1 . During a visit to Mexico in 1519, Herman Cortes, a Spaniard, was given a drink called xocoatl. It was made from cocoa beans and was very bitter. He liked the drink and took some of the beans back to Spain where the drink soon became popular. The Spanish, however, added sugar to make it sweet, and they drank it hot.
A hundred years came and went before it was introduced to France. Then in 1657, a Frenchman opened a store in London and began selling chocolate. It was very expensive, but soon chocolate houses were opened in many large European cities. They were places where people could meet to drink chocolate together and talk.
In 1900, the English started putting milk in their chocolates is Milton Hershey. Hershey was born in 1857, and as a young man, he became interested in making chocolate. In the early 1900s, he started a chocolate-making company, which grew very quickly because his chocolate was so delicious. Nowadays, Hershey chocolate is sold all over the world, and many people think it was Milton Hershey who was instrumental in making chocolate so popular.
1. What does the underlined word “bitter” mean in Chinese?| A．贵的 | B．苦的 | C．便宜的 | D．酸的 |
| A．in 1519 | B．in 1657 | C．in 1857 | D．in 1900 |
| A．Stores that sold soft drinks. |
| B．companies that sold chocolate. |
| C．Where the chocolate was produced. |
| D．Places people met and drank chocolate. |
| A．The chocolate houses. | B．A Spanish food. |
| C．The history of chocolate. | D．A Mexican drink. |
2 . I’ve heard of many complaints from both parents and children, such as “My mother is so overpowering that she doesn’t understand me.” and “Why isn’t she as respectful as she used to be?” Generation gap means misunderstanding between parents and children.
What are the reasons behind the generation gap? First, children find they have grown up, so they don’t want to depend on their parents any more. The desire to prove themselves capable of making decisions by themselves makes them disobey what parents said. Second, a generation creates their own language and fashion, which differs itself from other generations. The feeling with their peers（同龄人）is different from that with their parents as if the two generations were from different worlds. For example, parents don’t understand why their children like Jay Chou so much, who is the star of young people’s world.
How to bridge the generation gap? Communication!
Communication improves the understanding between children and parents. For example, children should be always willing to share everything in their life. On the other hand, parents should show their understanding and care about them. It is not hard to bridge the gap, because the love between parents and children is the greatest in the world.
1. Who often complain according to the first paragraph?| A．Children. | B．Mothers. | C．Parents. | D．Both parents and children. |
| A．mistake | B．misunderstanding | C．disagreement | D．dislike |
| A．the language and fashion a generation has created |
| B．what children want to prove to their parents |
| C．the reasons behind the generation gap |
| D．who is the star of young people’s world |
| A．laughing | B．quarreling | C．never speaking | D．communicating |
Many of you have probably had this experience: You get on a train and are ready to take a nap (打盹) or read a book, only to find that the passenger in front of you is watching a TV show on his tablet (平板电脑) without headphones (耳机). The child next to you won’t stop crying. And the old lady behind you talks on her phone during the whole trip.
Wish the train could be less noisy? There might be a solution for you. The Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway, one of China’s busiest high-speed rail lines, will have “quiet” carriages (车厢) starting from Dec 23, Xinhua reported.
In quiet carriages, onboard videos (车载视频) will be muted (静音) and announcements (公告) will be made at a lower volume (音量). Doors at the ends of the carriage will be kept closed to reduce noise from other carriages, CGTN noted. Train attendants (乘务员) will be responsible for making sure that passengers remain quiet and follow the rules.
Passengers who are willing to obey (遵守) the rules can choose the quiet carriages when booking their tickets, according to China’s national railway operator (铁路运营商).
Some people have pointed out that this kind of quiet environment should be offered in all carriages. They say that having quiet carriages might give people the impression that they don’t need to be quiet in non-quiet carriages.
While some internet users are in favor of the new service, it has also sparked (引发) discussion about just how quiet travelers should be in quiet carriages. Many people have raised questions such as “What if I snore (打呼噜)?” and “Can we talk to our travel companions (同伴) if we need to?”
1. Paragraph 1 is written to show that ________.| A．many people watch TV shows on trains |
| B．people do all kinds of things on trains |
| C．traveling by train is very common |
| D．people on trains are sometimes very noisy |
| A．Train attendants won’t make any announcements. |
| B．No one will make sure passengers follow the rules. |
| C．Passengers won’t be allowed to watch videos. |
| D．The doors of these carriages will stay closed. |
| A．in need of | B．in support of | C．in search of | D．in place of |
| A．The rules should be made more clear. |
| B．Most people don’t like the service. |
| C．It’s hard to make trains perfectly quiet. |
| D．The service is better for solo (独自的) travelers. |
| A．Train attendants. | B．Policemen. | C．Teachers. | D．Doctors. |
4 . How many of you do household chores at home? It’s reported that few teenagers would like to spend time on them. In their opinion, it’s a complete waste of time. Some even think they should be taken good care of by their parents all the time. However, such life skills are really necessary.
On June 3, 2020, the Ministry of Education(MOE) produced a document(文件) for high schools. According to the document, labor education is listed as a compulsory(必修的) course for high school students. It would be as important as the foreign language or physics. And each of them takes six credits(学分). Voluntary service, as part of labor education, would take two credits. The MOE also asks schools to make sure students do 40 hours of voluntary service during the full three school years.
A recent study shows that teenagers in China are doing very little housework. Primary and middle school students spend only 12 minutes a day on chores, compared to 72 minutes in the US, 42 minutes in South Korea and 30 minutes in France.
Parents think doing household chores would make students pay less attention to their school work. In fact, it is very helpful for teenagers. According to Northwest Educational Service, chores can not only teach teamwork and problem-solving skills but also give people a sense of pride. “Through such education, students are expected to develop working abilities as well as a better understanding of the world,” said Zheng Fuzhi, vice-minister of the MOE.
1. How do most teenagers feel about doing chores?| A．It is meaningless work. | B．It can help them kill time. |
| C．It is necessary to do chores. | D．It can help them deal with stress. |
| A．Two. | B．Four. | C．Six. | D．Eight. |
| A．China | B．America | C．South Korea | D．France |
| A．how to encourage teenagers to do chores |
| B．why it’s good for teenagers to do chores |
| C．why teenagers should develop different skills |
| D．how long teenagers should do chores every day |
| A．Most teenagers depend a lot on their parents. |
| B．Labor education is more popular with parents. |
| C．Doing chores can get in the way of students’ studies. |
| D．More attention is paid to developing students’ life skills. |
5 . March 14 is the anniversary (纪念日) of Pi. Founded in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw. March 14 was selected because 3.14 means the first three numbers of Pi, and it also happens to be Albert Einstein’s birthday. The first Pi Day celebration took place at Exploratorium in San Francisco. However, this day became a formal international holiday until 2009.
It is said that Archimedes, the ancient Greek mathematician, was the first one to accurately calculate (计算) Pi. In 1965, the British mathematician John Wallis found that Pi is equal to the product of infinite fractions (无穷分数的乘积). In 2015. scientists at Rochester University found the same formula (公式) for Pi.
Pi is represented (代表) by the Greek letter π. It is about 3.141592654, representing the ratio of the circumference to the diameter (周长与直径之比). In daily life, 3.14 is usually used to represent Pi. And 10 decimal (小数的) places 3.141592654 is enough to deal with the general calculation. Even if engineers or physicists want 10 make more correct calculation, at best. They only need to take values to hundreds of decimal places.
In maths, this infinite number is rather important. Pi has been calculated 10 more than 1 trillion (万亿) decimal places, but the mathematicians don’t plan on stopping there. The appearance of computer makes the calculation of π value develop rapidly. In August 2010, Shigeru Kondo, a Japanese computer wizard (奇才), used cloud computing to calculate Pi to 5 trillion decimal places. Then from October 2011, he spent about a year to calculate Pi to 10 trillion decimal places, setting a Guinness world record.
1. What’s the connection between March 14 and Pi Day?| A．They have nothing in common. | B．They have the same three numbers. |
| C．March 14 is the birthday of Einstein. | D．A meeting on Pi was held on March 14. |
| A．Albert Einstein | B．Archimedes | C．John Wallis | D．Shigeru Kondo |
| A．decimal places | B．an infinite number | C．correct calculation | D．a mathematical record |
| A．π is about 3.141592654. |
| B．The anniversary of Pi is a Japanese holiday. |
| C．John Wallis is an English mathematician. |
| D．Shigeru Kondo is the most successful in calculating Pi. |
| A．discovery | B．use | C．development | D．calculation |
6 . Long long ago, a very foolish thief wanted to steal the bell on his neighbor’s door, so he walked up to the door, held the bell and pulled hard. The bell made a very loud noise. The thief was afraid and went home.
“I must do something about the noise,” he thought. At last he had an idea. “Ah, I’ll put some cotton in my ears. Then I won't be able to hear the noise.” The next day he went to the door of his neighbor’s and held the bell again. This time he pulled even harder. The bell rang loudly, but the thief did not hear anything. With another hard pull he got the bell out. Just then the neighbor ran out, “Steal my bell? I’ll teach you a lesson（教训）,” the angry man shouted. And he hit the thief on the nose.
The foolish thief did not know how the neighbor found out he was stealing the bell. “Why did he come out just then?” he wondered.
根据上面的文章选择最佳答案。
1. The thief was trying to get ________.
| A．his neighbor | B．his neighbor's doorbell |
| C．some cotton | D．a door with a bell on it |
| A．safe | B．difficult | C．dangerous | D．interesting |
| A．keep the noise down | B．punish him for stealing |
| C．help him with the bell | D．be his teacher |
| A．The thief understood why he was hit on the nose. |
| B．The thief knew why the neighbor came out. |
| C．The thief thought the neighbor couldn't hear the noise the bell made. |
| D．The thief didn't want to know why the neighbor ran out. |
| A．亡羊补牢 | B．智子疑邻 | C．锲而不舍 | D．掩耳盗铃 |
7 . I’ve been working in a school for more than twenty years. Many parents often ask me, “How can you teach your child good study skills? How can he or she get the homework done as quickly as possible?” Here are some tips:
1. If the child is as young as nine or ten, ask him or her to prepare a small notebook to write down the homework given by his or her teachers. By developing this habit, he or she will learn to be much more responsible（负责的）.
2. Find a good place to study. This should be a quiet place that is free from everything but study things. No games, radios, or televisions. Once you have decided on a place to study, this should be the only place where your child does his or her homework and studies. There should also be a very specific time for homework to be done. Usually, homework should be done as soon as the child gets home from school. This also goes for the kids who take part in after-school activities. Of course, it is a good idea to allow the child to have a healthy snack before the work begins.
3. Also remember, that it is the child’s duty to do his or her homework. Some children give up easily and go to Mom and Dad for help when they have a problem. Try to let them solve it first. By doing this, they will get a sense of success from overcoming problems. In this way we help them to help themselves.
根据上面的文章选择最佳答案。
1. Asking the kids to keep a notebook to remember their homework will make them_______.
| A．remember more | B．learn more |
| C．more responsible | D．more interested in studying |
| A．be free for everything |
| B．have a TV set and a computer |
| C．be quiet, bright and free from things for entertainment |
| D．be big, clean and tidy |
| A．Forgetting. | B．Leaving. | C．Realizing. | D．Beating |
| A．ask their parents for help | B．try to solve the problems by themselves |
| C．wait for their teachers’ help | D．put it away and have a snack |
| A．for parents to help their children study well |
| B．for the children who want to improve their work |
| C．for teachers to teach their students |
| D．for housewives to make their kids happy |
8 . One day a red rose blossomed (开花) in forest. A pine tree (松树) not far away said, “You’re so beautiful! I wish I could be lovely like you.” The rose said, “I am the most beautiful plant in the forest.” Then the rose looked at a cactus (仙人掌) and said, “Look at that ugly plant. It is full of thorns (刺)!” Sometimes, the red rose would look at the cactus and say, “This plant is useless. I’m sorry am his neighbor.”
Summer came and the plants and animals needed water, but no rain fell. One day the rose saw some birds stick their beaks (鸟喙) into the cactus and then fly away. The red rose asked what the birds were doing. The pine tree explained that the birds got water from the cactus. The pine tree told the red rose, “You can also drink from it. The birds can bring water to you if you ask the cactus for help.”
The red rose felt ashamed, but she still asked the cactus for help. The cactus agreed kindly and the birds filled their beaks with water for the rose’s roots. Later on, the rose never judged (判断) anyone by appearance (外表).
1. What did the rose think of the cactus at the beginning of the story?| A．Beautiful and lovely. | B．Ugly and useless. |
| C．Kind and helpful. | D．Unfriendly and ugly. |
| A．There was no rain when summer came. |
| B．The pine tree could get water from the cactus by itself. |
| C．The birds stuck their beaks into the pine tree. |
| D．The rose could bring water to the pine’s roots. |
| A．骄傲的 | B．忧虑的 | C．高兴的 | D．羞愧的 |
| A．the pine tree was awful | B．the cactus was helpful |
| C．the birds were more beautiful | D．the rose didn’t need water |
| A．Appearance is not everything. |
| B．Be careful of what you say to others. |
| C．The red rose is more beautiful than the cactus. |
| D．Don’t feel bad about having an ugly neighbor. |
9 . People around the world need to get moving, according to a new study by the World Health Organization. About 25 percent of adults worldwide do not get enough exercise.
People should do at least 150 minutes of “moderate intensity(中等强度)” exercise each week, such as dancing or swimming. They can also do 75 minutes of “vigorous intensity(高强度)” activity, such as running or playing soccer, according to the WHO.
When it comes to exercising more, experts say that we don’t have to go to the gym every time. The Guardian noted. For example, we can take the stairs instead of taking a lift. If we don’t have time to go to a dance class each week, standing on one leg for 30 seconds each day is also good for our health.
The study also finds that women are less active than men, with 32 percent of women failing to exercise enough, compared to 23 percent of men. Women spend more time at home taking care of children and doing housework..
Countries with higher incomes show higher rates(比率) of inactivity. For example, people in Kuwait and the United States exercise less than people in Uganda and Nepal. This is partly because in developed areas, desk jobs have taken the place of manual labor(体力劳动).
In the study, China is listed as a middle-income country. The study says that 14 percent of Chinese adults don’t exercise enough, much lower than the average rate——25 percent.
1. How many people get enough exercise, according to the WHO?| A．About 25 percent of adults. | B．About 1.4 billion people. |
| C．About 150 million people. | D．About 75 percent of adults. |
| A．Walking | B．Dancing | C．Running. | D．Swimming |
| A．Going to the gym is a good choice. |
| B．There are many ways to exercise outside the gym. |
| C．People can get enough exercise by taking the stairs. |
| D．People should dance every day. |
| A．People can get cancer because they don’t exercise enough. |
| B．Playing soccer is a good way to exercise moderately. |
| C．Women can get enough exercise by doing housework. |
| D．People in rich countries get less exercise than those in poor countries. |
| A．health | B．science | C．culture | D．music |
10 . Is there the best time to sleep? Actually, you have an amazing biological clock (生物钟) inside your body which can tell you some true facts.
From 11 p.m. to 3 a.m, your liver (肝脏) gets larger when filled with more blood and it lets the rubbish in your body out. If you go to sleep at 11 p.m., you have 4 hours to clean up the rubbish. And if you sleep at 2 a.m, there is only an hour to go. What if you sleep after 3 a.m.? Unfortunately, you won’t have any time to clean yourself. If you continue with this sleeping habit, there will be more toxins (毒素) in your body. You know what will happen next.
What if you go to bed late and wake up late? Did you realize you felt very tired the next day no matter how much you slept?
Going to bed late is very bad for your health. Besides not having enough time to clean your body, you will miss other important body functions (功能), too.
From 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., you should exercise and breathe in fresh air to take in good energy into your body. From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., go to the toilet. And from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., it’s the best time to have breakfast. This is your most important meal in a day. Not having breakfast causes lots of health problems for you in the future.
Once you know the importance of your biological clock, try your best to follow it. What if you have much work to do until late at night? Well, why not go to bed early and wake up early to do it? You’ll get the same time, but your body will get fit.
1. After reading, We can learn ________ is the proper time to go to bed.| A．3 p.m. | B．2 a.m. | C．11 p.m. | D．5 a.m. |
| A．you’ll lose weight | B．you’ll do more work |
| C．your liver will get lager | D．there will be more toxins in your body |
| A．释放 | B．呼吸 | C．循环 | D．消化 |
| A．The liver helps clean up the rubbish in the body. |
| B．It’s best to have breakfast between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. |
| C．You’d better enjoy a good sleep from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. |
| D．It’s necessary to stay up late when there is much work to do. |
| A．going to bed as early as possible |
| B．doing exercise is quite necessary |
| C．following your biological clock and you will get fit |
| D．we should do different things in different times of a day |
