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.
2 . The start of a new year is a very wonderful time to take up something. Maybe that’s why so many people make New Year’s resolutions. People hope they’ll stop their bad habits and start good ones. However, a study shows that about 80% of people break their New Year’s resolutions before February. Why does this happen? That’s because they don’t make or keep their resolutions the right way. The following ideas may be helpful.
First, your resolutions should be specific (具体的). Don’t make a resolution like “I’m going to get healthy this year.” It doesn’t tell you what you need to do to become healthy. Make a specific one like “Get healthy by eating less and doing some running every morning.”
Second, just take it easy. It takes time to start a new habit. Never expect to reach your goals (目标) in just a few days or weeks.
Third, share your resolutions with others. Tell what your resolutions are to your family or close friends or join a group with the same goals as you. These people will help you to reach your goals when you want to give up (放弃).
根据语篇内容，判断下列句子正误，正确的 “T”，错误的 “F”。
1. Many people make New Year’s resolutions at the start of a new year.
2. Most people break their New Year’s resolutions very early in the year.
3. Specific resolutions can help you to be healthy.
4. You can’t reach your goals in a short time.
5. The passage is mainly about what is a New Year’s resolution.
3 . Have you ever heard of e-waste, which can be produced every day? How do you deal with your computers, MP4 players and mobile phones when they’re broken or you want a new one?
Most people just throw them away. With the development of the electronic industry, e-waste pollution has become a serious problem. According to the United Nations, in 2014, people around the world produced 41.8 million tons of e-waste but only recycled 6.5 million tons. The US was the biggest waster, producing 7.1 million tons. China came second with 6 million tons.
It’s important to pay attention to e-waste. It can either be valuable or harmful, depending on how we deal with it. E-waste is a valuable urban mine (城市矿藏). The value of the metals, like gold and silver in the waste around the world, is amazing. And the metals can be reused. But if people throw them away, the toxic (有毒的) chemicals can get into the soil or air, affecting the environment and people’s health.
Apple, for example, now recycles people’s used products in China when they are buying new ones. The company will test and repair the used ones and sell them at lower prices. To help reduce e-waste, we can also take computers and phones to see if companies offer recycling programs.
根据以上内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。
1. Broken mobile phones can become e-waste.
2. America produced most e-waste in 2014 according to the United Nations.
3. The underlined word “affecting” means “protecting” in the third paragraph.
4. From paragraph four, we can learn that used electric products can’t be recycled.
5. The main purpose of this passage is to advise people to deal with e-waste properly to reduce pollution.
A famous study was done in a school by a professor (教授) from a university. At the start of the school year, the teachers were given the names of five children. They were told that these five were the most excellent students in the class. But the fact was that these students were only average (普通的), and they were not the best students at all. Well, guess what? At the end of the year, all the five average students scored among the highest in the class.
What made these average students change so much to become top students? The only difference was the change in their teachers’ attitude (态度). Because the teachers believed that these five kids were the top students, they expected more from them. And so these five average students began to believe and expect more from themselves. So they worked harder to do as well as they could.
Do you know why? If you expect the best from people, they’ll usually want to give you their best. A great leader said, “Treat a person just how he appears to be on the outside, and you’ll make him even worse. But treat a person like he’s already a success, and you’ll help make him the best he can be.”
Like the true story of 7-year-old Johnny, his teacher got so angry with him that one day she said,“Johnny, you’re the naughtiest (淘气的) boy in this class. I’m sure you’ll never change.” The next year Johnny had a new teacher. And on the first day of class, she met with Johnny after school and said, “Johnny, I’ve heard a lot about you! But do you know that I don’t believe a word of it.” And every day after that, this new teacher treated Johnny as if he was one of the smartest students even when Johnny did naughty things. Later on, Johnny became a school leader. Because that’s the power of our belief (信仰) and attitude toward children.
1. The professor started his research by telling the teachers that the five students were the best in the class.2. The five average students became top students because of the teachers’ hard work.
3. In our life, if we want a person to be better, we have to hit him often.
4. The writer told us the story of 7-year-old Johnny to show the importance of encouragement.
5. The passage mainly tells us attitude and belief can change a person.
 I’m tired of being a people-pleaser (讨好者), but I just don’t know how to say no without feeling sorry. I want to be a good friend, but part of being a good friend is being there for people all the time. It sometimes makes me tired. What should I do? —Tony |
Saying no is not easy, but it’s necessary. However, we don’t want to make others feel bad or think we are impolite when we do it. These tips may be useful.
The first step in refusing someone politely is to say thank you. It usually works when someone offers you something you don’t need. For example, “Can I give you a ride? ”or “Would you like some water?” “No, thank you.”
Next you can say no without using the word “no”. Words like “sadly” and “unfortunately” can help you sound more polite. They work well especially in working places. For example, “Can you help me with the report? ”“Sadly, I’m a little busy.”
Finally, when you want to turn down an invitation, remember to give your reasons. You can say, “I’m sorry, but I need to see my doctor that day.I hope your party goes well!”
1. Tony doesn’t know how to make friends with others.2. When someone offers you something you don’t need, you can say, “No, thank you.”
3. If Mike can’t help with his workmate’s work, he should refuse by saying “Thank you”.
4. When you don’t want to accept an invitation, you should give a reason.
5. This reading mainly tells us how to refuse politely.
Hello, I’m Lucy. During my stay in America, my friend Susan invited (邀请) me to have dinner in a restaurant. That was a funny experience for me. Now let me talk about it.
At first, my husband told me to take some money before I left, but I didn’t listen to him. I thought Susan would pay because she invited me to go.
The Americans like to be on time, so I arrived at the restaurant on time. We sat at a table and soon we began to enjoy ourselves there. The food was very delicious. We talked about our friends and shared the experiences about ourselves.
After two hours, the waiter came and asked whether we wanted one check (账单) or two. Susan said two. Susan paid her check, and the waiter gave me mine. I had no money. Then I had an idea and said, “Oh! I left my money at home! Can I call my husband?” The waiter showed me where the phone was. I ran to it and called my husband. In a few minutes, he arrived with some money. He laughed all the way home.
1. Susan invited Lucy to have dinner in a restaurant.2. Lucy’s husband asked her to take some gifts to Susan.
3. Lucy and Susan enjoyed the food and talking at a table.
4. Susan paid two checks because the waiter asked her to do.
5. The story tells us to learn about different ways of life in countries.
Do you hear of the Old Tea Forest of Jingmai Mountain? The mountain is in the city of Pu’er, Yunnan province. On September 17, 2023, this cultural landscape (文化景观) was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List (《世界遗产名录》). It includes nine villages, three old tea planting places and three forests.
In the tenth century, the ancestors (祖先) of the Blang (布朗族) people came to the mountain. They discovered wild tea trees and started to produce tea from them. Later, the Dai and some other ethnic groups (民族) also came to live here with their colorful cultures. These cultures added something more to Jingmai.
Here, the locals hold important festivals. The Shankang Festival of the Blang people, for example, honors their “tea ancestors.” Another example is the Water Festival of the Dai people. During these festivals, they give their thanks to the tea trees. They also make good wishes for the tea forests.
In Blang culture, every tea tree is said to have a spirit (灵魂). For this reason, the Blang people there do not use pesticides (杀虫剂) on their tea trees. They use natural ways to get good tea.
In this place, the mountain nurtures (养育) tea, and tea nurtures people. Tea is an important part of the locals’ lives. They are thankful for the gifts from nature!
1. Jingmai Mountain is in Yunnan.2. The ancestors of the Dai people came to the mountain in the 10th century.
3. During the festivals, people there only give their thanks to the tea trees.
4. The Blang people think every tea tree has a spirit in their culture.
5. The passage tells us something about the Old Tea Forest of Jingmai Mountain in Pu’er.
Museums play a big role in our society. They serve as a window into the past and help us understand the present. Sichuan Science and Technology Museum offers different activities that help visitors learn about science and technology in a fun way. The museum has a volunteer program where volunteers can serve as tour guides and explain the exhibits (展览) to visitors.
As a volunteer, I had the chance to take part in this program and help visitors understand the science and technology behind the exhibits. During my time as a volunteer, I learned many things. Firstly, I learned the importance of communication when explaining exhibits to visitors. I had to use simple and understandable language to explain difficult scientific knowledge. Secondly, I learned the importance of patience and helpfulness. Some visitors may have a difficult time understanding some knowledge, so it was necessary to explain things again.
All in all, being a volunteer at Sichuan Science and Technology Museum was a meaningful experience. I am proud to be a volunteer at the museum.
1. Museums serve as a window into the past and help us understand the present.2. The activities carried out at the museum are too difficult for all the visitors to understand.
3. The professional guides explain the exhibits to visitors clearly according to the article.
4. The main idea of the article is about the importance of science and technology.
5. Being a volunteer at the Museum is a good chance to learn and practice new skills.
What makes you happy in festivals? Do you feel happy when you enjoy delicious food with family? Eating traditional food in festivals has been our habit since ancient times. But some people think that our festival culture would be complete even without the food. They may think whatever taste of mooncakes we eat, we always keep enjoying the happiness on Mid-Autumn Festival. More people prefer interesting activities to celebrate festivals. They think activities like dragon boat races or a trip can bring more happiness than food. Although ways to celebrate festivals are different, the purpose is always the same—enjoy the happy time! However, some people still think that festivals are less enjoyable than before. How can we improve our sense of happiness in festivals? Here are the results of a survey.
How to improve the sense of happiness in festivals
1. More people prefer traditional food to activities in festivals.
2. Most people expect not to work overtime in festivals.
3. More than half of the people hope to add more holidays.
4. 60.7 percent of people want to cut down the costs in festivals.
5. The chart shows what festivals people think are important in China.
Travel study—a new way to spend your holiday. Have you ever heard about it?
When you have a travel study, you can see Big Ben, Sydney Opera House, the Statue of Liberty and so many other places. During the travel study, you may go traveling by yourself, or with your family or your friends.
When you travel, you are in a different culture every day. You will be served with different new food and make new friends. You read all these from books in the past, but now it is real and you are part of it. Besides, you may also learn other cultures from your new friends because they are from different countries.
Maybe you already have foreign teachers in your school to teach you English. But he or she will not stay to speak English with you all the time, right? During the travel study, you have to speak it every day and almost everywhere because you are in an English-speaking country!
It also gives you a chance to live alone. That will teach you how to live. “What should I do if I lose my way in a foreign country?” “How can I buy what I want with my poor English?” You have to be clever and find answers for yourself.
In short, you can get a lot from the travel study.
1. Your parents are not allowed to be with you during the travel study.2. Enjoying different cultures is an important part of the travel study.
3. Foreign teachers can stay with you and teach you English all the time.
4. Travel study is a good chance to learn to deal with challenges in a new environment.
5. The writer mainly talks about the advantages of travel study.
