Chinese scientists found a whale fall (鲸落) for the first time in the South China Sea during a deep-sea expedition (考察) carried out by oceanic research vessel (船) Tansuo-1.
It’s sad to learn that a whale has died in the ocean. However, that’s not the end for the whale. It has a lot to give to other sea animals after death. When a whale dies, it quickly sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. There, the whale body provides food for deep-sea animals, which are often hungry for food. The remains can last for lots of years and create an ecosystem (生态系统) called a whale fall-an “oasis (绿洲)” of life in the deep sea.
The whale fall ecosystem can exist in the deep ocean because great pressure and cold temperatures there prevent the body from decomposing (腐烂) too quickly. But the depth also makes it hard for scientists to discover them. There are less than 50 known whale falls in the world.
The whale body in the South China Sea is about three meters long. Scientists have found several species of shrimp (虾) and fish near the whale body. Some fish have started to eat the whale’s tail. The whale fall might be quite recent and needs long-term observation (观测), according to Xie Wei, a scientist who took part in the expedition.
By studying the whale fall, scientists can better understand how marine (海洋的) ecosystems support life and how to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) resources in the deep sea.
1. A whale fall is called an “oasis” because it provides food for deep-sea animals.2. It’s hard to find whale falls because of low temperature.
3. The whale fall in the South China Sea may have formed recently.
4. The passage is mainly about the death of whale.
Britain’s Got Talent is a popular British TV show looking for the most talented people in the country. This year, a music group named “Sign Along With Us” got the show’s first Golden Buzzer for their excellent performance. They got much closer to win a bigger prize.
The group is made up of 18-year-old Jade Kilduff, her 4-year-old little brother Christian Kilduff, and some others. Aged from 4 to 58, there are 37 children and 28 adults in the group. They sang a beautiful song named This is Me and used sign language (手语).
They chose to give their performance in this way to help young Christian face his illness. Christian has great difficulty talking with others. His family took him to many hospitals, but they were told that he could never talk. Jade didn’t believe that and she taught her little brother sign language. “I just know there was a voice inside there waiting to come out.” she told the judges (评委) on the show.
Their performance touched everyone’s heart. There was not a dry eye in the house. “Every one of you gave a wonderful performance. It was really great.” said one of the judges.
1. A music group, “Sign Along With Us”, won a big prize in Britain’s Got Talent.2. To win the big prize, Jade’s brother aged 4 sang loudly and clearly.
3. Everyone is touched because of the great performance and the story behind it.
4. From the passage we know, we’d better sing songs with sign language.
If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven’t you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter（脑灰质）. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language. A team led by Dr Andrea Michelle, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of “early bilinguals” who had learned a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density（密度）in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference is.
“Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,” said the scientists. It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. “Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible（灵活的）,” he said, “You are actually going beyond（超出） language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and thirty-four. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. “Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,” explained the scientists.
1. If people learn other languages, what will be changed?| A．white matter | B．grey matter | C．exercise | D．muscles |
| A．双语学习者 | B．词汇学 | C．口语交际 | D．实用语法 |
| A．Leaning other languages can make you become smarter. |
| B．A second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. |
| C．Learning other languages can change grey matter which processes information. |
| D．Grey matter density in the brain was worse in bilinguals than that in people without a second language. |
| A．Italian is the best choice for you to learn as a second language |
| B．learning a second language is the same as studying math |
| C．early learning of a second language helps you a lot in studying other subjects |
| D．you’d better choose the ages between two and thirty-four to learn a second language |
4 . Anger (愤怒) often makes us uncomfortable. Seeing your child’s anger can be especially uncomfortable. In order to relieve (缓解) this feeling, parents often encourage children to “stop crying” and say things like “It’s nothing to cry about.” It’s moments like those that plant the seeds (种子) of unhealthy anger. The “stop crying” parents are just doing what they were taught by their own parents, who were probably taught that by their parents on and on. However, we should learn how to create healthy anger in our kids.
If a child never sees his or her parents express anger, he or she should never express anger, either. But if parents always express their anger loudly, their child may start to think of anger as something that is always frightening.
The first thing you can do to create healthy anger in your children is to practice creating healthy anger in yourself. Once you’re better at experiencing anger and expressing it in a healthy way, you’ll be able to set a good example for your kids.
Stopping kids from expressing their feelings is wrong. You may feel bad when you believe you are wrong. When children express their feelings and are told that it’s nothing to cry about, they come to know that they themselves are bad.
We need to raise them in an environment where it’s safe to express feelings. Once you feel more comfortable with your own anger, you can teach your children why anger is a helpful feeling. When your kids express anger, help them examine what it is that has made them angry. Why did it make them angry? How did it do that? Then, you can teach them that those feelings are never wrong and our expressions of feelings are in our control.
Anger is natural and normal, and it can be experienced and expressed in a healthy way.
1. Why do parents tell children not to cry?| A．To relieve their anger. |
| B．To make them uncomfortable. |
| C．To encourage them to stop crying. |
| D．To plant the seeds of unhealthy anger. |
| A．Parents have a great influence on their children. |
| B．Parents should get angry with their children. |
| C．Expressing anger loudly is good for children. |
| D．Children must express their anger like their parents. |
| A．Stop them from expressing their anger. |
| B．Raise them in a safe environment. |
| C．Let them know they are right or wrong. |
| D．Express their own anger in a healthy way. |
| A．It’s impossible for us to control it. | B．It’s a common feeling. |
| C．It’s harmful to our health. | D．It often makes us embarrassed. |
| A．To tell us how to teach kids. |
| B．To show us how to control anger. |
| C．To introduce the dangers of anger. |
| D．To lead parents to create healthy anger in our kids. |
5 . Have you ever wondered if you see the same colors as other people? Most people know what blue is when they see it. They see the color and call it “blue” because they were taught the word and connected it with what they saw. But how do you know what you see as blue isn’t someone else’s red?
The ability to see colors depends on receptors (感受器) in our eyes. Light waves hit these receptors which will send information to the brain. The brain then deals with the information to make sure which color light the eyes are receiving. Some people’s receptors are more developed than others. People with weaker receptors usually have color blindness. That the receptor can’t translate the light waves correctly means some people cannot tell different shades of a color.
In the past, most scientists argued that everyone saw colors in the same way. However, research was done on monkeys, in which they were injected (注射) with a virus to influence their receptors. This made them understand more about colors than usual and brought an interesting discovery. Normally, monkeys can only see blue and green, but the virus allowed monkeys to see red. Their brains were made to be able to understand new colors, which might mean the brains are not instinctive (本能的) to understand which color is which. This shows that our brains may get used to new information depending on what they receive during the development. Color could be a very personal experience to everyone.
So, the next time you talk about your favorite color, just remember if yours is blue and your friend says red, you might actually be thinking about the same color. What if everyone in the world has the same favorite color, but just calls it different names.
1. Which is TRUE about people who have color blindness from paragraph 2?| A．They cannot see light at all. | B．They have developed receptors. |
| C．They can’t tell colors correctly. | D．They can’t see any colors. |
| A．Scientists | B．Receptors | C．Monkeys | D．Brains |
| A．Monkeys can only see two colors at any time. |
| B．Our brains can understand colors instinctively. |
| C．Everyone has the same experience about a color. |
| D．The same color might be given different names. |
| A．It tells people that different colors have different names. |
| B．People call a color blue because that’s how they were taught. |
| C．It mainly explains why people see the same color differently. |
| D．One’s favorite color is different from that of another one’s. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A science magazine. | C．A story book. | D．A guide book. |
For most people, graduation is an exciting day. But my graduation day was not.
We graduates had degrees (学位), but very few job opportunities (机会). I knew that the next day I would no longer have a place to call home. I remember that weekend two years ago. Family and friends had traveled from across the country to watch our class walk across that stage. But like everyone else in my graduating class, I had watched the economy (经济状况) turn from bad to worse in my fourth year of university.
I knew my small university town couldn’t offer me any opportunities, so I drove to southern California to find work. But what I thought would take a week lasted for two weeks, and then four weeks, and I found myself in the same spot as I was before.
You know that feeling when you wake up and you are full of fear? Fear about something you can’t control. You hope that everything that has happened to you so far is just a bad dream. So what did I do to stay calm? I wrote. Something about putting words on a page made everything seem a little clearer—a little brighter. Something about writing gave me hope. If you want something enough, sometimes a little hope is all you need!
I turned my scary feelings into a children’s book—about a surprising hero who simply refused to (拒绝) give up on his dream.
Then one day, without a writing degree or contacts in the writing world—just a lot of hard work- I was offered a publishing deal (出版约稿) for my first book! After that, things slowly began to fall into place. I was offered a second book deal. Then, a few months later, I got an interview with a big company and got a good job.
It takes time, but just hold on - things can change when you don’t expect it.
1. The writer didn’t think her graduation day was exciting because ________.| A．her family and friends didn’t come | B．she got a bad score in her senior year |
| C．she didn’t get her university degree | D．she worried about how to make a living |
| A．She got a job offer in California. | B．She still couldn’t find a job. |
| C．She drove back to her hometown. | D．She found a job in her university. |
| A．Calm. | B．Scared. | C．Excited. | D．Hopeful. |
| A．Try to get as much education as you can. | B．Don’t fear what the future will be like. |
| C．Life can change for the better if you just hold on. | D．You might not get the job you want at first. |
7 . 17-year-old Shreyas Venkat has developed great passion(激情) for helping others since childhood. She runs her own non-profit organization (非营利机构), NEST4US, to feed the homeless in the US.
NEST4US was born after Venkat realized how much food waste there is, how many hungry people there are, and how simple it would be to use the former to help the latter. “There was a homeless man standing on a street corner with a sign ‘Hungry Need Food’ in his hands,” she remembers. “So I gave him my simple lunch, and his whole face lit up (流露出喜悦) at once.” It only took her 30 seconds, and it really helped the man. This small act inspired (激励) her to find a way to get food to the people who need it the most.
Now NEST4US has helped tens of thousands of people in the US. Hundreds of volunteers have joined Venkat to help. In every bag of food, they put a handwritten note with a message of love. Venkat said those homeless people needed more than just food; they needed care from others.
Not only does Venkat get a lot of joy and satisfaction from her volunteer work but she says running NEST4US has given her important life experience. “What it has really taught me is to always put others first.” she says “Whatever I do in the future, I know I want to keep helping people.”
1. What’s the purpose of Venkat’s creating NEST4US?| A．To make money. | B．To make profit. | C．To feed the homeless. |
| A．Venkat’s giving her small lunch to a homeless man. |
| B．Putting a sign ‘Hungry Need Food’ in his hands. |
| C．Venkat’s creating NEST4US. |
| A．Homeless people only need food. |
| B．We should buy homeless people houses. |
| C．Homeless people also need care from others. |
| A．We should always put ourselves first. |
| B．We should always think of others. |
| C．We should also run NEST4US. |
8 . A group of university graduates visited their old professor. During their visit, the conversation turned to work. The graduates were complaining about their problems and stress in work and in life. After offering coffee to the guests, the professor went to the kitchen and came back with a coffee pot and a tray (托盘), crowded with many different cups: porcelain, glass, plastic and crystal.
Some cups were simple, other ones expensive. The professor asked them to pick out their cups first. When the graduates picked out their favorite cups, the professor explained: “Notice how all the beautiful cups were picked out and the simple and cheap ones were left.”
“Wanting only the best things for yourself is the source of your problems and stress. You need to understand that the cup doesn’t make the coffee better. Actually, all that you wanted was the coffee, not the cup. But you consciously (有意识地) chose the best cups, and then looked to see what cups other picked.”
“Life is the coffee. Your job, money, position in society...they are the cups. The type of cup doesn’t determine (决定) the quality of life. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cups, we forget to enjoy the taste of coffee. The happiest people are not those who have the best things, but those who enjoy life and make the most of what they have.”
Hearing this, the graduates were speechless. They had learned another important life lesson from their old professor- that true happiness means enjoying life and not worrying about unimportant things.
1. The professor offered different kinds of cups to ________.| A．give his students more choices to choose from | B．teach his students how to make coffee |
| C．show his students his collection of cups | D．teach his students about the meaning of happiness |
| A．chose the plastic and glass cups | B．did not choose heavy cups |
| C．preferred beautiful and expensive ones | D．preferred simple and cheap ones |
| A．资源 | B．根源 | C．起因 | D．解决办法 |
| A．Make the best choice you can. |
| B．Make the most of life and ignore small things. |
| C．Let others have some of the best things in life. |
| D．Your cup choice doesn’t matter when drinking coffee. |
9 . In the US, a new video app called TikTok has become very popular this year. It’s a free social media app that is used to make short videos with a mobile phone.
My friends and I have been using Instagram and Snapchat for a while, but my parents have had mixed feelings about allowing me to use social media. However, they eventually (最终) gave in when I proved that I was able to manage my time wisely and get my homework done. I also promised that I would not spend a lot of time on it. I really didn’t want to miss out on this fun and trendy platform (平台). I have made three TikTok videos so far and one of them got over 2,000 views within a few days.
Every mid-October, my school has homecoming, which is an annual tradition of welcoming back old alumni (校友) and celebrating school spirit. The Student Council also organizes a week of events to celebrate homecoming.
Making TikTok videos became one of the events this year. Many of us made TikTok videos. Our Student Council chose the top five funniest videos. The winning videos were played on a big screen during a school assembly (集会) and our school’s president crowned the first place winner. I made a TikTok video with a couple of friends. Although it didn’t win, I enjoyed the process since my video showcased (展示) my creativity.
On a recent trip to Chicago, a popular food truck in front of a well-known university was providing food and it was sponsored (赞助) by TikTok! As I enjoyed the free food, I couldn’t stop wondering what the next social media trend might be.
1. Which of the following correctly describes TikTok?| A．It is a video app for mobile phones. |
| B．It is a new mobile phone brand. |
| C．It is more popular than Instagram. |
| D．It can be used to do homework. |
| A．he helps his parents do housework |
| B．it doesn’t affect his studies |
| C．his TikTok videos become popular online |
| D．he joins a video club in his school |
| A．Homecoming lasted for a month in the author’s school. |
| B．Students made TikTok videos to celebrate homecoming. |
| C．Making short videos is a tradition in the author’s school. |
| D．The author’s video won first prize in a contest. |
| A．Why TikTok has become popular. |
| B．How to make the best TikTok videos. |
| C．The changing trends in social media. |
| D．The author’s experience with using TikTok. |
10 . My name is Alice. I am 12. I'm a girl and I have a twin (双胞胎之一的) sister. Her name is Cindy. We are in Xinhua Middle School. My father is Tom Smith. He has a telephone. The color of the telephone is black. You can call my father at 357-8234. I am tidy, but Cindy is not. Her books and tapes are always everywhere. Her telephone number is 357-6509. My mother is Linda Smith. She is a teacher. She lost her radio. I found it under the sofa.
My mother buys a watch for my sister. It is red. She buys a ring for me. It's red, too.
1. How many people are there in Alice's family?| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．White. | B．Smith. | C．Brown. | D．Green. |
| A．Tom's telephone | B．Cindy's watch | C．Alice's ring | D．Linda's radio |
| A．Alice is not tidy. | B．Tom's telephone number is 375-6509. |
| C．Linda is a teacher. | D．Cindy lost her watch. |
| A．Alice's family. | B．Alice's school. | C．Alice's room. | D．Alice's parents. |
