morning routine (惯例) you already follow. You can try making your bed after brushing your teeth, for example. Some people also set alarms on their phones to remind them to make their beds.
Whatever way you want to take, it won’t be difficult if you decide to get into this habit. It can get your day off to a great start and give it a better finish!
1. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.| A．a small act | B．physical health |
| C．making your bed | D．looking down the benefits |
| A．Excited. | B．Proud. | C．Surprised. | D．Tired. |
| A．Go to bed early at night. | B．Set an alarm clock to wake up. |
| C．Look after their mental health. | D．Develop the habit of making their bed. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
China sent a new X-ray astronomical satellite in space, Einstein Probe, on Jan. 9, 2024.
According to Yuan Weimin, a researcher of the satellite project, the satellite is expected to find the first light from supernova explosions (超新星爆炸) in the universe, monitor high-energy transient (瞬态) objects in the universe, which are now poorly understood by scientists.
When developing the satellite, a new generation of detection equipment (探测设备) with large fields of view and high sensitivity (灵敏度) was needed. But the important question was how to make such equipment.
Lobsters (龙虾) are a kind of sea animal which can be found around the world. Scientists discovered early on that lobsters’ eyes are different from other animals’. Lobsters’ eyes are made up of lots of tiny square tubes, pointing to the same center, which allows light from all directions to reflect in the tubes and meet on the retina (视网膜), which gives lobsters a large field of view. Scientists then simulated (模仿) the lobsters’ eyes to create a telescope to catch X-rays in space.
Through working together with other organizations, the X-ray Imaging Laboratory began the research and development work on lobster-eye X-ray imaging technology in 2010 and finally made a breakthrough.
“Thanks to the lobster-eye telescope technology, the Einstein Probe is able to monitor the poorly known soft X-ray band with a large field of view and high sensitivity,” Yuan said.
1. What is Einstein Probe?| A．A newly-found planet. | B．A newly-built space station. |
| C．A new X-ray astronomical satellite. | D．A new telescope technology. |
| A．To enlarge the field of view. | B．To catch the supernova explosion. |
| C．To monitor the sensitivity of objects. | D．To improve the detection equipment. |
| A．By simulating the lobsters’ eyes. | B．By observing lobsters’ movement. |
| C．By doing experiments on sea animals. | D．By comparing lobsters with other sea animals. |
| A．The new detection equipment looked like a lobster. |
| B．Scientists knew nothing about supernova explosion. |
| C．China is the first country to send Einstein Probe into space. |
| D．The lobster-eye telescope technology leads to Einstein Probe’s success. |
10 . Smartphones are getting boring. The new models either have higher speed or have nicer cameras, but they are not quite different from the ones already in our pockets. This is why scientists are hoping for something new that will change our lives as greatly as smartphones do. The next invention might be smart glasses.
Instead of picking up your smartphone and looking at the screen, all the information you need appears just in front of you, in your glasses. Satellite navigation (卫星导航) directions could appear right on the road. Your smart glasses could guide you to the right shelf in the supermarket!
Smart glasses could also be used in industry. They could show engineers with glasses the instructions about fixing things more quickly. A doctor with glasses could do a difficult operation, guided by someone on the other side of the world. Most technologies are already on the way. For example, one technology called AR, can make digital 3D objects appear as if they are part of the real world. This technology has been widely used in our daily life.
Why can’t we all wear smart glasses yet? So far, no one has invented a good way to send images (映像) of our world onto glasses. However, with the fast development of technology, smart glasses could arrive much sooner than we think.
1. What is the writer’s purpose of mentioning smartphones in Paragraph 1?| A．To start a story. | B．To introduce a topic. | C．To explain a fact. | D．To discuss a problem. |
| A．When smart glasses might be made. | B．Why smart glasses should be changed. |
| C．Where smart glasses could be used. | D．How smart glasses would give directions. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Worried. | B．Satisfied. | C．Negative. | D．Positive. |
