1 . In China, there are 24 solar terms（节气）in a year. And there are six of them in winter. The six terms are beginning of winter, light snow, heavy snow, winter solstice（冬至）, lesser cold（小寒）and greater cold.
Beginning of winter usually falls on November 7th or 8th. After beginning of winter, most parts of the country can start to expect cold weather. On this day, after a year of hard work, people are happy to have a rest and spend time with family. The northern China celebrates beginning of winter as the “Small Spring Festival”. People usually have dumplings and mutton soup on that day.
Light snow usually falls on November 22nd or 23rd and heavy snow usually falls on December 7th or 8th. When winter solstice comes, it brings the shortest days of the year and the longest nights. Many places of the country can expect the coldest weather yet. Winter solstice in 2021 is on December 21th. People often start counting “nine cold periods” starting from winter solstice. Every cold period has nine days. People believe that after 81 cold days, spring will come.
Greater cold comes after lesser cold. The field is covered with snow. And all Chinese are ready to welcome the Spring Festival after it. Of course, a new round of solar terms will start.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。1. How many solar terms are there in winter in a year?
| A．24. | B．12. | C．6. |
| A．beginning of winter | B．Spring Festival | C．November 22nd or 23rd |
| A．Heavy snow comes before light snow. |
| B．The last solar term in a year is greater cold. |
| C．People start counting “nine cold periods” from December 8th. |
| A．six solar terms in winter in China |
| B．24 solar terms in China |
| C．the ways people celebrate the Spring Festival |
2 . When Shanghai introduced a new rubbish sorting policy(政策) in July last year, the people in this city took some time to get used to it. They joked that every time they took out their litter, the aunt standing by the bins would ask, "What kind of litter are you?"
Starting on May 1, Beijing joined many Chinese cities by introducing a new rubbish sorting policy. People should sort their litter into four groups: kitchen, recyclable, harmful and other waste. These groups are represented(代表) by four different colors of rubbish bins-green, blue, red and gray. Those who fail to sort their litter correctly may face fines of up to 200 yuan.
The way Beijing sorts its rubbish sounds different from cities like Shanghai and Qingdao. These cities use four different groups: wet, recyclable, harmful and dry. Although their names are different, the groups are actually the same. Wet rubbish in Shanghai is, in fact, kitchen rubbish. And dry rubbish is the same as other waste.
Many people don't know how to sort their litter correctly, so Beijing government is offering online guidelines. If people don’t know how to throw away rubbish, they can search for it on the WeChat account Guanchenglishi(管城理市) to find out. By searching a key word or taking a photo, people can find out which group their waste belongs to at once.
1. Kitchen rubbish is called ________ in Shanghai.| A．Wet rubbish | B．Dry rubbish |
| C．Recyclable rubbish | D．Harmful rubbish |
| A．Rubbish sorting is being carried out all over the country. |
| B．Rubbish sorting started in Beijing on May 1. |
| C．In Qingdao, people who don't sort their litter correctly may be fined 200 yuan. |
| D．People in Beijing dislike rubbish sorting policy. |
| A．They will be made to learn the policy. | B．They won't be allowed to throw rubbish away. |
| C．They won't be noticed. | D．They may be fined. |
| A．the government's advice about rubbish sorting policy. |
| B．problems with Beijing's rubbish sorting policy. |
| C．how Beijing government help people sort their rubbish. |
| D．actions we can take to protect the environment. |
| A．People are made to sort their litter and they are unhappy. |
| B．Four cities are using the new rubbish sorting policy in China. |
| C．Many people had some problems with rubbish sorting at first. |
| D．People should sort their litter into four groups. |
Qomolangma is the world's highest mountain. You may have learned from your textbooks that its height is 8,844.43 meters. But not all sides are in agreement on this. Different researchers have given different results. In addition, the height of the mountain can change over time.
That's why a Chinese survey team with over 30 members set out to reach the peak of Qomolangma to remeasure its height on May 6, 2020. They were equipped (配备) with the latest technology.
It is not an easy task. The average air temperature on the mountain is -29℃, and powerful winds blow all the time. In such bad conditions, surveying drones (无人机) cannot work at the peak of the mountain. That's why it's still necessary to send human experts to the peak to get exact results.
But does a difference of a few meters really matter when it comes to a high mountain?
In fact, measuring the height of Qomolangma is about more than just getting one exact number. Mount Qomolangma is at the point where the Eurasian plate (欧亚板块) meets the Indian plate. It formed 38 million years ago as the two plates hit each other. Changes in the peak's height can show whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other. This can help us understand the movement of the earth's crust (地壳).
The survey team will also get firsthand information about environmental conditions at the top of the mountain. This will help us understand how climate change has affected the QinghaiTibet Plateau (高原).
1. What do we know from the first paragraph?| A．Researchers measure the height of Qomolangma every year. | B．There is no agreed-upon height of Qomolangma at present. |
| C．It's not easy to measure the height of Qomolangma. | D．The height of Qomolangma increases every year. |
| A．Over sixty. | B．Over eighty. | C．Over forty. | D．Over thirty. |
| A．Point. | B．Top. | C．Base. | D．Edge. |
| A．A lack of water. | B．Dangerous animals. |
| C．Bad weather conditions. | D．The movement of the earth's crust. |
| A．Why measuring the height of Qomolangma is important. | B．What changes in the height of Qomolangma's peak can tell us. |
| C．How Qomolangma became the highest mountain. | D．How plate movements affected the height of Qomolangma. |
4 . Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, and self-driving cars will find the nearest parking space themselves? Although it might sound a little far from you, living in a "smart" city like this could happen sooner than you think.
Great changes have taken place in towns that we have lived in for centuries, while completely new cities are being built. One such place is the city of Songdo. Every home there will have a telepresence system (远程遥控系统) allowing users to control the heating and locks, take part in video meetings, and receive education, health care and government services. Around the city, escalators ( 自动扶梯 ) will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the system.
The great mind behind Songdo is from the company Cisco. In fact, technology companies around the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already in the business.
About 75% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, so cities will need to be more modern to deal with the coming problems. Making cities smarter is one way out, and I think this will in turn make cities greener, said Dan Hill, head of a research company.
1. According to the text, living in a "smart" city ______.| A．is not a green way | B．will be far from you |
| C．will soon become true | D．is completely impossible |
| A．A city of the future. | B．A meeting in Songdo. |
| C．A plan to build a house. | D．A report on public health. |
| A．Cisco. | B．IBM. | C．Siemens | D．Microsoft. |
| A．drive people out of cities | B．control the world’s population |
| C．develop his own company | D．solve the cities' coming problems |
| A．Future Education | B．Smart Cities |
| C．Government Services | D．Famous Companies |
5 . It might be fun to use your smartphone, but be careful. Too much screen time may be harmful to your health.
First, it is bad for your eyes. A researcher called Sarah Hinkley says the problem comes from the blue light that the screen gives out. Looking at a smartphone for a long time can cause eye strain（劳损）, headaches and dry eyes. So it is a good idea to take a break every 15 minutes when you are working at a computer or using a smartphone.
Second, screen use can do harm to children’s brains. A new study shows that using screens too much can affect（影响） how children’s brains grow. If children use screens for more than one hour a day, they might have lower levels of white matter in their brains. White matter is a key to the development of language and reading skills. So it is wise to cut down the time of children using all kinds of screens.
Third, using screens too much will affect your sleep. According to a study, about 95% of the people between the ages of 13 and 64 use electronics before bed, especially the young people under 20. Doctors say that the light from those electronics at night may make you excited before you go to bed. Then it’s hard for you to get enough sleep. So you’d better turn off smartphones, TVs, and all other screens an hour before your bedtime.
To keep healthy, doctors and researchers strongly advise that you shouldn’t use screens for long hours.
1. The blue light from your screens can cause ________.| A．eyestrain | B．headaches | C．dry eyes | D．all of the above |
| A．take a break every 15 minutes | B．have lower levels of white matter |
| C．use screens too much before bed | D．are the people from 13 to 64 |
| A．Using smartphones for long hours does harm to your eyes. |
| B．A lot of screen time affects children’s brain growth. |
| C．The light from electronics at night may make you excited. |
| D．People of all ages mustn’t use electronics. |
| A．a science magazine | B．a travel diary | C．a guide book | D．a novel |
| A．The ways to keep healthy. | B．The harm of using screens too much. |
| C．The ways to use screens. | D．The advantages of using screens. |
6 . Once there were many thousands of Gourma Desert (沙漠) elephants in Mali, a country in West Africa. Now, there are fewer than four hundred.
Why did the number of the elephants drop so quickly? On the one hand, the elephants’ main lake, their only water source (来源), dried up. On the other hand, the land which the elephants lived on was overused by humans.
To protect the elephants’ living environment, the Mali Elephant Project (MEP) was started in 2007. MEP met with local people and helped them make rules of using land and water. As a result, the situation became better and there was more food, forest and grassland.
However, from 2012 to 2016, poaching (偷猎) and illegal trade in the elephants increased rapidly. Eighty-three elephants were lost in 2015 alone, and another fifty-one elephant were killed in 2016. “If this situation goes on, all the Gourma elephants will be killed by 2020,” said a member of MEP.
Luckily, the voice of MEP was heard. More organizations (组织) have joined together to educate the local people that trading elephants is against the law. Elephant poaching has dropped to a very low level. The local people have learned to live peacefully with the elephants, one of the wildlife treasures in the world.
1. MEP was started to ________.| A．raise more elephants in Mali | B．stop the main lake from drying up |
| C．discover water source for elephants | D．protect the elephants’ living environment |
| A．公平的 | B．亏损的 | C．非法的 | D．合理的 |
| A．in 2012 | B．in 2015 | C．in 2016 | D．in 2020 |
| A．the number of organizations has dropped | B．there is much less elephant poaching now |
| C．the local people keep the elephants at home | D．the whole world live peacefully with elephants |
| A．the rules of using land and water | B．the education of the local people |
| C．the work of Mali Elephant Project | D．the situation of Gourma Desert elephants |
7 . The longest river in the world is the Nile. It is 4,160 miles long. But the Nile is not the mightiest (浩荡的) river. The Amazon is. The Amazon is also the second longest river in the world. It is 3,900 miles long. How long is that? It is longer than a road going from New York City to San Francisco.
The Amazon is the mightiest for this reason. It has the greatest amount of water. More water runs out to sea than from the Nile. Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers combined. That's a lot of fresh water! The force of its current (水流) is great too. The current can be seen 200 miles out in the sea. There's a story to show the Amazon's amazing current. A ship sailed (航行) far away from Brazil. It ran out of drinking water. Another ship passed by. The first ship asked for water. Someone on the second ship said. "Just put your buckets (桶) into the sea."
Here are a few more facts. At its mouth, the Amazon is 90 miles wide. Even up the river, you can't see the opposite bank. The river is also very deep(from 22 to 76 meters). During rainy season, the river rises about 16 meters more. Big ocean ships can sail about 1,800 miles upstream (向上游). Smaller ships can sail 1,000 miles farther.
What's the most bloodthirsty fish in the world? No. It's not the shark. It's the Amazon's piranha. It is only about 10 cm to 20 cm long. It has sharp teeth. Thousands travel in a group. No animal can swim across the rivet. A 1,000-pound horse would be just bones (骨头) in three minutes. Are you planning a trip to the Amazon? Here's a piece of advice. Leave your swimsuit at home!
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。1. After reading this passage it seems clear that____________.
| A．people do not drink the Amazon’s water |
| B．it would not be good to visit the Amazon during rainy season |
| C．sailing on the Amazon requires knowledge of its current |
| A．telling how long the Nile is | B．comparing it to a distance(距离)on land |
| C．comparing it with the Yangtze River | |
| A．锋利的 | B．急剧的 | C．强烈的 |
| A．piranha in the Amazon | B．traveling in the Amazon | C．interesting facts about the Amazon |
8 . The opening of the Beijing—Zhangjiakou high-speed railway took place in December, 2019. The railway is a milestone in China’s railway development because it has used the latest technologies in railway building.
The railway is 174 kilometers long, with 10 stations. The stations are managed by one control center, which is described by China Railway Beijing Group — also known as CR Bejing — as an “intelligent (智能的) brain”. The center collects and shares the stations’ real-time information. “With the information, the workers in the center can control the stations’ lighting and temperature, monitor (监测) trains’ operation and deal with emergencies(紧急情况).” said Zhu Dianping, from CR Beiing.
Zhu said some trains on the Bejing—Zhangjiakou line are “smart” as they provide 5G signals and wireless charging (无线充电) for passengers, as well as intelligent lighting. These trains can start and stop, open and close doors, and deal with emergencies themselves.
All the ten stations provide e-ticket services. Travelers who have bought tickets online can use their ID cards instead of waiting in line for paper tickets.
At Qinghe Railway Station in Beijing, China’s first visual remote ticket vending machine (远程可视售票机) has been installed (安装) to help passengers who are not able to afford tickets online. Passengers keep in touch with the conductor through the machine and buy tickets according to video instructions.
In addition, the Badaling Great Wall Station, the deepest underground railway station in China, is another great example of the country’s achievements in railway building.
1. What does the word “milestone” mean in Chinese?| A．英石(重量单位) | B．垫脚石 | C．里程碑 | D．里程表 |
| A．CR Beijing | B．Railway Beijing Group | C．a railway station | D．an “intelligent brain” |
| A．Each station has a control center. |
| B．All the trains can start and stop themselves. |
| C．All the stations have visual remote ticket vending machines. |
| D．The Badaling Great Wall Station is the deepest underground railway station in China. |
| A．can buy cheaper tickets | B．needn’t wait in line for paper tickets |
| C．can only buy tickets online | D．can buy paper tickets |
| A．Fast and cheap. | B．Long and deep. | C．Smart and intelligent. | D．Expensive and steady. |
9 . How did people tell the time before clocks were invented?
At first, the ancient people looked up at the sun and could tell it was the middle of the day when the sun was directly overhead in the sky. They also knew when it was morning or evening.
Later, the Egyptians used sticks. These sticks measured (测量) time during the day. The sun shone on the tall stick and the stick made a shadow (阴影). As the sun moved across the sky, the position (位置) of the shadow changed. This would let people tell what time it was.
Over time, the Chinese first used sundials instead of shadow sticks. The sundial has a type of shadow stick on it. As the sun shines on it, a shadow appears on the numbers. Each number stands for an hour of the day. But sundials don't work at night or on a cloudy day! There are no shadows unless the sun is out.
Water clocks used water to measure time at night. Water dripped (滴落) slowly from one bowl into another. The level of the water in the bowls showed the time.
People also used sand-glasses. You may have seen one. Some games still use sand-glasses. The sand falls from the top of the sand-glasses to the bottom. It measures short amounts of the time. The more sand falls, the more time has passed. When the sand has finished falling, you have to turn the sand-glasses over.
1. At first, the ancient people told the time by looking at ________.| A．the stick | B．the shadow | C．the sun | D．the moon |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．sunny | B．rainy | C．cloudy | D．snowy |
| A．Sticks measured time in Egypt day and night. | B．Sundials were first used in ancient Egypt. |
| C．Sand-glasses usually measure a long time. | D．The water clock told the time by the water level in the bowls. |
| A．Something about sundials. | B．How to tell the time by looking at the sun. |
| C．How to tell the time in the past. | D．Some inventions in China. |
10 . The reasons of making vacation plans
A lot of people like taking a trip with no plans(计划)．They think it is very exciting and has more fun.But in fact，it is not good.Making vacation plans is very important.
First，a vacation plan can make sure that everything goes well.If you visit a place but you don't book a hotel，you may have no place to stay at night.
Second，you have lots of things to take with you for a vacation.You need to plan what things you have to buy and what things you need to put in bags.For example，you want to visit one place，but when you arrive at the airport(机场)，you forget to bring your plane ticket！You may be late for the plane.
Third，making a vacation plan can help you save a lot of money.No one wants to spend more money than they want to.If you surf the Internet before you go on a vacation，you may find some cheap plane tickets and hotel rooms.
Next time when you go on a vacation，try to write down some plans.They can help you have more fun in your vacation.
1. The writer thinks that taking a trip without plans is ________.| A．interesting | B．relaxing | C．bad | D．exciting |
| A．to make a vacation plan | B．to take a trip by plane |
| C．to surf the Internet | D．to visit a place with more money |
| A．Bringing your plane ticket | B．Booking a cheap hotel room |
| C．Taking many things with you | D．Making a vacation plan |
| A．装修 | B．预订 | C．扩建 | D．推荐 |
| A．why we must make a vacation plan |
| B．it's important to have more fun |
| C．how we can make a vacation plan |
| D．what we must take during the vacation |
