1 . The most common disease (疾病) in the world is the cold. It often starts with a sore throat. You sneeze (打喷嚏) and your nose runs. You usually have a headache, too. Often you have a cough later. It’s not a serious disease, but you can feel quite bad.
There isn’t good medicine for a cold, but you can take medicine to make you feel better. It’s good to rest, and to drink a lot of water, too. A doctor once told me, “With the right medicine, a cold will last for several days. With no medicine, it will go on for a whole week!”
Where does our medicine come from? A long time ago, people found that some plants made them feel better. They ate leaves, roots, fruits or seeds of plants. We know the juice of lemons makes a sore throat feel better. In modern times, scientists have studied many plants, and found out what chemicals are in them.
Many kinds of our medicines today are made from those chemicals. There are some diseases that we can’t treat yet. But because of modern medicine, people now live longer than their grandparents.
1. From this article, a cold often starts with ________.| A．a cough | B．a sore throat | C．a fever |
| A．We should wait for a whole week. |
| B．We should stay in hospital for a week. |
| C．We should have a good rest, drink much water and take some medicine. |
| A．The juice of oranges. | B．Something inside lemons. | C．The root of a plant. |
| A．Some plants | B．The cure for a cold. | C．Modern medicine |
2 . Ants are everywhere. They live in forests, fields, deserts and cities,all over the Earth. But how much do you know about them?
Ants are social animals. They live and work in groups. They always build nests, find food, and raise babies together. They have their own colonies (群体). Ant colonies are large or small, from just a few ones to millions!
Usually, ants are divided into (被分成) several different classes (等级) such as queens, workers, males and so on. Queens are females and they eat more as larvae (幼虫). Queen ants are usually the biggest ants in colonies. They lay all the eggs. A queen ant can live for several tens of years. Males have wings and they never help with the chores. They can only live for a few weeks.
Workers are females and they eat less as larvae. Workers do all the “housework” from building and cleaning the nest to collecting food. Workers are wingless and usually live for several months.
Ants are also clever architects. They can build their homes in different places. You may find their nests under rocks or in the trees. What’s more, the nests that they build are perfect for ant larvae to grow up. One ant by itself cannot do much harm to many larger animals. But they can beat much bigger and stronger enemies in large groups. By acting together, ants can even protect their colonies against animals. If you are lucky enough, you may see such a wonderful fight!
Ants are successful in the animal world.But have you learned the secret behind their success?
1. Which of the following is TRUE about ants?| A．You can’t find ants in cities. |
| B．Ant groups are different in size. |
| C．Queen ants’ life is very short. |
| A．have big wings |
| B．eat the most as larvae |
| C．help keep their nests clean |
| A．They are lucky enough. |
| B．They always act in groups. |
| C．Their enemies are not strong. |
| A．Nature. | B．Travel. | C．Food. |
3 . Many scientists once believed that physical similarities between identical twins (同卵双胞胎) are genetic. However, their personalities, intelligence, and other differences are an effect of their environment. But scientists are now discovering that the boundaries (界限) between genetics and environment are not so clear after all.
Identical twins Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were raised by different couples. When the two Jims finally met at age 39, they discovered they had a lot in common. Both were 182cm tall and weighed 82kg. They had the same smile and the same voice. When psychologist (心理学家) Thomas Bouchard Jr. invited the Jim twins to his lab, his coworkers found it very hard to tell them apart.
But the similarities didn’t stop at the physical. They both had dogs named Toy. They both married women named Linda. They both enjoyed making things with wood and suffered headaches. They had so much in common that it seemed unlikely these were just coincidences (巧合).
The Jim twins were just one of 137 sets of separated twins Bouchard and his team tested. They compared the twins’ IQ scores and reached a surprising conclusion—intelligence was mostly connected to genetics rather than to training or education. It seemed the differences in family and environment had little effect.
However, genes can’t control everything, argues Danielle Reed, who also studies twins. Reed’s research shows that, though nothing can truly change our DNA, environmental differences that a child experiences can sometimes affect the way the DNA behaves. This can make even identical twins completely different.
1. In the past, scientists believed similar personalities between twins are mostly related to_________.| A．genetics | B．environment | C．DNA |
| A．They are similar in many ways. |
| B．They grew up together. |
| C．It’s easy to tell them apart. |
| A．The Jim twins. | B．Sets of twins. | C．Bouchard and his team. |
| A．Bouchard gave the Jim twins an IQ test. |
| B．Both Bouchard and Danielle Reed agreed that intelligence was mostly connected to genetics. |
| C．Danielle Reed’s research shows that environmental factors can make a difference to the way DNA works. |
As an ancient Chinese sport, the game of jianzi is quite popular now. Most people in China may have seen or even played this shuttlecock sport at least once in their lifetime.
The sport of jianzi came out in the Zhou Dynasty (朝代). It is believed that jianzi was from a football—like game called cuju. At that time, many children made shuttlecocks at home, using round pieces of tin (钢板) with chicken feathers (鸡毛). During the Han Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, jianzi became the most popular. In 1933, China hosted the first national jianzi competition. In 1984, jianzi was officially (正式地) seen as a Chinese national sport.
These days, Jianzi is getting more and more popular around the world. You can see people in foreign countries play this feathered sport. And it gets different names in different countries, such as đá cầu in Vietnam, Federfussball in Germany, and Jegichagi (제기차기) in Korea.
And do you know how to play jianzi? It seems easy. You just need to keep the shuttlecock “afloat” (漂浮的) with your feet. While it is true that it needs players to use their feet to keep the shuttlecock afloat, using other body parts, such as your knees and chest, is also allowed. Although you may not plan to play jianzi anytime soon, learning about it is important to better understand Chinese culture. And since it’s simple and relaxing to play jianzi, why don’t you get a shuttlecock to develop your jianzi skills from now on?
1. When did jianzi first appear?2. What was jianzi made of?
3. Does jianzi have the same name all over the world?
4. How do people play jianzi?
5. What do you think of the sport of jianzi?
For kids, mornings can be busy. Sometimes, you do not have breakfast because you do not have time. There are good reasons to make sure you eat a healthy breakfast every day.
You need to concentrate on (专注于) the teacher and your schoolwork. If you have trouble concentrating, you will find it harder to learn.
Every day your body needs nutrients (营养). If you do not have breakfast or any other meal, you might not grow well and stay healthy.
| A．So, having a good breakfast helps you concentrate. |
| B．As you can see, there are good reasons to have a healthy breakfast. |
| C．There are lots of things to do. |
| D．Being hungry can make you feel terrible. |
| E．You get energy from the food. |
6 . 
When you get really sleepy, you may nod off (打瞌睡) for a short time. Chinstrap penguins (帽带企鹅) in the South Pole nod off more than 10,000 times a day!
A new study in Science said this. A group of scientists studied 14 chinstrap penguins in the South Pole. They put electrodes (电极) on the penguins’ heads and necks to see their brain activities. The scientists also followed them by GPS and watched them for 10 days.
The penguins never have a long sleep—the longest sleep is 34 seconds. On average (平均), the penguins sleep 4 seconds at a time. But in one day, they sleep for more than 1 1 hours. So they get enough rest.
The penguins sleep like this because they need to protect (保护) their eggs and babies. If they sleep for too long, the babies may get hurt by seabirds and other penguins. Also, their home is usually noisy and crowded. So the parent penguins just have very short sleep to stay alert.
Dolphins sleep with only half a brain! Half of the brain is awake, while the other half falls into a deep sleep. They stay alert for 24 hours a day all their lives.
Some birds also fly while sleeping with half of their brain. For example, frigate birds (军舰鸟) fly for months over the ocean. When the wind can keep them from falling into the water, they sleep for 10 seconds at a time while flying.
1. Why do parent penguins never have a long sleep?| A．To protect themselves from getting hurt. |
| B．To stop their eggs and babies from getting hurt. |
| C．To protect their noisy and crowded home. |
| A．They sleep for 10 seconds at a time. |
| B．They stay awake for 24 hours a day. |
| C．They only use half of their brain when sleeping. |
| A．安静的 | B．警惕的 | C．紧张的 |
| A．Education. | B．Culture. | C．Nature. |
7 . Do you like bananas? They are one of the most popular kinds of fruits all over the world. Most people like eating them because they taste good and you can have them without washing. They are delicious and convenient. However, British scientists say that the fruit may die out by the year of 2050.
One reason for this is climate (气候) change. Scientists at the University of Exeter collected data (数据) from 27 countries that produce 86% of the world’s bananas. They found that climate change made people harvest more bananas.
However, if temperatures keep going higher, this advantage (优点) will disappear. Some countries, like India, the world’s biggest producer of bananas, will produce (生产) fewer bananas. By 2050, the fruit may die out.
Shouldn’t bananas grow more easily if it’s hotter outside? In fact, the perfect temperature for growing bananas is between 24℃and 32℃. If temperatures get too high, they will stop growing.
Diseases are another danger to bananas. Unlike other crops, all banana plants have the same genotype (基因型). In other words, if a disease is able to kill one plant, it could kill them all.
One serious disease is called Panama. It spreads easily. It has spread across South Asia, Africa, Middle East, and Australia. If one banana plantation (种植园) develop the disease, it will take 30 years until it is able to grow bananas again. Scientists haven’t found a good way to deal with this disease till now.
1. If temperatures keep going higher, maybe ________.| A．more countries will begin to grow bananas |
| B．bananas will harvest better in most countries |
| C．there won’t be any bananas in the future |
| A．The taste of bananas. |
| B．The advantages of eating bananas. |
| C．The dying out of bananas in the future. |
| A．24℃ and 31℃. | B．24℃ and 32℃. | C．24℃ and 33℃. |
| A．tell us why bananas may die out |
| B．show how hard to grow bananas |
| C．give some advice on growing bananas |
Many of us don’t pay attention to the importance of eye care. It’s said that if you take care of your body, then you can be healthy.
There are several causes leading to poor eyesight like not enough food, genes (基因) and aging (年龄增长).
All above are natural ways of eye care that help us keep healthy eyes. Being happy all the time can be helpful to a person’s eyesight, too. In a word, eye care is very important, no matter how old a person is.
| A．That is why our eyes should be given a lot of care. |
| B．Eating healthy foods will do good to your eyesight. |
| C．It is bad for your eyes, too. |
| D．Televisions, computers and reading are also the causes of having poor eyesight. |
| E．The following are some ways to help us keep healthy eyes. |
9 . Cars make our lives more convenient. But they can also be a problem, especially fossil fuel (化石燃料) cars, which cause air pollution (污染). To improve the environment, many countries are developing electric vehicles (EVs, 电动车). Among them, China is taking a leading role and has created the world’s largest EV market.
In 2016, 40% of the 753, 000 EVs sold worldwide were sold in China, about twice as many as the number sold in the United States. Chinese drivers are already big fans of EVs.
“Charging (充电) an electric car is cheaper than filling up a fossil fuel car with gas,” said Wu Hao, who bought an electric car this year.
However, there are still some problems. It can be hard to find charging stations (充电桩) and the cars can’t go far before needing to be recharged.
Some of these problems are being solved. In 2014, China had 31, 000 charging stations, according to Xinhua. Now China has the world’s largest EV charging network, with more than 167, 000 charging stations in total.
Developing EVs is one of many efforts China has made to reduce pressure on its environment. “As China goes, so will the world’s auto industry,” the Wall Street Journal said.
1. Fossil furl cars are a major cause of _________ according the the passage.| A．noise pollution | B．air pollution | C．water pollution |
| A．To show the problem of EVs. |
| B．To introduce the use of EVs. |
| C．To show the advantage (优点) of EVs. |
| A．how to deal with (应对) air pollution |
| B．the development (发展) of EV in China |
| C．why China needs electric cars |
10 . Chopsticks are a pair of small equal-length sticks, usually made of wood, used for eating Asian food. Chopsticks are mainly used in China. And it is believed that the first chopsticks were developed in China. Chopsticks play an important role in Chinese food culture. Chinese chopsticks are usually 9 to 10 inches long. They are round on the eating end which means heaven (天), and the other end is square which means earth. The appearance of chopsticks said goodbye to those days when our Chinese ancestors (祖先) had to use their hands to eat.
Besides, the use of chopsticks has also been a part of Chinese food culture. There are some taboos that you must pay great attention to when you use chopsticks. Firstly, don’t use them to hit your bowl or plate. Secondly, never use them to point at others. Thirdly, don’t put them in different food without taking something. Fourthly, don’t cross the chopsticks on the table. And lastly, don’t leave your chopsticks standing in the rice. Chinese people do this only when they honor (尊重) the dead.
Nowadays, chopsticks have many new usages. For example, you can buy a pair as a gift to your friends and relatives. In Chinese, it reads “筷子”, which means having sons soon, so a newly-married couple will be very happy to accept it as their wedding gift.
1. What did our Chinese ancestors use to eat according to the passage?| A．Hands. | B．Chopsticks. | C．Spoons. |
| A．用途 | B．禁忌 | C．方法 |
| A．The round end means earth, while the other square end means heaven. |
| B．It is happy for a newly-married couple to receive a pair of chopsticks as a wedding gift. |
| C．You can use the chopsticks to point at others when you are angry. |
