1 . Can you sing or dance? Do you ride a unicycle? Do magic tricks? Drink a glass of milk in ten seconds? Recite poems from memory? Well, you've got talent, my friend! And what better time to show it off than at the school talent show!
Middle school talent shows in the US happen every year. Whatever you're good at, you have five minutes to show the world. It's early in the school year, and kids can become little celebrities(名人). The shy boy who spends his evenings practicing Spanish guitar will surprise his classmates with beautiful music. The sporty girl on the soccer team will surprise the crowd with her sweet singing voice. Everyone has a chance to shine.
Almost anyone doing almost anything is allowed on a talent show, as long as your act isn't rude or illegal(违法的), it's a "go".
Of course, you must audition(试演) first, usually in front of a group of teachers. You will have a few weeks to practice your act and there will be at least one dress rehearsal(带妆彩排).
On the day of the show, all the students sit in the school gym, ready to cheer for the many skills of their classmates(and sometimes teachers, too).
Many of today's stars started their careers in school talent shows-Madonna, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake all showed their skills early in life. But, even if you're not Justin Bibber, you can become a star in your own right at your middle school talent show.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about middle school talent shows in the US?| A．They happen at the beginning of every term. | B．A student has five minutes to show their skills. |
| C．Shy boys and quiet girls can't take part in them. | D．Very talented students don't need an audition. |
| A．your act is not very good | B．your act is rude or illegal | C．you are a new student | D．you don't have a funny act |
| A．it's your right to shot off at the school talent show | B．many of today's stars also come to take part in the shows |
| C．you can't become a famous star from a school talent show | D．the school talent show has been a first step for many famous stars |
2 . Can we forget bad memories(记忆)? Someone might tell you that time is the only "cure". But this might be not true.
Researchers at Canada's Mc Gill University have tested a pill(药片) that can help you forget bad memories. They tested it on 60 people and found it to be successful.
All 60 people had experienced painful romantic relationships and wanted to forget them. In the study, they were asked to write about these bad memories. Then, they took a pill that is usually used to treat(治疗) high blood pressure(血压). They then recalled their bad memories by reading what they wrote earlier. In the end, they talked about their feelings, saying that finally they could forget their bad experiences.
Dr. Alan Brunet, who led the study, believes that the pill can ease the pain that bad memories bring. People can take it after bad things happen to them.
How did the pill do this? In fact, your memories change all the time. They're like text files(文件) on your computer. Every time you recall and "open" the files, you might happen to make some changes and "save" them. Researchers believe that the pill can stop proteins(蛋白质) in the brain from "re-saving" these memories. This means some details(细节) of the memory are lost.
However, there are some ethical(伦理的) worries about this treatment. Some people might use it to forget things that they should be learning from, such as when they committed(犯) a crime. People are discussing which kinds of memories should be forgotten with this pill.
1. The 60 people who tested the pill did NOT ________.| A．have painful experience | B．write down their bad memories |
| C．have high blood pressure | D．recall what they wrote down before |
| A．make…better | B．make…less | C．make.…worse | D．make.…more |
| A．how our memories change over time | B．how the pill stops bad things from happening |
| C．how the research group created the pill | D．how the pill helps us forget bad memories |
| Two little boys had two little toys Each had a wooden horse. Joyfully they played each summer's day Soldiers(士兵) both, of course. Then Jack broke off his horse's head, Sad for his toy, then cried with joy As his young friend Joe said: Did you think I would leave you crying When there's room on my horse for two? Climb up here, Jack, and don't be crying I can go just as fast with two. When we grow up we'll both be soldiers And our horses will not be toys And I wonder if we'll remember When we were two little boys. | Long years past, war(战争) came so ______. Bravely they marched away. Guns(枪) roared loud and in the mad crowd(人群) Wounded and dying lie Up goes a shout, a horse rushes out Out from the crowd, to where Joe lay Then came a voice he knew: Did you think I would leave you dying When there's room on my horse for two? Climb up here, Joe, we'll soon be flying I can go just as fast with two. Now we are both real soldiers And our horses are not toys And I remember When we were two little boys.  |
1. What do you think of Joe?
| A．Sad and careless. | B．Afraid and helpless. | C．Brave and helpful. | D．Happy and hopeful. |
| A．fast | B．hard | C．slow | D．quick |
| A．Dangerous war. | B．Interesting games. | C．Happy summer. | D．True friendship. |
People all over the world eat eggs. Most of the eggs we eat come from hens. Eggs are easy to cook. They can be cooked in lots of ways such as fried or hard—boiled. Eggs can be used with other things to make cakes and ice—cream.
Shell
The shell protects the egg. Shells can be brown or white.
Yolk
The yolk has most of the egg's vitamins and minerals.
The yolk can be pale yellow to dark orange.
The colour depends on what the hen eats.
White (albumen)
The eggwhite is mostly water, protein and some minerals. Before it is cooked, the white is not white; it is clear.
| The fresh test Put your egg in a pan of water and use the guide below to find out how old your egg is. What happens to the egg Age of the egg Sinks (下沉)to the bottom of the pan and stays there 3—6 days old Sinks, but floats at an angle(角度) Just over 1 week old Sinks, and then stands an end About 2 weeks old Floats on top or just under the surface Over 2 weeks old Eggs last a long time. You can keep them for about four weeks in your fridge. |
1. According to Paragraph 1, cakes and ice —cream are mentioned to describe ________.
| A．the firth of chickens |
| B．the difference between them |
| C．the use of eggs |
| D．the way of keeping them |
| A．The hen's food. |
| B．The colour of the shell. |
| C．The age of the egg. |
| D．The vitamins in the egg. |
| A．How heavy an egg can be. |
| B．How long to cook an egg in a pan. |
| C．How to make an egg sink. |
| D．How to check the age of an egg. |
5 . Now short videos have a great number of views online. Many people create and share short videos on popular video apps like Douyin and Kuaishou. You can also add music and special effects to your videos. The videos are 15 seconds to a few minutes long. They show people doing activities like cooking, exercising and singing.
Teenagers enjoy these videos. More than 50 percent of first and second year high school students said they enjoy watching these short videos. About 47 percent have posted their own videos.
The videos let teenagers see funny and exciting things they wouldn’t usually see. Many teens like to share the fun things they do with others as well. For example, a 12-year-old user named Xiao Qianyu has posted videos showing her learning jazz dance. This has won her lots of fans.
But the videos can also bring trouble. Some students spend too much time watching them and don’t spend enough time studying. Some videos have vulgar（低俗的） content that is not good for teenagers’ mind.
To deal with these problems, Douyin added something new in the app. It stops the app if someone uses the app for over two hours a day. At the same time, the government also did something to stop vulgar content videos from video apps.
1. What can teenagers do by using the short video apps?| A．Talk with their friends for a few minutes. |
| B．Share videos about exciting things. |
| C．Enjoy videos for three hours a day. |
| D．Make their study better. |
| A．how teenagers make their short videos. |
| B．why teenagers like to use short video apps. |
| C．how popular the videos are with teenagers. |
| D．what kind of short video teenagers post on apps. |
| A．a sports report |
| B．a storybook |
| C．an advertisement poster |
| D．a science magazine |
6 . How much do you know about Albert Einstein?
Albert Einstein, born on March 14, 1879 in Germany, was a great scientist in the world. He was strange because he hated haircuts and new clothes. He believed in peace. All his life, he hated war. However, his most famous idea, E=me2, helped create the world’s most dangerous weapon（武器）. Many people think he was the smartest person in the world. But Einstein said that he thought like a child with many questions and unusual ideas.
What did he like?
Einstein liked learning sailing. He sailed in small boats all his life. He once joked, “Sailing is the sport that takes the least energy!”
When Einstein was a child, his mother made him take violin lessons. At first, he didn’t like the violin. But then he learned to love music and became a good violinist. Later, he said, “Love is the best teacher.”
Why is the sky blue?
In 1910, Einstein asked a question which many children often ask, “Why is the sky blue?” After his careful research, he answered the question like this: “It’s because light is made up of many colors, including blue. When light travels to Earth, gas particles（气体微粒）spread the blue light all over the sky.” His answer is true in physics.
1. According to the passage, Albert Einstein ________ haircuts and new clothes.| A．forgot | B．minded | C．liked | D．disliked |
| A．clever | B．imaginative | C．practical | D．childlike |
| A．was interested in | B．looked forward to | C．was known for | D．was bored with |
| A．mother teaches the best | B．without mother’s push, we can’t love anything |
| C．we should love our teacher | D．when we love something, we’d like to learn about it |
| A．magic | B．wise | C．scientific | D．careful |
From tiny seeds (种子 ), great discoveries grow. A mini-garden carried on China's Chang'e 4 moon lander recently became home to the first plant to grow on another world. This is yet another success for Chang'e 4. On January 2, the probe (探测器)became the first lander to touch down on the far side of the moon. This is the unknown face of the moon that is always looking away from us, so we never see it from down here on the earth. Although it is often regarded as the dark side of the moon, the far side actually gets as much sunshine as the near side. For example, when all we can see is a silver moon, the far side of the moon is in full sunlight.
Part of Chang'e 4's mission (使命) is to see how a moon base could be built for humans, including exploring(探索) whether humans could grow food and other plant products there. Chang'e 4 carried a mini-garden with air, water and soil with seeds planted in it. When plants shoot(发芽)on the earth, their stems grow away from the gravity (the force that keeps your feet on the ground), and so they always shoot upwards. The moon's gravity is a sixth as strong as the earth's, so Chang'e 4's experiment was a test: would the earth plants know which way was up on the moon? Four days after landing, a tiny cotton shoot showed that they do.
Night has now fallen on the far side of the moon, sunlight will not return until the start of February. As a result, the cotton shoots died. Besides the darkness, the plants can't stand the cold(it can drop to-170°C on the moon at night). However, the experiment is a success, since it has proved that it is possible for plants to grow in space.
1. The passage is mainly about __________.| A．another success for Chang'e 4 | B．the unknown face of the moon |
| C．the cotton shoots on the moon | D．the steps of an experiment |
| A．The far side of the moon gets less sunlight. |
| B．Chang'e 4 carried a big garden to the moon. |
| C．We can see the far side of the moon from the earth. |
| D．The earth plants know the way to grow on the moon. |
| A．Travel and life. | B．Science and technology. |
| C．History and culture. | D．Health and environment. |
8 . Punctuation Marks（标点符号）
Punctuation Marks | When to use them? | Example |
Apostrophes （’） | To show possession-when something belongs to someone. Use apostrophes in word contractions. | Alan’s favorite color is blue. It’s(It is) a hot and sunny day. |
Exclamation Marks （!） | To express surprise, excitement, anger, admiration or to give orders. | Stop! Don’t move! |
Question Marks （?） | Placed at the end of a question. | How are you? |
1. Where can the table above probably be found?
| A．A newspaper | B．A Grammar book | C．A report | D．A guide book |
Sentence 2: Alan’s going over what he has learnt in class.
Which of the statements is true according to the usages of punctuation marks?
| A．The “Alan’s” in sentence 1 has the same meaning as the one in sentence 2. |
| B．The “Alan’s” in sentence 1 is used as a contraction for “Alan is”. |
| C．The “Alan’s” in sentence 2 shows that something belongs to Alan. |
| D．The apostrophes in the two sentences have quite different meanings. |
| A．excited | B．angry | C．curious | D．scared |
9 . Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sadness, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to deal with kinds of situations.
Love plays an important role in our lives. Love makes you feel wanted. Without love a person could be cruel. In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad. But we always tend to take this for granted(认为理所应当) . It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others' feelings.
Happiness achieved by bringing a smile on other' s face gives a certain level of fulfillment(成就). Peace of mind makes you feel happy. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are sad. Sadness comes from the death of a loved one or the failure. But all of these things will pass away.
Failure is the way to success, and it helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way. Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect.
Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well. Hope makes us dream. Hope builds on patience. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. So what we can choose is to work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.
1. In which section can readers probably read the passage?| A．Education | B．Travel | C．Lifestyles | D．Business |
| A．package | B．happiness and sadness | C．failure and success | D．hope and despair |
| A．颓废 | B．遗憾 | C．悲伤 | D．绝望 |
| A．What you only can choose is to work hard every day. |
| B．If you work hard today, you will have a better life in the future. |
| C．When choosing between "today" and "tomorrow", you'd better enjoy tomorrow better. |
| D．Enjoying a better tomorrow is your only choice. |
| A．To encourage people to love each other. |
| B．To tell people how to deal with happiness and sadness. |
| C．To remind people of working hard for a better tomorrow. |
| D．To give readers some information about life. |
10 . Mark Twain is someone Americans are taught to love. Older relatives, English teachers and the media always praise (表扬) him. But when you actually take the time to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you find that his work is more wonderful than you could ever imagine.
The novel describes a young boy named Tom Sawyer growing up in a small town along the Mississippi River. He explores the countryside on a riverboat with his friends, falls in love with girls, starts secret clubs and searches for treasure. Twain's idea of childhood is magical—a time of imagination, wonder and, of course, adventure.
More importantly, through the eyes of Tom Sawyer, Twain cleverly makes fun of US culture. For example, Tom hates going to church, and Twain uses scenes of Tom there to mock religion and its old traditions.
Twain's writing is full of these kinds of critical (批判的) points about culture and politics. That's why he is so loved in the US—he wasn't afraid to state his opinions, and he did so clearly.
He also believed strongly in women's right to vote in elections and gave a famous speech on the subject, called “Votes for Women”, in 1901.
“Tom was a great hero once more—the pet of the old, the envy of the young,” Twain writes in Tom Sawyer. But he could just as well be describing himself.
1. According to the writer, after reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, you are likely to think ______.| A．it's not worth all the praise | B．it's as wonderful as you imagined |
| C．it's better to read it with teachers | D．it's even better than you imagined |
| A．A brief description of the novel. |
| B．Where Twain's idea of childhood comes from. |
| C．How naughty and adventurous Tom Sawyer is. |
| D．What makes Tom Sawyer's adventures so wonderful. |
| A．make changes to | B．make fun of | C．give reasons for | D．give examples of |
| A．He supported women's right to vote. |
| B．He wrote bad things about US wars abroad. |
| C．He criticized American culture and society clearly and cleverly. |
| D．He showed readers a magical childhood that everyone would love. |
