Every spring, there are sports meetings at many middle schools. When students on the playground crowd into a circle and shout loudly, “One, two, one, two.” Do you know what game it is? It is tug of war (拔河).
Tug of war is a team sport between two teams at each end of a rope. It first came into being in China 2, 400 years ago. It is very popular in China and many other countries. But in other countries, their tug-of-war match is not the same as ours. They have eight men for each team, while we may have the match between two sides with equal number of men or women players. Of course, they are usually tall, strong and heavy.
For a tug-of-war match, we need a long thick rope. Each team stands at one end of the rope, holding it. There is a white line in the middle of the field. Then they try to pull the center of the rope to each of their own sides. The winning team is the one that pulls the other over the line.
Tug of war was once an Olympic sporting event. It lasted until 1920. Though it isn’t an Olympic sport now, people in many countries like playing it very much.
1. Tug of war first came into being in China 2, 500 years ago.2. In other countries, a tug-of-war team has eight men players.
3. The team that pulls the other over the line is the losing team.
4. Now tug of war is still an Olympic sport and many people like playing it.
5. The passage mainly talks about a popular team sport—tug of war.
Do you know why different animals or insects have their own special colors? Colors in them seem to be used mainly to protect themselves.
Some birds like eating locusts (蝗虫), but birds cannot easily catch them. Why? It is because locusts change their colors together with the change of the colors of crops. When crops are green, locusts look green. But as the harvest time comes, locusts change to the same brown color as crops have. Some other insects with different colors from plants are easily found and eaten by others. So they have to hide themselves during the day and appear only at night.
If you study the animal life, you’ll find the main use of color is to protect themselves. Bears, lions and other animals move quietly through forests. They cannot be easily seen by hunters. This is because they have the colors much like the trees.
Have you ever found an even more strange act? A kind of fish in the sea can release a kind of black liquid (液体) when it faces danger. While the liquid spreads over, its enemies can’t find it. And it immediately swims away. So it has lived up to now though it is not strong at all.
1. Locusts change their color to match the color of crops to avoid being eaten by birds.2. Insects that look different from plants are active both during the day and at night.
3. Animals that have colors different from trees would be more easily noticed by hunters.
4. Some fish release a black liquid to kill their enemies when they are in danger.
5. The text mainly discusses how animals and insects use colors to protect themselves.
How do you decide where to go on holiday? Is it the local places of interest? Or do you choose your next holiday just for delicious food?
“Food tourism” is that people travel to new places to try the local food. It is now becoming popular among visitors. There are many forms of food tourism, such as trying street food, visiting food markets, or eating at local restaurants.
A recent survey found that about 75% of Americans have traveled for food in the last five years. They said the top four countries they would visit for their food are Italy, France, Spain and Japan.
Food is an important part of holidays for British people, too. A survey team asked 2,000 British people about their main reason for a holiday. 61% of them said “the food”. And 41% said they would travel hundreds of kilometers to find the perfect meal. The top three European countries they would choose to visit for food are Italy, Spain and France.
The survey also found that British people like to try new and different foods most when they are traveling, and nearly half of people believe that they are more adventurous (胆大的) with what they eat when they are away from home.
1. Food tourism is about traveling to local places of interest.2. 75% of Americans have traveled for food in the last five years.
3. British people do not care about food on holidays.
4. British people eat more adventurous food away from home.
5. The article is mainly about the popularity of food in travel decisions.
Imagine you’re at the supermarket. You pay for some food, then throw one third of it into the trash. This may sound crazy, but millions of us are doing this around the world, although not in such a direct way.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, over 30 percent of food produced worldwide goes to waste. Most of it is thrown away by shops that are unable to sell it or by people who buy too much food.
Do we have to do so? Creative minds say no. When we have extra (额外的) money, we save it in a bank. So how about setting up “banks” for food that we can’t eat? Many countries, including China, are trying this out.
Some people in Shanghai recently set up a fridge in their community, filling it with cake and canned (罐装的) food from nearby markets and restaurants. It’s free for anyone to enjoy.
The Real Junk Food Project is a company in the UK. It reminds people that food past its sell-by date (保质期) is still okay to eat. The company collects leftover food from supermarkets and puts it on shelves in cafes (小餐馆).
The food in the cafes has no price label (标签). You can offer as much money as you want, or give back your time as payment. There are now 125 Real Junk Food cafes worldwide.
Does the food that you have bought, but can’t eat, have to become junk? You decide.
1. Every year, about one-third of food produced around the world goes to waste.2. The same banks that save your money can help you save food.
3. In the Shanghai community, people can get free food from a fridge.
4. Food that is past its sell-by date can’t be eaten, according to the Real Junk Food Project.
5. The passage mainly talks about some creative ways to save food.
Hangzhou, together with five other cities in Zhejiang, hosted the 19th Asian Games from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. The Games was very “smart” with the use of many exciting technologies. Let’s have a look!
What if there was an accident during the game and the players needed first aid? Drones (无人机) could be used to send things over. Using a drone saves about 60 percent of the time. Medicine, blood and other things needed for first aid can be sent to people quickly.
Every dish at the Asian Games should be safe and healthy. In the kitchen of the athletes’ village in Hangzhou, there was a special system (系统) that could tell people’s faces. If a “stranger” went into the kitchen, an alarm would go off to let people know. The managers of the kitchen would also get messages on their phones. There is also a system to keep an eye on the temperature of the fridge.
Say that you were in Hangzhou and would watch one of the games. It would be sad if you couldn’t find your way. AR (增强现实技术) was here to help you. There is a mini program called the Hangzhou Asian Games AR service. You could turn on your phone’s camera and it would see where you were and then showed you the way.
1. The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou lasted for seven days.2. The “Drones” could be used to send people quickly in this passage.
3. The alarm in the kitchen can receive food messages from athletes.
4. The AR service can help out people who are lost to find their ways.
5. The passage is mainly about how technology works in 19th Asian Games Hangzhou.
Does it really matter if we know how old animals are? To many scientists, it does.
When studying animal populations, it is very important for scientists to know how many animals there are and how old they are. This information can help scientists learn which animals are thriving (兴旺) and which ones need more care and help. Scientists usually use the following ways to tell animals’ age.
For many animals, their teeth can help scientists know their age. In some animals, some teeth don’t come in until a certain age. Take cows for example. Like humans, cows have two sets of teeth, milk teeth and permanent teeth (恒牙). They normally get their first pair of permanent teeth when they’re two years old. Then they have the next pair at age three, the third pair at age four...
Hair and skin (皮肤) can also provide information about age. Some animals will possibly get bad skin and gray hair as they get older. If you have an older dog, you may have noticed that its nose and mouth get grayer as it gets older.
Scientists are continuing to discover new and more ways of telling the age of animals. Recently, scientists learned that they could tell the age of humpback whales (座头鲸) by examining their DNA. That’s really good news!
1. Scientists study the populations of animals to know which animals can live the longest.2. Cows normally get their first pair of permanent teeth when they’re three years old.
3. As dogs get older, they might get grayer noses and mouths but their skin remains the same.
4. Scientists made a new achievement in telling the age of animals by examining their DNA.
5. The passage mainly introduces some scientific ways to tell animals’ age.
If you’re a fan of ships, don’t miss China’s first home-grown large cruise ship (邮轮) — “Adora Magic City”. The ship is 323.6 meters long, with 135,500 GT tons. It has the beauty of both traditional Chinese art and the Western style.
It can carry up to 5,246 passengers and provides them with rich and colorful activities. It has 16 floors and a total of 40,000 square meters of public living and relaxing space. People can shop at a large duty-free (免税) store on the cruise ship. It’s around 2,000 square meters in size. People on the ship will also enjoy movies and special food. There is even a kids’ playground with some water-play things and a big area for children to enjoy the sunshine.
The Adora Magic City began its first trip on January 1, 2024 and the trip lasted for seven days and six nights. The ship traveled 1,119 nautical miles, carrying more than 3,000 passengers. Longer lines will be planned in the future. “We expect the ship to become ‘a floating (漂浮的) name card at sea’,” said a Chinese government officer.
1. Both traditional Chinese art and the Western style can be seen on the Adora Magic City.2. The large duty-free store on the ship is around 40,000 square meters.
3. People can’t see a movie on the Adora Magic City.
4. The first trip of Adora Magic City is less than 8 days.
5. The text introduces some facts of Adora Magic City.
We know, the time of 5G is coming. There’s a lot of information about 5G. But what is it and what might it bring to our lives?
5G means the fifth generation (代) mobile networks (网络), a better technology than 4G. And 5G makes the networks run faster than 4G.
In the USA, some cities will first use 5G. It will take a few more years or even longer to reach every place. In China, some cities are using 5G now. And more and more cities will join this group. Next year, 5G will be used all over China, even in the countryside.
5G will help to build future “smart cities” with the help of the networks. Such networks will be able to help the police with the traffic. They can also help us know what’s happening in our homes when we are at work. They can even help to make it possible for doctors to have an operation (手术) in the future.
Do you look forward to this smart lifestyle?
1. According to the passage, we know 5G is a kind of network.2. In America, almost all cities are using 5G now.
3. With the help of 5G, “smart cities” will be built in the future.
4. 5G might help doctors to have an operation in the future.
5. This passage mainly tells us the advantages and disadvantages about 5G.
The popular TV series Meet Yourself (有风的地方) show the beauty of some intangible cultural heritages (非物质文化遗产) in Dali, Yunnan province. Let’s take a look at a few things.
Wood carving (木雕)
Jianchuan wood carving has a history of over 1,000 years. It has rich culture meanings. The carving usually uses patterns like flowers, plants and dragons. This type of wood carving is widely used in people’s buildings. Each piece of wood carving carries great efforts from the masters.
Tie-dyeing (扎染)
Tie-dyeing is an old dyeing skill. It started as early as in the Tang Dynasty for a small part of people. But now, tie-dyeing has modern things on clothing and bags, selling at home and abroad.
Flower cake
Flower cake is no doubt the most popular snack of Yunnan province. It has a history of more than 300 years. Even the Qing Dynasty emperor Qianlong was its big fan. The most special part of the cake is that it has flowers in the cake.
These traditional skills not only stand for Chinese wisdom, but also add colors to our modern lives.
1. Jianchuan wood carving has rich culture meanings.2. We can know that tie-dyeing isn’t an old dyeing skill.
3. The flower cake has a history of more than 3,000 years.
4. These traditional skills only stand for Chinese wisdom.
5. The passage mainly introduces some intangible cultural heritages in Dali.
We have had lots of technology and it has changed our lives a lot. There is no doubt that humans will continue to use more and more technology. Here are some examples of modern technology that will change our ideas and will affect our lives greatly.
Global Positioning System (GPS)
It’s a system that uses radio signals (信号) from satellites (卫星) to show exact information. It tells you where the user is on the earth in all weather conditions. It’s made up of the following parts: satellites, control equipment on land and receivers.
Space Technology
Russian and American scientists have worked together for the International Space Station (ISS) for a long time. They hope the ISS will provide a long-lasting lab. Such a lab will bring humans limitless advantages. It’s even hoped that one day space technology will take humans to their new houses in space.
Underwater Robot
Hercules is a kind of underwater robot with some high-technology equipment. It will be used to search for ancient ships which were destroyed into the deep sea during journey long ago.
1. GPS can’t tell you where the user is on the earth on rainy days.2. Control equipment on land is a part of GPS.
3. The ISS has carried people to other planets.
4. Hercules will be used to search for the ancient ships in the sea.
5. The purpose of the passage is to tell us technology is changing the world.
