It was cloudy. A boy was walking through the countryside. He saw that an angel (天使) between the clouds soon disappeared (消失) after singing a beautiful song.
The boy thought it must be the door to heaven (天堂). To him, it was exciting to see what was there. So he started building a great big tower of wood, up to the sky. However, when the tower was very tall, it fell down. He tried building it with earth (泥土), but he still failed. He sat down and cried loudly.
The angel returned. She sang again and the boy listened carefully, The meaning of the song was that you could get to heaven if you were confident (自信的). At once, his heart became filled with confidence. This time, he built the tower with rocks. He was surprised to find it didn’t fall. He finally jumped onto it and climbed along it. He suddenly knew that he was able to open the door to heaven only if he believed he could do it.
1. The boy saw the angel disappear.2. The boy failed (失败) twice before he got to the sky.
3. At last, the boy built the tower with earth.
4. The story teaches us that we can do things well if we have confidence.
A new curriculum standard (课程标准) for labor (劳动) education has come out recently. Students have to take labor lessons, including everyday chores, productive labor and services. These lessons are to develop students’ hard-working spirit and important living skills.
Starting from September, 2022, students in primary and middle schools should have at least one lesson every week. Primary school students in the first and second grades need to do simple housework like washing vegetables and peeling fruit, and learn to keep plants or small animals at home. The third and fourth graders should clean their classrooms, wash their underwear, socks and shoes, and know how to make cold dishes and use home appliances (电器). The fifth and sixth graders should learn skills of cooking two or three common dishes, such as fried eggs.
Middle school students are encouraged to cook three or four dishes independently. Also, they should learn how to make traditional artworks. Social service and volunteer work are also needed.
It’s important for parents to realize the importance of labor education and make lists of chores to improve students’ independence. It’s not enough for children to simply finish the work. They should learn to enjoy the work.
1. The purpose of paragraph 1 is to tell people about changes in education.2. A second grader in primary school should learn to make traditional artworks.
3. The fourth graders in primary school needs to learn skills of using an oven.
4. Parents are expected to realize the importance of encouragement.
In the past nine years, Li Jin, who was born in Guangxi but raised in Sanya, has made great efforts to protect the waters of Sanya city in Hainan. He is now spreading the knowledge of environmental protection through new media platforms (媒体平台).
Around 2014, he began doing volunteer work to clear rubbish from the beaches and officially registered (注册) as a volunteer in May, 2017. Li Jin immediately took the lead in a cleanup activity on the Sanya River.
In April, 2021, he used his own money to set up a volunteer service center which has 1,170 registered members who take part in activities without asking for payment. So far, he has spent about 3,800 hours on volunteer activities in over 550 events. More than 2,300 people have joined in with his encouragement. They’ve drawn the attention of both the adults (成年人) and the children to the importance of protecting the oceans and beaches. Since it was set up, his center has organized 51 beach-cleaning activities that have seen about 1,800 people join in. In 2021, because of Li’s growing influence in environmental protection circles, the city government invited him to make a number of short videos, in which he uses simple words to explain how to protect the environment. Several of the videos have been watched millions of times.
“My volunteer work would be meaningless if I got paid. But the work itself is of great value. So I will continue doing the environmental protection work,” he said.
1. Li Jin is trying hard to protect the waters of Sanya.2. 1,170 registered members in Li Jin’s volunteer service center get paid to take part in activities.
3. From the passage, we can know that Li Jin is a strong-minded and selfless person.
4. The text is mainly about a hero who volunteers in the environmental protection work.
| a Locals Care for Natural World Grasslands and lakes in Sanjiangyuan have taken on a new look and many wild animals have come back. On January 24, 2003, China set up Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve to protect the area and the wildlife. Local people joined in the project, picking up waste and protecting the animals. |
| b China Successfully Grows Rice in Space How to grow food in space if humans live there one day? For nearly 40 years, China has developed over 260 new types of seeds (种子) in space. Recently growing rice at Tiangong Space Station makes a big step forward. It can also solve food problems on Earth. |
| c Doctors Sent to West Africa Doctors are flying to an island off the coast of West Africa after a new flu broke out. They will test different medicines to find a way to deal with it. To get things better, they will also offer medical care and help train local nurses there. |
| d ____________ A strong earthquake hit Turkey on February 6. More than 8,000 international rescuers (救援人员) around the world went to help, including the Blue Sky Rescue Team from China. They helped save lives and rebuild homes. |
| e Scientists Fight against Plastic Pollution A natural material, fungi (真菌), used to break down a type of plastic called polypropylene turned out to be useful. Scientists at the University of Sydney found that after 90 days, between 25% and 27% of polypropylene broke down and after 140 days, polypropylene became completely safe. |
1. Passage a and Passage e are both about environmental protection.
2. China probably began to develop seeds in the 2000s.
3. The best title for ______ can be “Terrible Situation in Turkey”.
4. All these five passages share the theme (主题)—problems and efforts.
Birds are building their nests (巢) with rubbish, said a new study. The rubbish includes cigarette butts (烟头) and plastic bags.
A group of European scientists looked into about. 35, 000 studies on bird nests. They found that birds have used man-made things in nests almost everywhere on Earth.
Some rubbish seems to be helpful. This is why birds “like” putting it in their nests: For example, cigarette butts have some chemicals (化学物质) , so they can keep insects away and protect the chicks (雏鸟). Plastic bags are useful in keeping the animals warm, and other hard things, such as paper cards, can make nests stronger.
However, in the end, human rubbish may only bring more harm to birds. The chemicals in cigarettes hurt the chicks. The chicks may get sick or have shorter lives, according to a 2014 study.
To make matter worse, if the cigarette still burns when the bird brings it back to its home, it may set fire to the nest. Pieces of fishing net may also trap (缠住) birds, and it’s impossible for them to get out by themselves. If the chicks eat other kinds of rubbish by accident, they will also get hurt. Our friends in the air are feeling the bad effects of human polluting the environment.
1. Birds have used man-made things in nests everywhere on Earth.2. Chemicals in the cigarette butts can keep insects away the birds’ nests.
3. Paper cards can make the birds’ nests more beautiful.
4. Birds may be hurt by pieces of fishing net.
5. The passage is mainly about the harm of birds building nest with rubbish.
My friends say that I’m good at English, because I always get good marks in English tests. They think I’m a talented girl and I’m clever at English.
But in fact, I’m not a talented girl. I’m just a common girl. I’d like to say something about my experience of learning English.
I didn’t do well in English in the beginning. I started my English course at the age of 10. Maybe you can’t imagine I couldn’t say a whole sentence at that time. I was sad, but I wasn’t afraid of it. I just learned English hard. I spent almost all of my free time practicing English by listening to the tape and repeating after it. Soon I found I had made great progress in my English. At last, I could understand what the teacher said in class. Then slowly, I could get good marks at times. I knew that studying isn’t easy, so I spent much time reading more, listening more, writing more and talking more every day.
I have some other advice as well.
Don’t be nervous and try to be relaxed when you write articles or talk to foreign teachers or your own English teacher. Remember: Don’t pay too much attention to details when you are talking. If you have some mistakes, that’s all right. Think and talk in English and never give up. It’s never too late to practice English.
1. The writer thinks she is a talented girl.2. In the beginning, the writer was afraid to learn English.
3. The writer spent almost all of her free time practicing English.
4. Try not to make any mistake when you talk to the teacher.
5. The writer mainly tells us her experience of learning English and how to learn English well.
My friend Peter has got a restaurant in a big city. It is near a supermarket. He gets ten robots for the restaurant. He bought them from a foreign company (公司) in America when he decided to open a restaurant last month. The price of each robot is 20,000 yuan. The restaurant is not big, but very popular in that city. Now more and more people come here for dinner.
The robots have different jobs in the restaurant. Two robots cook different kinds of food; one washes the dishes; one cleans the floor and the others give food to the guests. Although all the staff (员工) are robots, it is not expensive to eat in this restaurant. Because Peter doesn’t need to pay for the robots every month!
Robots do most of the jobs in the restaurant, but Peter is still very busy. He must do many things to keep the robots working well. Luckily, Peter is good at studying robots and he knows robots very well. I think in the future, there will be a lot of robot-themed restaurants (机器人主题餐厅) around the world.
1. Six robots give food to the guests in the restaurant.2. The food in this restaurant is expensive because the staff are robots.
3. Peter is free because Robots do most of the jobs in the restaurant.
4. This passage is mainly about a robot-themed restaurant.
In the USA, you can only get a full-time job if you are 16 years old or older. But there are things that teenagers can do to make some spending money. Here are a few ideas.
Parents with young children sometimes want to go out for dinner or to the movies, but they don’t want to leave their children alone. So, they ask a teenager to stay in the house, be a babysitter (保姆) and look after their children while they’re out. If the children go to bed early, you can do your homework!
Some people have a dog, but they don’t have time to take it for a walk. Dogs need a lot of exercise! So some teenagers work as dog walkers. It’s a good idea—you make money and you’re outside in the fresh air. You get some exercise, too!
Teenagers can work at home on their computers. Some companies pay teenagers to take online surveys (调查). They want to know what teenagers are interested in. It’s a fun and easy way to make money. You can also design (设计) web pages for friends or others.
Sometimes, some families pay teenagers to mow the lawns (修剪草坪). It’s a great job because you get fresh air and exercise. Mow a lawn carefully and people will want you to do it again. Then you have customers, because grass always grows.
You can choose one of them to make some money. Then you can spend it or save it! But don’t forget it’s important to always tell your parents where you’re going. Be safe when you work.
1. Three ideas of part-time jobs for teenagers are suggested in this passage.2. Walking dogs and mowing lawns can help teenagers get both fresh air and exercise.
3. Teenagers in the USA aren’t allowed to work full-time until age 16.
4. This passage is most probably written for companies that want to know about teenagers’ interests.
I have a rule for travel: Never carry a map. I prefer to ask for directions.
Foreign visitors are often lost in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers. “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. For example, people will say. “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on a map. They measure distance by means of time, not miles, “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They usually don’t know. People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because not many visitors can understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you directions,a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the place.
One thing will help you everywhere— in Japan, in the US, in Greece, or in any other place. You may not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go in that direction, and you may find the place!
1. The underlined word “landmarks” means “streets”.2. If you ask people in Los Angeles for directions, they will tell you the time you have to spend.
3. The Greek language is widely used by people all over the world.
4. There are different ways to give directions in different countries.
When you’re not at home, many worries may come to your mind. Did I turn the light off? Did I lock the door? With a smart home, you can keep away from all of these worries in the future.
A smart home is a home with a network (网络). The network connects with lights and TV sets, so that people connect them from far away by lines, mobile phone or WiFi over the Internet.
More and more people may want to have a smart home, because it makes life much more convenient. It can help keep your room at a certain temperature. It can record what happens inside your home and send the video to your phone. When you are on holiday in other countries, you can use a smart home controller to turn on or off the electricity when necessary. Some smart homes can receive a visitor, make him come in and service him a drink. They can even feed the cat and water the plants.
Besides, smart homes are easy to fix. When a problem happens, you can deal with it yourself. However, for home-users, the smart home is not perfect. It can be rather expensive to have it. Also, because the smart home system makes its owner get home information from anywhere, hackers (黑客) may enter into the smart home easily, and they may use or change their information in the system.
Now, many people are excited at the future of the smart home. There are others who worry that the smart home will make people lazier and lonelier. But anyway, one thing is for sure-the smart home will change the way we live and work.
1. We keep away from our worries in the future with a network.2. According to the passage, nowadays a smart home can lock the door by mobile phones.
3. The third paragraph of the passage is mainly about the steps to use smart systems.
4. Smart homes cost a lot of money at present.
