The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (节气). Thousands of years ago, they
A saying about rain during this time says, “A heavy rainfall makes the river full. “Because of a lot of rain, rivers are full of water and a great number of fish. You can’t miss the chance
Wet and hot days
It is a good period for flowers to grow
2 . All aboard! Let’s take a ride on the world’s highest railway—the Qinghai-Tibet Railway（青藏铁路）. Sit back and enjoy the journey. Get ready for the trip of a lifetime.
We’re leaving Qinghai Station. The scenery along the way is some of the wildest in all of China. Keep your eyes open as we race through this beautiful land. You might see a rare Tibetan antelope（藏羚羊）from your window.
Before we begin our journey, let’s learn about this amazing railway. It’s truly one of the great engineering wonders of the 21st century. When it was completed on July 1, 2006, the Tibet Railway set nine world records, including the world’s highest railway at 5,072 metres above sea level, the world’s highest tunnel（隧道）at 4,905 metres, and the longest tunnel ever built on permafrost（冻土）.
As we travel higher, the air gets thinner and thinner. Soon there will only be 50 to 60 percent of the oxygen which we are used to breathing. But don’t be afraid. Each rail car has two separate oxygen systems. One system spreads oxygen throughout the train at all times. And each passenger can also get a personal oxygen mask just like those used in planes.
Here are a few more things to think about as our train leaves the station. The designers solved three main challenges when building this great railway. First, the high altitude（海拔）made the task difficult because there was no enough oxygen. Second, much of the railway runs across permafrost, a type of ground that keeps changing as the weather warms and cools. Finally, the railway goes through some of the most sensitive ecology（敏感的生态环境）in China. Great care was necessary to make sure of the smallest possible influence on nature.
All three challenges were met, making our trip possible. All aboard! The train to Tibet is leaving in fifteen minutes.
1. Where are the passengers?| A．On a bus. | B．On a train. | C．On a ship. | D．On a plane. |
| A．By telling a story. | B．By using a designer’s words. |
| C．By introducing its world records. | D．By comparing the present with the past. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．The changing ground. | B．The polluted air. | C．The dangerous animals. | D．The hot weather. |
Got pets? If so, lucky you! If not, maybe you’d like to. According to many
Pets make people happier. Feelings of happiness often rise when people are with pets.
Pets make people healthier. Staying with a pet can be good for
Pets teach important life lessons. Having a bird around—or any other animal—can teach you a lot. Pets
Pets help you. Having a pet can be helpful. One study found that having pets in the classroom helped students get along well with each other. It helped them build up much
A hurricane(飓风) is a huge storm that forms over warm ocean water. Hurricanes have winds that move in
The centre of hurricane winds is called the eye. Winds in the eye
Strong winds and heavy rain can do a lot of damage(破坏) when a hurricane moves over land.
Hurricane winds can be strong enough to break
Heavy rain from a hurricane can cause floods in areas that are not close
5 . Southern white rhinos (犀牛) mainly live in Africa. They are very large in size, about 4 metres long, 1.75 metres high, and over two tons in weight. There are two horns (角) on the nose. The front horn is over half a metre long, while the other one is smaller. Southern white rhinos are not really white. They are grey in colour. “White” may come from the Afrikaans word for “wide”. It has some connection with their wide mouths.
Southern white rhinos live on grass, leaves, fruit and so on. They have very poor eyesight. However, they have good hearing and an excellent sense of smell. Their skin (皮肤) is nearly 5 cm thick but is very sensitive. During the day, they try to find a cool place to avoid sunburn. Southern white rhinos lie in mud (泥浆) when they can, as it sticks to their skin and protects them from the bright African sun.
Some humans kill rhinos for their horns. They sell horns to those who believe horns have magic powers or can treat sickness. It puts southern white rhinos in danger.
Now many actions are taken to protect southern white rhinos. The international trade in rhino horn has been stopped in the world. Besides, many protected areas have been built, especially in South Africa. Up to 2020, more than 20 countries have made rules to protect southern white rhinos. Today the number of southern white rhinos has increased to over 20,000 in the wild.
根据语篇内容，选择最佳选项。1. Where do southern white rhinos mainly live?
| A．In Europe. | B．In America. | C．In Africa. |
| A．Red. | B．Blue. | C．Grey. |
| A．健康的 | B．敏感的 | C．光滑的 |
| A．For their horns. | B．For their meat. | C．For their noses. |
| A．Ways to feed southern white rhinos. |
| B．Actions of protecting southern white rhinos. |
| C．Places for southern white rhinos to live in. |
The 3 most wonderful train journeys provide the natural beauty of our motherland. Read on to see which line you want to start your journey with. |
Xining to Lhasa Length: around 1,900 km long Price: 781 yuan for a soft sleeper The railway line is popular with travellers who want to visit Tibet（西藏）. It is the longest high altitude（海拔）train trip in the world and is named as “the way to the sky”. Most of the line is over 4,000 meters. You can see Qinghai Lake outside the train’s windows. |
Chengdu to Kunming Length: around 1,100 km long Price: 487.5 yuan for a second class The railway line has been in service since July 1970. From Chengdu, with an altitude of 400 meters or so, the train goes up to about 2,000 meters across mountains. This line is called Geological Museum（地质博物馆）because of the special geography along the railway line. |
Lhasa to Rikaze Length: around 250 km long Price: 64 yuan for a soft seat This railway line connects to the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and has an altitude of above 3,600 meters. It makes Tibet travel easier for travellers, especially those who want to see Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world. |
| A．most of it is over 4,000 meters |
| B．it gives travellers a feeling of flying |
| C．there are many high mountains along it |
| A．781 yuan | B．975 yuan | C．551.5 yuan |
| A．it is about 2,000 kilometers long |
| B．it has been in service for 70 years |
| C．the geography along the line is special |
| A．Qinghai Lake | B．Geological Museum | C．Mount Qomolangma |
| A．go across Tibet all the way |
| B．run from the east to the west of China |
| C．take us to enjoy the beauty of our motherland |
7 . June 5 is World Environment Day. Nowadays more and more people are trying different kinds of ways to face environmental problems around the world. What are people doing to protect our home—the earth?
Most people are changing their shopping habits. On the one hand, secondhand clothes may be a smart choice. People are willing to buy the secondhand ones to wear in special situations because they only wear them once or twice. On the other hand, there are some companies for renting (租) clothes and renting clothes is cheaper than buying them. So people are able to save money and protect the environment.
Several large companies have begun developing paper bottles to take the place of glass and plastic ones because there are lots of customers worrying about the environment. They think paper bottles have many advantages. The most important is that paper bottles are easy to recycle and weigh less than glass or plastic ones as well.
A zero-waste life is that people hardly create any rubbish. A zero-waste theme store provides a number of everyday, practical and pleasant zero-waste products. The store helps people start on a one-stop, zero-waste life journey. A zero-waste life follows the 6R principle (原则) —Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle and Rot.
All in all, the earth is our home and it’s our duty to protect it.
根据文章内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。
1. Few people around the world are trying different kinds of ways to face the environmental problems.
2. In order to save money and protect the environment, people can not only buy secondhand clothes but also rent clothes.
3. Large companies have developed paper bottles successfully and put them into use.
4. People can buy many everyday, practical and pleasant zero-waste things in every store.
5. You are playing a part in protecting our earth while following the 6R principle.
8 . Motuo lies in the south of the Himalayas in Tibet. It is known as the “Natural Museum of Tibet”. It is home to all kinds of mountains, rivers, waterfalls, plants and animals its special geographic location (地理位置) makes it a beautiful place. It was one of the hardest places to reach and was the last city in China without a highway.
The construction (施工) of the first highway to Motuo started in the 1960s. However, it was no completed until over 50 years later. In 2014, the construction of its second highway—the Paimo Highway started. In October 2022, the construction of the main body of the highway was completed.
They are great engineering projects. In this area, earthquakes and heavy rains happened very often. There could be falling rocks or even landslides (滑坡). People must build many walls and nets to protect the two highways. Another challenge was the snow. Plenty of snow sometimes destroyed rocks and roads. As a result, the construction of the highways to Motuo was stopped several times. To solve this problem, people built a tunnel (隧道) that goes through the mountain area.
The two highways stand for the Chinese spirit of “never giving up”. They are ways to connect Motuo to the outside world and show how China cares about people in the far areas.
1. Where is Motuo?| A．It’s in the south of the Himalayas. |
| B．It’s in the north of the Himalayas. |
| C．It’s in the east of the Himalayas. |
| A．In the 1980s. | B．In the 1970s. | C．In the 1960s. |
| A．People must build a tunnel. |
| B．People must build a bridge. |
| C．People must build many walls and nets. |
| A．The Chinese spirit of “being hard-working”. |
| B．The Chinese spirit of “never giving up”. |
| C．The Chinese spirit of “being honest”. |
| A．To introduce the two highways to Motuo. |
| B．To explain the importance of Motuo. |
| C．To show the beauty of Motuo. |
You might have seen beautiful rainbows in the sky before. They form when sunlight falls on water drops in the air. But in fact, moonlight can also create rainbows in the same way. They are called “moonbows”. They are similar to rainbows, but they are created by moonlight instead of direct sunlight.
Moonbows are rarer than rainbows. Different weather and astronomical （天文学的）conditions have to be just right for moonbows to be created.
The moon has to be very low in the sky-only 42 degrees from the horizon （地平线）. The moon period has to be a full moon or nearly full. The sky must be very dark for a moonbow to be watched clearly-any bright light can obscure it. Water drops must appear in the air in the opposite direction of the moon.
Moonbows appear on the opposite side of the moon and usually look white to the human eye. This is because their colors are not bright enough to be noticed by the human eye. It is possible, however, to view the colors in a moonbow using long exposure （长时间曝光）photography.
Moonbows more often appear in some locations around the world. Most of these locations usually have waterfalls, which create thin fog in the air. Some of these locations are the Yosemite National Park in California and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky, US; Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe; and Waimea in Hawaii, US.
Moonbows do really happen. So at a certain time and a certain place, when a moonbow happens to appear, you can’t miss it if you’re right there.
1. According to the first two paragraphs, moonbows are ________.| A．created by sunlight | B．much easier to find |
| C．seen during the day | D．more difficult to form |
| A．A half moon hangs high in the bright sky. |
| B．A full moon is 50 degrees from the horizon. |
| C．A nearly full moon hangs low in the dark sky. |
| D．Water drops are in the opposite direction of the sun. |
| A．cover | B．drop | C．connect | D．produce |
| A．Conditions of moonbows. | B．Background of moonbows. |
| C．Locations of moonbows. | D．Development of moonbows. |
10 . Probably nothing can compare with a parent’s will to protect her child. Let’s see how these animals find ways to protect their children.
| Sperm whales are emperors of the ocean. They are also the world’s biggest babysitters. The mother supports her 2 baby near the surface in order to help it to breathe until it is strong enough to swim on its own. While they are diving for food, however, their young may be unable to follow their parents. This causes a big childcare problem. The solution? A babysitter. Older whales have an active role. They may be aunts or grandmothers（who can live to 100 or more years old） and they may even be members of other families. They patiently take care of the young whales just under the surface of the water, waiting for the feeding mothers to return. |
| Elephants give new meaning to the phrase: takes a village to raise a child. “The baby has a huge group of mothers. These mothers take turns to watch over each other’s children.” They are called “allmothers”, helping the new born survive（生存） by helping its mother. With their help, the mother can get enough food and provide milk for her child. After carrying a nearly 300 pound baby for 22 months, you’d probably need some rest, too! |
| How far would you go to protect your child? Would you starve （饿死） yourself to help it survive? Female Octopuses do. An octopus lays between 50, 000 and 200, 000 eggs each time. Then, she separates the eggs into groups based on their size, shape and possibility of survival. She then spends the next two months of her life protecting them. She is so busy keeping them alive. She doesn’t even have time to feed herself-so she often ends up dying shortly after her eggs hatch （孵化）. |
| A．Question. |
| B．Answer. |
| C．Parent. |
| D．Ocean. |
| A．The mother spends 22 months taking care of her baby. |
| B．Others in the community help the mother take care of her babies. |
| C．The mother tries to get enough food and provide milk for her child. |
| D．Older members of the family help the mother take care of her babies. |
①She lays her eggs.
②Her eggs hatch.
③She dies of hunger.
④She separates the eggs into groups.
⑤She works hard to keep her eggs alive.
| A．①②③④⑤ |
| B．④⑤①②③ |
| C．①④⑤③② |
| D．①④⑤②③ |
| A．Three Kinds of Endangered Animals. |
| B．How Animals Help and Protect Each Other. |
| C．Amazing Way Animals Care for Their Young. |
| D．The Sperm whales, the Elephants and the Octopuses. |
