1 . Yesterday in English class, we had a discussion about AI, especially on how humans and AI get along. Many students spoke up and shared their thoughts on the topic. It was a lively and interesting discussion. Here are three of the students’ opinions.
Eileen, 13 years old | I want to add a pair of “super-long-distance” glasses (千里眼) in my eyes so that I can see interesting or dangerous things sooner. I could look out of the window and see people I miss far away. I could also warn people about earthquakes or other disasters. In this way, I can help warn people of the coming danger. |
Andy 15 years old | A huge difference between AI and humans is that robots don’t create new things, and they don’t get bored with things. Take the floor-cleaning robots as an example: They can sweep the floor for many hours without getting bored, but we humans would get bored quite quickly. We instinctively (本能地), and that’s where we have an advantage over AI. |
Eva, 14 years old | I don’t want my memories to be changed or improved, because every memory is beautiful and worth recalling. But if it must be changed or improved with the help of AI, I would bring back all the memories that I’ve forgotten. My family are always happy whenever they talk about my childhood. I think they would be good memories |
1. The discussion is about _________.
| A．how humans get on with AI |
| B．how humans get on with animals |
| C．how kids get on with their parents |
| A．her eyes were badly hurt |
| B．she would like to see people playing sports far away |
| C．she wants to see interesting or dangerous things sooner |
| A．humans can create new things |
| B．humans can make a quick decision |
| C．humans can draw beautiful pictures |
| A．change her memories |
| B．have her forgotten memories back |
| C．improve her memories |
| A．Unit 1 Nature |
| B．Unit 2 Culture |
| C．Unit 3 Science |
Although some parents think children should do chores, some don’t agree with them.
According to a report, 18-month-old children can help with chores. When people say to those children, “Just look at the paper,” they will pick it up. Some parents think childhood (童年) is just for playing, so they don’t ask their children to do chores. Other parents have a different idea, but they still give their children no chores. They say, “I know it’s not right, but it’s quicker to do chores by myself!”
Most parents believe that doing chores is a way of developing children’s independence, anyway. Children learn to help, share and care about others by doing chores. Things like taking care of a pet or a baby and helping cook meals are some examples of helping others.
Well, I think there are other two reasons for children to do chores:
★To feel good. Doing chores helps children understand that they’re part of the family. They feel happier when they do something meaningful for the family.
★To learn skills. Children will learn how to cook, clean and do other things in the house. These life skills will serve them well throughout (贯穿整个时期) their lives.
All in all, it’s good for children to do chores. So start to help your parents with chores. Act now!
Some parents think children should do chores, |
When we talk about reading books, paper (纸) books can be the first to think about. But a lot of young people want to read online books. Many apps (应用软件) have all kinds of books for readers to read. Himalaya (喜马拉雅) App is one of them.
喜马拉雅FM | It is a great app. It gives you much useful information. You can listen to English textbooks (课本) from primary school (小学) to high school on it for free (免费). Also, you can enjoy other books. It is interesting. |
With the books online, anyone can read books at any time. But some people still love to read and enjoy paper books.
◆ Which do you like to read: paper books or online books?
| Lucy I like paper books very much. Reading paper books can always help me be happy. I don’t like to read books online. Because I think it’s bad for my eyes. | Tim I like to read online books. Because I don’t want to bring many books with me. And I can also listen to or read my favorite books easily on my smart phone. |
◆ Whether (无论) you like to read paper books or online books, it is right to have good reading habits.
First, you must find a book that you want to finish reading. Second, you need to make a reading plan (计划). Next, you should write a book report. It can help you read better. At last, you can talk about your book report with your classmates or friends. You can learn from each other.
How to read a book
| Find a book | _______ | Write a book report | Talk with others |
2. According to the passage, what can you do on Himalaya (喜马拉雅) App?
3. Does Lucy enjoy online books?
4. Why does Tim like to read online books?
5. Please fill in the blank in the chart (图表).
6. Do you like paper books or online books? Why?
4 . These days, it’s not unusual for teachers to give homework on apps. For example, students are asked to practice English or do math exercises. Some teachers also use WeChat groups to give homework.
But now, the Ministry of Education is moving to ban (禁止) teachers from assigning homework on mobile apps due to concerns about students’ eyesight. In 2020, more than 70 percent of middle school students in China were found to be nearsighted, according to the World Health Organization. Using mobile phones for long periods of time is bad for our eyes.
Do students like to do their homework on the phones? | |
Pros (正方) | Cons (反方) |
 Wang Yidi, 15The apps have big database (数据库) of math exercises! And students can correct their answers easily. Besides, students can enlarge their knowledge because of plenty of information on the phone. What’s more, with the monitor (监控), students have no choice but to finish their homework on time. |  Zhang Keqi, 14Sometimes the apps can’t recognize (识别) what students are reading in English. They have to work on them for a long time to get a high score. What’s more, their eyesight has gotten worse since they started using apps to do their homework. |
 Zhou Tianji, 14I think it’s fun to do TC homework with apps. The teachers ask students to dub English videos and make their own short videos. Gradually it can make them more interested in English. Meanwhile, their spoken English can improve a lot. |  Xu Jiaqian, 15I don’t think it’s a good way to do homework on the phones. Students are too young to control themselves They can’t help playing on other apps while doing homework. And if they also have lots of other homework to do, it’s too much for them to finish. |
| A．Students can correct their answers easily. |
| B．Students can develop good learning habits. |
| C．Students can improve their spoken English. |
| A．配音 | B．制作 | C．删除 |
| A．Because they think it’s just a waste of time. |
| B．Because it’s bad for the student’s eyesight. |
| C．Because they can’t get the high scores on the apps. |
| A．Students spend more than 70% of their time on the apps. |
| B．All the students can become knowledgeable after using the apps. |
| C．Students can’t focus on their study while doing homework on the phone. |
| A．Doing homework on the phone gets in the way of students’ study. |
| B．Using the apps to learn will take the place of learning in class. |
| C．It’s necessary for the students to use the apps properly. |
In recent years, short videos have gotten millions of views online. Many people create and share short videos on popular video Apps like Douyin and Kuaishou. You can even add music and special effects to your videos. A video usually lasts 15 seconds to a few minutes. It shows people daily activities like cooking, exercising and singing.
Teenagers especially enjoy these videos.
More than 50 percent of junior high school students say they enjoy watching these short videos. About 47 percent of them have shared their own videos on Douyin.
The videos let teenagers see funny and exciting things. Many teenagers like to share the fun things they do with others as well. For example, a 12-year-old user named Xiao Qianyu has shared videos about her dancing. This has won her many fans.
| Good or Bad? It is good that we can share our daily life on Apps like Douyin, but the videos can also cause (造成) trouble. Some students spend too much time watching them and don’t spend enough time studying. Some videos have terrible content (内容) that is not good for teenagers. To deal with these problems. Douyin added a new function (功能), it will lock the App if someone uses the App for over two hours a day. |
1. According to the passage, which video Apps have become popular in recent years?
2. How long does a video usually last?
3. What percentage of junior high school students like watching short videos?
4. What do teenagers think of the videos?
5. What is the negative (负面的) side of the videos? (List at least one)
6. Do you like watching short videos in your free time? Why or why not?
While some people may find New Year’s resolutions helpful and encouraging (令人鼓舞的), there are some that might forget about their own resolutions.
Resolutions can give us a clear goal. They can encourage us to keep promise. Trying to keep a New Year’s resolution is like doing homework. It might not always be fun. But you know good things will come if you keep promise. Making a New Year’s resolution makes you play a more important role in your future action.
However, if you are not the kind of person who works well in time, a New Year’s resolution may not be for you. For these people, a New Year’s resolution is usually of no use. One thing one plan is good for them.
How do you make a good resolution?
Maybe the following steps can help you. Plan for the resolution. A good plan will tell you what to do next. You need to think about some steps for the resolution. Then, write down your resolution and plan in some places such as a notebook or your diary. Think “year around”, not just “New Year’s”. You can’t finish anything in one day, but you can make a resolution in one day. It doesn’t mean you must finish it in one day.
We set a realistic (切实的) goal before the new year starts, but events do not happen as one wishes. When we make a resolution for a whole year, we may meet a lot of problems. When this happen, get relaxed and change our plan a little.
| Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day January 17 is Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day. A large number of people give up(放弃) their New Year’s resolution on that day. |
1. What do people think of making New Year’s resolutions?
2. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
3. The underlined word “them” in the passage refers to (指) ________.
4. When is the Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day?
5. Please complete the second step in the chart. What else can you do to make a good resolution?
6. What resolutions will you make for the new year? Why?
There will be many worries when we grow up. Two months ago, Dongfeng Middle School asked five hundred students of Grade 8 about the problems they have in their normal lives, and got a result as follows:
The picture is a mirror to tell us a serious thing that the students are facing too many worries.
Some students write their feelings on the school website.Let’s have a look.
| I can’t sleep well at night for more than a year.When I close my eyes, I see my mistakes on the exam. paper. I. love my parents, and:they hope I can go to a better high school. If I can’t do my best in the exams, I will break their hearts. —YangKai(a boy) |
| I argued(争 论 ) with my friend so I was unhappy. We had a discussion yesterday. I said the robots would take humans’ place and work for us,but she disagrees with me. At first I thought it was not a big thing, but she didn’t talk to me today. —Liu Wei (a girl) |
| Reading is one of my interests.However, I have too much homework to do after school.Also, I need to take math and English classes on weekends.That’s why I’m worried about having no time to read what I like. I really want to have time to read. —Wang Dan (a girl) |
What can students do? Reporters from Teenager Newspaper give some useful advice.
◆ Talk with your friends, parents and teachers in a friendly way, share your feelings with them and let them know about your worries.
◆ Listen to some music or go to the movie theater, because these can make you relaxed.
◆ Travel around on vacations, and the nice places will help you forget about unhappy things.
1. How many students worry about having no friends from the picture?2. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese. (不超过 25个字)
3. Why is Wang Dan worried about having no time to read?
4. What can students do to solve their problems according to the reporters from Teenager Newspaper? (One is OK)
5. Do you worry about anything in your life? What will you do if you have worries?
Different people have different opinions on homework. Some people think that homework is helpful for students to learn their lessons. Others think that doing too much homework is a waste of time.
What do you think? Is doing homework good or not?
Doing homework helps students go over their lessons. By doing homework every night, students can learn better. — Jack | Homework stops students from enjoying their free time. Sitting at the desk for a long time is really bad for health. — Tom |
Homework is a learning activity outside the class. It is good for students to do well in their subjects. — Gina | It is good for kids to play sports. Children don’t have enough time to play because of too much homework. — Linda |
What can you do to find time to do your homework?
To find time to do your homework, you can follow these ways: First, start working on it now, and stop playing games or watching TV after school. Then, make good use of the bus time. If it takes you half an hour to get home by bus, you can think about your homework on it. Next, use time between classes. If you dislike talking with friends during the break, just do your homework. Finally, work on homework during a long wait. If you have a long waiting for your turn, do your homework.
Find time to do your homework  Start working now ________ Use time between classes Work during a wait |
Whether you like doing homework or not, you usually have to do it. Do it right now carefully and it can really help make your lessons easier by practicing.
1. What do Jack and Gina think is the common advantage (好处) of doing homework?2. Why does Linda think children don’t have enough time to play?
3. Please complete the second part in the chart.
4. What can you do when you are taking a bus?
5. According to the passage, why do students have to do homework?
6. What do you think of doing homework? Why?
9 . As language learners, it’s important to use the dictionary. Paper dictionaries are often great choices for us. They lead us to think in a more exact way. However, some language learners like online dictionaries better. With the rapid development of the Internet, many websites and apps offer us information about the language we are learning. Jinshanciba is one of them. It is popular with people of all age groups while some other people still think the paper dictionaries are more believable.
◆Which do you prefer to use, a paper dictionary or an online dictionary?
| Ruby My paper dictionary is the great company (陪伴) for me. Whenever I can’t figure out the meaning of a new word, I can learn it well by understanding the notes and the example sentences in the paper dictionary. | Roy I don’t like carrying a heavy dictionary wherever I go. It’s really convenient to learn a language with the help of an online dictionary. You don’t need to spend much time looking up what you need. Using an online dictionary makes a more effective learner. |
| Pam I like to look up something in the paper dictionary better. The explanations are so clear that I can understand better soon. I don’t think the online dictionary is believable. There are many incorrect usages which can make us confused. | Mike If you are not good at memorizing English words, you can look up their meanings online very soon. It helps you finish reading the English articles more smoothly. If you are a good language learner, you can always learn more in a shorter time in an online dictionary. It saves much time. |
◆What can you do to use the dictionary wisely?
It’s important to learn effectively with the help of a dictionary whether you use a paper dictionary or an e-dictionary. First, you should choose a dictionary which is treated well by most people. Second, information selection is needed. A good selection of information may include recognizing the part of speech (词性) and the meaning by relating to what you need! Next, comparing the information is necessary. Only in this way can we know which information is more accurate (准确的). We can decide which explanation to use by putting it in the context in the passage. After that, check whether the passage is correct and fluent with the meaning we get from a dictionary.
Steps for using a dictionary
Choose a dictionary ②Select information③ ▲ ；Decide the explanation④Check the passage |
1. Please translate the underlined sentences into Chinese.
2. What website or app do you know when using the online dictionary? (One example is OK)
3. According to Chart I, who likes to use a paper dictionary better?
4. What’s the advantage (优势) of using an online dictionary according to Chart I?
5. Please complete the third step in the chart II (图表).
6. Which do you think is more useful, the paper dictionary or the online dictionary? Why?
When we talk about reading books, paper(纸) books can be the first to think about. But a lot of young people want to read online books. Many apps have kinds of books for readers to read. Ximalaya App is one of them. With the books online, anyone can read books at any time. But some people still love to read and enjoy paper books.
◆Which do you like to read: paper books or online books?
| Lucy I like paper books very much. Reading paper books can always help me be happy. I don’t like to read books online. Because I think it’s bad for my eyes. | Tim I like to read online books. Because I don’t want to bring many books with me. And I can also listen to or read my favorite books easily on my smart phone. |
| It is a great app. It gives you much useful information. You can listen to English textbooks (课本) from primary school (小学) to high school on it for free (免费). Also, you can enjoy Guo Degang’s crosstalk. It is interesting. | |
◆ Whether (无论) you like to read paper books or online books, it is right to have good reading habits.
First, you must find a book that you want to finish reading. Second, you need to make a reading plan (计划). Next, you should write a book report. It can help you read better. At last, you can talk about your book report with your classmates or friends. You can learn from each other.
How to read a book?
1. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
2. Does Lucy enjoy online books?
3. Why does Tim like to read online books?
4. According to the passage, what can you do on Ximalaya App?
5. Please fill in the blank in the chart (图表).
6. Do you like paper books or online books? Why?
