1 . All over the world, people enjoy sports. Sports are good for people’s health. Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TV sets or may be online to watch.
Sports change with the seasons. People play different games in different seasons. Sometimes they play inside the room. Sometimes they play outside. We can find sports here and there. Some sports are rather interesting and people everywhere like them. Football, for example, is very popular in the world. People from different countries cannot understand each other, but after a game they often become very friendly to each other.
1. Sports are good for ________.| A．the players | B．people’s health |
| C．the coaches | D．people who like sports |
| A．buy tickets to watch the games | B．watch the games on TV |
| C．watch the games on the Internet | D．A, B and C |
| A．the same game | B．different games |
| C．any games | D．all kinds of games |
| A．Table tennis | B．Baseball | C．Football | D．Skating |
| A．people from different countries all | B．people from the same country |
| C．people who do the same sports | D．after a game, people from different countries |
2 . According to CNN, women still experience pay inequality (不平等) everywhere, whether you’re Hollywood’s top talent or you work in a retail store (零售店).”
Gender equality has improved in some areas like education. However, when females enter the workplace, they may find things are still difficult. Of the 145 countries and regions surveyed in a WEF (世界经济论坛) report, 97 have more female students than male students in universities. But only four of those countries and regions have a majority of female leaders in the workplace. Women tend to (往往会) be viewed on the basis of their performance, while men are often promoted (升职) for their potential (潜力),” the Washington Post wrote.
Old thinking about men and women is still influencing women’s careers, according to Saadia Zahidi, a WEF official. For example, many people believe boys are better at science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). And even today, women make up only a third of the students in these fields worldwide. Girls and women need to master the skills and training that are needed for the jobs of tomorrow, especially in the STEM fields, said Zahidi. The gender gap (性别差距) in the workplace is not just about less pay for women. It’s also about women making sure their pay shows their value. Actress Sandra Bullock once said, “Once we start changing how we think about women, the pay gap will take care of itself.”
1. According to the story, gender equality has improved in ________.| A．workplace | B．health | C．education |
| A．have potential | B．perform well | C．receive training |
| A．多数 | B．少数 | C．个别 |
| A．97 percent | B．45 percent | C．30 percent |
| A．Female Hollywood stars don’t experience pay inequality. |
| B．To achieve pay equality, people need change their views about women. |
| C．Women should focus on improving themselves to show their value. |
3 . 阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容回答问题。
Mother Teresa once said, “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person.” However, a recent survey showed that 25% of Chinese never smiled or smiled less than five times a day. It also found that 2% of Chinese were willing to smile at strangers.
To make a change, forty students from Shanghai Normal University started a team of “Smiling Volunteers”. Their first smiling task was to smile at all the visitors in the Shanghai Film Art Centre and asked if they needed their help. Not all students found it easy to smile all the time. “When volunteers help other people, smiling is the best way to make them understand that volunteers are ready and sincere (真诚的).” One team leader said.
A teacher in charge of the team thought the team’s work was not all fun and games. “Most of our students will be teachers after they leave the university. Smiling is necessary for good teachers. We hope they can learn how to smile at each other,” she said.
Everyone smiles in the same language. So it’s not important whether you are a teacher or not. After all, sincere smiling and helping hearts are the most important. If today you don’t start a day with a smile, it won’t be too late to start practising for tomorrow. Remember “The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.”
1. How many Chinese never smiled or smiled less than five times a day?2. Who were the members of the team of “Smiling Volunteers”?
3. Where did the university students do their first task?
4. All students found it easy to smile all the time, didn’t they?
5. Why smiling is necessary in your life?
4 . Beggars are often seen sitting by the side of a street with heads bowed as people pass by. Some ask people passing by for a small amount of money and some just sit and wait to be given money.
To solve the problem, a plan has been suggested. Ten blue money boxes will be placed in busy places such as the market and the railway station. It aims to encourage people not to give money directly to beggars but instead to give generously to local homeless people.
Supporters of this plan think it will be a useful way to solve the beggars’ alcohol and drug problems (酗酒和吸毒). But the police are against the plan arguing that beggars who do not receive cash may turn to criminality to feed their addictions. The homeless charity “Crisis” said the success of any plan will depend on its style. They think that imaginative and active plans can help create local understanding and sympathy instead of hardness. Most of the beggars dislike the plan because they think they will not get enough money from the boxes for their showers, food and clothes.
. Begging is a big social problem both in developing and developed countries. Government must play a big role in solving this problem. Training beggars to work and helping them to find fit jobs is one option. This is especially true for developing countries where many low-skill jobs exist.
The general community should also be educated to see beggars not as dirty, and dangerous, but as people who need understanding and help.
1. The ten boxes will be placed in busy places in order to ________.| A．encourage people give money directly to beggars. |
| B．encourage people give generously to local homeless people. |
| C．ask beggars to take a bow. |
| A．An introduction to the begging problem. |
| B．Different opinions about the begging problem. |
| C．A Plan to solve the problem. |
| A．信仰 | B．不满 | C．同情 |
| A．Supporters of this plan think it useful to solve the problem related to beggars. |
| B．Most of the beggars dislike the plan because they thought it possible for them to get enough money. |
| C．The homeless charity said that it remains to be seen whether this plan would be successful. |
| A．helping beggars to find suitable jobs |
| B．asking people to give money to beggars |
| C．offering high-skill jobs to beggars |
The Chongyang Festival falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and is also called the Double Ninth Festival. As both the month and the day are nine, it got this name. To celebrate the day, people usually climb mountains and enjoy chrysanthemum (菊花), so the festival is also known as the Height Ascending (登高) Festival or the Chrysanthemum Festival. In China, nine has the similar pronunciation with the word forever, meaning long life. So the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day.
The festival has a history of over 2,000 years. During the Warring States Period, there was the Chongyang Festival. But it was only celebrated in the palace. From the Han Dynasty, it began to be popular among the common people. The name of the Chongyang Festival first appeared in the Three Kingdoms Period. During the Jin Dynasty, there were customs of enjoying chrysanthemum and drinking wines on the day. It was not officially set as a festival until the Tang Dynasty. Since then, all the people have spent the festival with kinds of activities. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people in the palace all ate flower cakes to celebrate. The emperor climbed the mountain on the day as well. In 1989, the Chinese government set the day as the Seniors’ Day.
As September has the clear sky and fresh air, it is a very good time to climb the mountain. There will be a happy sense of excitement by climbing the mountain. Also, it is good for health. In the Western Han Dynasty, people started to have the custom of climbing on the Chongyang Festival.
On the day, enjoying chrysanthemum is very popular as the flower means long life. Drinking chrysanthemum is regarded as a special way to prevent diseases and bad things. Eating Chongyang cakes is another tradition on the festival. There is no fixed way of the cake but the one with nine layers (层) with two sheep on it is the best. Two sheep mean Chongyang. Nine layers show people could do well in everything.
1. How many other names does the Chongyang Festival have?2. During the Warring States Period, the Chongyang Festival wasn’t very popular, was it?
3. Why is September a very good time to climb the mountain?
4. When did people have the custom of climbing on that day?
5. What is the special way to prevent diseases and bad things according the passage?
6 . If you travel by bus or subway, you may look up to find someone sleeping in the seat across from you. Maybe this even happens to you! You might think you need more coffee, but it won’t help much. The natural vibration (振动) of buses and subways makes us fall sleepy, according to a new study.
Why? It’s all about the information going to your brain. On a bus, you keep receiving the repeating information. For example, the air conditioner and engine keep making white noise. At the same time, you’re sitting still on the seat. Also, things around you don’t change. Your brain almost has no new information to process. Slowly, your brain doesn’t care about the information any longer and starts to rest. The fact that you fall asleep quickly when closing your eyes on a bus is because your brain gets used to all the repeating information.
When you’re tired, it doesn’t take you much time to start nodding off. And we’ve found that the vibrations made by car seats as you drive can make your brain and body relaxed and calm,” said Stephen Robinson, a researcher from Australia.
Robinson’s team monitored (监测) 15 volunteers’ hearts rate variability (HRV，心率变异度) which shows how sleepy one person is, while they sat in a driving simulator (模拟器). In two 60-minute tests, volunteers were tested once with vibrations and once without.
During the test with vibrations, volunteers’ HRV was much lower. Within 15 minutes, they felt a bit sleepy, and the feeling was increasing up until the end of the test.
The line of research can help in the development of the car industry, and then help to reduce accidents. “We hope that future car seat design can fight sleeping caused by vibration,” Robinson said.
1. How does the writer lead into the topic?| A．By asking a question. |
| B．By giving an example. |
| C．By making a comparison. |
| A．the things around you always change to make your brain get new information |
| B．you keep hearing the white noise such as the air conditioner and engine |
| C．your brain is used to some information which is repeating |
| A．felt sleepy for just 15 minutes |
| B．felt sleepier and sleepier during the test |
| C．felt sleepy as soon as the test started |
| A．during the test without vibrations, volunteers’ HRV slowed down |
| B．the vibrations made by seats can excite your brain and body as you drive |
| C．when you’re tired, it’s easy for you to start nodding off |
| A．Fewer people will take buses in the near future. |
| B．The lower a person’s HRV is, the more active he is. |
| C．If Robinson’s dream comes true, road safety will be improved. |
When we are born, we are given names that stay with us for our whole lives. Some names include good wishes and hopes from parents, while others may be unique（独一无二的）and easy to remember. But do you know how the new coronavirus（冠状病毒）got its name?
According to International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses（国际病毒分类委员会）, an organization that names new viruses, the task of naming a virus is no less important than naming a person.
When a disease breaks out, people focus on the public health response and the official naming of a new virus is often put off. But naming a virus is never easy. Over the past ten years, some improper names have caused problems. In 2009, the “swine flu（猪流感）” was widely used before the official name, H1N1 virus, was announced. This led Egypt to kill all of its pigs even though it appeared and spread among people who hadn’t been near pigs. In 2015, MERS(Midle Eat Respiratory Syndrome（中东呼吸综合征）) caused a backlash（强烈抵制）against the nations and people of this area.
So in 2015, the World Health Organization（WHO）announced that the names of viruses should be easy to remember but avoid being named after geographic place, people, classes of animals and foods.
Following these rules, the new coronavirus we are suffering from（遭受痛苦）was named “COVID-19” by the WHO on Feb 11. In this name, “CO” means “corona”, “VT” stands for “virus” and “D” means “disease”.
Next time you read about a virus you don’t know（线索）, you may get some clues about it from its name.
1. According to the first paragraph, what are the features（特点）of people’s names?2. Is the task of naming a virus less important than naming a person?
3. What problem did the virus named “swine flu” cause?
4. When was the new coronavirus named “COVID-19”?
5. According to the passage, how can we know about a virus that we don’t know?
8 . I often eat three meals (餐) a day. But in Guangdong, many people eat four meals a day. They have breakfast at any time from seven to nine in the morning. They often have different food for breakfast, like eggs, bread and tea (茶). They eat lunch at about 1:00 p.m. Afternoon tea is from four to five in the afternoon and dinner is at about half past seven. Dinner is important (重要的). They often drink soup and they have meat or fish with vegetables. They eat some fruit, like bananas, apples and oranges, too. But not all people in Guangdong eat like that. Some of them like having a big meal at eleven thirty in the morning.
1. Many people in Guangdong have ________ meals a day.| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
| A．tea and eggs | B．hamburgers and tea | C．milk and bread | D．eggs and fish |
| A．At 11:15 a.m. | B．At about 11:00 a.m. | C．At about 1:30 p.m. | D．At about 1:00 p.m. |
| A．甜饼 | B．牛排 | C．骨头 | D．汤 |
| A．at 11:00 a.m. | B．at 11:30 a.m. | C．in the afternoon | D．in the evening |
Most people drink tea in the world. But tea does not mean the same thing to different people. In different countries, people have different ideas about drinking tea.
In China, for example, tea is often served when people get together. Chinese people drink it at home or in tea houses at any time of the day. They often use hot water to boil tea leaves.
Tea is also important in other Asian countries. People in these countries have a special way of serving tea. They hold a tea ceremony in their houses when important guests come. It is very old and full of meaning. Everything must be done in a special way in the ceremony. There is even a special room for it in their houses.
In the United States, people usually drink tea at breakfast or they drink it after meals. Americans usually use tea bags to make tea. This way is faster and easier than the way of making tea in teapots. In summer, most Americans drink iced tea. They like to put some ice in their tea.
1. Do most people drink tea in the world?2. What do Chinese people often use to boil tea leaves?
3. What does the underlined word “It” mean?
4. When do people usually drink tea in the USA?
5. What kind of tea do most Americans drink in summer?
Breakfast is commonly regarded as “the most important meal of the day.” But that rises the question of whether or not this sentence is true or just a myth. About 25% of Americans skip this meal every day and it has even become a trend to do so.
So what happens to your body if you don’t have breakfast day?
You may put on weight.
Although the idea that skipping breakfast every day can lead to weight loss, it’s not totally right. Some research has shown that keeping hungry in the morning can cause fatness, not just in children and younger population, but also among the adults.
This may happen because skipping breakfast can make people eat more later on. But one study also showed that skipping breakfast can put on weight even if you don’t overeat for the rest of the day because the body’s inner gets disturbed.
Your mood gets worse.
Skipping breakfast is related with mood disorder among adults. People who don’t eat in the morning are easy to have sadness more often. Also, skipping the first meal of the day 4 or 5 times a week can lead to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes （糖尿病） by 55%. It can also be connected to low blood sugar levels. When one’s blood sugar level goes down, it results in fast mood changes, like being unhappy and getting angry easily.
You feel tired between 12 p. m. and 4 p.m.
In the morning, after a long break without food, your glycogen stores（糖类储备）are low and you need more energy to work well. Once you have breakfast, your body starts to break down fatty acids（脂肪酸）to produce the energy it needs. If you don’t have breakfast, even if you feel good in the morning, you may feel very tired in a few hours.
1. What is regarded as the most important meal of the day?2. How many Americans have breakfast every day?
3. Can people always lose weight only by skipping breakfast?
4. According to the passage, who are easy to have sadness less often?
5. What may happen to your body if you don’t have breakfast every day?
