Smart Cities around the World
Breathe freely with smart maps!
Use smart apps, live relaxing lives! In New York,
Green life in passive housing! In Berlin, passive housing (被动式住宅) is a popular way to help save energy. A passive house usually has thick walls and windows. Also,
In Hangzhou, people can live a smart life with a smart phone, no need for cash or a wallet. For example, they can take the subway simply by scanning a QR code. They can also use smartphones to pay the bills when in hospital. |
B. kids will also hear the sound of a tiger
C. the biggest windows usually face south
D. they can find out the way with the cleanest air
E. the government makes its data open to all local people
5. 请根据文本内容,为杭州设计一条宣传标语。(不超过10个词)
2 .
Julie Andersen’s great interest in diving (潜水) led to her love for sharks and the ocean. She turned her love into a job and started ocean conservation groups. Conservation is the act of keeping or protecting something. Conservation work includes protecting art, animals in danger and the other parts of the natural environment.
Andersen began diving in 1995. She started diving in places that are famous for sharks. Unluckily, the number of sharks there became smaller and smaller. Soon she realized that she must do something for them. So she founded the Shark Angels and helped people around the world learn about sharks. She even sold her house to support Shark Angels.
Twenty years later, she is still working. As a leader of Professional Association of Diving Instructors(PADI), Andersen believes PADI is a good industry to encourage people to keep on saving sharks and their ocean homes. She often says, “I am filled with hope. The past several years have taught me that a single person can make a difference. And I am sure we can make a bigger difference together.” Andersen sets a good example to other people in the world. Now more and more people are entering the diving industry and getting to know the importance of protecting sharks and their ocean homes.
Actually, Andersen’s goal is to make it possible for everyone to experience, fall in love with and, in turn, protect our world’s largest and most valuable ecosystem (生态系统). “The ocean gives us life. We need to do the same in return and leave our blue planet better than we found it.” Andersen says.
1. Which of the following is “conservation” according to the passage?A.Saving tigers. | B.Feeding the fish. | C.Drawing pictures. | D.Keeping a pet dog. |
A.Andersen studied hard to protect sharks. | B.Andersen helped people learn about diving. |
C.Andersen did a lot to support Shark Angels. | D.Andersen became famous for diving in 1995. |
A.PADI has been the largest diving industry. | B.More people have taken diving courses. |
C.PADI has got many prizes in saving sharks. | D.More people have joined in protecting sharks. |
A.To discuss the importance of PADI. | B.To show the problems of environmental pollution. |
C.To explain the meaning of ecosystem. | D.To introduce a lady’s journey of shark protection. |
Learn to Welcome Change
Have you seen new plant life, or felt the days getting lighter and longer? By seeing changes in nature, you can enjoy changes in your own life too.
A.Change isn’t always bad. |
B.Change is a natural part of life. |
C.How can you notice your feeling? |
D.Here are two useful ways to deal with it. |
E.Sometimes, changes are not easy to be dealt with. |
F.Change can help you improve yourself all the time. |
4 . In a high mountain area in central Utah stands the world’s oldest, heaviest and largest tree, Pando. And it’s dying!
Pando means “I spread” in Latin and it’s a name that makes sense. Pando is a big group of trees that all grow from the same roots (根). They look separate but are all connected underground by their roots. With all these roots connected, the whole group of trees can share water and food.
Protecting Pando is challenging. Putting fences (栅栏) around it to keep animals away has helped new growth. But deer are smart, and they’ve found ways to get through the fences. Other efforts have included cutting or burning part of Pando to encourage new growth. Pando grows back very quickly after a forest fire, and these fires do not reach temperatures that would kill its root system.
Michael Grant, one of the scientists who helped name Pando, warns if the trees are in trouble, the whole ecosystem will be in danger too. We need to make people understand the long-term effects of our actions.
1. Which picture is Pando?A.![]() | B.![]() | C.![]() | D.![]() |
A.It’s in trouble for two reasons. | B.We should do something to save it. |
C.Nobody knows why it is dying. | D.Plenty of tourists visit it every year. |
A.the root | B.Pando | C.the forest fire | D.the mountain |
A.To introduce Pando in Utah. | B.To show the trouble Pando has. |
C.To ask people to protect Pando. | D.To share ways to look after Pando. |
5 . Picture the scene: It’s midnight. You’re very hungry after studying for a long time. Then you see a nice pie in the fridge. Will you eat it? It seems that you shouldn’t, for many reasons, including its influence on your studies.
Scientists have long known that eating late at night can make us put on weight. But now a new study has shown that late night eating can also have a bad influence on our brains—it might hurt our ability to learn new things and store memories.
“We believe that late night eating may have an influence on the parts of the brain that control learning and memory,” Dawn Loh, PhD, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said, “We believe the timing of when we eat may be the main cause of the damaged memory. ”
For the study, the researchers did an experiment. They looked at two groups of mice with strict feeding plans. For two weeks, the mice were allowed to eat either during the time when they are usually the most active, or during the time when they usually sleep. The mice received the same amount of sleep and calories.
Then the researchers tested the brains of the mice. In one test, the scientists tried to find out whether the mice had a good memory by putting the mice in a room connected to an electric shock for some time. The researchers noticed that, when the mice were put in the room again after 24 hours had gone by, those mice that ate when they should have been sleeping were less scared than those mice that ate during usual hours. It means that they didn’t remember.
So think twice before the midnight snack—it might be bad for more than your weight.
1. Which one is the correct order of the experiment? ________①Researchers put the mice in the room again after 24 hours.
②Researchers fed the mice in different times for two weeks.
③Researchers watched which group of mice were more scared in the room.
④Researchers put the mice in a room connected to an electric shock for some time.
A.②④①③ | B.②④③① | C.②①③④ | D.②①④③ |
A.the mice became smarter after the experiment |
B.they chose the mice that enjoyed eating late at night |
C.the mice that ate during usual hours were less scared |
D.they gave the mice the same amount of sleep and calories |
A.Snacks make us fat |
B.Late eating hurts brain |
C.Never stay up late |
D.Keep away from snacks |
Enjoy Different Kinds of Exercise | |
| China A study shows fast walking has become the most popular exercise in China and many people walk more than 5, 000 steps a day. Fast walking is easier than running, costs less and works better. And many people like doing exercise in nature better than going to gyms. It seems that people in the country are enjoying fast walking. |
| America Goat yoga is finally coming to New York City. It’s interesting exercise for people to do outdoors with the goats. Several baby goats jump onto your back and enjoy working with humans. The goats are relaxed and help people get more comfortable with the practice. It’s a lot less afraid when you have five baby goats running around, jumping on you. |
1. Most Chinese people choose ________ as their favourite exercise.
A.running |
B.fast walking |
C.goat yoga |
D.riding a bike |
A.people live in big cities enjoy fast walking |
B.goats can help people practise yoga |
C.people will do exercise easily while travelling to work in New York |
D.riding bikes on the bus is popular and doesn't cost any extra time |
A.Mum’s Kitchen |
B.Music Today |
C.Health & Sports |
D.School Life |
7 .
①“Why don’t you ever listen?”
“You just don’t understand me!”
“You’re of no help at all!”
②Sound familiar? When you’re having a difficult conversation with your parents or friends, accusatory words like those can stop a discussion. As soon as one feels attacked, the defensive (防御的) walls come up, and real communication becomes all but impossible. We focus on the other person’s behavior first, without spending time thinking about and telling why we’re feeling hurt. Here lie the differences between “I” and “you” statements.
③An “I-statement” is a sentence beginning with the word “I” that tells another person how you are feeling in a clear way. For example, you might say, “I feel...” or “I become nervous when....” I-statements are a powerful tool to help you express your feelings to someone else without blaming (责怪) others. “You-statements,” such as those listed above, are statements that begin with the word “you”, pointing out what other people have done wrong. These statements often mean that the listener is responsible for something.
④Why are I-statements important? When you start a conversation by talking about the other person’s actions, you’re sending the message that they’re the problem. For most people, this immediately leads to them becoming defensive and trying to throw blame back onto you. However, starting a sentence with ‘I’ helps us talk about difficult feelings and how the problem is affecting us, and stops other people feeling blamed. This can be seen in the case when you feel left out. Instead of saying “You always leave me out”, you can say “I feel hurt when I’m not invited because it feels like I’m not welcome”. With this I-statement, you’re being honest about your feelings, but you’re not presenting them as something the other person did to you. As a result, the listener tends to experience this as more friendly, opening the possibility of further conversation and hope for a solution.
⑤It’s a simple change, but by being a little more careful of how you express yourself, you may find people are more likely to positively listen to you and understand more about what you are trying to say.
1. What does the underlined phrase “accusatory words” mean?A.Words that attack others. | B.Words to explain reasons. |
C.Words that sound familiar. | D.Words to start conversations. |
A.I know that everyone in the family is busy. |
B.I am anxious when everything is in a mess. |
C.I think you are right by telling me the truth. |
D.I feel sad because you don’t listen to me carefully. |
A.By using sayings. | B.By asking questions. |
C.By telling a story. | D.By giving an example. |
A.To encourage people to use I-statements. |
B.To explain when I-statements should be used. |
C.To show the disadvantages of you-statements. |
D.To suggest being careful of others’ you-statements. |
8 . When nature meets man-made roads, it’s seldom a good thing. Millions of animals get killed by cars every week. So, engineers tried to build green bridges for animals over busy roads. These bridges help keep animals and people safe.
The idea of green bridges isn’t really new. In fact, the first animal crossing appeared in France in the 1950s. As well as Germany, which has made more than 80 green bridges since 2005, Canada and the United States are also trying to protect native wildlife by building animal bridges over the years.
Although there are various designs, most green bridges share something similar. First, they are usually quite wide, giving animals plenty of room to move. Second, they are usually covered with soil and plants to look like the forests that lie on either side of the roads. Lastly, they are wider at the ends, spreading out where they meet the land. This helps gather animals onto the bridge and guide them out when they leave.
People may wonder ________. In Canada’s Banff National Park, 11 kinds of large animals such as bears, elk and cougar s have already gone across these green bridges more than 200,000 times since 1996. In some places, we’ve also seen a 90% drop in accidents between animals and cars where these bridges have been built.
These crossings are clearly a step in the right way to offer living chances and safety to wild animals. And with these bridges, both animal and human deaths on roads will continue to go down.
1. Where was the first green bridge built?A.In America. | B.In Canada. | C.In France. | D.In Germany. |
A.![]() | B.![]() | C.![]() | D.![]() |
A.if these green bridges really work |
B.if Canada built the best green bridges |
C.if it is easy to walk across green bridges |
D.if there will be new designs for green bridges |
A.Green Bridges: Helpful Ways to Save Plants |
B.Green Bridges: A New Home for Wild Animals |
C.Green Bridges: Safe Crossings to Protect Wildlife |
D.Green Bridges: A Creative Road System for Busy Traffic |
9 . Imagine a city built as a line across the desert. It can run on 100% clean energy and 100% renewable water. That sounds impossible, but it’s becoming a reality.
Saudi Arabia is building such a city called The Line. It starts from the mountains of Northwest Saudi Arabia and pushes its way to the Red Sea. With an area of just 34 square kilometres, it can be home to 9 million people. The Line is 500 metres tall, 200 metres wide and 170 kilometres long, with two huge mirror walls standing on its both sides.
To put living experiences and natural environment first, The Line is designed to have three layers (层) . The top layer has no roads or cars, keeping over 95% of the nature around. Carefully designed environment makes the best balance of sunshine, trees and other natural sights. The middle layer is for services. All of them are operated by AI. Robots and a huge man-made moon make the city a technology paradise (天堂). From shopping malls to sports areas, wherever you go, you will be amazed at how convenient life can be. The lowest layer is the most important pat which shows how fast the city runs. The Line’s high-speed railway powered by electricity makes it possible to travel end to end in 20 minutes.
The plan started in early 2021 and is expected to finish its first stage in 2030. However, not everyone shows enough confidence in the plan. Environmentalists argue that mirror walls of The Line will bring danger to animals. For example, birds may hit onto the glass or even die when they migrate every spring and autumn. Besides, some commentators (评论员) also question whether the city will be built successfully. But Tarek Qaddumi, the director of the plan, seems sure, “We hope to get faster, better and greener results, with less environmental influence. It will set a new standard for future city life.”
1. What’s The Line according to the passage?A.A city that will lie under the Red Sea. |
B.A city that will be built in the shape of a line. |
C.A city that will have a population of 11 million. |
D.A city that will have stone walls on the two sides. |
A.![]() | B.![]() | C.![]() | D.![]() |
A.①To travel to a new place or country, usually to find work and live there. | B.②To move from one place to another according to the seasons. | C.③To move information on one computer to another. | D.④To begin using a new computer system. |
A.To tell who will build The Line. |
B.To advise people to visit The Line. |
C.To introduce a future city called The Line. |
D.To show the difficulties of building The Line. |
Graphic organisers are visual (视觉的) tools that help learners connect ideas and show relationships among different information. Check out some examples of graphic organisers. | ||
T-chart It divides information into two groups. It is often used to show advantages and disadvantages. | Take a quick look at why you should think of using graphic organisers. ●They bridge what you’ve known with what you’re learning and help you remember. ● They help you better organise ideas and plan writing. ● They make self-learning easier and help you solve problems on your own. ● They’re easy to understand and help save time while you’re sharing ideas. | |
Fishbone Diagram It looks at the different causes that lead to a certain result. | ||
Circle Map It’s used to collect ideas with a main topic in a smaller circle and related ideas in a larger one. | ||
Sequence Chart It presents steps or events in order and tells how one thing leads to another with arrows (→). |
A.T-chart. | B.Fishbone Diagram. | C.Circle Map. | D.Sequence Chart. |
A.Correct mistakes in writing. | B.Save time while choosing tools. |
C.Develop problem-solving skills. | D.Improve relationships with teachers. |
A.A road map. | B.A weather report. | C.A learning guide. | D.A thank-you letter. |