1 . All aboard! Let’s take a ride on the world’s highest railway—the Qinghai-Tibet Railway（青藏铁路）. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
We’re leaving Qinghai Station. The scenery along the way is some of the wildest in all of China. Keep your eyes open as we race through this beautiful land. You might see a rare Tibetan antelope（藏羚羊）from your window.
Before we begin our journey, let’s learn about this amazing railway. It’s truly one of the great engineering wonders of the 21st century. When it was completed on July 1, 2006, the Tibet Railway set nine world records, including the world’s highest railway at 5,072 metres above sea level, the world’s highest tunnel（隧道）at 4,905 metres, and the longest tunnel ever built on permafrost（冻土）.
As we travel higher, the air gets thinner and thinner. Soon there will only be 50 to 60 percent of the oxygen which we are used to breathing. But don’t be afraid. Each rail car has two separate oxygen systems. One system spreads oxygen throughout the train at all times. And each passenger can also get a personal oxygen mask just like those used in planes.
Here are a few more things to think about as our train leaves the station. The designers solved three main challenges when building this great railway. First, the high altitude（海拔）made the task difficult because there was no enough oxygen. Second, much of the railway runs across permafrost, a type of ground that keeps changing as the weather warms and cools. Finally, the railway goes through some of the most sensitive ecology（敏感的生态环境）in China. Great care was necessary to make sure of the smallest possible influence on nature.
All three challenges were met, making our trip possible. All aboard! The train to Tibet is leaving in fifteen minutes.
1. Where are the passengers?| A．On a bus. | B．On a train. | C．On a ship. | D．On a plane. |
| A．By telling a story. | B．By using a designer’s words. |
| C．By introducing its world records. | D．By comparing the present with the past. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．The changing ground. | B．The polluted air. | C．The dangerous animals. | D．The hot weather. |
2 . For some students, getting better grades can seem like an impossible task sometimes. With the challenges of school, just paying attention in class or studying hard isn’t always enough. But what if there were other ways for students to improve their grades? For parents and students who have ever wondered if this is possible, now you can rest easy. Research suggests that a person who likes doing activities can improve their grades.
Scientists think that those students who are active are not just exercising their bodies, but also exercising their brains. In turn, they can be able to improve their grades at school.
In the most recent study, researchers found that when children played for half an hour each day, they were better at organizing their schoolwork as well as doing project work and learning traditionally “difficult” subjects, such as math.
What does this mean for children who aren’t active? Researchers think that if kids don’t get enough activities, they are going to be at a disadvantage when it comes to school performance.
In the research experiment, a group of children skipped with ropes (跳绳), played basketball and did a number of other games or exercises. Another group of children didn’t do any activities. They took part in testing both before experiment and after the experiment. Testing was mainly for math and reading skills. Results showed that the children in the activity group did better on the tests than those who had no activity.
All work and no play will not only make Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy, but will also negatively (消极地) affect his grades in school, according to a new study published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Parents complain children today are actually less active and they always worry about their grades. Dr. Belton, an expert, said, “If you’d like to see your kids do better in school, have them close their books, set down their pencils and go outside to play.”
1. What does the underlined words “rest easy” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Know for sure. | B．Have a good rest. | C．Go on learning. | D．Stop worrying. |
| A．They study all the time. |
| B．They play for half an hour every day. |
| C．They finish their homework on time. |
| D．They do some reading after class every day. |
| A．Doing activities is bad for the students. |
| B．Doing more homework can get better marks. |
| C．The children in the activity group did better on the tests. |
| D．Children who didn’t do any activities did better on the tests. |
| A．ask the researchers for help |
| B．help them to organize their schoolwork |
| C．encourage them to do more activities |
| D．let them solve problems by themselves |
| A．Studying Hard | B．Being Active Is Helpful for Better Grades |
| C．Doing Activities Is Interesting | D．Taking Part in Testing |
3 . Can you remember how you felt the last time you shared something? Whether it’s your favorite snack or an exciting experience, sharing is a great way to build trust and friendship with others.
Sharing means letting someone else have or use something that belongs to you. This can be clothes, games or food, and also things you can’t take back, like feelings, ideas, time and experience. Whether you’re sharing a favorite book or your time — for example, helping friends with their homework — sharing something with another person can make you both feel good.
When you share your feelings and knowledge with others, you’re showing that you trust them, which helps to enhance friendships. Scientists have discovered that sharing causes your brain to produce something which makes you feel calm and relaxed. When you share a problem with friends, you’re more likely to find a way to solve it. Sharing ideas means others can help turn them into a reality. It’s also an act of kindness that makes others more likely to share things with you. Twins Gabby and Lola, aged 11, are used to sharing, and Gabby says that she likes seeing the smile it puts on someone’s face.
Sharing isn’t always easy. Gabby says she doesn’t like it when people don’t respect (尊重) the things she has shared, and Lola sometimes prefers to keep her favorite food to herself. You don’t have to share, especially if you’re not comfortable doing so. Sharing problems or feelings with someone you trust can help you understand them. It’s normal to feel nervous or scared about sharing your feelings, but try to be honest and open. It can sometimes make you feel uncomfortable to share something so personal, but explaining how your feelings are influencing your life may help others understand.
1. What is the writer trying to do in the second paragraph?| A．Explain what sharing means. | B．Advise us to share with others. |
| C．Tell us how to share with others. | D．Show the importance of sharing. |
| A．make … popular | B．make … strong | C．make … relaxed | D．make … possible |
| A．She is afraid that sharing can make her life worse. |
| B．It makes her nervous and scared to share with others. |
| C．People don’t respect what she has shared. |
| D．She thinks sharing can’t make ideas become a reality. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Let’s Start to Share! | B．What’s the Secret of Sharing? |
| C．How to Share in Daily Life? | D．Sharing Makes the World a Better Place! |
4 . Anna and Sam are telling their friends about their countries. Let’s have a look.
| Dear Linda, Thank you for telling me about the cute pandas. Now let me tell you something about my country. There are three capitals in South Africa. It is the heaven(天堂) of birds. Every year, many people around the world come to watch beautiful birds. People can find about 850 kinds of birds here. Many of them only live here. Some birds fly here once a year. People call them migrants. These birds are from different places around the world. Yours， Anna |
| Dear Mike, My country, India, is in South Asia. It is not far from China. The flag of India has three main colours: orange, white and green. There are many different religions(宗教) and languages in India. The food here is delicious. And I think India songs are beautiful. Could you tell me some interesting places in Sydney? I want to take a trip there. Please write to me soon. Yours, Sam |
| A．pandas | B．kangaroos | C．lions | D．birds |
| A．火烈鸟 | B．候鸟 | C．飞鸟 | D．吉祥鸟 |
| A．Sam | B．Anna | C．Mike | D．Linda |
| A．To teach him a new language. | B．To come to visit his country. |
| C．To tell him some interesting places. | D．To tell him some delicious food. |
| A．Anna is from South Africa. |
| B．People can see many different kinds of birds in South Africa. |
| C．You can find different religions in India. |
| D．Sam plans to travel to Canada. |
5 . In a digital age, we almost never write things by hand. However, new brain research, led by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, confirms handwriting has many benefits. It results in better learning and memory over using a keyboard.
The study was conducted using equipment to track and record brain wave activity. The participants included 12 young adults and 12 children. Each was asked to write by hand and type on a keyboard while wearing a hood (风帽) with over 250 electrodes (电极). The sensors (传感器) in the electrodes are very sensitive and pick up the electrical activity that takes place in the brain. Each person took turns to have a 45-minute examination.
The results showed that the brain in both young adults and children is much more active when writing by hand than when typing on a keyboard. According to Van der Meer, plenty of senses are activated by pressing a pen on paper. These sense experiences build contact between different parts of the brain, opening the brain up for learning.
Van der Meer believes that the results stress the importance of children being challenged to draw and write at an early age, especially at school. “Learning to write by hand is a bit slower process, but it’s important for children to go through the tiring phase of learning to write by hand,” she said.
The hand movements used to form the shapes of letters are beneficial in several ways. “If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand requires control of your fine motor (精细动作) skills and senses. It is important to put the brain in a learning state as often as possible,” Van der Meer added.
1. What do we know about the study?| A．The study involved 24 children in altogether. |
| B．All the participants were divided into two groups. |
| C．Sensors were used to record brain wave activity. |
| D．Participants took examinations at the same time. |
| A．It makes people become smarter. | B．It improves people’s motor skills. |
| C．It helps people get more patience. | D．It arouses people’s interest in learning. |
| A．To present a new research on handwriting. |
| B．To tell people the history of handwriting. |
| C．To show the importance of writing by hand. |
| D．To teach people how to improve handwriting. |
6 . Developing healthy eating habits starts from childhood, therefore it is important for parents to teach and provide children with a healthy diet. DPHSS administrator of the Bureau of Nutrition Services, Charlie Morris told KUAM News, “A healthy diet for a child consists of a lot of fruits and vegetables in the diet limiting（限制）the amount of simple sugars in the diet and high fat food and highly processed（加工的）food.”
This means staying away as much as possible from food such as chips, cookies, candies and sugary drinks, as all children need to have meals which involve a well-balanced diet. Community nutritionist（营养学家）Thelma Romoso said, “The fruit, the vegetable, the grain, the protein, and also the milk, the diary product, so for the fruits it’s easy for a mother to go into the two plus three concept of fruits and vegetables.”
This concept means that there are at least two servings of fruits a day, three servings of vegetables a day which can be served for lunch and dinner. As for protein parents can make a variety of dishes from chicken, beef, fish or even dried beans to make sure the child gets three servings a day.
Morris said that the child’s hunger level controls how much is eaten and the parent controls what and when the meal is offered, saying, “Mom needs to ensure that the food offered is good food for the child to eat and throughout the day depending on how active they are, snacks（零食）are not a bad thing, so the mom should offer good kinds of snacks.”
When it comes to preparing your child’s lunch and snacks for school, make sure to keep in mind that the food you provide should not only be a source of energy but also be nutritionally beneficial（有益的）such as fresh fruits, and whole grain bread. But parents must be sure to remember that a good nutritional diet must be balanced with physical activities, namely it is important that children get outside and run around and play and get activities in addition to eating a good diet.
1. What does the writer want to tell us in the text?| A．Choose healthy food and snacks for your child. |
| B．Fruits and vegetables are good for your child. |
| C．Take steps to provide a good lunch for your child. |
| D．Make various and delicious dishes for your child. |
| A．mothers should prepare delicious food by themselves |
| B．highly processed food should be reduced in daily life |
| C．few kinds of food have sugars and high fat |
| D．active children prefer more and more snacks |
| A．The food must provide energy as well as nutrition. | B．Physical exercise is as important as a good diet. |
| C．Running and playing while eating is good. | D．Fruits and whole grain foods should be included. |
| A．fresh fruits are often ignored（忽视）by children | B．a good nutritional diet may cost too much |
| C．choosing healthy food needs a lot of money | D．parents play an important role in children’s diet |
7 . You are walking down the street Suddenly it starts to rain and you don’t have an umbrella. What do you do? Run or walk?
Most people would choose to run because it will get you out of the rain faster. But if you run, you also run into more raindrops. So what should you do?
Franco Bocci, a professor(教授)at the University of Brescia in Italy, found that you should consider the wind direction and your body shape when you try to decide to move slowly or quickly in rain, according to the BBC.
When there is no wind, and the rain is landing directly on you, Bocci suggests that you should run as fast as possible.
But if the wind comes from behind and blows the rain onto your back, the best thing to do is walking at the same speed as the wind. This way, both your front and back will stay mostly dry.
When the wind blows in front of the side, you’ll have to think about one more thing-your body shape. Thinner people are hit by fewer raindrops. So a fatter person should run, While a thinner person should still try to match their speed to the wind.
"In general, the best thing is to run, as fast as you can-not always, but in general, "Bocci told BBC News. "If you’re really thin, it’s more probable that there will be an optimal speed. Otherwise, it is better to run fast."
Now you know what to do next time the rain catches you in the middle of the street. But the best way to stay dry is still to carry an umbrella.
1. According to Bocci, when it rains and there is no wind, what should you do?| A．Stay in the rain. | B．Walk at the same speed as the rain. |
| C．Run as fast as you can. | D．Walk slowly. |
| A．perfect | B．fast | C．slow | D．special |
| A．Run as fast as you can. | B．Walk as slowly as you can. |
| C．Lose some weight to become thinner. | D．Take an umbrella with you. |
| A．Rain and Umbrella | B．How to Run in the Rain |
| C．Wind Direction | D．Which is Better, Thin or Fat |
8 . How do astronauts live and work on a space station? You can get the answer from the Tiangong Class, a series of lectures from China’s space station. In the Tiangong Class, Chinese astronauts will become the “teachers in space”. Months ago, three Shenzhou-13 astronauts, Wang Yaping, Ye Guangfu and Zhai Zhigang, gave their first class. Thousands of young students took the class.
With the help of the other two astronauts, Wang first gave the students a tour around. She showed students how to live and work on the space station. After the tour, the astronauts did some interesting experiments. In one experiment, Wang made a small water film and put a pink folded paper flower on it. Soon the flower blossomed (开花). “I made the flower with my daughter while on earth and I always think of her when I see the flower,” said Wang. “Students, all of you are flowers of the motherland. I hope your dreams can blossom like flowers.”
During the class, the students learned how different space is from the earth. Many students showed great interest in space and science. Wang Yihan, a fifth-grade student, said, “It was an eye-opening experience. The experiments really surprised me. They were wonderful! I want to be an astronaut too!”
1. Where was the Tiangong Class held?| A．On China’s space station. | B．On the moon. |
| C．At school. | D．In the reading room. |
| A．The science teacher. | B．Three China’s astronauts. |
| C．The guide. | D．The coach. |
| A．flew and jumped in space | B．did some exercise |
| C．cooked the space meal | D．did some interesting experiments |
| A．Hope of the motherland. | B．The future of the motherland. |
| C．Flowers of the motherland. | D．The rising sun. |
| A．They learned little about space. |
| B．They showed great interest in space and science. |
| C．They experienced some dull (枯燥的) experiments. |
| D．They all wanted to be an astronaut. |
A dance performance taken from the poetic dance drama Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting（《只此青绿》）has been considered the most amazing program at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
The creators of the poetic dance drama got inspiration from a great ancient Chinese painting, A Panorama of Mountains and Rivers（《千里江山图》） by Wang Ximeng. Wang was a painter from the Song Dynasty. He spent half a year finishing the painting when he was only 18. Now the painting is at the Palace Museum. It has been on show to the public only four times since 1949. The 11.9-meter-long painting is a record of people’s lives and the natural scenery including mountains, rivers and villages of that time.
The poetic dance drama tells the story of a researcher from the Palace Museum who has spent all his time studying the painting. We can follow him to the moment when Wang was about to finish the artwork. “It is not to tell people how great the painting is, but to help people understand traditional Chinese culture,” says Xie Suhao, who plays the character.
Since last August, the dance poetic drama has been played more than 50 times in over 18 cities in China. “I hope our dance can be performed on more and bigger stages to show more people all over the world a beautiful China with a mix of old and new,” says Meng Qingyang, the lead dancer of Poetic Dance: The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting.
1. The poetic dance drama is inspired by ________.| A．a poem | B．a painting | C．a song | D．a film |
| A．took 6 months to complete |
| B．is the longest ancient painting in China |
| C．can be seen easily in the Palace Museum |
| D．was painted by Wang Ximeng when he was eighty years old |
| A．spread traditional Chinese culture |
| B．discover the beauty of the natural scenery |
| C．make people pay more attention to the dance group |
| D．show A Panorama of Mountains and Rivers is a great artwork |
| A．The most popular program at the Spring Festival Gala |
| B．The natural scenery recorded in ancient painting |
| C．Traditional Chinese culture gets popular online |
| D．Poetic dance drama brings ancient painting a new life |
10 . Whenever I’m invited to somebody’s house for the first time, I’ll take a close look at their bookshelves. What they keep on their shelves, in my eyes, is a reflection(反映) of their personal tastes and interests. The books on a bookshelf tell the story of a life.
My own shelves are a kind of roadmap through my life, telling a chronological tale. First up come my favorite childhood reads, like Water ship Down and His Dark Materials. The collection then moves on to teenage things I read in school — Nineteen Eighty-Four, The Handmaid’s Tale and A Clockwork Orange. Finally, we come out of full-time education and enter the real world, and this part is a reflection of my professional(职业的) life, from the first exciting days of work experience to the present.
If you pointed to any book on my shelves, I could name the year I got it, where I was working, and probably where I was living at the time.
▲ It is an easy way to get to know about his hopes, dreams and interests. And a big part of that story is how we arrange(排列) our books, and get on with them. It’s such a personal thing, different from each other. Some want to be with their books in every room, others have them on shelves, behind glass or simply lining their floors. Each home has a story to tell through the way they live with their books.
It’s often said that what we read says something about who we are. The way we fill our bookshelves might also send a message about ourselves. From the pile of books on your bedside table to your well-organized shelves, whether we notice it or not, our book collections are telling a story before a single page has been turned.
1. What will the writer do if he is invited to somebody’s house?| A．Choose a book to read. | B．To talk about his books with the host |
| C．To visit the study | D．To buy some books for the best. |
| A．their prices | B．their writers | C．his personal interests | D．the periods of his life |
| A．Every book is worth reading. | B．Each bookshelf holds a special dream. |
| C．Book collections tell so much about a person. | D．The books a person reads depend on his choices. |
| A．we’d better not put our books on the floor |
| B．the way we arrange our books shows our tastes |
| C．the books at our bedside are usually more important |
| D．we can know about a person by reading the message he sends |
| A．a book lover | B．a story teller | C．a shelf collector | D．a fashion designer |
