The Double Ninth Festival is a special day for the old in China. It started long ago. The festival is on lunar September 9th. It is held to show love and respect to the old.
Respecting the old is a tradition in China. That’s because Chinese know that the old have more knowledge and experience. There are many ways for Chinese people to show their respect. When an old person enters a room, everyone stands up. People are introduced from the oldest to the youngest. When we give a book to an old person, we should use our both hands. The young always offer their seats to the old on a crowded subway or bus.
In western countries, however, the old seldom think they are old. They are called “seniors” instead of “the old”. They’d rather do everything themselves. Even after retirement (退休), they take up hobbies, part-time jobs and new activities to keep their bodies working well. And of course among westerners, seniors are respected, too. Usually, seniors don’t have to buy tickets for trains or buses. They get discounts (折扣) in stores and restaurants.
But western seniors don’t often live with their children. For holidays, the young usually meet at their grandparents’ or parents’ home. They give seniors a great smile and a warm hug to show their respect. All of them feel warm and happy.
1. When is the Double Ninth Festival?2. Why is respecting the old a tradition in China?
3. How many ways for Chinese people to show their respect are mentioned in the passage?
4. Where can western seniors get discounts?
5. How do the young in western countries show their respect to seniors?
2 . Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don’t understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what’s for dinner tomorrow, she may say “I’ll play it by ear”, that means she doesn’t have plans for dinner and she will decide later. “Play by ear” used to mean playing music using the sheet music (活页乐谱), but now people often use it when they’re not talking about music.
There’re many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid (清晰的) and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, “Give me a hand”, you don’t necessarily stretch (伸) out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It’s not about the color of your hand! You’re a green hand when you are very new at your work and don’t have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely (肯定) work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body?
1. An idiom is ________.| A．a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say |
| B．a phrase or a sentence that doesn’t mean exactly what every word says |
| C．so difficult that nobody can understand |
| D．something to do with parts of your body |
| A．she will cook dinner while listening to music at the same time |
| B．she doesn’t hear what others are talking about |
| C．she will play music using the sheet music instead of cooking dinner |
| D．she doesn’t have plans for dinner and will decide later |
| A．he needs to hold your hand. | B．he works well with you |
| C．he needs your help | D．he is a new comer and can’t help with the situation |
| A．People use English idioms more in spoken English than in written English. |
| B．To understand the culture behind an idiom is important in understanding the idiom. |
| C．Idioms make your English more vivid and colorful so they are easy to remember. |
| D．You may not understand an idiom even though you know the meaning of each word. |
| A．to depend on oneself | B．to know something very well |
| C．to do something secretly | D．to have the habit of stealing |
3 . It’s normal for the human mind to wander (走神). So many things may fill your mind and pull your thoughts in different direction. This isn’t always bad. Sometimes a wandering mind can lead to a new creation. However, wandering thoughts can also stop you from getting things done, keep you up at night, or hurt your health. Don’t worry. Here is my advice about avoiding them.
Doing exercise and activities
Slow down and let your mind focus (专注) on your breathing. By controlling your breathing, you can bring your mind to work together with your body. Once you lose interest in what you’re doing, you can take a break from it. Go for a walk, do some exercise, take a shower or even lie down and think about nothing. These activities help a lot.
Focusing on tasks you’re doing
Do one task at a time. It won’t slow you down. Instead, it keep your mind focused and you’ll be able to get more done quickly. While doing tasks, don’t look around once in while. If there’s something keeping your mind wandering, allow yourself a specific (特定的) time to worry, think or plan. When the time is up, focus on your next task.
Controlling worrying thoughts
Writing down or sharing your worries helps to get them out of your head. When there’s a big task, it’s understandable to put it off. But by facing it bravely and trying to solve it, you can get away from your worrying thoughts. If it doesn’t work after you’ve tried everything, accept that there are always things you can’t change.
Title: | |
Doing exercise and activities | (1) You can (2) Once you lose interest in what you’re doing some activities help a lot, such as going for a walk, |
| (1) Do one task at a time. (2) Don’t look around from time to time while doing tasks. | |
Controlling worrying thoughts | (1) You can get them out of your head by (2) Try to accept that there are always things you can’t change after you’ve tried everything. |
4 . It’s hard to believe that a beautiful silk dress comes from thousands of small insects! Silk is made by insects called silkworms (蚕). It takes about 5,500 silkworms to make 1 kilogram of silk. The process was discovered by the Chinese about 5,000 years ago.
How is silk made? The process starts with the eggs of a certain kind of insect. The eggs are collected an kept warm. After a few days, the silkworms come out of the eggs. They are fed with leaves from mulberry (桑树) trees every 30 minutes, all night and all day. The room is kept warm, and the silkworms must not be influenced by loud noises or bad smells. After a month, they start to make a cocoon (茧). After four days, the cocoon is ready.
The cocoons are heated. Then the cocoons are put into water to make the silk loose (松散的). The silk from three or four cocoons is put together and made into a thread (线). One cocoon can make a thread that is 1 kilometer long.
Finally, the silk threads are made into cloth, and the cloth is used for things like dresses and scarves. Today, silk is produced in many countries, including India and Thailand, but more than 80 percent of the world’s silk comes from China. Every year, enough silk thread is produced, which can go from the earth to the sun 300 times. People love clothes made of silk because they are very beautiful. Also, they are comfortable to wear—silk feels cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather.
1. ________ discovered the way of making silk.| A．Japanese | B．Chinese | C．Silkworms | D．Insects |
| A．dry and noisy | B．noisy and dirty | C．warm and quiet | D．dirty and warm |
① Silkworms start to make cocoons.
② Threads are made from the cocoons.
③ Cocoons are heated and put into water.
④ Feed the silkworms with mulberry leaves.
⑤ Collect the eggs of a certain kind of insect.
| A．⑤④①③② | B．⑤④①②③ | C．④①③②⑤ | D．④①②③⑤ |
| A．beautiful and cool | B．cool and warm |
| C．beautiful and warm | D．beautiful and comfortable |
| A．Why is silk so popular? | B．Why is silk so expensive? |
| C．How is silk made? | D．Where can people buy silk clothes? |
5 . The British Museum is one of the biggest museums in the world. Inside, you feel smaller than usual. There are many things to see.
The story of the British Museum dates back three hundred years or so to one unusual man, Sir Hans Sloane, a doctor of King George II. The doctor collected books, drawings, clothes, money, animals, and flowers from all over the world. The doctor wanted everything to stay together before he died, so that people could come and have a look. The British Museum began. King George II gave away his library, and the museum started to grow.
The British Museum opened in 1759, six years after Sir Hans Sloane died. At first, the museum was only open three days a week and only ten people could enter in an hour. There wasn’t much time to see things. Visitors had to run through the rooms.
By about 1800, things began to get better. Wonderful statues, three thousand years old, arrived from Egypt. King George IV sold all his books to the museum secretly. A hundred years ago not only old books but also new ones arrived at the museum, and more people came to read them. Since then many famous men have written and studied there. And the library is growing faster and faster. There are four kilometers of new shelves every year and there are about six million visitors each year.
1. When you go inside the British Museum, you feel smaller than usual because ________.| A．the museum is empty | B．the museum is very big |
| C．there are too many things in it | D．you are too small |
| A．1753 | B．1759 | C．1765 | D．1800 |
| A．Because he was the first king to support the British Museum. |
| B．Because he gave away all his books to the British Museum. |
| C．Because he sold all his books to the British Museum. |
| D．Because he made the British Museum famous in the world. |
| A．At first the museum was only open three days a week. |
| B．There weren’t many people visiting the museum every day at first. |
| C．There are about six million visitors every year to the museum now. |
| D．The second paragraph is about why King George II loved the British Museum. |
| A．the things in the museum | B．the history of the British Museum |
| C．some famous museums in the world | D．British kings and their museums |
It’s known for all that China is famous for its tea culture. Here is a list of some Chinese tea.
Black Tea
In Chinese and the languages of neighboring countries, black tea is known as “red tea”. It is made from the new shoots（芽）of the tea leaves which are fermented（发酵的）and dried. It has a lovely red color. Dianhong and Yixing are popular brands of black tea.
White Tea
White tea is unfermented tea that has been quickly dried. It is lighter in color than other types of tea. Popular brands of white tea are White Peony and Silver Needle.
Wulong Tea
Wulong tea, also known as blue tea, is made from a mixture of green tea and black tea. It is said that people who drink Wulong tea can lose weight. Wenshan Baozhong Tea and Dongding Wulong Tea are two famous brands of this popular tea.
Green Tea
Green tea is the oldest and most popular type of tea. It has been enjoyed in China for several thousand years. Green tea is made from the new shoots of the tea leaves which are dried and processed. Longjing may be the most well-known brand of green tea.
Title : | |
| Black Tea | It is known as “red tea” and |
| It is unfermented tea that has been quickly dried. It is lighter in color than other types of tea. | |
| Wulong Tea | It is also known as blue tea and made from a mixture of green tea and black tea. |
| Green Tea | It is It is made from the new shoots of the tea leaves which are dried and processed. Longjing may be the most well-known brand of green tea. |
7 . Many strange creatures（生物）live deep in the ocean. One of the most mysterious is the huge squid（乌贼）. Some had been caught in fishing nets or found washed up on shore（岸）. No one had ever seen a giant（巨大的） squid alive up close or had even gotten a picture of one. That all changed a few years ago. Researchers（研究者） got the first pictures of a giant squid alive and swimming in the deep ocean.
Scientists didn’t know just where to look for the squid. It lives in the ocean, about 660 to 2,300 feet deep. Then the scientists had a bright idea. They knew sperm whales（抹香鲸）like nothing better than a delicious squid dinner. Why not follow the whales? Scientists, led by Tsunemi Kubodera, followed some sperm whales off the coast of Japan. Their idea turned out to be correct. Just as they thought, the whales led them to a huge squid.
The squid wasn’t going to come to the scientist. So they used a baited（饵）fishing line to draw it in. Scientists dropped a remote-control camera into the ocean. Then they used the bait to attract（吸引）the squid. The trick worked. As the squid went after the bait, the scientists took hundreds of pictures. The squid swam away finally.
When the scientists were raising the fishing line, they discovered something amazing. The squid had left a piece of itself. It went after some bait that we had on the end of the camera and became stuck （卡住）,” said Kyoichi Mori, a researcher.
1. ______ is one of the most mysterious in the deep ocean.| A．The big fish | B．Sperm whales | C．The huge squid | D．A strange creature |
| A．less than 660 feet deep | B．more than 2,300 meters deep |
| C．about 660 to 2,300 meters deep | D．about 660 to 2,300 feet deep |
| A．using fishing nets | B．waiting on the shore |
| C．following some sperm whales | D．using a baited fishing line |
| A．swam away | B．broke the camera |
| C．was eaten by sperm whales | D．was caught in the fishing net |
| A．The living habits of squids. | B．The way to catch a squid. |
| C．The process of taking photos of a squid. | D．The skills of taking pictures in the ocean. |
8 . Inventions change how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible. Every year, LIFE magazine lists the 100 best inventions based on their creativity and influence on our life. What did the magazine choose this year? Let’s take a look.
 | Reading can be a big challenge for millions of people. They may have poor vision（视力）or reading difficulties. But OrCam Read can help them! This reading pen with a smart camera and an AI system can read the text aloud to the user after scanning（扫描）a page of text. You don’t need to connect it to the Internet. You can use it offline at home, work, school, or even in stores when you need to read any instructions. |
 | Honey is produced by bees. But bee farmers may kill them after getting honey because it’s cheaper than feeding the bees through the winter. To save bees, US company MeliBio has found a way to make the world’s first bee-free honey. They used synthetic（合成）biology to create honey directly from plants. This kind of honey tastes just like the real one, and it is healthy, too. |
 | When you feel angry or unhappy, what do you do about it? Scientists say you can try to calm others. This can help you calm down. That’s why Purrble was invented. This soft bear-like toy has 9 sensors（感应器）. It has a quick “heartbeat” and can respond to your touch. As you hold and pet it, its heartbeat slows. And it sounds like a cat, which means it really enjoys your touch! You will learn how to feel calm yourself in this way. |
| A．connecting it to the Internet | B．using it to scan pictures they can’t see |
| C．connecting it to a small camera | D．using it to scan text they need to read |
| A．no bees are needed | B．bees can do what they want |
| C．bees can be set free after working | D．spending less money feeding bees |
| A．is made from real honey | B．has the same taste as real honey |
| C．is not good for human health | D．helps beekeeping businesses richer |
| A．read loud and quickly | B．get more sweet honey |
| C．calm down yourself | D．keep a bear-like pet |
| A．OrCam Read | B．soft bear-like toy | C．Purrble | D．the new kind of honey |
If you want to get healthy or stay healthy, there is one easy activity for you—walking.
You may think that simply taking a walk is not enough to make a big difference. You may think that you need to do something like running to stay healthy. Well, a new study says that is not true. It finds out that walking may be as good for us as running.
Running is a high-impact（高强度的）activity and can be hard on the body. So, many people cannot run. Walking seems to have all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages of running.
Dr. Russell Pate is a professor of exercise science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He says, “Walking is one of the easiest and safest exercises a person can do. You do not need to learn a lot to get results.”
Walking needs no special skills or equipment（器材）. You can do it anywhere. It fits easily into your daily schedule. You can walk at work.You can walk if you want to go shopping. You can take the stairs instead of the lift.
Walking is a great exercise for beginners. If you are out of shape or getting back into shape after an illness or accident, walking is perfect. You can do a little at a time, or as we like to say, take baby steps.
1. What does “that” in the second paragraph mean?2. What does the new study show?
3. Why does the writer prefer walking to running?
4. Why does Russell Pate think walking is one of the easiest and safest exercises a person can do?
5. Translate “take baby steps” into Chinese.
6. What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
10 . Last night, a school night, my 11-year-old son’s baseball team played a game that lasted until 9: 30. By the time we got home and he had a quick dinner and shower, it was 10: 30—an hour and a half later than the usual bedtime for a child who gets up at 6: 30. We love baseball. My son is having fun, getting exercise, and learning patience, teamwork and sports spirit. But the truth is that the game also influences his sleep.
As parents, we want good things for our children. We want them to be healthy both in body and in mind. To this end, we look for ways to help our kids grow and develop. We help them with their homework. We sign them up for dance,soccer and baseball. We encourage our kids to take honors courses (培优课程) or to have after-school jobs. And we praise them for hard-earned success and achievements.
However, the irony (讽刺) is that all of these activities and responsibilities that we are giving our children to make their lives colorful could be badly influencing their health and taking happiness away. Activities, responsibilities, and goals are good. But if we want our kids to realize their full physical, learning and social ability,sleep is important. We have to start taking sleep seriously.
Parents make bedtime routines and carry out (执行) strict rules about nighttime. But in fact, these measures (措施) aren’t enough because getting our kids enough sleep isn’t just about carrying out stricter bedtime. It actually requires more than that. In order to ensure our kids get the sleep they need, both parents and schools should make an effort.
1. The school boy usually go to bed at ________.| A．8: 30 | B．9: 00 |
| C．9: 30 | D．10: 30 |
| A．his mother doesn’t like the game |
| B．his mother worries about his homework |
| C．the game influences his study |
| D．the game makes his sleep hours shorter |
| A．what children like is just what parents don’t like |
| B．activities can bring colorful lives and also take happiness away |
| C．parents sign their children up for activities but carry out strict rules |
| D．people realize that sleeping is important but they have no time for sleeping |
| A．Children themselves. |
| B．Parents and children. |
| C．School and parents. |
| D．School and children. |
| A．How is your sleep and activities? |
| B．Good ways to solve the problem. |
| C．Which is more important? |
| D．Problems about sleep and activities. |
