1 . March 16 is International Sleep Day. Studies have shown that a good night's rest helps us stay healthy, both mentally(精神地) and physically(身体地). Sleep is probably the best tool we have for memory and learning. A good night's sleep helps to learn better.
But what about getting rest during the middle of the day? Short periods of sleep after a mid-day meal, we call it napping(午睡), may help our brains work better.
Past studies have shown that napping can help babies and young children learn better. And napping can help brain performance in older adults. Taking a nap may also help this group of people fight off age-related memory loss. As we all know, the older we are, the more memory we will lose.
The study found that people who took an hour-long nap did much better on mental tests than those who did not nap. The hour-long nappers also did better on the tests than those who napped for shorter and longer periods. In this study, it seems that the most effective(有效地) nap lasted for about an hour, but not much longer. Keep in mind, however, that these are the findings for those over the age of 65.
And there is a little difference between the old and young people. Doctor Michael Twery notes that an hour long nap may be too long for young, healthy adults. And 30 minutes is enough to remove the pressure to sleep and will help them feel more awake(清醒的). If they nap longer, they will get trapped into(受困于) deep sleep, which can be hard to get out of.
If you have trouble falling asleep at night, limit(限制) your daytime nap to under 45 minutes. Also nap before 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
1. When is the International Sleep Day?| A．January16. | B．February16. | C．March 16. | D．May 16. |
| A．babies | B．young children | C．older adults | D．young, healthy adults |
| A．10 minutes | B．30 minutes | C．under 45 minutes | D．about an hour |
| A．Napping | B．Walking | C．Swimming | D．Dancing |
| A．are having trouble seeing | B．have trouble making decisions |
| C．have trouble remembering things | D．have trouble falling asleep at night |
2 . There are some very good inventions which, for one reason or another, don't become popular. These inventions should be better known, even though I think that some of them are crazy. Let's have a look at some of these inventions and see if you agree that they should be more successful.
The Australians had a great idea to stop people from drinking and driving. The idea was that if a driver wanted to start the car, she or he would have to blow into a bag first. If there was too much alcohol (酒精) in their breath. The car wouldn't start. It sounds like a great idea to me, but people said that they might need to drive the car in an emergency (紧急情况) even if they had drunk too much alcohol. Another idea I liked was an invention by a scientist who thought his children watched too much TV. He connected the TV to an exercise bike so that the electricity to power the TV was produced by the bike. If the children wanted to watch a lot of TV, they had to pedal (踩踏) very hard.
One of the strangest inventions I have come across is a bicycle which can cross rivers! The idea was that when you came to a river, you could inflate (充气) a huge plastic ball all around the bike. You would then get into the ball which would float on the river while you pedaled the bike inside the ball! Why not use a bridge instead?
One thing I would like is a baseball cap with a built-in radio, so you can listen to sport all day with your hands free. The Americans invented a kind of robot for sports fans. If you were watching your team on TV on your own, you could press a button (按钮) and the robot would do 'high-fives' with you! That's fantastic! I wonder if you have any wonderful ideas for inventions like these.
1. How many inventions are mentioned in the passage?| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
| A．You should press the button. | B．You have to pedal the bike hard. |
| C．You have to inflate a plastic ball. | D．You must turn on the power. |
| A．The writer doesn't like the invention of a bicycle that can cross the river. |
| B．you can watch matches by wearing a baseball cap with a built-in radio. |
| C．You can start the car after drinking if you have an emergency. |
| D．You needn't pedal the bicycle while you are inside the huge plastic ball. |
| A．举手击掌 | B．举高手掌 | C．挥手欢呼 | D．起立欢呼 |
| A．The reason why these inventions don't become popular. |
| B．These inventions should be more successful. |
| C．Everyone should have one wonderful idea like these inventions. |
| D．Some information about unusual inventions. |
3 . Eight years ago, 1-week-old Diandian was left behind. When people found her in the reeds (芦苇) of a lake, she looked too weak to survive. Now she is the mother of three milu, thanks to the workers’ attention and care at the East Dongting Lake National Nature Reserve.
Li is the president of a milu conservation association in Yueyang and head of a local milu and bird rescue center, where 11 deer, including Diandian, have their families. Li and his workmates need to work extra hours to take care of the animals from March until mid-May. He remembers March 18 this year. He fed Diandian some fresh shoots and leaves for breakfast as usual, and moments later when he returned, a newborn milu was right beside her. Since it is her third baby and born in the third month of the year, people named it Sansan, referring to “three-three”. Li has developed a deep affection for milu and made up his mind to protect them. “As our country is paying more attention to environmental and wildlife protection, people are increasingly aware that milu are state-protected animals,” Li said.
Milu habitats (栖息地) are usually centered around water, and fishing equipment that used to be a threat to the animals is no longer seen in nature reserves. On May 27, a team of experts went to watch milu near Dongting Lake. It takes time and luck to meet one and count them especially when they live in the thick reeds that are 4 to 5 meters tall. The team leader Song, saw a milu for the first time when he was studying for his doctorate in zoology early in 2009. Since then, he has helped protect the habitats at Dongting Lake. As the flood season is coming, Song and his workmates will go around the lake area day and night to save deer in trouble, and provide feed for the animals when needed.
As the environment improves in and around Dongting Lake, China’s second-largest freshwater lake, the wetland has become cover once again for wildlife. “We will continue to protect these rare animals and their living environment,” Song said.
1. How was Diandian when she was found in the reeds eight years ago?2. Why do people call Diandian’s new baby Sansan?
4 . It might be fun to use your smartphone, but be careful. Too much screen time may be harmful to your health.
First, it is bad for your eyes. A researcher called Sarah Hinkley says the problem comes from the blue light that the screen gives out. Looking at a smartphone for a long time can cause eye strain（劳损）, headaches and dry eyes. So it is a good idea to take a break every 15 minutes when you are working at a computer or using a smartphone.
Second, screen use can do harm to children’s brains. A new study shows that using screens too much can affect（影响） how children’s brains grow. If children use screens for more than one hour a day, they might have lower levels of white matter in their brains. White matter is a key to the development of language and reading skills. So it is wise to cut down the time of children using all kinds of screens.
Third, using screens too much will affect your sleep. According to a study, about 95% of the people between the ages of 13 and 64 use electronics before bed, especially the young people under 20. Doctors say that the light from those electronics at night may make you excited before you go to bed. Then it’s hard for you to get enough sleep. So you’d better turn off smartphones, TVs, and all other screens an hour before your bedtime.
To keep healthy, doctors and researchers strongly advise that you shouldn’t use screens for long hours.
1. The blue light from your screens can cause ________.| A．eyestrain | B．headaches | C．dry eyes | D．all of the above |
| A．take a break every 15 minutes | B．have lower levels of white matter |
| C．use screens too much before bed | D．are the people from 13 to 64 |
| A．Using smartphones for long hours does harm to your eyes. |
| B．A lot of screen time affects children’s brain growth. |
| C．The light from electronics at night may make you excited. |
| D．People of all ages mustn’t use electronics. |
| A．a science magazine | B．a travel diary | C．a guide book | D．a novel |
| A．The ways to keep healthy. | B．The harm of using screens too much. |
| C．The ways to use screens. | D．The advantages of using screens. |
5 . Once there were many thousands of Gourma Desert (沙漠) elephants in Mali, a country in West Africa. Now, there are fewer than four hundred.
Why did the number of the elephants drop so quickly? On the one hand, the elephants’ main lake, their only water source (来源), dried up. On the other hand, the land which the elephants lived on was overused by humans.
To protect the elephants’ living environment, the Mali Elephant Project (MEP) was started in 2007. MEP met with local people and helped them make rules of using land and water. As a result, the situation became better and there was more food, forest and grassland.
However, from 2012 to 2016, poaching (偷猎) and illegal trade in the elephants increased rapidly. Eighty-three elephants were lost in 2015 alone, and another fifty-one elephant were killed in 2016. “If this situation goes on, all the Gourma elephants will be killed by 2020,” said a member of MEP.
Luckily, the voice of MEP was heard. More organizations (组织) have joined together to educate the local people that trading elephants is against the law. Elephant poaching has dropped to a very low level. The local people have learned to live peacefully with the elephants, one of the wildlife treasures in the world.
1. MEP was started to ________.| A．raise more elephants in Mali | B．stop the main lake from drying up |
| C．discover water source for elephants | D．protect the elephants’ living environment |
| A．公平的 | B．亏损的 | C．非法的 | D．合理的 |
| A．in 2012 | B．in 2015 | C．in 2016 | D．in 2020 |
| A．the number of organizations has dropped | B．there is much less elephant poaching now |
| C．the local people keep the elephants at home | D．the whole world live peacefully with elephants |
| A．the rules of using land and water | B．the education of the local people |
| C．the work of Mali Elephant Project | D．the situation of Gourma Desert elephants |
It is necessary for students to learn some team skills like developing relationships, communicating well with others and solving problems. Here are two fun team activities. Activity 1: Water Relay (接力赛) Tools ● Two large buckets (水桶) to hold water ● One small bucket for each team member Instructions ● Fill one large bucket with water. ● Make holes in the bottom of the small buckets. ● Have the team members line up between the two large buckets. ● Pass the water from one large bucket to the other, using small buckets. Try to keep as much water as possible. Why It’s Fun ● It’s fun to workout away to lose as little water as possible. ● It’s water. Isn’t it fun to get you wet on a hot summer day?  Activity 2: Truth and Lie This activity will allow team members to learn about each other. Instructions ● Have each team member think of three pieces of information about themselves, and one of them is a lie. ● Each team member tells the group all the three pieces of information. Let the other team members guess which is the lie. Why It’s Fun ● Students love talking about themselves and this gives them the chance to do so. ● Members can learn about each other. ● Members will be surprised at what others think of them. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．One large bucket for each member. |
| B．Two large buckets for each member. |
| C．One small bucket for each member and two large buckets. |
| D．Two small buckets for each member and one large bucket. |
| A．get themselves wet |
| B．lose as little water as possible |
| C．pass the water as slowly as possible |
| D．pass the large bucket to the other team |
| A．talk about themselves | B．share love with each other |
| C．tell lies to surprise others | D．learn all the information about others |
| A．a science book | B．a travel guide |
| C．a news website | D．a school magazine |
7 . In your spare time, do you help your parents with chores (杂活) around the house? Can you cook for your family?
In order to stress (强调) the importance of hard-working spirit education (劳动教育) among students of different ages, the Communist Party of China Central Committee (中共中央) recently released (发布) a guideline (指导纲要).
The guideline calls for students to respect labor work. Students should learn basic life skills and form good working habits through such education.
The government has been trying to stress the importance of hard-working spirit education. But this has been overlooked (忽视) in recent years. Many teenagers do not value the importance of working hard and aren't interested in doing so.
According to a study of nearly 3,000 students that was done by Ningbo Evening News in March, only 22% of students help with everyday chores around the house.
Schools and families play an important role in teaching students about the value of working hard, the guideline says.
Primary and middle schools should provide students with hard-working spirit classes every week, according to the guideline. Schools can also hold activities to give students real-world work experience. For example, schools can teach children how to plant trees on Tree-Planting Day.
As children's first teachers, parents should also encourage children to learn how to do chores at home. Students should master one or two life skills every year. These skills can include cooking, washing their own clothes and tidying their rooms.
1. The guideline was released recently in order to ___________.| A．stress the importance of hard-working spirit education |
| B．ask students to work hard at English and any other subjects |
| C．teach students how to help their parents do chores at home |
| D．help students of different ages solve life problems |
| A．the government | B．hard-working spirit education | C．basic life skills | D．the recently released guideline |
| A．give homework to parents | B．give the guideline to every student |
| C．teach students how to cook in the school | D．provide chances of real-world work for students |
| A．About two thirds of students help with housework at home. |
| B．Students should master at least three life skills every year. |
| C．Schools should provide students with hard-working spirit classes every day. |
| D．Parents should also encourage children to learn how to do chores at home. |
| A．Spirit of Hard-working Education | B．How to Value the Experience |
| C．The Importance of All Subjects | D．How to Do Everyday Chores |
8 . Bi Sheng was born in Song Dynasty. He lived in a small village which lies in Huanggang today.He invented the printing around 600 AD (公元)。He was the world’s first inventor of the printing. It is about 400 years earlier than the printing in Germany.
The printing is also called the movable type printing (活字印刷).But how did it work in the past?
First of all, the clay was made into movable types. Then words were engraved (雕刻) carefully onto the types. After that the words were chosen and put in right order in a box according to the text. Next, the workers brushed ink onto the movable types. Finally the types could be used for printing. They could be used again and again for different books.
The movable type printing plays an important role in Chinese culture. With the help of it, Chinese culture spread around the world more quickly. At the same time, the movable type printing was widely used in the world at that time. As a result, more and more culture communication among countries took place.
The movable type printing, the compass (指南针)，gun powder and the paper-making are called four great inventions of China. They make China own an important and even top position in the history of human civilization (文明).
1. When was the movable type printing invented?| A．About 600 years ago. | B．Around 600 AD. | C．Before Song Dynasty. | D．About 400 years ago. |
| A．Brush ink onto the types. | B．Make the clay into movable types. |
| C．Print by using the types. | D．Engrave words onto the types. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．the compass | B．gun-powder | C．the paper making | D．the movable type printing |
| A．Four great inventions and their position in the history of human civilization. |
| B．Bi Sheng invented the movable type printing after trying many times. |
| C．The movable type printing and the importance for the culture communication. |
| D．How Bi Sheng invented the movable type printing in Song Dynasty. |
9 . When you think of the Arctic (北极), you imagine an icy land of pure white snow. Others imagine it as the last really clean place left on earth. We have polluted the deepest oceans with plastic rubbish. “And now”, CNN says, “It’s the Arctic’s turn.”
German scientists have recently found microplastics in Arctic snow. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters. Sadly, the scientists found 1800 pieces of microplastics per liter of (每升) snow.
How is plastic pollution reaching the Arctic? According to scientists, “It’s clear that most of the microplastics in the snow come from the air.” They fall off the plastic objects and are moved by the wind, just like dust. They mix with ice in the air and fall to the ground as snow. Finding these plastics in Arctic snow means that we may breathe them in.
Are they bad for us? Scientists cannot answer this question for now, according to the WHO. We do know that our bodies cannot take in “large” pieces of microplastics. However, if the plastics are small enough, they can find ways into our bodies and stay there for a long time, which can be bad for our health. What’s more, earlier studies have shown that microplastics may contribute to lung cancer risk.
Microplastics have also been found in rivers and oceans around the world. Earlier research has found that they flow over long distances and into our oceans, hurting ecosystems along the way. They start in our wastewater, then flow into rivers and out to the sea, where they are eaten by sea animals. If people then eat these animals, it means that we’re eating the plastic as well.
1. We can learn from Paragraph 1 that________.| A．the Arctic is the last really clean place left on earth |
| B．the Arctic is an icy land of pure white snow |
| C．the Arctic is a beautiful icy land with clean air |
| D． the Arctic has been polluted by plastic rubbish |
| A．增加 | B．捐献 | C．造成 | D．是……原因之一 |
| A．From water. | B．From air. | C．From wind. | D．From food. |
| A．We may breathe microplastics in Arctic. |
| B．Microplastics may cause lung cancer. |
| C．We don’t have to mind microplastics right now. |
| D． Microplastics have hurt ecosystems. |
| A．By advising us to drink clean water. |
| B．By asking people not to eat sea animals. |
| C．By telling the seriousness of plastic pollution. |
| D．By showing the beauty of Arctic. |
10 . Lively music, singing and the sound of beating drums fill the room. As an orchestra（管弦乐队）plays, performers dressed in colorful costurnes move across the stage（舞台）. Welcome to Chinese opera.
Chinese opera is an important element（元素）of Chinese culture. Most operas are based on stories from long ago. The amazing stage performances are often set against grand backgrounds. Beautiful paintings, hand movements and martial arts（武术）help tell these famous stories.
There are more than 300 forms of Chinese opera, including Beijing Opera, Yue Opera, Yu Opera, Ge Zai Xi and many other forms. Of all of them, Beijing Opera is the most famous. Beijing Opera combines（合并）singing, dancing and acrobatics. Instruments such as drums, bells and cymbals accompany（伴奏）the performances.
Facial design
Traditionally, performers used masks（面具）for their facial design. Today, however, performers use makeup. They paint colorful designs on their faces. These colors and designs help to create each character. For example, a brave character has a red face, while a black face means bold. A yellow and white face represents（代表）someone who is dishonest.
Costurnes
Costurnes give clues（线索）to the performers’ characters and roles. Audiences（观众）that are familiar with opera will get to know a story by the masks and costurnes. Costurnes usually have many designs and colors. The same costurne can be used in different shows, however, it will represent a different character.
Promoting the arts
Many colleges and schools in China desire（渴望）to keep the art of Chinese opera alive. They provide an education system for talented students. Applicants（应试者）must pass a written test, an audition（试镜）and an interview and only the most promising students are accepted to study at these colleges and schools. Once accepted into the program, students begin a seven-to-twelve-year journey through the school. After graduation, many go on to work as professional actors on stage or in the movies.
1. Of all forms of Chinese opera, which is the most famous?| A．Beijing Opera | B．Ge Zai Xi | C．Yu Opera |
| A．brave | B．dishonest | C．bold |
| A．诚信的 | B．热情的 | C．有前途的 |
| A．Anyone who likes Chinese opera can be accepted into the program. |
| B．If a person knows opera well, masks and costurnes will help know the story. |
| C．Once in the program, you have to study for 7 to 12 year at school. |
| A．Chinese culture | B．Beijing Opera | C．Costurnes and facial design |
