Look up at the sky at night. What can you see? Less than 100 years ago, everyone could look up and see the night sky full of stars. Now, in most big cities we can see few or no stars. Why? That’s because light fills the skies over our cities.
Air, water, and noise pollution are not new to us, but do you know that light can also be a kind of pollution? The improper use of lights — known as light pollution — may have serious effects (影响) on humans, wildlife and weather conditions.
Cities and towns usually have more light pollution than the countryside. Much outdoor lighting used at night for offices, factories, streetlights and sports centers is much too bright and sometimes completely unnecessary.
Some scientists are finding ways to stop light pollution and make our lives better. The good news is that light pollution, unlike many other kinds of pollution, is controllable and each one of us can make a difference! Just realizing that light pollution is a problem is not enough: what we need is action. For example, many streetlights now have covers. The covers let the light only point to the ground. They stop the light from going up into the sky. They also save energy. The covers are a small change, but they can still have a good effect.
1. People could see ________ stars less than 100 years ago.| A．no | B．few | C．many | D．any |
| A．humans, wildlife and weather conditions | B．trees, wildlife and air conditions |
| C．oceans, animals and weather conditions | D．humans, animals and air conditions |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．All kinds of pollution are controllable. |
| B．There is no way to control light pollution. |
| C．The countryside usually has more light pollution than cities. |
| D．Streetlights with covers make less pollution than those without covers. |
| A．A night sky full of stars | B．Stop light pollution . | C．All kinds of pollution | D．The improper use of lights |
2 . In Singapore, primary and high school students take outdoor-skills courses as part of their studies. They are usually three to five days long and include rope and rock climbing, going to the sea in a small boat, sleeping in a tent at night, taking long walks in the forest, and learning to make a fire. It’s real life. One careless mistake could make someone really get hurt. Are those outdoor skills really important?
Minister of Education Ng Chee Meng says that the outdoor courses help students develop skills like critical thinking (批判性思维), teamwork, and good communication abilities that are necessary for work and life. He believes that these skills are as important as traditional subjects. Students need to learn from books, but for some lessons, reading isn’t as useful as doing.
What do the students think? Angelique, a student from Singapore, went for a boat trip in the sea. “It helped me to grow stronger,” she says. The trip was stressful because it was stormy that day. There were moments when she felt afraid and hopeless. But she remembered that “smooth seas never made a skilled sailor (水手)” and felt brave enough to continue against the storm. “I am thankful for this amazing chance,” she says.
Right now, students attend the courses with groups from their own school. After 2020, however, all students will do the course in groups from several different schools. Why does this matter? Good communication skills are more important now than ever. Working closely with students from other backgrounds is a great way to learn this useful lesson.
One student said it this way. “There is nothing to be afraid of and nothing is impossible.” And that’s a great lesson to learn.
1. What can we know about the outdoor-skills courses from Paragraph 1?| A．They are similar to P.E. |
| B．They are usually one month long. |
| C．Students may get hurt in the courses. |
| D．Everyone in Singapore has to take them. |
| A．are less stressful than reading |
| B．can help with students’ other subjects |
| C．aren’t as important as traditional subjects |
| D．teach students necessary work and life skills |
| A．why the courses are popular |
| B．what the courses are really like |
| C．what students think of the courses |
| D．how students can attend the courses |
| A．They will include many more activities. |
| B．They will be much longer in time than before. |
| C．Students will have to attend them a lot more often. |
| D．Students from different schools will have to work together. |
| A．Outdoor classroom | B．Important indoor skills |
| C．Education in Singapore | D．The future of school courses |
Pat became crazy about detective (侦探) stories when he was about 12 years old. Every day, he tried to find a mystery to solve. One of his prime interests was the family safe (保险柜), which was kept in his parents’ bedroom. ________
One day, when his parents were away. Pat managed to open the safe, although he was nervous. To his surprise, he found only a book of stamps inside. To him, it was just a book of old Chinese stamps from the early 1930s to the late 1940s. Where did it come from? Why was it locked in the safe? It was really a mystery.
When his parents came back, he told them what he had done. His father didn’t shout at him. Instead, he told him the story behind the stamps. A man collected these stamps while he was in China. In the early 1950s, he left China and returned to his hometown in Canada. Before the man died, he gave the stamps to his son, who then sold the stamps to Pat’s father.
As Pat listened to the story of the book of stamps, he imagined how the man managed to collect all the stamps during the war (战争). Pat’s father told him that whenever he looked at the stamps, he felt as if the man was talking to him about his days in China. He felt like the man was asking him to bring the stamps back to where he had lived.
Finally, Pat’s father told Pat his plan. One day, in the near future, he would hold an exhibition (展览) of the stamps in China, in the name of the man.
1. Pat was interested in________.| A．science fiction | B．fairy tales | C．detective stories | D．soap operas |
| A．He wondered who bought it. |
| B．He kept wondering what was inside. |
| C．He wanted to know where it came from. |
| D．He didn’t know when his parents bought it. |
| A．His father really got mad at Pat. |
| B．His father wasn’t angry with Pat. |
| C．His father wasn’t very thankful to Pat. |
| D．His father wanted to say nothing to Pat. |
| A．the man’s son | B．the man’s friend |
| C．the man’s wife | D．the man’s brother |
| A．Pat’s only interest was the family safe. |
| B．Pat’s father wanted to sell all of the stamps to China. |
| C．It was easy for the man to collect all the stamps during the war. |
| D．The man returned to his hometown in Canada in the early 1950s. |
4 . Are you looking for something new to eat? Check out one of these hot new restaurants.
Cheesy Bites A restaurant that only serves cheese, but hundreds of cheeses from many countries and in lots of different forms. The lunches are reasonably (合理地) priced but dinner can be expensive. Lovely food and a very beautiful dining room, looking like an amazing flower garden. | The Chocolate Box The owner of this small restaurant used to cook all kinds of food, but then she realized she preferred desserts to anything else. If you want meat or fish, don’t come here. They only do desserts! Chocolate lovers will be excited by so many kinds of chocolate cakes. |
Last Days of the Raj An Indian restaurant in the city center is perfect for eating before or after a movie or a show. The most popular dish is chicken cooked with mild (轻微的) medium or hot spices (辣的香料). For brave customers, it is super hot! | Musical Chairs This new restaurant has live music shows every night except Sunday, and excellent food to go with them. Great fish dishes, steak (牛排) and pizza. Monday is a classic rock night. See you there! |
1. What do we know about Cheesy Bites?
| A．It only serves cheese. |
| B．Its dinner can be cheap. |
| C．Its customers can eat in a garden. |
| D．It can serve hundreds of customers a day. |
| A．doesn’t eat fish or meat |
| B．runs one more restaurant |
| C．loves doing desserts best |
| D．doesn’t come to the restaurant often |
| A．pizza | B．fish | C．steak | D．chicken |
| A．four | B．five | C．six | D．seven |
| A．health | B．local life |
| C．sports | D．world news |
5 . Justin and Mary woke up early, even though they were on vacation at their uncle’s lake house. The night before, Uncle Thomas told them about the Foggy Figure（雾怪）that lived in the lake. Justin and Mary decided to see it before their vacation ended.
“Is it foggy outside?” asked Mary, as Justin looked out the window.
“Yes! Let’s go!” said Justin.
It was only 5：00 a. m., so everyone else in the house was still asleep. Mary and Justin came to the boat dock（码头）. They saw thick fog over the lake.
“Do you see anything?” asked Mary.
“Nothing. Do you think Uncle Thomas was just trying to scare us with that story?”
Uncle Thomas did have a good imagination. He told Justin and Mary many stories, but this was the first scary story. Mary had a feeling that it wasn’t made up.
Mary shook her head. “Remember what Uncle Thomas said? The Foggy Figure lives in the lake. We’re on the dock. Maybe that’s why we can’t see him.”
“You want to go out on the water?” asked Justin.
Mary looked around, trying to find Uncle Thomas’ boat, but the fog was too thick.
They walked towards the end of the dock and saw the outline（轮廓）of the boat. They carefully got into the boat.
Mary was nervous. “See anything?” They looked around, and slowly, the fog began to lift. Mary turned around and shouted, “The Foggy Figure!” It was in the boat with them!
Justin and Mary hugged each other in fear, but then they heard a laugh. It was from Uncle Thomas, “I knew that story would get you two out of bed early enough to take a boat ride with me.”
Justin and Mary were happy that there was no Foggy Figure.
根据上面的文章选择最佳答案。
1. The story happened ________.
| A．in the morning | B．in the afternoon | C．in the evening | D．at midnight |
| A．a book | B．TV | C．their uncle | D．their parents |
| A．It was real. | B．It was made up. |
| C．It was interesting. | D．It was boring. |
| A．excited | B．scared | C．relaxed | D．interested |
| A．a fish | B．a boat | C．thick fog | D．Uncle Thomas |
6 . Long long ago, a very foolish thief wanted to steal the bell on his neighbor’s door, so he walked up to the door, held the bell and pulled hard. The bell made a very loud noise. The thief was afraid and went home.
“I must do something about the noise,” he thought. At last he had an idea. “Ah, I’ll put some cotton in my ears. Then I won't be able to hear the noise.” The next day he went to the door of his neighbor’s and held the bell again. This time he pulled even harder. The bell rang loudly, but the thief did not hear anything. With another hard pull he got the bell out. Just then the neighbor ran out, “Steal my bell? I’ll teach you a lesson（教训）,” the angry man shouted. And he hit the thief on the nose.
The foolish thief did not know how the neighbor found out he was stealing the bell. “Why did he come out just then?” he wondered.
根据上面的文章选择最佳答案。
1. The thief was trying to get ________.
| A．his neighbor | B．his neighbor's doorbell |
| C．some cotton | D．a door with a bell on it |
| A．safe | B．difficult | C．dangerous | D．interesting |
| A．keep the noise down | B．punish him for stealing |
| C．help him with the bell | D．be his teacher |
| A．The thief understood why he was hit on the nose. |
| B．The thief knew why the neighbor came out. |
| C．The thief thought the neighbor couldn't hear the noise the bell made. |
| D．The thief didn't want to know why the neighbor ran out. |
| A．亡羊补牢 | B．智子疑邻 | C．锲而不舍 | D．掩耳盗铃 |
7 . People around the world need to get moving, according to a new study by the World Health Organization. About 25 percent of adults worldwide do not get enough exercise.
People should do at least 150 minutes of “moderate intensity(中等强度)” exercise each week, such as dancing or swimming. They can also do 75 minutes of “vigorous intensity(高强度)” activity, such as running or playing soccer, according to the WHO.
When it comes to exercising more, experts say that we don’t have to go to the gym every time. The Guardian noted. For example, we can take the stairs instead of taking a lift. If we don’t have time to go to a dance class each week, standing on one leg for 30 seconds each day is also good for our health.
The study also finds that women are less active than men, with 32 percent of women failing to exercise enough, compared to 23 percent of men. Women spend more time at home taking care of children and doing housework..
Countries with higher incomes show higher rates(比率) of inactivity. For example, people in Kuwait and the United States exercise less than people in Uganda and Nepal. This is partly because in developed areas, desk jobs have taken the place of manual labor(体力劳动).
In the study, China is listed as a middle-income country. The study says that 14 percent of Chinese adults don’t exercise enough, much lower than the average rate——25 percent.
1. How many people get enough exercise, according to the WHO?| A．About 25 percent of adults. | B．About 1.4 billion people. |
| C．About 150 million people. | D．About 75 percent of adults. |
| A．Walking | B．Dancing | C．Running. | D．Swimming |
| A．Going to the gym is a good choice. |
| B．There are many ways to exercise outside the gym. |
| C．People can get enough exercise by taking the stairs. |
| D．People should dance every day. |
| A．People can get cancer because they don’t exercise enough. |
| B．Playing soccer is a good way to exercise moderately. |
| C．Women can get enough exercise by doing housework. |
| D．People in rich countries get less exercise than those in poor countries. |
| A．health | B．science | C．culture | D．music |
8 . Once there were two good friends Tom and Tony. They were classmates. Tom was a top student. He was always chosen to perform in all school programs and was famous throughout school. He was always ahead of Tony in all fields.
One day when Tony returned home from school, he was feeling blue. When his mother saw that she said, “Why do you look like a crying baby?”
Tony replied, “It’s all because of Tom. Once again, he got higher marks than me and no matter how hard I try, he is always ahead of me.”
Mother questioned, “Are you jealous(妒忌的) of Tom?”
Tony replied, “No, no, why I would be jealous of him. He is my friend.”
Mother continued, “When people praise Tom, you don’t like it. When he loses, you feel happy. You keep seeing negative qualities in him and feel a sense of dislike towards him. Tell me. Do you feel all of these?”
Tony was shocked with what he heard and said, “It’s true, but how did you know about this?”
Mother replied, “Your gloomy(沮丧的) face shows it all. When you heartily appreciate(欣赏) the positive qualities(优点) in others, those qualities will develop in you.”
Tony looked down speechlessly.
Tony thought, “Tom studies hard daily. He always follows his timetable...”
Tony felt inspired from that day. He began to notice and appreciate Tom’s good qualities. Within no time, he also became a good boy like Tom. He wasn’t jealous of Tom any more. Now, Tony walked into the path of progress.
1. Which is NOT true about Tom and Tony?| A．They were classmates and good friends. |
| B．Tom was more famous at school than Tony. |
| C．Tony did worse in studies than Tom. |
| D．They disliked each other and often fought. |
| A．excited | B．sad | C．worried | D．mad |
| A．Tony was actually jealous of Tom. | B．Tony was not jealous of Tom at all |
| C．Tony only saw positive qualities in Tom. | D．Tony never appreciated others heartily. |
| A．humorous | B．hard-working | C．impolite | D．careless |
| A．We should focus our energy on others’ good qualities. |
| B．We should keep seeing negative qualities in others. |
| C．We should be friendly to others. |
| D．We should be ahead of others in all fields. |
9 . Pablo Picasso (1881~1973) was probably one of the most famous names in history. He was a Spanish painter and sculptor(雕塑家). He was best known for starting the cubist(立体派的) style.
Picasso was born in a middle-class family. He took after his father, who was also a painter and professor of art. At the age of seven, Picasso began to have art lessons from his father. Picasso put all his heart into art and his school grades went down. When he was 16 years old, his family sent him to study at Madrid’s Royal Academy of Art.
Picasso moved to Paris in 1900. It was difficult for him to make a living. In 1911, he was questioned by the police who thought that it was he who stole the Mona Lisa. In the summer of 1918, Picasso married a ballerina(芭蕾舞女演员), Olga Khokhlova. She introduced him to the rich people of Paris in the 1920s. Picasso became a well-known artist soon.
Picasso also acted in some movies and always played himself in the movies. He became famous for his anti-war(反战) views. His painting Guernica showed the horror of war(战争的恐怖).
After his death, the French state kept many of his paintings. Today, many of his works are in a collection at the Musee Picasso(毕加索博物馆) in Paris.
1. When did Picasso begin to have art lessons?| A．In 1885. | B．In 1888. | C．In 1900. | D．In1911. |
| A．Picasso’s father. | B．Picasso’s wife. | C．An actress. | D．A painter. |
| A．a painting | B．a movie | C．an art school | D．a museum |
| A．Picasso’s father was a movie director. |
| B．Picasso moved to Paris in 1918. |
| C．Picasso’s wife was a famous writer. |
| D．Picasso appeared in some movies. |
| A．who Picasso’s favorite art teacher was | B．whom Picasso moved to Paris with |
| C．why Picasso was questioned by the police | D．what Picasso thought about the Mona Lisa |
10 . “Life’s a long, long journey.” so we are told, and most of us would not set off on a journey, even a short one, without some ideas of where we wanted to go. Yet many people travel on life’s journey with no sense of direction at all.
Setting personal goals can give your life a sense of direction. Goal setting is used by top sports players, successful business people and achievers in all fields. Before you set personal goals, think about what you want to achieve with your life.
Try to set goals in some of the following categories (类别):
Education—Will you achieve the educational goals after finishing high-school? Are you still growing and learning?
Family—What kind of relationship do you want with your parents and other family members?
Creative—Do you want to achieve any artistic goals?
Career—What job do you want to take when you grow up? What do you need to make your dream come true?
Public Service—Do you want to make the world a better place?
Physical—Are you fit enough to do the things you want to do?
Pleasure—How do you want to enjoy yourself?
To help make the process more manageable, divide your goals into smaller tasks. For example, if you want to reach a main goal in five years, set a three-year goal, a one-year goal, a three-month goal and a one-month goal. Then create a daily To-Do List of things that you should do today. When a goal is achieved, take the time to enjoy your success. This helps you build the self-confidence.
Remember, your goals can change as time goes on. But be sure your goals are things you hope to achieve, not what your parents, family or teachers want.
1. According to the passage, we set goals to ________.| A．have better future |
| B．enjoy pleasure in life |
| C．know where to have a journey |
| D．give our life a sense of direction |
| A．The education you want to get. |
| B．The job to support your family. |
| C．The relationship with family members. |
| D．The time you’ll spend reaching your goal. |
| A．Dividing your goals into smaller tasks. |
| B．Creating a daily To-Do List of things. |
| C．Building the self-confidence. |
| D．Setting the time to achieve the main goal. |
| A．once you set your goals, they can’t change |
| B．not all the people can get success by setting goals |
| C．enjoying success in one goal can help you do better in the next one |
| D．your goals are the things you and your parents, families or teachers want |
| A．A long journey |
| B．Goal setting for life |
| C．The direction of life |
| D．Ways to achieve goals |
