1 . 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．eye strain | 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．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. |
2 . John and Sylvia were quite rich. They had a large, beautiful house full of expensive paintings. They had many friends and were not surprised when they received two free tickets for the theater. They were surprised, however, when they could not find out who had sent them the tickets. There was no letter in the envelope with the tickets.
“They’ve forgotten to put in a letter,” John said. “How strange. We don’t know who to thank.” They phoned many of their friends and asked, “Did you send us theater tickets?”
“No,” their friends said, “We didn’t send them.”
“It’s strange,” Sylvia told her husband, “but we won’t waste the tickets. Everyone says that the play is very good.” So they went to the theater. They did not really enjoy the play, however, because they were worrying all the time. The play started at eight o’clock and finished at half past ten. When they got home it was after eleven. There was a note on their front door.
It said, “We hope you enjoyed the play.”
Inside the house there was not a single painting. They had all been stolen.
1. Why couldn’t John and Sylvia find out who sent them the tickets?| A．There was no letter with the tickets. |
| B．Their friends wanted to keep it a secret. |
| C．Everyone thought the play was good. |
| D．The letter with the tickets wasn’t signed. |
| A．They wasted the tickets. |
| B．They gave the tickets to their friends. |
| C．They thanked the people who had sent them the tickets. |
| D．They went to see the play they had tickets for. |
| A．half an hour |
| B．a few hours |
| C．two hours and a half |
| D．one hour |
| A．They didn’t find out. |
| B．Their friends. |
| C．The people in the play. |
| D．The people who stole their paintings. |
| A．A Wonderful Play |
| B．Two Free Tickets |
| C．A Thief’s Notes |
| D．Trust Nobody |
3 . Do you often run outdoors to keep healthy? Have you ever thought about how running helps to clean up the earth? Sometimes a creative mind can bring us a win-win(双赢) situation.
Plogging, a new way to exercise, began in Sweden(h), The name "plogging" comes from two words—the Swedish(瑞典的) word "plocka", which means "to pick up(捡起), and the word Jouging"", which means" to run slowly". A Swedish man called Erik started the movement, He saw rubbish here and there when riding to work each day. He became worried about the dirty environment and decided not to go to work by bike anymore. Instead, he began to run to work and pick up the rubbish at the same time. To his joy, more and more people followed him and soon plogging became popular.
Many people choose plogging instead of just jogging because they think plogging is a good way to help clean up the earth. Sometimes rubbish is difficult to collect because it may scatter all around. But if the runners pick up the rubbish on the way, it is quite different. Because many hands make light work. Another reason is that plogging burns more calories(卡路里). According to a research, plogging for 10 minutes burns 48 calories, while usual jogging for 10 minutes burns about 39 calories.
Everyone on the earth should play a part in cleaning it up! It's time for us to take action together. So ready? Let's plog tomorrow!
1. After Erik saw much rubbish, ________.| A．he became worried | B．he kept riding to work every day |
| C．he didn't care and did nothing about it | D．he asked the government for help |
| A．爆炸 | B．集中 | C．散落 | D．职业 |
| A．there are too many bikes in the city | B．riding bikes is harmful to their health |
| C．it can help clean up the earth and burn more calories | D．they don't like driving anymore |
| A．Plogging started in Sweden. | B．Plogging for 10 minutes burns about 84 calories. |
| C．The name "plogging "comes from two English words. | D．Plogging is accepted by only a few people. |
| A．A Bad Habit—Riding bikes | B．The Best Sport—Jogging |
| C．A New Way to Exercise—Plogging | D．A Swedish man—Erik |
4 . Clothes are traditionally made of natural materials, such as cotton, leather and wool. They are all from plants or animals, but that doesn't mean they're friendly to the earth. For example, farmers have to use a lot of chemicals to grow cotton plants.
Scientists are now looking for new ways to make clothing materials. They hope the new materials are both comfortable and good for the earth. Scientists have worked out how to make materials out of corn husks(玉米皮), chicken feathers and rice straws.
"They used to be useless things. We always have a problem of how to deal with them," Yang, a scientist says, "Now, we can turn them into beautiful materials. Chicken feathers are better than other things. They have small air pockets like honeycombs. That means it will be very warm if you use them to make a jacket or sweater, and I think more and more people will like to buy these kinds of clothes."
1. Clothes are traditionally made of _________.| A．natural materials | B．chicken feather | C．rice straws | D．corn husks |
| A．Leather and corn husks. | B．Leather and rice straws. |
| C．Corn husks and rice straws. | D．Rice and chicken feathers. |
| A．鸟巢 | B．蜂窝 | C．渔网 | D．梳子 |
| A．light | B．cheap | C．clean | D．warm |
| A．New Clothing Materials | B．New Clothes | C．Natural Materials | D．Clothes |
5 . In Britain, Australia, Canada and a few other English speaking countries, people don’t stop celebrating when Christmas Day is over. They also celebrate the following day, known as Boxing Day. It is a popular day for giving additional（另外的）gifts. It has been celebrated for so long, but nobody exactly knows how it started.
Some people believe Boxing Day began in the Middle Ages. In those days, in some special places there were special collection boxes where people threw money for the poor. The day after Christmas the boxes were opened, and the money was counted. Then the money went to helping the poor in the area.
Others believe Boxing Day started about 300 years ago when some rich people had Christmas feasts（盛宴）. They offered lots of food to their guests. Because many servants（仆人）were needed to make and serve the food, they could not celebrate Christmas with their families. To thank them, the rich people would put food into boxes for their servants to take home.
Now Boxing Day has become a public holiday in some countries. Some people spend the day boxing up old or unwanted things and donating（捐赠）them to the poor. Many people are active in helping service organizations（组织）like the Red Cross.
No matter how Boxing Day got its start, it’s a wonderful time to donate things or give small gifts to people. By doing so, you can make someone’s holiday much happier.
根据短文内容, 选择最佳答案。
1. From the first paragraph we know that Boxing Day _________.
| A．has a long history | B．is before Christmas Day | C．is the day for buying gifts |
| A．unwanted things | B．food | C．money |
| A．They took the food home. | B．They had Christmas feasts. | C．They made and served the food. |
| A．to thank the rich people | B．to make the guests happy | C．to give people help or small gifts |
| A．Christmas Day | B．Boxing Day | C．The Middle Ages |
6 . Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college. She believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. "It opens up your mind to new things." Wegscheider has visited 46 countries.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen, it is challenging. This is what makes young people travel alone. It is seen as character building and a chance to prove（证明）that they can make it on their own.
Chris Rihardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year. He set up a website, "The Aussie Nomad", to record the people he met, the places he visited, and the things he did. He said he wished he had traveled alone earlier. "Everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person", said the 30-year-old man.
Richardson describes traveling alone like "a shot in the arm". "It makes you a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try." he said.
1. Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?| A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
| B．It is more meaningful to travel to foreign countries. |
| C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
| D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
| A．you have to cook things on your own |
| B．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others |
| C．you can only depend on yourself whatever happens |
| D．it will finally build your character |
| A．show his photos | B．ask others to join the journey |
| C．prove that he can do everything | D．keep a record of his trips |
| A．He started traveling alone at an early age. |
| B．He was once shot in the arm. |
| C．He used to work as a salesman. |
| D．He is humorous and brave. |
| A．Travel Abroad | B．Travel Alone |
| C．Travel Light | D．Travel Far and Wide |
7 . There is no quick and easy way to learn English. But there is a simple and good way. Speak English as much as you can. Speak only English with your teacher and your classmates. Speak English while you are either in class or after class. Listen to English as much as you can in class. Listen to your classmates when they speak English out of class. Listen to the radio and watch some English programs on TV.
Speak, listen and read English as much as you can. Don’t just read the textbooks that you use in class. Go to the library or to a bookshop and read easier English books.
Speak, listen, read and write English as much as you can. Buy a small notebook and write on it every day. Write about the things that you do during the day. Write about what you learned in class.
These things are not hard, but they are the work you should do. If you do them, with the help of your teacher, you’ll learn English well.
根据短文内容，判断下列句子正误。正确的用A表示，不正确的用B表示。
1. There is not a quick and easy way to learn English.
2. We must speak, listen, read and write English as much as we can.
3. Speak English neither in class nor after class.
4. The best title is “How to learn English”.
Nowadays, phone calls and messages help us get in touch with others. It means that we seldom write letters now. But a TV show, Letters Alive (《见字如面》), is bringing back this old habit.
Letters Alive invites famous actors and actresses, but there are no funny jokes or competitions. It’s just one person walking up to a microphone (麦克风) and reading a letter. The letters were written by people from different times in history. For example, in one period, they read a letter written by famous writer Xiao Hong to her younger brother in 1941. The letter shows that Xiao Hong missed her brother so much and had great hopes for his future.
“Every letter opens another world for us,” according to Guan Zhengwen, the director of the TV show. “We can also touch the heart of the writers’.” Since its first period on Dec. 5, Letters Alive has been widely praised. Many audiences said that it had provided a kind of fresh air to today’s TV shows.
Besides Letters Alive, some other cultural TV shows have also been well received by Chinese audiences. Chinese Poetry Conference (《中华诗词大会》) is a traditional Chinese poetry competition. And Readers invites people to read poems and articles they like or wrote. It shows that cultural values and true feelings are becoming our interest.
1. Letter Alive, a TV show invites famous people to ________.| A．tell audiences jokes | B．read and share letters |
| C．walk up to a microphone to sing | D．take part in different competition |
| A．Xiao Hong missed her brother but had no hopes for his future. |
| B．Letters Alive is not popular enough to audiences. |
| C．The heart of the writers’ can be touched by reading letters. |
| D．Chinese Poetry Conference invites people to read poems. |
| A．Phones Have Taken the Place of Letters | B．Interview Our Cultural TV Show |
| C．Letters Make Us Communicate | D．Cultural TV Shows Are Becoming Popular |
9 . Grandma's eightieth birthday was near and I wondered what to give her. She had moved into a nursing home and didn't have room for extra things. She insisted that she didn't need any gift.
Finally, I came up with an idea. In her birthday card, I sent her a gift certificate(礼券)for "A letter a week for the next year!" It was a big promise. I've never been much of a letter writer, but now I was living far from home, and should be able to find plenty of news. Growing up just a mile from my grandparents, we'd always been close. I knew that she'd love to hear what was going on in my life.
The letter gift certificate was a big hit. She got fifty-two letters that first year. All showed her that I was thinking of her regularly. As her next birthday rolled around, she asked for another letter gift certificate. In fact, for nine and a half years I wrote about the cold Michigan winters. Then I wrote about my pregnancy(怀孕). During the kids' preschool years, I shared every funny thing they did and said, and as they grew they started adding "picture letters" to the envelope. Once I flew home to visit Grandma and found that all the staff in the nursing home knew the details of my life, as they often read letters to her.
My last letter arrived the day after her death. I never missed a letter and I felt I had given her the best gift I could. What I hadn't counted on was how her gift would come full circle to me.
Months later, while going through her things, my dad found a box full of letters from me. Those letters are a journal of my life, filled with moment and pictures I had completely forgotten. But Grandma saved those memories for me in my letters.
Life really does fly by. Loved ones come and go. But sometimes our gifts to others come back to us in unexpected ways. This is one of those times.
1. The author sent Grandma a gift certificate because ________.| A．she had no other gift to give her grandma | B．she knew that her grandma would like it |
| C．she didn't have enough money to buy a gift | D．she wanted Grandma to choose her favorite gift herself |
| A．a big surprise | B．a satisfying letter | C．a bright future | D．a big success |
| A．was afraid to write letters when she was a kid | B．could always hear from Grandma |
| C．might live in Michigan after getting married | D．felt very regretful after Grandma passed away |
| A．Grandma died when she was about ninety years old. |
| B．The author was brought up by Grandma so they were very close. |
| C．Later the kids wrote the letters to Grandma instead of the author. |
| D．The author's dad sent Grandma a box to keep the letters. |
| A．Common Gift in Life | B．A Gift Certificate | C．The Saved Memories | D．My Grandma and I |
10 . My name is Sam. I joined a club called “passing help” last month. Now let me tell you why I joined it.
One evening this May, on my way home my old car was broken. It was 25 miles from my home. I wanted to get a ride, but there was no car. It was also hard to take a taxi. I decided to take a bus home. I went to a bus stop nearby.
After a while, a bus came, but it did not go to my town. The bus driver was a young woman. She was kind and she told me which bus I should take. I waited there for about thirty minutes, but no bus came. At last a car came to me and a woman came out of the car. She was just the bus driver.
“When I reached the bus station, I got to know that the bus to your town couldn't come, so I returned here. I just can't leave you here,” she said, “Get in my car and I will take you back to your home.”
“It is a long way.” I said.
“Come on, sir,” she said, “Let’s go.”
On the way she told me a story. A few days ago, there wasn't gas (汽油) in her car. An old man drove her up to a gas station and then back to her car. When we got to my home, I wanted to give her some money to thank her, but she didn't accept it.
“I only want to help others and do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.” She said.
1. What happened to Sam one evening this May?| A．He lost his way. | B．His car broken down. |
| C．He was hurt in an accident. | D．He couldn't reach the gas station. |
| A．by train | B．by bus | C．by car | D．by taxi |
| A．a club boss | B．a taxi driver | C．a bus driver | D．a gas station worker. |
| A．give her some money | B．get on her bus |
| C．take her to her house | D．help others just as she did |
| A．A kind old man | B．Getting a ride | C．Passing help | D．A broken car |
