1 . “Life is speeding up. Everyone is getting unwell.”
This may sound like something someone would say today. But in fact, an unknown person who lived in Rome in AD(公元) 53 wrote it.
We all love new inventions. They are exciting, amazing and can even change our lives. But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?
Picture this. You’re rushing to finish your homework on the computer. Your mobile phone rings, a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen, the noise from the television is getting louder and louder. Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work. Now you have to stay up all night to get it done. How happy do you feel?
Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave up feeling stressed and tired. Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities, who have no telephones, no cars, not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they live simpler lives.
One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today. The grandparents, with their daughter, and grandsons Benjamin, 10 and Thomas, 7, spent nine weeks in a 1940s house. They had no washing machine, microwave(微波炉), computer or mobile phones.
The grandmother, Lyn, said, “The more things you have, the more difficult life becomes.” The boys said they fought less. Probably, they said, because there was less to fight over, such as their computer. Benjamin also noticed that his grandmother had changed from being a “trendy(赶时髦的), beer-drinking granny”, to one who cooked things.
根据短文内容，选择正确答案。
1. The writer uses the quote(引号) at the beginning of the story to ________.
| A．tell us a truth about our lives |
| B．tell us what life was like long time ago |
| C．point out what causes such a thing to happen |
| D．point out some problems we will meet in the life |
| A．have speeded up our lives | B．have improved the quality of our lives |
| C．may make people feel very happy | D．may bring people some trouble |
| A．they loved to live simple lives |
| B．they wanted to know how people lived without modern inventions |
| C．they were troubled by modern inventions |
| D．living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them |
| A．People who live far away from noisy cities often seem to be happier. |
| B．An unknown Roman was sure that the quality of life would get better. |
| C．The family had some changes when they lived in a 1940s house. |
| D．With the improvement of our lives, we often feel stressed and tired. |
| A．problems with technology |
| B．improvements of our lives with technology |
| C．changes happening to technology |
| D．the importance of technology |
2 . Elephants are the largest animals on land. For a long time, they are very helpful. They carry big trees, take people from place to place, and are even used in wars.
Some people think it’s not easy to hurt an elephant because its skin is thick and hard. In fact, that’s wrong. Sometimes, a needle can also be very dangerous for the elephant.
People say elephants are afraid of mice. This is wrong, too. In fact, elephants have very poor eyesight, so they usually cannot see a mouse even if one comes very close to them. If a person has a good memory, people will say that he has an elephant memory. However, up to now, no study shows that elephants have a better memory than any other animal.
People also believe that when it is time for elephants to die, they will hide themselves in a so-called “elephant graveyard”. Often, hunters try to find such places to get ivories（象牙）, but few people really find places like that. In fact, when elephants are old or get sick, they will stay in deep and secret caves until they get better or die.
1. What can’t elephants help people do?| A．Carry heavy trees. | B．Help people build houses. |
| C．Carry people to different places. | D．Help people fight in the war. |
| A．Elephants are afraid of mice. | B．Elephants have very poor memory. |
| C．Elephants cannot see very clearly. | D．Elephants never go to caves. |
| A．A place for hiding dead bodies. | B．A place for animals to play in. |
| C．A place with yards and flowers. | D．A place where elephants are safe. |
| A．They will go to see a doctor. |
| B．They will ask other animals for help. |
| C．They will ask humans for help. |
| D．They will stay in deep caves themselves. |
| A．Elephants are man’s best friends. |
| B．Different countries have different elephants. |
| C．Elephants are the world’s biggest animals on land. |
| D．Some of our ideas about elephants are not correct. |
3 . When you want to go shopping, you will decide how much money you can pay for new clothes and think about the kind of clothes you really need. Then you just only look for those clothes. There’re labels（标签）inside all new clothes. The labels tell you how to take care of your clothes. The labels may say “dry-clean only”. If you put these clothes into the water to wash them, you may ruin（损坏）them.
Many clothes today must be dry-leaned. Dry-cleaning is expensive. So when you buy new clothes, check if they will need to be dry-cleaned. You’ll save money if your clothes can be washed in water.
You can also save money if you buy clothes that are well-made. Well-made clothes last longer. They look good even after they have been washed many times. Clothes that cost more money are not always made better. They don't always fit better. Sometimes the less expensive clothes look and fit better than the more expensive ones.
1. Before you buy clothes, the first thing for you to do is ________.| A．to get advice from others |
| B．to decide how much money they cost |
| C．to decide what color you like |
| D．to think about what style you want |
| A．The labels | B．The colors | C．The styles | D．The materials |
| A．that can be washed in water | B．that need to dry-cleaned |
| C．that look good | D．that is the cheapest |
| A．dry-cleaning is cheap |
| B．sometimes the cheaper clothes can fit you better |
| C．expensive clothes last longer |
| D．cheap clothes last longer |
| A．how to choose label | B．how to wash clothes |
| C．how to save money | D．how to buy clothes |
4 . Do you know the story of some mice(老鼠) and a cat? Let me show you here.
There are many mice in the house. The owner(主人) of the house has a cat. The cat kills some of them. Then an old mouse says,“All mice come to my room this evening. Let’s put our heads together and think how to deal with(处理) the cat.” All the mice come and they start to talk about it, but no one knows what to do.
Finally, a young mouse stands up and says, “We must put a bell(铃) on the cat. When the cat comes near, we can hear the bell and then run away(跑走) and hide(躲藏). So the cat can’t find any of us.”
“But,” the old mouse asks, “Who will put it on the cat?” No mouse answers. the old mouse waits(等待), but no one answers. At last the old mouse says, “It’s easy to say things, but it’s hard to do them.”
1. The mice want to deal with the cat because _______.| A．it makes the house dirty | B．it fights with the mice | C．it kills the mice |
| A．居安思危 | B．各就各位 | C．集思广益 |
| A．hide somewhere | B．put a bell on the cat | C．run away |
| A．the bell | B．the cat | C．the house |
| A．the cat and mice are good friends. |
| B．doing is more important than saying |
| C．the mice are clever |
5 . Plastic is all around us. It's in the TVs we watch at home, the desks we use at work, and the pens we write with at school. It's even wrapped around the food we buy. Some people have had enough of plastic, though, and have chosen a new lifestyle. These people have become plasticarians, meaning they try to live life without buying or using plastic.
British student Thomas Smith decided to go plastic-free, telling reporters, "A bit of plastic you had for a second lasts longer than your lifetime," Smith tried to avoid buying anything that had plastic in it, which made getting even the simplest items, like toilet paper, difficult. Over a period of six months, he lost five kilograms in weight and finally gave up.
Beth Terry, a woman in California, has lived mostly plastic-free for more than six years. For Beth, choosing a plasticarian lifestyle came out of concern for the planet and her health. Studies have linked some kinds of plastic to cancer and heart disease, and chemicals in these plastics can influence a baby's development. That's why some doctors say it is important that women who are having babies in their bodies avoid eating food stored in plastic containers.
It's never too late to start reducing the amount of plastic. You can start by giving up bottled water and teas. Instead, buy a reusable stainless-steel bottle and boring drinks from home. You can also buy food from farmers' markets, where fresh produce and meat are not packaged in plastic. Finally, it's better to use soap and shampoo bars that are wrapped in paper than liquid soaps and shampoos that come in plastic bottles.
While cutting plastic out of your life all at once may be too much to manage, every journey begins with one step. Choose one plastic item to live without today, and you will be on your way to a healthier life and a cleaner planet.
1. How does the writer show the fact that plastic is all around us?| A．By telling a story. | B．By describing a picture. | C．By giving examples. | D．By using numbers. |
| A．He wanted to experience how to live without plastic in his life. |
| B．He thought that plastic could help him lose weight. |
| C．He wanted to be healthier. |
| D．He wanted to help the environment. |
| A．You should use a plastic bottle and fill it with water over and over again. |
| B．You can start to bring drinks from home rather than buy bottled teas at a store. |
| C．It's better to buy soap and shampoo bars wrapped in paper. |
| D．Studies have shown that chemicals in the plastics can be harmful to a baby's development. |
| A．showing a prediction of using plastic in our daily life | B．introducing the results of cutting plastic out of life at once |
| C．expressing a feeling about stopping using plastic things | D．giving advice on cutting down plastic use |
6 . The best way of learning a language is using it. The best way of learning English is talking in English as much as possible. Sometimes you’ll get your words mixed up and people will not understand you. Sometimes people will say things too quickly and you can’t understand them. But if you keep your sense of humor（幽默）, you can always have a good laugh at the mistakes you make. Don’t be unhappy if people seem to be laughing at your mistakes. It’s better for people to laugh at your mistakes than to be angry with you, because they don’t understand what you are saying. The most important thing for learning English is: “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes because everyone makes mistakes.”
1. The writer thinks that the best way to learn a language is________.| A．writing | B．listening | C．using it |
| A．Be careful not to make any mistakes. |
| B．Speak English as much as you can. |
| C．Laugh more often. |
| A．not care | B．be happy | C．feel worried |
| A．keep quiet | B．keep your sense of humor | C．get angry |
| A．people never make mistakes |
| B．few people make mistakes |
| C．there is no one who doesn’t make mistakes |
7 . The year 2022 will be a big year for sports in China. That's because it will hold not only the 24th Winter Olympics in Beijing, but also the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
On Aug 6th. 2018, the official emblem (会徽) for the Hangzhou Asian Games was released (发布). The city won the hosting right for the 2022 Asian Games in 2015. It will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games after Beijing and Guangzhou in 1990 and 2010.
First held in 1951, the Asian Games is the largest multi（多种）-sport event in Asia. It also means a lot to China. The Beijing Asian Games was the first large international sports event to be hosted by China, China News Service reported.
To make the Games a great success, Chinese people worked hard to prepare. Beijing built a great number of roads and gyms, including the famous Beijing Olympic Sports Center and Asian Games Village. The Games helped the world see China and its achievements（成就）. Since then, China has improved its global image (国际形象), China Youth Daily reported.
For the 2022 Asian Games, Hangzhou has already started building 33 sports venues (场馆), according to China Youth Daily. The themes of the Hangzhou Asian Games are "green, smart, economical (节俭) and civilized". All the Games' buildings will be environmentally friendly.
1. Which city will host the 2022 Asian Games?| A．Hangzhou. | B．Guangzhou. | C．Shanghai. | D．Beijing. |
| A．It improved China's economy (经济). | B．It helped China attract more tourists. |
| C．China has built a lot of roads and gyms for it. | D．It helped the world see China and its achievements. |
| A．the Winter Olympics | B．the Asian Games | C．sport event | D．Asia |
| A．How to prepare for the Asian Games. |
| B．The development of the Asian Games in China. |
| C．Why China wants to host the 19th Asian Games. |
| D．How the 19th Asian Games emblem was designed. |
Kevin Durant is one of the best basketball players in the world. He is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Kevin grew up in Washington, D.C. His father left his family when he was very young. So his mother had to take care of him by herself. They moved from place to place. And because he was very tall, Kevin was different in other people’s eyes. Sometimes, his classmates even made fun of him.
The life was tough, but there was always a lot of love and support in his family. His mom wrote a card on Kevin’s bed: “Always believe that anything is possible.”
Kevin liked basketball. When he was about 10 years old, he told his mom that he dreamed of being an NBA player. His mother did everything she could to help him. Kevin worked very hard and practiced playing basketball for 8 hours a day!
But it was not just hard work that made him become a famous man. From his mother, he also learned to always be kind. Kevin got so much success in playing basketball. And he also spends a lot of his time in giving back. His foundation (基金会) is to help homeless people, build basketball fields in poor places and help poor children return to school.
1. When Kevin was young, __________.| A．his father took care of him | B．he moved to Washington, D.C |
| C．his life was relaxing | D．his classmates didn’t like him |
| A．hard | B．interesting | C．free | D．exciting |
| A．Play basketball | B．Be kind | C．Train himself | D．Believe his classmates |
| A．Successful and kind. | B．Hard-working and busy. | C．Quiet and friendly. | D．Rich and funny. |
| A．Kevin Durant’s family. | B．How to be a NBA player. | C．A famous basketball player. | D．A good mother. |
9 . Today more and more cars go into families. Which car is the best for people? Different people have different ideas.
Some people like the bright color car made in China. It’s really a good choice (选择). The bright color car made in China is cheap, nice and safe. This kind of car is suit for (适合) the general income (收入一般的) family.
Some people love famous foreign cars like Japanese cars, American cars and German cars. They’re good but too expensive. But most people think famous foreign cars of better quality are better in safety. These are suit for the high income family or for business.
Some people like sportscars, because they’re fast and exciting. Some sportscars are very nice but very expensive. Only rich people can afford them.
Some people like traveling, so they need a travel car. Travel cars are comfortable. But they use much petrol.
What’s the best car for us? Maybe it’s a new and popular topic in life.
1. What does the writer think of the bright color car made in China?| A．It’s nice but expensive. | B．It’s good but too expensive. |
| C．It’s cheap, nice and safe. | D．It’s comfortable. |
| A．the high income family | B．the general income family |
| C．people who like traveling | D．people who like sports |
| A．cheap and nice | B．comfortable and save petrol |
| C．good but too expensive | D．fast and exciting |
| A．Cars made in China are cheap. |
| B．Famous foreign cars are too expensive. |
| C．Sportscars are also cheap. |
| D．Travel cars are comfortable. |
| A．some expensive cars | B．famous foreign cars |
| C．some cars made in China | D．different cars |
10 . A city without cars would be very strange, right? But Venice is such a city.
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.
Even so, travel isn't difficult. The water ways have always been the best way to get around. There are 177 canals and more than 400 bridges that can guide you to where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat. They like to enjoy the scenery and cool summer nights while taking boat trips. They can talk to other people as they go along.
Venice grew out of small islands in saltwater lakes when some Italians escaped from a war over 1,500 years ago, and built homes there.
Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences. One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge, and there's nothing special. But when they come back to the bridge an hour later, it's underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes.
Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by about 23 centimetres. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made the ice of the Arctic Ocean(北冰洋) melt(融化) .
Every year, high water hits the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.
Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy's biggest companies to build the MOST project, which is planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water. Anyway, this project is helping solve the problem.
1. According to the passage, Venice is ________ of Italy.| A．in the northeast | B．in the west | C．in the southwest | D．in the south |
| A．Taxis and cars | B．The waterways | C．The bridges | D．Boats and rain shoes |
| A．changed into | B．used to be | C．became | D．developed from |
| A．The higher temperature. | B．Overused underground water. |
| C．Too many waterways. | D．The rising seawater. |
| A．the waterways and bridges | B．the MOST project and problems |
| C．the specials and problems | D．the history and scenery |
