Sometimes we suddenly feel like eating a certain food. Maybe you want a piece of chocolate to go with your coffee or chips when you are watching a movie. But some people want things that are not even food. They want to eat dirt or paper. Some people even want to eat glass. While you and I might be able to say no to chocolate or chips, the wish to eat things that are not food is really strong for some people. Even though they know the item could hurt them, they cannot help but eat it. This is called pica.
A person is said to have pica if they want and eat non-foods for over one month. Young children often put things in their mouths and might eat them. This is because at their age, they are learning about the world. There are some places in the world where eating non-foods is a tradition. For example, in some areas of Africa, women eat a kind of dirt. That would not be called pica because it is a tradition.
Pica can cause problems for health. People might have to see a doctor to have non-food objects taker out, or they may be poisoned. If the thing a person eats contains something bad, it can cause problems for the brain. Eating dirt can make people sick because there may be small bugs in the dirt. Those bugs can live in the body and eat the food the person eats. In that way, the person is not getting anything that is good for them from the food. People who have pica should get help from their doctors.
1. What would be an example of something a person with pica would eat?| A．Turkey. | B．Chips. | C．Stones. | D．Honey. |
| A．children put things in their mouths |
| B．people like to eat blocks and glass bottles |
| C．women eat a kind of dirt in some places of Africa |
| D．people who have pica can get help from their doctor |
| A．The person has to eat several types of non-foods. |
| B．The person has to eat non-foods for over a month. |
| C．The person has to be an adult who eats non-foods. |
| D．The person has to be a one-year-old who eats paper. |
| A．an unusual food | B．an eating problem |
| C．an interesting tradition | D．an elementary problem |
When our ears are healthy and working properly, sound waves are collected by the outer ear, cause special bones in the middle ear to vibrate, and travel to the inner car. These vibrations send a signal that our brain interprets as sound. But sometimes an illness or an injury can hurt parts of the ear so that we don’t hear sound properly.
According to the official website of the World Health Organization, as of February 13, 2019, there are about 466 million people worldwide with hearing loss, of which 34 million are children. By 2050, more than 900 million people in the world will have hearing loss. Scientists say many of these people can often hear better by using a hearing aid. A hearing aid is an electronic object that uses electricity to help the ear hear sounds better. The earliest hearing aids, developed in the 1600s, were shaped like horns. Since then, every century has brought new and improved solutions.
Modern hearing aids have four main parts: a battery, a microphone, an amplifier, and a speaker. The battery powers the bearing aid. The microphone works by receiving sound waves and changing the vibrations into “electric current”. The electric current then travels through a circuit in the hearing aid, where it is made stronger by the amplifier. The amplifier sends the stronger current to the speaker, which changes the current back into sound waves. These sound waves then travel into the middle ear or sometimes directly to the inner ear.
Although most hearing aids have the same parts, there are different types of hearing aids. One type, called a telecoil, has a metal coil instead of a microphone. Another type of hearing aid, called a digital hearing aid, changes the sound waves into electronic data, the same way music is changed into electronic data in a CD or portable music player. This kind of hearing aid then translates the data into an electronic signal that is sent to the hearing aid’s speaker. Regardless of the type of hearing aid, they all change electrical energy into sound waves. And while no hearing aid works as well as a healthy set of cars, hearing aids do make it possible for millions of people to hear better.
Hearing aids have used science to improve people’s lives and make it possible for a person with hearing loss to hear sounds in nature, in the community, and in their homes.
1. As of February 13, 2019, how many children around the world suffer from hearing loss?| A．1,600 | B．34,000,000 | C．466,000,000 | D．900,000,000 |
| A．helps people to hear sound properly | B．has a metal coil instead of an organization |
| C．can work as well as a healthy set of ears | D．causes special bones in the outer ear to vibrate |
| A．A battery. | B．A microphone. | C．An amplifier. | D．A speaker. |
| A．The vibrations would send many signals to people’s brain. |
| B．A telecoil would change the sound waves into electronic data. |
| C．Music would not change into electronic data in a CD or music player. |
| D．The electric current would not be made stronger and get to the speaker. |
The water on Earth has been moving all the time for billions of years. It travels from ocean to air to land and back to the ocean. This continuous movement is called the water cycle, and it is the reason that earth has the same amount of water today as it did back in the days of the dinosaurs. The water cycle provides people, animals, and plants with life-giving water. Each stage of the water cycle is equally important. Here are some of the stages.
Evaporation is the stage of the water cycle when water moves into the air. Water in oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams is in liquid form. The sun’s radiation heats the water and causes it to change into vapor. It rises into the atmosphere. Areas that receive more heat from the sun experience more evaporation.
Condensation is the stage of the water cycle that follows evaporation. In this stage, vapor changes back into liquid while it is still in the air. Vapor in the atmosphere moves to different regions of Earth. When vapor moves to cooler regions, it also cools. Cooling causes vapor to change back into liquid. It turns into many tiny water droplets. The water droplets collect, making them visible in the air. Clouds and fog are collections of water droplets that result from condensation. The water droplets can remain in the air as long as they are light enough for air currents to carry them.
Precipitation occurs after condensation. This is the stage of the water cycle when water travels back to Earth’s surface. Water droplets in the atmosphere collect in clouds and become heavy. They become so heavy that air currents can no longer carry them. The droplets fall to Earth’s surface as rain. If the air is cold, the water droplets may be snowflakes, hail, or sleet. Some of the precipitation soaks into the ground. And some of it goes directly back into the same oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams from which it had evaporated.
Although the water cycle has kept water usable for billions of years, the fresh water that we depend on is limited. It is necessary that we think about...
1. How many stages of the water cycle are mentioned in this passage?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Both stages contain rain and clouds. |
| B．In both stages water changes the form. |
| C．They are more important than precipitation. |
| D．In both stages, the ocean plays an important role. |
| A．Condensation follows the precipitation stage. |
| B．Vapor changes into liquid in the stage evaporation. |
| C．It is the precipitation stage when it snows in cold winter. |
| D．Clouds are made up of water droplets and are very heavy. |
| A．Places to find water resources. | B．Ways to protect water resources. |
| C．Reasons to learn the water cycle. | D．Methods to study the water cycle. |
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes between China and Europe in the 10th century. Merchants carrying Chinese silk and other goods followed routes that crossed Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Far East.
Traveling the Silk Road could be gruelling. Warring soldiers, bandits, and terrible weather such as sandstorms troubled the merchants. Caravanserais made the way easier for weary tradesmen. These were huge guest houses that welcomed traveling merchants. At a caravanserai, traders were safe from harm. There, they could enjoy tasty meals, rest, and ready themselves to journey on.
A caravanserai was surrounded with high, strong walls. The one entrance was big enough for a loaded pack animal to enter. Along the inside of the walls were guest rooms for merchants, their servants and their goods. Some guest houses provided stables for animals. Others had open central courtyards where pack animals—horses, camels, yaks, oxen, and elephants—drank from stone water troughs.
Caravanserais were located within a day’s journey of each other. This allowed merchants to avoid spending nights exposed to the Silk Road’s dangers. In many regions, there was always a caravanserai every 20 to 25 miles.
A caravanserai provided more than a safe place to rest. There, traders could exchange goods and pack animals, buy local products, and socialize with other merchant travelers. Thus, the caravanserais provided places for people of different cultures to share knowledge about arts, crafts, literature, science, and technologies. Over hundreds of years, trade along the Silk Road allowed cultures, languages and religions to influence one another.
1. The underlined word “gruelling” probably means ________.| A．surprising | B．convenient | C．boring | D．difficult |
| A．feeding animals | B．getting protection |
| C．planning routes | D．exchanging products |
| A．Merchants had to travel several days to find a caravanserai. |
| B．Caravanserais were good places for people to communicate. |
| C．Merchants just carried Chinese silk to Europe on the Silk Road. |
| D．The Caravanserai’s entrance was too small for animals to enter. |
| A．The Service of Caravanserais | B．The Influence of Caravanserais |
| C．Caravanserais along the Silk Road | D．Caravanserais with Different Cultures |
Nowadays, electric cookers are commonly used to make rice cooking easier and more efficient. You only need to press the button and wait for about half an hour, and then everything is ready.
Tools or materials:
An electric cooker, electricity, rice and water.
Sequenced instructions:
1. Put the rice into the inner pot and add water. The proportion between rice and water is 1 to 1.15 or 1.2.
2. Dry the surface of the inner pot and then put it on the heating plate.
3. Press down the lid until you hear a click sound.
4. Turn on the electric cooker. The button will bounce when it finishes.
Warnings:
●Don’t use the metal brush to clean the inner pot, so as not to damage it.
●Wait for at least ten minutes after the button tells you the rice is outright cooked.
●After using the electric cooker, don’t forget to turn it off in time and dry the inner pot.
If the rice cooker fails to function well, please feel free to call us at 400-889-9315 for any help!
1. Which picture shows the third step to cook rice according to the instructions?A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．We are able to enjoy the rice immediately after it is cooked. |
| B．We are supposed to add the water twice the amount of the rice. |
| C．We have to dry the inner pot after putting it on the heating plate. |
| D．We aren’t allowed to clean the inner pot with some metal brushes. |
| A．how to buy the electric cooker | B．how to use the electric cooker |
| C．how to repair the electric cooker | D．how to produce the electric cooker |
Most of us learn how to ride a bike during childhood. But as we grow older, many of us stop riding and put away those once-beloved bikes somewhere. Years later, when we get on the bikes, we can still ride professionally as if we never stopped biking.
This is surprising because our memories let us down in so many other instances, such as remembering the name of a person we once knew. So how is it that we can ride a bike when we haven’t done so in years?
As it turns out, different types of memories are stored in distinct regions of our brains. Long-term memory is divided into two types: declarative and procedural*.
Declarative memory refers to the memory of relevant facts and events. Its extraction* often needs the help of consciousness. One thing about it is that you are aware of the knowledge and can communicate the memories to others. This type of memory includes things such as remembering information for a test and your home address.
Procedural memory, on the other hand, is a type of memory involving how to perform different actions and skills. It’s mostly unconscious — we can perform these actions without putting in much mental effort, that is. Playing the piano and swimming are both examples of procedural memory. When we repeat an action over and over again, it gets transferred from our short-term memory to our long-term storage. In the beginning, our brain is more actively working to perform the task, but as we repeat it over time, our brain needs to pay less attention to successfully perform that task. In other words, they become almost automatic* for us.
Procedural memories are often difficult to explain. If someone asked you how you drive a car, you might fail to put it into words. If they asked you about the way to your house, however, you would probably be able to articulate the route fairly easily. Remembering the physical process of how to do something is a procedural memory while remembering the route you have to take to get somewhere is a declarative memory.
1. Why does the writer mention bike riding in Paragraph 1?| A．To lead in the topic about memories. |
| B．To describe the qualities of memories |
| C．To tell us the importance of memories. |
| D．To deal with problems about memories. |
| A．Good habits. | B．Lots of courage. | C．Much attention. | D．Common knowledge. |
①Sweep the floor.
②Remember phone numbers.
③Drink water.
④Catch a baseball.
⑤Know some festivals.
| A．①②③ | B．②④⑤ | C．③④⑤ | D．①③④ |
| A．publishes the latest scientific research |
| B．cares about improving people’s health |
| C．shares reports about people’s daily life |
| D．focuses on spreading scientific knowledge |
Koalas are lovely, right? The native animals of Australia are cute as living teddy bears. They just spend the day away eating and sleeping in eucalyptus trees. If that’s only what you think of these little animals, then you are in need of an education.
Koalas might be cute in your eyes and that’s probably because they are slow and lazy animals. Their brains were described as “unbelievably small”. A koala weighs about 10 kilos and its brain only takes up about 0.2%. And their brains are smooth with no folds. Larger brains and more brain folds result in high intelligence. Thus, koalas don’t have the brain capacity to learn anything new. Koalas sleep, find food, eat, and sometimes mate. They haven’t learnt more behaviors for the last 15 million years.
You might have thought that koalas don’t have fingerprints. In fact, their fingerprints are so similar to those of humans. It is almost impossible to tell the difference, even when viewed with an electronic microscope. A koala also has five fingers and share similar shaped hands just like that of humans. However, two of their fingers are opposite to the others when they hold something. This helps them to hold onto trees and grip their food.
If you suppose that koalas will make a sweet sound when they need to get someone’s attention, you’re totally wrong. A koala’s call is much more terrible than you’d like to think. They produce “a sickening cry like a scream of a baby” when in trouble. Male koalas make a deep sound when they fight. This sound is similar to that of a large animal, like a pig or an elephant.
1. Koalas are slow and lazy because _________.
| A．they usually live a long life |
| B．their brains are small without folds |
| C．they don’t try to learn anything new |
| D．they only sleep and eat without exercise |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．often fights with large animals |
| B．has a weight of about 20 kilos |
| C．feeds on different kinds of leaves |
| D．produces an unpleasant sound in trouble |
| A．the living ways of koalas | B．how cute koalas are |
| C．some features about koalas | D．how to protect koalas |
8 . Football is one of the most popular sports in the world. The history of the game goes back over two thousand years to Ancient China. It was then known as cuju (kick ball). Football as we know it today started in Great Britain, where the game was given new rules.
That football is such a simple game to play is perhaps the basis of its popularity. It is also very cheap to play. You don’t need expensive equipment. All over the world you can see kids playing to their hearts’ content with a ball made of plastic bags, running and laughing.
Another factor behind football’s global popularity is the creativity and excitement on the field. It is fun enough to attract millions of people. You do not have to be a fan to know the skill of professional players how they use their bodies to pass, core and defend can be amazing to see or to feel the excitement of a surprising ending.
What’s more, football has become one of the best ways for people to communicate. It breaks down walls and brings people together on and off the field. Take, for example, the famous football game on Christmas Day 1914. World War I had broken out months before, but British and German soldiers put down guns and played football together- one moment of peace to remember during years of war.
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, ...” said Bill Shankly, the famous footballer and manager. “I’m sure it is much more important than that. “This might sound funny, but one only has to think about the Earth to realize that our planet is shaped like a football.”
1. The writer started the passage by ________.| A．giving facts | B．listing numbers | C．telling a story | D．asking questions |
| A．with great shame | B．with great pleasure | C．with great anger | D．with great surprise |
| A．P1P2P3P4/P5 | B．P1/P2/P3P4P5 | C．P1/P2P3P4P5 | D．P1/P2P3P4/P5 |
| A．how football develops | B．why football is such a popular game |
| C．how he/she loves football | D．why he/she is a professional football fan |
A new study warns that about thirty percent of the world’s people may not have enough water by the year 2025. A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa and the Middle East. P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have serious water problems. The need for water keeps booming. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to fight for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would lower the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several ways to solve the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third one is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term way to solve the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot have clean water unless they slow population growth by cutting down the number of children people have.
1. What does the underlined word “booming” in paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Moving immediately. | B．Increasing quickly. | C．Answered timely. | D．Losing rapidly. |
| A．People may get some kind of illness. |
| B．Countries may not be friendly to each other. |
| C．The development of economy may slow down. |
| D．More people may need fresh water from other countries. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．To introduce the lack of world water. |
| B．To help solve the problem of lacking water. |
| C．To tell readers the future of world water. |
| D．To show the different needs for water in the world. |
Some people may think that students who study abroad have more time for fun and less homework. But in fact, Grade 12 students in Canada are just as busy as students in China. In Canada, students have to pay equal attention to all the tests and homework. To relax oneself from the important courses, like math and English, students will often choose one or two elective courses in the last year of high school. They are usually easier and have more fun.
Take me as an example—I chose an interesting course, cooking and health. This course is to help students develop a healthy lifestyle and diet. The biggest fun of this course is that students can experience cooking. I believe this is the reason why there’re a large number of students on the waiting list. Usually, there are one or two food labs every month. Teachers always let students decide what they want to cook. Students are divided into four groups with six people, and we enjoy the cooking time a lot.
After attending this class for more than three months, I believe it’s not as easy as others think it is because it requires basic knowledge of science, life skills and practice.
Some people might think they are just for fun and don’t need to be taken seriously. But I believe it is a great way to get relaxed from the other heavy schoolwork and I do learn a lot from those elective courses.
1. Why do Grade 12 students in Canada take fun elective courses?| A．To pass some free time. | B．To have more life practice. |
| C．To get a healthy lifestyle. | D．To get relaxed from schoolwork. |
| A．It is very popular with students. | B．There are four people in each group. |
| C．Teachers always decide what to cook. | D．The course usually lasts three months. |
| A．Easy but boring. | B．Difficult and boring. | C．Relaxing and helpful. | D．Interesting but unimportant. |
| A．Education in Canada | B．School Life in Canada |
| C．Canada’s Elective Classes | D．Advice for Choosing Elective Classes |
