1 . What Could We Do for Heroes?
From: Li Xinyi Time: 2021.1.11
In January 2021, COVID-19 struck Beijing, Heilongjiang, Jilin and my hometown, Hebei. At the same time, tons of thousands of doctors, nurses, policemen, community workers and volunteers worked together to fight against the disease. As middle school students, what could we do for these heroes?
Wang Xinnuo
I can’t do some big things for them, but I can do something within my ability. My parents are doctors and my elder brother is working as a volunteer in our community. So looking after my grandma is my job. I try my best to do it well. I won’t make troubles for them. It is a great support for their work.
Cao Yuchen
As a middle school student, study is important for me. I still study hard during this special time. Besides, I share some housework, which makes my parents happy. What’s more, I always keep my eyes on the development of COVID-19. I know following the doctor’s orders is the best choice. Give all doctors and nurses my best wishes.
Zhou Yuwei
I am making cards at home with my sister. We plan to send these cards to the volunteers in my community to show thanks to them after COVID-19. I hope they will like my gifts.
1. Where does Li Xinyi come from?| A．Beijing | B．Helongjiang | C．Jilin | D．Hebei |
| A．He works as a volunteer. | B．He studies at home. |
| C．He does housework. | D．He pays attention to COVID-19. |
| A．students should do nothing for the disease |
| B．the volunteers will be happy to receive the cards |
| C．Wang Xinnuo will follow the doctors’ orders |
| D．Zhou Yuwei is making cards for the doctors and nurses |
2 . Let’s say goodbye to the busy work and enjoy a great barbecue (烧烤) with our family! A barbecue outside is great fun. On the activity, you can enjoy delicious food and wonderful family life!
A barbecue is cooking meat with grill (烧烤架). People often cut meat into pieces and cook meat on the grill for some minutes. Please keep the grill between 225 and 250 degrees. If you don’t like meat you can also get some vegetables or other food. At the same time, drinks and fruit-can make your barbecue more wonderful. Usually, lawns (草坪) near a river or mountains are the best places for a barbecue. Finally (最后), I’d like to tell you: keep little children away from the hot grill! Remember all these ideas and you can have a good barbecue.
1. Who does the writer tell us to enjoy a barbecue with?| A．Some children. | B．Old people. | C．Our friends. | D．Our family. |
| A．The place near your home. | B．The place in a park |
| C．Lawns in a park. | D．Lawns near a river or mountains. |
| A．Terrible. | B．Different. | C．Great. | D．Special. |
| A．How to Have a Good Barbecue | B．How to Cook Meat with Grill |
| C．Enjoy Delicious Food Outside | D．Cooking Meat with Grill |
3 . After my husband died, my teenage son Karl became withdrawn(沉默寡言). As a single parent , I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. In this case he would never graduate(毕业). I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged(乞求) him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that l got down on my knees and begged for help. “Please God，I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.”Before he could say another word, all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger, “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “Thank you for your time.” and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he was even made the honor roll(优等生). In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were surprised at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, Karl said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was me. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”
1. Karl_______ after his father’s death.| A．wanted to ask his mother for help | B．become active in his life |
| C．began to dislike his mother | D．have difficulties in school |
| A．Karl was often absent from school | B．she was a single parent |
| C．She tried to help Karl but nothing worked | D．the headmaster phoned her |
| A．surprised and angry. | B．disappointed and helpless. |
| C．shocked(震惊) and moved. | D．grateful and happy |
On October 16, the ministry of education（教育部） said that all high school entrance exams (中考）should include fine arts testing by 2022. And 12 cities in six provinces have started the practice. The scores change from 10 to 40 points.
This news has caused heated discussion. What will it mean for students? We invited two teenagers to share their ideas.
Zhao Xin, 14, Beijing
I’m in junior 2. we have a music class and a drawing class every week. Sometimes, the teachers show us movies about famous painters or musicians, telling their encouraging life stories. Studying music or fine arts is never a stress to me and the tests are only about what we’ve learned in class. What’s more, we have open-book exams in my school. Most of my classmates will get over 90 out of 100 points. I don’t think these subjects will be too difficult if they’re included in the high school entrance exams.
Zhao Hanfang, 15, Yunnan
I study in a village school. Our school doesn’t have separate music and art classroom. Every Friday, students from several classes will have music class in our library hall. With so many students, the teachers can’t check everyone’s singing in each class. It’s really hard for tone-deaf(五音不全） people like me to remember the melodies(旋律). So I need to do extra practice before the test, and I feel worried. So if music is included in the high school entrance exams, I might be under much pressure.
1. According to the ministry of education, what should all high school entrance exams include by 2022 ?| A．P.E. testing. | B．Computer testing. |
| C．Fine arts testing. | D．Spoken English testing. |
| A．Studying music or fine arts is a very big stress to Zhao Xin |
| B．Zhao Xin and his classmates can get good grades in the exams |
| C．Zhao Xin’s teachers show them some movies about famous actors |
| D．The tests about fine arts are not about what they’ve learned in class |
| A．Good. | B．Relaxed. | C．Stressed. | D．Surprised. |
5 . Five years is a rather short time in the long history of China. But for digital (数字的) development, a lot of changes have taken place in many aspects of our life.
Nowadays, it’s normal for people to communicate on WeChat, the most popular mobile social media platform in China. People take less cash (现金) with them because most of the stores and hotels accept WeChat Pay and Alipay.
In China, holding a mobile phone means having the world in your hands. You can shop, travel, communicate, have fun by using a mobile phone, and all of these tasks can be completed with a few finger taps. Without mobile phones, life would seem dull.
By the end of 2016, there were 695 million mobile phone users in China, an increase of 12 percent on year—on—year basis. The average mobile Internet data traffic reached 172 megabytes per month, which was far more than the global average.
At the two sessions (两会), Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that in 2017 the speed of mobile network would be increased and the cost would be reduced greatly. Mobile rates for domestic roaming (国内漫游) and long distance calls would be cancelled (取消).
Meanwhile, the TD-LTE 4G communication technology developed mainly in China has been accepted and widely used across the world.
In 2020, China’s 5G network is in service. It helps China’s mobile telecommunication overtake (反超) the international community’s.
1. People take less cash with them because _________.| A．cash isn’t useful any more | B．it’s easier to use online pay by mobile phone |
| C．many stores refuse cash | D．online pay is used in all stores and hotels |
| A．ordering something to eat | B．chatting with friends |
| C．playing games | D．cooking something delicious |
| A．Interesting. | B．Amazing. | C．Boring. | D．Exciting. |
| A．The cost of using mobile phones is lower |
| B．the speed of mobile network slowed down |
| C．Chinese users will make phone calls for free in the future |
| D．the using of mobile phones was cancelled |
| A．People can’t live without mobile phones. |
| B．The speed of mobile network and the cost would be increased greatly. |
| C．The TD—LTE 4G communication technology is only used in China. |
| D．China’s 5G network has already been in service. |
6 . Is it possible for animals to raise a human child? There are many stories that suggest it is possible. Not just wolves and dogs, but also sheep, bears and even monkeys are able to look after human children, Daily Mail reported.
There is the case of Ivan Mishukov, a 6-year-old boy from Moscow. Police found him living with dogs in the city’s streets in 1998. There, he had been begging for two years. Ivan found food to feed the dogs. And in return, the dogs kept him warm and protected him while he slept. When he was saved, he could hardly speak. Luckily, he later joined the army and lived like a normal adult.
But not all children who are raised by animals can adapt to human society. In 1848, British soldier Colonel William Sleeman found a little boy living with many wolves in India. He took him to a village, taking care of him and trying to teach him to speak. But nothing worked. The boy still behaved like a wolf, eating raw(生的) meat and refusing to wear clothes, no matter how cold the weather was. About two years later, he got very sick and passed away.
Some animals are believed to have strong maternal instincts(母性本能), which guide them to care for young animals, even those of other species(物种). However, people need to know that children raised by animals may experience long-term negative effects when they enter human society, according to Daily Mail.
1. Ivan Mishukov was raised by ________.| A．wolves | B．monkeys | C．dogs | D．bears |
| A．They begged food for him. | B．They warmed him. |
| C．They talked with him. | D．They took him to join the army. |
| A．can learn from animals | B．can live longer |
| C．can speak animal language | D．may harm human beings |
7 . Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you’re never too old to learn a new language. As you get older, it can be more difficult to learn a new language, though.
Children and adults learn new languages in different ways. For children, language is their life. They study for thousands of hours every year, because they need to learn languages to become part of their communities. Adults, on the other hand, are already part of a language community. Learning a new language means becoming part of another language community, and adults rarely get the chance to practice as much as young children do.
Moreover, children learning a new language are expected to make mistakes. This gives them freedom when learning to be daring and confident. Adults, however, often feel stressed to be perfect when learning a new language. This can discourage many people and make it even harder to learn a new language.
When young children learn a new language, they come to see various(各种) languages as a “normal” part of society. This mindset(思维模式) helps them embrace learning a new language without feeling like they’re doing something unusual or “too hard”.
So if you want to learn a new language, go for it! It’s never too late to learn a new language. If you’re older, it may take more work, but it can be done. If you’re a young child, though, now is the time to step out and learn a new language!
1. By saying “Language is their life”, the writer means that children ________.| A．practice a new language a lot | B．lead a happy life every day |
| C．are taken good care of adults | D．can’t live without language |
| A．The behaviors they have. | B．The learning attitudes(态度). |
| C．The future plans they have made. | D．The materials they are using. |
| A．They are afraid of being laughed at. | B．They usually have too many interests. |
| C．They think making mistakes is natural. | D．They always make all kinds of mistakes. |
The following is a quiz（自测）from a magazine: | |||
| Questions | 1 Point | 2 Point | 3 Point |
| Where do you live? | in a village | in a town | in a city |
| How do you go to work/school? | walking/by bicycle | by train/bus/subway | driving a car |
| How many times a year do you fly on airplanes? | 0-2 | 3-5 | more than 5 |
| How many hours of electricity（电）do you use each day（e.g. watching TV, keeping lights on）? | 0-6 hours | 6-12 hours | 12-18 hours |
| How often do you recycle（回收利用）? | always | often | sometimes |
| Total Points | Result | ||
| 5-7 | Less pollution than the average（普通的）person | ||
| 8-10 | As much pollution as the average person | ||
| 11-13 | A little more pollution than the average person | ||
| 14-15 | A lot more pollution than the average person | ||
1. Which of the following makes the least pollution?
| A．Living pretty well in a big city. | B．Flying on planes three times a year. |
| C．Always recycling used things. | D．Using 15 hours of electricity each day. |
| A．5-7 points. | B．8-10 points. | C．11-13 points. | D．14-15 points. |
| A．11 points. | B．12 points. | C．13 points. | D．14 points. |
| A．Where Do You Live? | B．What Do You Recycle? |
| C．Why Do You Travel? | D．How Green Are You? |
| A．A story book | B．A newspaper | C．A magazine | D．A report |
9 . When you spend three weeks reading a book, and a month later somebody asks you about it and you can’t remember anything you read. What’s your feeling? It makes you wonder why you wasted time on it.
There are some effective (有效的) ways to learn. And when I say “to learn effectively”, what I mean is to not just build up knowledge, but to be able to use that knowledge effectively. So I say, most of the courses people spend money on is not learning. Something is not truly learned until it changes you in some way.
●Memory is based on (基于) connections
One of my favorite online book clubs is Mentor Box. The club will send you books to read and study materials related (联系) to them. The materials can help you put what you’ve learnt into good use and make you remember things quickly.
You can do this on your own. When you read something useful, write down its connections with something in your life—how you can use the idea, how it can help with your problems, etc.
●Read in a right way
People believe they have to read everything, line by line, one after another. This is not true. When you buy a book, you’re not buying the words, you’re buying the useful ideas. The point of a book is the information that is important to you. What matters is the key idea. Once you’ve received that idea, there’s no reason to feel obligated to sit there and read the rest.
●Ask the right questions
Everything you read should be questioned. You can question the writer’s ideas, whether they’re explaining information correctly. When reading something you agree with, you can ask yourself, “Is it possible that this could be wrong?” Asking the right questions will decide the depth of your knowledge and understanding, not the ability to remember a lot of facts and numbers.
1. According to the writer, effective learning ________.| A．is spending a long time reading a book |
| B．helps you get a good feeling after reading |
| C．happens when knowledge changes you in some way |
| D．is the main purpose of the courses people spend money on |
| A．Joining our favorite online book club. | B．Always writing down somethings useful. |
| C．Studying the reading materials carefully. | D．Building connections between books and our life. |
| A．have critical spirit | B．remember the details well |
| C．find the information quickly | D．use the knowledge effectively |
| A．worried | B．forced | C．relaxed | D．surprised |
| A．How to Become A Better Learner | B．How to Remember Things Effectively |
| C．Ways of Building Connections in Your Life | D．The Importance of Asking the Right Questions |
10 . If life can be compared to a meal, I think the mistakes are like salt and the success is a candy.
“Hey,” said the boy whose name I couldn’t remember, sitting next to me. “Don’t worry. Take your time.” And so I did. But I still couldn’t pronounce my Chinese name that was given by the teacher. I was so embarrassed on my first day of learning Chinese.
I took Chinese classes during my summer vacation. Every morning I walked for 25 minutes to the class while having a Chinese pancake from one of the breakfast carts(推车) on the way. Learning Spanish in school was a cushy job for me, because I could speak French and Italian which helped me with it. However, learning Chinese was difficult at first. As a boy who was born in America and grew up in America, I knew nothing about the language and had no experience of learning the language. I chose it mainly because my goal was to teach and work internationally.
As the classes went on, I slowly found that I was making connections. My 10 years of playing the piano has allowed me to perform for others. My several years of writing has led me to become a school reporter. I knew that my Chinese classes would allow me to speak Chinese well. As the teachers helped me build up the confidence, I soon began tasting the sweetness.
So what did my summer really taste like? It tasted like the Chinese food that, for the first time, I did not order in English, my mother language.
1. Why did the writer feel embarrassed in his first Chinese class?| A．Because he had no Chinese name. | B．Because he forgot his Chinese name. |
| C．Because he had bad Chinese pronunciation. | D．Because he couldn’t write his Chinese name. |
| A．common | B．easy | C．popular | D．interesting |
| A．French | B．English | C．Italian | D．Spanish |
| A．He is good at playing the piano. | B．He doesn’t like Chinese food at all. |
| C．He is interested in writing and painting. | D．He wants to be a Chinese teacher in the future. |
| A．An unpleasant day at school. | B．How to get on with Chinese teachers. |
| C．How to develop an interest in Chinese. | D．A sweet experience of learning Chinese. |
