1 . Free time is a good chance for teenagers to have fun. What about free time with parents around? Some teenagers want free play without parent supervision (监管) while parents and experts may think differently.
Lin Tao, a middle school student, thinks teenagers should be free to play. “Last time I played with my parents around, I was nervous and just couldn’t enjoy myself to the fullest.” Lin says. “And my friend Chen Xiaoxin has similar experiences. Once, he went out to play with his classmates. Everyone felt uncomfortable with his mother’s supervision.”
Wang Min, a mother of a 14-year-old boy, thinks playtime needs supervision. She explains, “People usually say I like to control my kid, but that’s not true. I am just worried that he will get into trouble. Some guys may have a bad influence on him and some games like LARP (剧本杀) may mislead him. He might even get indulged in the stories and can’t get back to real life.
Mr. Ma, a doctor of social studies, says it’s understandable for teenagers to wish for freedom. Free play helps them to be independent. Parents can give them more space. They don’t have to supervise them all the time. However, teenagers should find out the exact details about the activities before playtime. Then they can communicate with their parents and decide together whether they can go out to play alone.
1. According to the text, free time is a good chance for teenagers to ________.| A．study hard | B．enjoy themselves | C．get into trouble | D．mislead parents |
| A．By listing numbers. | B．By raising questions. |
| C．By comparing facts. | D．By giving examples |
| A．get lost in | B．get interested in | C．be tired of | D．be proud of |
| A．He Kai’s parents are around every time he plays with his friends. |
| B．Feng Zhongfan’s parents never ask him about whom he plays with. |
| C．Liu Xiang goes out without knowing anything about the activities. |
| D．Xie Hao talks to his parents about the exact details before playtime. |
In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and inkstones are called the Four Treasures of the Study. Among the high-quality treasures, the writing brush produced in Huzhou, the ink stick produced in Huizhou, the Xuan paper made in Xuancheng and the inkstone made in Duanxi are the best-known.
The writing brushes are mainly made of the hair of animals. Those made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel’s tail hair are called langhao. Their artistic effects（效果） in writing and painting cannot be copied by any other pens.
The ink stick is the pigment（颜料） used in writing and painting. The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. A story goes like this: Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty agreed to give them the family name “Li”. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui Ink Stick.
Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous Xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Xuanzhou, （now Xuancheng, Anhui）, where the Xuan paper is produced, it’s said that Cai Lun’s pupil Kong Dan happened to see the ebony （黑檀） in a river. It was wet with the water and turned white. Then he used the bark（树皮） to produce the world-famous Xuan paper.
The inkstone was already, very popular in the Han Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties saw the appearance of the Four Famous Inkstones-Duan Inkstone, She Inkstone, Tao Inkstone and Chengni Inkstone. They can be used not only in writing and painting but also for admiration.
The title: | |
Writing brushes | The writing brushes |
| The ink stick is the pigment used in writing and painting. The high-quality ink stick was produced in Huizhou. | |
Paper | Paper is one of the four great inventions in ancient China. The Xuan paper is produced in Xuanzhou,（now Xuancheng, Anhui）, Kong Dan happened to see the ebony in the river and then the bark |
Inkstones | Duan Inkstone, She Inkstone, Tao Inkstone and Chengni Inkstone are the Four Famous Inkstones. They appeared |
The Nile River is called the “Father of African Rivers”. The Nile is about 6 , 670 km long. It is the longest river in Africa and in the world. The river runs from south to north, beginning in the mountains of Burundi and ending in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Nile played an important role in the development of ancient Egypt. It ran through ancient Egypt, bringing water to plants and a river to ships. The river was full of fish and the river banks were full of good things to eat.
Each spring, snow on the mountain tops would become water. That was a very good thing When the water passed by, it left behind good soil. Plants could grow very well in the black and rich soil. The ancient Egyptians called it “the gift of the Nile”
The Nile provided other gifts for the ancient Egyptians. Papyrus（纸莎草）, used for everything grew along its bank. It provided water for cooking and bathing. There were also many fish and water birds. Wild vegetables could be found, along with bird eggs. Egypt is in the middle of the desert. But life along the Nile was wonderful.
1. Where does the Nile River start?2. Why was the Nile important to ancient Egypt?
3. What was “the gift of the Nile” for the ancient Egyptians?
4. Where did papyrus grow?
5. Did the ancient Egyptians along the Nile live a hard life?
4 .
From tiny seeds, great discoveries grow. A mini-garden carried on China’s Chang’e 4 Moon Lander recently became home to the first plant to grow on another world.
This is yet another success for Chang’e 4. On January 2, the probe（探测器）became the first lander to touch down on the far side of the moon. This is the unknown face of the moon that is always looking away from us, so we never see it from down here on the earth. Although it is often regarded as the dark side of the moon, the far side actually gets as much sunshine as the near side. For example, when all we can see is a silver of a new moon, the far side of the moon is in full sunlight.
Part of Chang’e 4’s mission is to see how a moon base could be built for humans , including exploring（探索）whether humans could grow food and other plant products there, Chang’e 4 carried a mini-garden with air, water and soil with seeds planted in it. When plants shoot on the earth, their stems（茎）grow away from the gravity（the force that keeps your feet on the ground）, and so they always shoot upwards. The moon’s gravity is a sixth as strong as the earth’s, so Chang’e 4’s experiment was a test: would the earth plants know which way was up on the moon? Four days after landing, a tiny cotton shoot showed that they do.
Night has now fallen on the far side of the moon; sunlight will not return until the start of February. As a result, the cotton shoots died. Besides the darkness, the plants can’t stand the cold（it can drop to - 170℃ on the moon at night）. However, the experiment is a success, since it has proved that it is possible for plants to grow in space.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Chang’e 4?| A．It carried a mini-garden. | B．It landed on the near side of the moon. |
| C．It explored the moon base. | D．It found plants on the moon. |
| A．the far side of the moon gets less sunlight |
| B．we can see the far side of the moon from the earth |
| C．the stems fail to grow away from the earth’s gravity |
| D．the earth plants know the way to grow on the moon |
| A．direction | B．decision | C．plan | D．purpose |
| A．Plants can be grown on the moon soon. |
| B．It is perfect to do experiments on the moon. |
| C．The cotton shoots can last 4 days on the moon. |
| D．We can see a new moon at the start of February. |
| A．Another Success of Chang’e 4 | B．Chang’e 4 Moon Lander |
| C．Tiny Seeds in the Soil | D．The Steps of an Experiment |
5 . I ordered some snacks on my phone the other afternoon. Once I got home from work that evening, I saw they were already at my door. So fast!
Have you ever thought about how people in the past communicated and did things without mobile phones?
Take the post for example. Before phones, if you wanted to stay in touch with someone far away, you needed to send them a letter in the mail. When my mom was in primary school, she used to do this with her “pen pal”. A pen pal is a name for a person you keep in touch with mainly through postal mail. My mom would write to her pen pal every few months, and then, after a little while, her pen pal would write back. Later, once email became a common thing, sending letters in the post felt so slow to people. It became known as “snail mail”!
What if you were at an airport in the time before mobile phones? My dad said that in the 1970s there used to be message boards at some airports. If you needed to exit （离开） the airport and wanted to leave a message for a friend who would be arriving later, you could write them a message and stick it on the message board. Then, your friend could go, check the board later and see what you wrote to them!
1. When the writer went back home from work, he saw some snacks were ________.| A．in the room | B．at the door | C．at the airport | D．on the message board |
| A．By talking on phones. | B．By mailing letters. |
| C．By visiting every few months. | D．By writing diaries. |
| A．To make fun of people still sending letters. | B．To say that postal mail was famous. |
| C．To say that email was a common thing. | D．To say that postal mail was very slow. |
| A．On the message boards. | B．At the information desk. |
| C．On the door of the exit. | D．On the boarding gate of the plane. |
| A．How fast it is to buy things nowadays. | B．How people stayed in touch before. |
| C．The importance of communication. | D．Ways of making friends in the past. |
6 . Many things can cause driving accidents. You can’t control all of them, but the following steps (步骤) can help you cut down on the number of accidents while you are driving.
First, look where you’re going. By doing this, you can see if the road is clear.
Second, keep as much space as you can between your car and other cars. This is your Zone (区域) of safety. If you are driving at a speed of 10 miles (英里) an hour, it is wise to leave at least one car length (长度) between your car and the car in front of you. In heavy traffic, it is difficult to leave that much space between cars. But you should try to keep enough distance (距离) between your car and the car in front of you.
Third, before you change roads, turn your head around all the time to see everything around you.
Fourth, be careful in bad weather. Always turn on your headlights (车头灯) as this not only helps you to see other cars but also helps them to see you.
Finally, be polite all the time. Even if (即使) some drivers make you angry, don’t shout at them. You may never see them again in the future.
| Title (题目)： | |
| Steps | What to do when driving. |
| Look where you’re going. | See if the road is clear. |
Keep space between cars. | When driving at a speed of 10 miles an hour, |
| Change road | Turn your head around all the time |
| Always turn on your headlights | |
| Be polite all the time. | |
People use colour expressions to show their feelings and describe the world. Many colour-related phrases（词组）are common in our speech. Let’s see where they came from.
•The Blues
The phrase is a short form of “the blue devils（魔鬼）”, which also stands for sad feelings. This expression is also used to describe a type of jazz（爵士）music that became popular in the south of America in the 1940s.
•Black Sheep of the Family
The phrase refers to（指的是）a member of a family or a group who is unacceptable. In the old days, the black sheep were sold at a lower price than the white ones at the market, because their fleece（羊毛）could not be coloured. This made the black sheep an unwelcome member of the group.
•A Red-letter Day
A Red-letter Day is a day when something really exciting and memorable（难忘的）happens. It came from the practice of marking special western days, holidays, or other festivals in red on the calendar. Today, some calendars still use red numbers for special holidays, even weekends.
Colour Expressions to Show Feelings and Describe the World | |
The Blues | This phrase is used to describe both a kind of feeling and a kind of |
Black sheep of the family | If a person is not |
| A red-letter day is often a memorable and | |
8 . When Xiong Chuanfa, 34, blows a lifelike tiger out of sugar in just minutes, kids look at him in surprise thinking he is a magician.
Xiong has been blowing sugar figurines（吹糖人）for over twenty years. Blowing sugar figurines is a Chinese traditional folk art with a history of over 600 years and has been listed（列为）as a state-level intangible cultural heritage（国家级非物质文化遗产）.
Every morning, Xiong prepares the sugar and drives to different markets in Nanchang to start his magic show. He heats the sugar, pulls off（拔出）a little to make a ball and blows it into different shapes—a rabbit, a monkey, and even Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot（吉祥物）of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
People, especially little kids, are interested in his skills. To draw young people closer to the art, he also stops by colleges. Many college students, even the foreign students, have been drawn to the art, waiting in line for hands-on experience.
This art has been passed down for four generations（代）in Xiong’s family. His 6-year-old son often blows sugar balloons, just like what he used to do as a child. “We will pass on the intangible heritage,” said Xiong.
1. From the passage we know that Xion g is a ________.| A．street magician | B．college student | C．su gar seller | D．folk artist |
| A．how Xiong blows sugar figurines |
| B．what “blowing sugar figurines” is |
| C．when people began to blow sugar figurines |
| D．why Xiong likes blowing sugar figurines |
| A．绘画 | B．拉动 | C．吸引 | D．推断 |
| A．rabbits | B．monkeys | C．balloons | D．tigers |
| A．The sugar needs to be heated to blow sugar figurines. |
| B．Blowing sugar figurines appeared in Qin Dynasty（秦朝）. |
| C．Only college students like blowing sugar figurines. |
| D．Xiong’s children don’t like blowing sugar figurines. |
| Teens help students in remote areas Luo, a Chinese university student, only turned 18 in January, but he’s already made a big difference to the lives of many poor young people living in China’s remote (偏远的) areas. His online English lessons have offered them a chance to know a world they could only imagine before. Many have achieved university dreams. |
| Luban Lock: magic Chinese puzzle 2,000 years ago, a famous Chinese carpenter (木匠) named Luban created a magic Chinese puzzle (智力玩具) called “Luban Lock (锁)”, which he used to test his son’s intelligence (智力). Watch as Rachel learns to make this Chinese puzzle and tries to solve it! Do you want to have a try? |
| First picture of the black hole The first picture of the huge black hole at the heart of the Milky Way was shown on Thursday, thanks to the efforts (努力) of astronomers (天文学家) from, around the world, including 17 from China. Shen Zhiqiang says that the future purpose (目标) of the Event Horizon Telescope (视界望远镜) is to get video pictures of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. |
| China’s healthcare China has made progress in public health over the past years. In 1949, average life expectancy (平均寿命) was 35. It reached nearly 77 in 2019, much higher than the world average of 72. In 1949, there were just 3,670 medical and health organizations (组织) in the whole country. The number increased to nearly l million at the end of 2018. Health insurance (保险) has also benefited (使受益) over 95 percent of the population. |
| A．He helped them choose dream universities. |
| B．He improved their living condition. |
| C．He gave them online English lessons. |
| D．He showed them around the world. |
| A．how smart his son was | B．if his son could be a carpenter |
| C．who was as smart as him | D．if he could make the best lock |
| A．An American astronomer team. |
| B．A Chinese astronomer team. |
| C．An international astronomer team. |
| D．A European astronomer team. |
| A．35 | B．49 | C．72 | D．77 |
| A．Traditional arts never die. | B．Great Chinese, great China. |
| C．Volunteers are taking actions. | D．Good present, better future. |
10 . The Chinese fan(扇子) is a tool for cooling as well as an artwork. Here are some common types(种类) of Chinese fans.
The palm-leaf fan is the cheapest and the most commonly used fan in China. It’s made of Chinese fan palm(蒲葵) leaves which smells very good.
The silk round fan is often made of silk. And it’s decorated(装饰) with paintings of beautiful women, flowers or birds. It’s one of the earliest types of Chinese fans and popular with women of all ages.
The feather(羽毛) fan is a well-known type of Chinese fan. It’s made of the feathers of several different kinds of birds. Among all the feathers, the geese’s are the most used. The fan handle(柄) is usually made of wood(木头).
A folding fan is often made of paper or silk. And the handles and ribs(扇骨) are usually made of bamboo or wood. The material of the fan is very important which decides the value(价值) of the fan. There are always beautiful paintings or handwriting on the fan.
________ In ancient China, fans were a sign of beauty and knowledge. Ladies would use fans to show their kindness. Learned men would fan themselves to show their deep thoughts, too.
1. What does the underlined sentence mean?| A．People make the Chinese fan in order to admire it. |
| B．People like the Chinese fan because it can make people cool. |
| C．The Chinese fan is a tool instead of an artwork. |
| D．The Chinese fan is not only a tool but also an artwork. |
| A．the silk round fan | B．the feather fan |
| C．the folding fan | D．the palm-leaf fan |
| A．bird | B．wood | C．fan | D．feather |
| A．the painting | B．the handwriting | C．the material | D．the owner |
| A．How did Chinese people make fans in the past? |
| B．Why did Chinese people love fans in the past? |
| C．Who loved fans best in the past? |
| D．When did Chinese people begin to use the fans? |
