1 .

When you’re taking an airplane, you’ll notice the soft clouds look lighter than air. But don’t be fooled —those clouds are much heavier than you think. So how much does a cloud weigh? And how can we weigh a cloud?

Clouds are mainly made of millions of tiny water droplets (小滴), so we can know the weight of a cloud by weighing the water in it. To do that, we need to know the size of the cloud and also the density (密度) of the droplets.

Margaret LeMone, a scientist from the US, has weighed the water in a grey cumulus (积云) cloud. First, she has found out that an average cumulus cloud is about 10m³ in size, considering it as a cube (立方体). Besides, the weight of water within 1m² of a cumulus cloud is about 0. 5 gram. In other words, the density of the droplets is around 0. 5g/m³. So the cloud weighs about 500 tons, nearly the weight of 100 elephants!

Of course, ___▲___. For example, cirrus (卷云) clouds are much lighter, because they have far less water. A dark thunderstorm cloud is a lot heavier, about two million tons of water. This cloud also contains much more water, which is why they can produce so much rain.

But if clouds are so heavy, why do they stay aloft? In fact, the wind helps a lot. These droplets are small enough to stay on even the lightest wind. If they get together, they can come down as rain and snow. Each raindrop is only 2mm across. So don’t worry! Those small raindrops spread out the weight enough and 500 tons of water doesn’t fall down on your head all at once.

So, the next time you see a little cloud passing overhead, just remember: 100 elephants.

1. What did Margaret LeMone do to weigh a cloud?

A．She compared the cloud to a ball.

B．She researched the size of the cloud.

C．She weighed the air inside the cloud.

D．She chose a cirrus cloud as an example.

2. Which of the following can be put into A in Paragraph 4?

A．other scientists do some similar studies

B．the research can be improved in the future

C．there are some difficulties to weigh a cloud

D．different types of clouds have different weights

3. What does the underlined phrase “stay aloft” probably mean?

A．Remain in the air.	B．Look soft and light.
C．Seem small in size.	D．Change shapes often.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Beautiful Sky with Colourful Clouds

B．Clouds as Heavy as Elephants High up

C．Clouds in the Shape of Animals in the Sky

D．Interesting Experiments of Weighing Clouds

2 . Kia ora! Are you a culture lover? If yes, take your bag and visit New Zealand! There you can discover Maori culture!

“Kia ora!” is a way to greet Maori. It doesn’t just mean “hello”—it also means life and health. It can be used to say “thank you” or “cheers” too. When Maori meet important guests, instead of handshakes, they do a hongi —touching their noses two or three times.

Maori are famous for kapa haka, which is a powerful combination (组合) of songs, dances and chanting. It is performed by Maori during special festivals. Pukana is an important facial (脸部的) expression of these dances. For Maori, pukana means opening their eyes and mouths wide. Though the expression may seem scaring, it is not a sign of anger but may express strong and deep-felt feelings.

Besides, Maori have a form of body art, known as tattoos (纹身) . And the facial tattoos have special meanings because Maori believe the head is the most important part of the body. For example, men receive mataora on their faces as a symbol of high positions in society. Moko kauae are received by women on their lips and chins. A moko shows a woman’s position and abilities in her community. It is a tradition passed down over many years from the ancient.

Today, Maori traditions are still celebrated all over New Zealand. In the country, you will always feel the alive Maori culture, which influences the life of the whole nation.

1. What do Maori do to greet each other?

A．They say kia ora.	B．They shake heads.
C．They talk about hongi.	D．They cheer loudly.

2. Which of the following pictures shows pukana?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. To Maori, what special meanings do facial tattoos tell?

A．How old the persons are.	B．When the persons were born.
C．Where the persons come from.	D．How important the persons are.

4. What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A．To give advice on meeting Maori.	B．To introduce the alive Maori culture.
C．To tell the influence of Maori dances.	D．To describe the famous Maori festivals.

3 .

Welcome back to Word Up, our new programme about languages. This week, let’s learn about ideograms, pictograms and logograms. IDEOGRAMS They are symbols of ideas or thoughts. For example, symbols of numbers and maths are ideograms. “1, 2, 3” stand for “one, two, three” or any other language system of counting. “+” always means “addition”, and “=” always means “equal”, no matter what language you use!                                                                                                                                          PICTOGRAMS They are pictures. They show the words they stand for. People use them to communicate, too. A new system of pictograms is still developing today. Can you guess what it is? That’s right —emoji! Do you know the pictograms below?    LOGOGRAMS They are the symbols that stand for words or parts of words. Logograms may look like what the words mean, but many of them do not. Chinese characters are also logograms. Some of them have changed over time from pictograms, as shown here.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Maths.

B．Rules.

C．Pictures.

D．Languages.

2. Which of the following is a pictogram?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. How does the programme help readers understand better?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By telling stories.
C．By giving examples.	D．By showing reasons.

4 . ①700 years before the Wright brothers began experimenting with human flight, the Chinese had already got its secrets—with kites.

②Kites may have been invented in China as early as 500 B.C.E. While some kites were flown for fun, other kites provided key technologies for daily life. Chinese fishermen used kites to carry their lines far out to sea. Sailors used them to take a measurement of the wind.

③The Chinese craftsmen were very clever! They made their kites from bamboo and silk, and they came in all kinds of cool shapes, like 80-foot-long dragons. These kites showed off ancient China’s great technology. Their wings and tails could even move! As Chinese engineers experimented to make the kites fly even higher, they discovered the science of aerodynamics (空气动力学). They made the wings of their kites work like airfoils (机翼)—the same design used in modern planes.

④And the man-carriers were the most amazing Chinese kites. Ancient Chinese people may have made them a common sight by the 1200s. The kites were much larger than a small airplane. They were made from strong bamboo poles tied together and then covered with silk. During wars, Chinese scouts used man-carrying kites to fly high in the sky and spy on their enemies—similar to modern spy planes.

⑤In the late 1200s, the Italian businessman and explorer Marco Polo was amazed by what he saw in China, and he wrote a detailed description. When he returned to Italy, most people refused to believe him. They could not imagine that a person could fly.

⑥Centuries passed before Europeans learned the secrets—often by flying kites imported from China. In 1804, an English engineer, Sir George Cayley, built the first model airplanes. He used kites to make the wings. About 100 years later, American inventors, including the Wright brothers, also found ideas for their flight experiments by flying kites first.

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．How people made kites.	B．When kites were invented.
C．What kites were used for.	D．Where kites were invented.

2. Why are modern planes mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．To describe the popularity of ancient Chinese kites.

B．To get readers to learn about the history of Chinese kites.

C．To show the excellent skills of kite making in ancient China.

D．To tell the differences between modern planes and Chinese kites.

3. Which is the correct order of the following events?
a. Sir George Cayley built the first model planes.
b. Ancient Chinese made large man-carrying kites.
c. Marco Polo told Italians about Chinese amazing kites.
d. The Wright brothers did flight experiments by flying kites first.

A．b-c-d-a

B．b-c-a-d

C．c-d-a-b

D．c-b-a-d

4. What’s the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

5 .

①Wool is a great natural material that has been used by humans. It comes from the soft coat of sheep. Humans have been wearing wool for over 12,000 years. Today, more than 1.3 billion sheep around the world are used each year for woollen products, like sweaters and scarves.

②Why do so many people like woollen products? One of the great things about wool is that it is a fantastic insulator. This means it keeps us warm when it’s cold outside. It also has tiny air pockets that trap (锁住) heat, making it perfect for those cold days.

③Another advantage of wool is that it is breathable. It allows air to pass through, keeping us cool in the summer as well. Unlike other materials, it can prevent us from overheating, and make us feel comfortable.

④Wool is not only warm and breathable, but it is also durable (耐用的) and long-lasting. It’s strong enough for outdoor activities like hiking or playing in the snow. Woollen clothes can be passed down from one generation (一代) to another, creating a beautiful connection between family members.

⑤Making wool products requires a lot of efforts and a series of processes, which start with cutting. The sheep farmers cut the wool off the sheep completely by hand in spring. Don’t worry: cutting is safe and painless for the sheep, just like getting a haircut! After the cutting, hundreds of kilos of wool are packed together. Once the wool is collected, it goes through a process called scouring. It means wool is washed to remove any dirt and oil. Then the wool is made into yarn (毛线), which is used to make different woollen products. After the yarn is coloured, skilled workers make it into various products.

⑥Wool is made into all kinds of woollen products after processing and is used widely in our daily life.

1. How does the writer show that wool is a great material in Paragraph 1?

A．By telling stories.

B．By explaining ideas.

C．By showing facts.

D．By comparing reasons.

2. What is the advantage of wool according to the passage?

A．It can be used for a long time.	B．It can stop air from passing through.
C．It can produce and give out heat.	D．It can be made into products easily.

3. Which picture correctly shows “scouring”?

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. Which is the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

6 . “Are we alone? What’s out there?” Looking up at the stars, people have always wanted to learn more about space, and scientists have been working hard to find the secrets of the universe. Here we’re going to go through a timeline of the important moments of space exploration.

What is the Big Bang Theory?

The Big Bang Theory is an idea about how our universe began. Many scientists believe that everything in the universe was pressed together and then it separated into smaller pieces very quickly about 14 billion years ago to create the universe. The Big Bang is thought to be the beginning of everything in the universe.

What is the Hubble Space Telescope?

The Hubble Space Telescope was put into space in 1990. Hubble is as long as a large school bus and it weighs as much as two elephants. In order to stay above the atmosphere, it travels around the earth at about 5 miles a second. Hubble is able to get clear pictures of faraway stars. A picture called “Hubble Ultra Deep Field” shows some of the farthest galaxies. Pictures from Hubble help scientists learn more about the universe.

What is FAST?

China’s Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Telescope is better known as FAST. It is in Guizhou, China, and it has been used since September 25th, 2016. Its 500-metre dish is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope. Scientists can use it to search for signals of communication that are not coming from the earth. If scientists find such things, maybe there is life somewhere else in the universe!

What is Shenzhou-16?

Shenzhou-16 manned spaceship was sent into space from Jiuquan on May 30th, 2023. Shenzhou-16 connected with Tianhe Core Module 6.5 hours later, with three astronauts inside it. Surprisingly, one of the three astronauts is a university teacher. In the next months, the three astronauts will do some scientific tests and carry out several spacewalks outside China’s Space Station. Besides, they will give science lessons to students on the earth from the faraway space.

1. When did Georges Lemaître suggest the idea of the Big Bang Theory?

A．In 1927.

B．In 1990.

C．In 2016.

D．In 2023.

2. Why can the Hubble Space Telescope help scientists study the universe?

A．It is long and heavy enough.	B．It takes clear photos of space.
C．It can move 5 miles a second.	D．It travels far away from some galaxies.

3. What can we know about China’s space exploration from the passage?

A．FAST can send signals into the universe to help find life.

B．FAST is a dish-like radio telescope travelling in the universe.

C．The astronauts in Shenzhou-16 will work in space for several months.

D．The three astronauts are university teachers and good at giving lessons.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Space Exploration: Searching for Life in Space

B．Space Exploration: Exciting Moments of China

C．Space Exploration: A Better Future for Scientists

D．Space Exploration: Great Progress Humans Made

7 .

The Adventures of Tintin was created by the cartoonist Herge. Tintin, a journalist for a newspaper, has been popular with people of all ages. But do you know how Herge created Tintin and his around the world adventures?

In fact, Tintin appeared as a young man of age 15 to 19, with a round face and short red hair just like Herge’s younger brother Paul. Herge grew up together with him. As a result, Paul’s image stayed in his mind and he created a cartoon hero according to Paul.

It’s also believed that a French journalist, Robert Sexe prompted the creation of Tintin. Robert travelled with his best friend Milhoux while Tintin’s small white dog, Snowy, had a similar French name Milou. What’s more, Robert toured the same countries as Tintin did in the first few of Tintin’s adventures.

There is another real-life person in Tintin’s adventures. That’s “Chang”, a friend of Tintin’s. In 1934, Herge started to write about Tintin’s journey to China, but Hergé hadn’t been to the country yet. To know about China, he made friends with Zhang Chongren, a young Chinese student in an art college. With the help of Zhang, Tintin’s adventure The Blue Lotus came out. In this book, Zhang became “Chang” under the pen of Herge, introducing real China to Tintin as well as readers in Europe.

Herge’s works got ideas from his own life. No other stories may cover so much information from the real world like Tintin!

1. According to the passage, who did Tintin look like?

A．Milhoux.

B．Herge.

C．Robert.

D．Paul.

2. What does the underlined word “prompt” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Cause.

B．Notice.

C．Avoid.

D．Celebrate.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Zhang Chongren according to the passage?

A．He wrote The Blue Lotus for Herge.

B．He worked as a journalist for a newspaper.

C．He provided information about China for Herge.

D．He appeared in Tintin’s stories with his real name.

4. The writer writes the passage to show ______.

A．what Tintin’s stories talk about

B．where Tintin’s stories happened

C．who helped create Tintin’s stories

D．why Tintin’s stories are so popular

8 .

Are you sitting comfortably? Just stop for a moment and look at your posture (姿势) without making any changes. What are your legs doing?

Are they crossed? And are you a right or left crosser? Some 62 percent of people cross right over left, 26 percent go the other way, and 12 percent have no preference. There are typically two ways to sit in a chair and cross your legs. One is at the knee and the other is at the ankle (踝关节). But as comfortable as it may be to sit with your legs crossed, it is bad for your health and posture.

For a start, research shows that sitting cross-legged can increase the misalignment of the hips (髋关节错位), with one being higher than the other. And it changes the speed at which blood moves in the lower part of the body, which can increase the risk of blood clots (凝块).

Most of the research suggests crossing at the knees is worse than the ankles. Indeed, sitting this way can cause an increase in your blood pressure (血压) because of the pooling of blood and your heart having to work harder against this. And this can increase the risk of damage to your blood vessels (血管), which is why when you take your blood pressure, you should put your feet on the floor.

The longer and more often you sit cross legged, the more likely it is that you’ll have changes in the muscle and bone in your hip. Your neck can also be affected because one side of the body becomes weaker than the other.

So, in order to keep a healthy body, do not cross your legs when you’re reading on a chair or watching TV on the sofa.

1. The writer introduces the topic by ______.

A．giving a suggestion	B．raising questions
C．giving background information	D．showing facts with numbers

2. According to the passage,______ people cross their left legs over right legs.

A．about 12%	B．about 26%
C．about 62%	D．about 88%

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Sitting cross legged makes your heart work harder.

B．Research shows crossing at the ankles is worse than the knees.

C．Sitting cross-legged can change the muscle and bone in your neck.

D．Sitting cross-legged can make it possible for blood to clot in the whole body.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Are You a Leg-crosser?	B．Mind Your Blood Pressure
C．Sit Without Your Legs Crossed	D．Sit With Proper Posture

9 .

The British have many traditions but there is nothing more special than “taking” afternoon tea. It was the invention of afternoon tea that turned drinking tea into a popular activity.

This social activity has been a tradition dating back to the 1840s, as a light snack to bridge the gap (间隙) between lunch and dinner. It went on to become popular for the nobles (贵族).

Now there is a resurgence (复兴) in its popularity in the UK and it’s available (可获得的) to anyone who is able to buy it. Although it can be enjoyed at home, the best way to experience it is at a smart hotel or cafe. But if you’re thinking of visiting such a place, remember the rules to stop from being asked to leave.

*Make sure you order the right thing—it is afternoon tea not high tea, or a cream tea. These are something different.

*Dress smartly—it’s an important occasion. Certain places require a man to wear a jacket and tie and ladies should wear a hat.

*Stir (搅拌) your tea correctly—do not knock (放) your spoon against the cup and do not leave it in the cup! Stir back and forth not around in circles.

*Start by eating the sandwiches first before moving on to the sweet things.

*The sandwiches are called “finger sandwiches” and therefore eaten by hand not with a knife and fork.

*When eating, take small bites and eat slowly. This will let you join in the conversation without always having a full mouth.

*Although you can ask for more sandwiches and cakes, don’t put them in your handbags to eat later!

1. Why did the British invent afternoon tea?

A．Because something was needed between lunch and dinner time.

B．Because the British couldn’t live without tea.

C．Because the British want to make delicious sweets to choose from.

D．Because the nobles are interested in it.

2. Which is TRUE about British afternoon tea?

A．It was invented more than a thousand years ago.

B．Now it’s popular again for anyone in the UK.

C．It used to serve the rich and the nobles.

D．The best place to enjoy it is at someone’s home.

3. It is polite to ________ when you are at a British afternoon tea.

A．talk with other people with a full mouth

B．eat sandwiches with your hands

C．take away food to eat later

D．start eating with your favourite cake

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．How popular British afternoon tea used to be.

B．Who can afford the afternoon tea in the UK.

C．How to do well at a British afternoon tea.

D．Where the British like to enjoy afternoon tea.