1 . Dogs are our best friends. But thousands of years ago, we couldn’t find dogs. We could find wolves. Wolves and humans lived side by side. The wolves probably ate the food people threw away around their villages. As time went by, these wolves started to be guard dogs and help to drive away dangerous animals. Since then, we have been friends with dogs.

Dogs communicate through sound. It might bark (吠) with excitement, anger and sadness. They also communicate through body language. They give you a lick (舔) or wag (摆动) its tail to show its happiness. Wagging its tail low tells you that a dog feels worried. Standing its tail straight up tells you that a dog feels nervous.

Dogs are lovely animals. Scientists have found that keeping a dog can make people healthier and people can have a higher level of physical activity. Do you want to keep a dog? If you want to keep a dog as a pet, your family should have enough space, money and the time that you need to look after a dog. Why not keep one?

阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。
1. When couldn’t we find dogs?
_______________________________________________
2. How do dogs communicate?
_______________________________________________
3. According to the passage, what have scientists found?
_______________________________________________
4. What should your family have if you want to keep a dog as a pet?
_______________________________________________
5. Do you want to keep a dog? Why or why not?
_______________________________________________

2 . With a history of more than 1,000 years in China, the oil-paper umbrella used to be a rain-sheltering (挡雨的) tool for the Chinese. Although the oil-paper umbrella is now no longer commonly used for rainy days, it has never disappeared from people’s lives, especially for the Yao people living in the southwest of China. When a Yao man’s relative visits a Yao woman’s family to propose marriage (求婚), the relative will bring a red oil-paper umbrella. If the woman accepts the proposal (请求), she will take the umbrella and hang 12 small cloth bags on the umbrella’s ribs (伞架). Then the relative will give the umbrella back to the man to tell him the good news. The oil-paper umbrella made in Fenshui, a town in Luzhou, Sichuan Province is well known around the world. To make the umbrella, craftspeople (手艺人) must complete more than 70 steps. It takes a craftsperson about half a month to make an oil-paper umbrella. It can be opened and closed at least 3,000 times. Its surface won’t separate from the ribs even if the umbrella is put in water for 24 hours.

阅读短文，用符合语义及语法规则的词填空，每空一词。

▶The oil-paper umbrella has a history of over 10     1    , being used as a rain-sheltering     2     in the past.

▶The Yao people living in the     3     part of China use oil-paper umbrellas to propose marriage instead of using for     4     days.

▶The relative of the man will     5     the umbrella to the man to tell him the good     6    .

▶The oil-paper umbrella     7     in Fenshui, a town in Luzhou, Sichuan Province is very     8     around the world.

▶A craftsperson usually spends about     9     days making an oil-paper umbrella, which can be opened and     10     at least 3,000 times.

3 . Tea and coffee are two of the most popular drinks in the world. However, people usually like one over the other. These drinks also have very different uses.

Tea drinking started in China over 4,000 years ago. Tea is made from leaves. These days, some people drink tea for health, using it to help with stress or losing weight. However, most people in tea-drinking countries think of tea as more than just a healthy drink. In Turkey (土耳其), tea is always there when people meet. Whether in someone’s home or a company, tea is always offered as a way of welcoming. In the UK, homes and offices usually have tea time. Tea and other dishes are served at tea time in the afternoon. It is a way of relaxing with friends or co-workers (同事).

Coffee came much later than tea, just over 1,000 years ago. Coffee is made from beans. Something in the coffee beans makes a person feel active. Most people do not drink coffee to relax. Instead, they drink coffee to get going. Many people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up. Others will also drink coffee during short breaks in the afternoon to keep going through the working day. Some people may visit coffee shops just to meet and talk with friends. However, many people in coffee shops drink coffee while working on their computers.

Is tea or coffee more common in your country? Between the two, which do you like to drink more?

根据短文内容，用符合语义和语法规则的词填空，每空一词。
1. According to the passage, China has had tea drinking for ________ ________ 4,000 years.
2. Tea and other dishes are ________ at tea time in the afternoon and it is a way to relax with ________ or co-workers.
3. Tea came over ________ years ________ than coffee.
4. Most people prefer to ________ coffee to get going instead of ________.
5. The passage is mainly about the ________ ________ of tea and coffee.

4 . Every year from May to August on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (青藏高原), Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) go far to have their babies.

Their trip is hard. They have to cross railways and roads. Some die because of accidents (事故). To make their trip easier, people have made “wildlife corridors (走廊)”. A wildlife corridor can be natural or man-made. If railways or roads get in the animals’ way, they can still move freely and safely through the corridor.

To work with animals’ habits, corridors around the world are different. Tibetan antelopes are careful about dangers around them. So, China has made corridors under highways or railways. The corridors are big. Antelopes can easily look around when they pass through. In Europe, there are small and dark tunnels (隧道) for small animals, like mice. In the US, people make bridges between trees for animals that like climbing.

Just give them a little more space. They can have a good chance to live well with us humans. So you can see, it is not hard to do that.

根据短文内容完成如下文章框架，每空一词。

1. ________
2. ________
3. ________
4. ________
5. ________
6. ________
7. ________

5 . “Zero calories (卡路里) and getting no weight.” We often talk about sugar-free drinks like this. But are they really a good choice?

Some people think sugar-free drinks are healthier because they don’t have sugar or calories. They think having these drinks can help them lose weight.

In fact, sugar-free drinks have some sugar, although very little. Usually, if there is 0.5 grams (克) of sugar or less in a 100-gram drink, it can be described as a sugar-free drink. Although they have little sugar, sugar-free drinks still taste sweet because they use artificial sweeteners (人工甜味剂). But they have very few calories.

When we eat sweet-tasting things like sugar, they hit our brain and make us want more. Our brain tells our body to prepare itself for more sugar. When we drink a sugar-free drink, the brain receives the “sweet message”, but no sugar arrives. Since the brain is fooled, it still wants more sweets.

Some people drink sugar-free drinks instead of water. This is not a good choice. Sugar-free drinks can be bad for our teeth and influence our appetite (食欲).

根据短文内容回答问题。
1. What do some people think having sugar-free drinks can help them do?
_________________________________
2. Are sugar-free drinks really “zero calories”?
_________________________________
3. Do sugar-free drinks have sugar?
_________________________________
4. What happens to the brain when we drink sugar-free drinks? (不超过10个词)
_________________________________
5. After reading this passage, how do you like sugar-free drinks?
_________________________________

6 . Drones (无人机) are like planes, but come in many shapes and sizes. They have no pilots and are controlled from outside the drones. During these years, they have been used to attack (进攻) enemies or move goods (货品) in dangerous areas.

Now small drones are a part of people’s lives. For example, people use drones to take photos or make videos. Besides, a drone delivery (投递) service has proved (证明) successful.

Online store JD can use drones to deliver small packages (包裹). It has built several drone stations so that it can load (装载) and deliver its packages.

Drones have made our shopping experience different. We can order a new coat in early morning and it will be delivered before we finish breakfast.

Bizzby Sky, a UK company, has created a delivery service for small goods. Open a smartphone app, enter your address, set a time and pay enough money for the delivery service. Then in minutes, a drone will do tasks for you.

However, any drone company needs government permission (允许) to fly its drones in many countries. We believe we will see more and more drones with goods fly in the sky very soon.

根据短文内容填空，每空一词。
1. Drones are like planes, but come in many ________ and sizes. They have been used in some fields such as attacking enemies or ________ goods in dangerous areas.
2. Drones can be ________ to take photos or make video s by people. Besides, a drone delivery service has proved to be another ________.
3. Several drone stations have been ________ by JD to have its packages loaded and ________.
4. If you open a smartphone app, enter your ________, set a time and ________ enough money on the delivery service, a drone will do tasks for you.
5. Today’s shopping experience is ________ from the old one because of drones. However, no drone company can fly its drones ________ getting government permission in many countries.

7 . When it comes to taking notes, what do you think is the best way: using a pen or typing on a computer keyboard? Scientists believe that young children should learn to manage a keyboard, and at the same time, it’s more important for young children to learn to write by hand successfully.

Scientists say that although computer technology is often necessary today, using a pen can activate (激活) more areas of brain than a keyboard does. This is because writing needs complicated (复杂的) movements that help activate more areas of the brain. And we can probably remember more by just writing our class notes.

When we write, our brain needs to think about words and the shape of each letter. We also need to use our eyes to watch closely what we’re writing. And we need to control our hands to use a pen or pencil to write the different letters. All of these things use and connect more areas of the brain. Along the way, these processes appear to open the brain up for learning. Scientists point out that taking notes by hand activates “visual (视觉) note-taking”. Rather than typing blindly, the visual note taker has to think over and find out what is important to write down.

On the other hand, this study doesn’t ask people to avoid digital devices. In fact, it points out that computers and other devices with keyboards have become necessary in many modern classrooms. Keyboarding also can be especially helpful for students with certain special needs, such as if they can’t use their hands smoothly.

“But nearly all students should be improved by learning handwriting and drawing at an early age,” the researchers now reach the conclusion (结论).

根据短文内容完成表格中的内容，每空一词。
1. ________
2. ________
3. ________
4. ________
5. ________

8 . Wind power is a very clean source of energy. This is how wind power works. Wind makes windmills spin (旋转). When the windmills spin, they make electricity. Then we can use the electricity.

A lot of people think that wind power is new, but that’s not true. For thousands of years, people have used wind to sail boats and move water. We still do those things today, but these days we mostly use wind power to make electricity.

Wind power is a very popular source of energy. Most people think that we should use it more and more. First of all it’s clean. Windmills don’t pollute the environment at all. Second, we can use wind power forever. After all, we will always have wind. Also, wind power is cheap, and it’s getting even cheaper.

A lot of people don’t understand wind power very well. They believe that there are problems with wind power, but many of those problems are not real. For example, some people say that windmills are dangerous for birds. That used to be true, but it isn’t true anymore. Old windmills killed birds because they spun very fast. New windmills spin slowly, and they aren’t dangerous for birds.

However, there are real problems with windmills. One problem is that many people think windmills are very ugly. This is a problem for some people because windmills are often in very pretty areas. Also, wind doesn’t blow all the time, so we can’t use wind power all the time.

Wind power is becoming more and more common. Right now, more than 80 countries use wind power. About 2.5 percent of the world’s power comes from the wind. For some countries, that number is a lot higher. Wind power gives Denmark (丹麦) more than 25 percent of its electricity.

1. Wind power can be turned into electricity when the ________ _________.
2. Wind power is not new, because people have used wind to ________ boats and ________ water for thousands of years.
3. New windmills are ________ _________ for birds because they spins at a slow speed.
4. Windmills don’t pollute the environment at all, we can use wind power forever, we will always have wind so it’s ________ and ________.
5. Wind power is becoming more and more common. Right now, _________ _________ countries use wind power.

9 . 根据短文内容完成句子, 每空一词。

After the Christmas party ends, it’s time for the Christmas tree to take a break. People all over the world buy lots of real trees for Christmas. In 2022, even in the US alone, people bought about 25-30 million trees! But what happens to these trees after the holiday?

Some countries recycle Christmas trees. In Berlin, for example, people take off the lights and toys from the trees and leave them on the streets. The trees then go to power stations (发电 站). There they burn them to make electricity and heat (热), enough for 500 families for a whole year.

In New York, people send their trees to parks. There, they cut the trees into small pieces, and these wood pieces help keep plants warm and healthy.

Some trees even end up in zoos. Once a year in Australia, elephants enjoy eating Christmas trees because they taste sweet and are full of vitamins (维生素).

Today, many people choose to buy plastic Christmas trees. While they might be more expensive, they can last for many years and come in different shapes and colors. Fun fact: Did you know that most plastic trees in the world are made in China?

(1)A number of real trees are bought for Christmas every year. In 2022, in the US     1     people bought about 25-30 million trees. After the holiday, different countries have their own ways to     2     with these trees.
(2)In Berlin, the trees are     3     at the power stations to make     4     and heat.
(3)In New York, people cut the trees into small     5     which are used to keep plants warm and help them grow     6    .
(4)In Australia, some trees end up becoming     7     food in zoos because of their sweet     8     and being full of vitamins.
(5)Today, many people choose plastic Christmas trees made in     9         10     of real trees though they might be more expensive.

10 . The Dyslexia Week

Albert Einstein (1879—1955), Walt Disney (1901—1966), and Pablo Picasso (1881—1973) have something in common. They were all extremely clever, brilliant and creative and they all had dyslexia (阅读困难). Today, around six million people in the UK have some degree of dyslexia. Yet many people aren’t aware of the condition or even don’t realise they have it.

Dyslexia Awareness Week (DAW) aims to change that. Starting on 3 October, dyslexia charities across the country will be encouraging conversations about it, giving people advice and support.

What is dyslexia?

Dyslexia is not an illness or a disease. It is a condition that affects the way a person learns. It doesn’t mean that person isn’t intelligent. It just means that their brain works a little differently. Just like people have different skin, hair and eye colours, the way our brains see the world and handle information can be different too. This is called neurodiversity (神经多样性).

How does dyslexia affect people?

Dyslexia affects people differently. Each person has a unique experience. Some people may have problems with reading, writing and spelling. For example, a person with dyslexia might write the word “pests” as “pets” because their brain confuses the order of letters. They might find it difficult to match letters to sounds or to remember how to spell words.

How might the condition affect daily life?

Dyslexia isn’t just about reading, spelling and writing. It can affect concentration (专注力), coordination (协调性) and memory, which can make everyday life tricky. Dyslexic people might find it hard to copy down lots of notes from a board or to organise written work. They may find it tough to follow lots of instructions or rules when playing a game. However, dyslexia can be discovered by special tests. This is the important first step for people to get the help and support they might need.

What are the positives of having dyslexia?

People diagnosed (诊断) with dyslexia might worry how others see them, but thinking differently can be a superpower. Many people with dyslexia often have strong logical skills and great imaginative ideas. They can be good at spotting patterns and solving problems. They can be super creative too—there are many authors, actors and inventors from every corner of the world who thrive with the condition. Dyslexia is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. It’s part of you.

Use words with proper meanings and grammatical rules to fill in the blanks.
(Only one word for one blank.)
1. Many people are diagnosed with dyslexia, including some successful ones in ______. Many of them are not clear about it or even do not ______ their own conditions.
2. Dyslexia Awareness Week starting on 3 October will work to ______ it, helping and ______ people with dyslexia.
3. Dyslexia shouldn’t be ______ for an illness or a disease. It’s a condition that makes people learn ______ as a result of the way their brains see the world and handle information.
4. Dyslexia makes people have ______ reading, writing and spelling. It makes people ______ concentrated, coordinated and affects their memory.
5. People ______ Dyslexia may have super power like strong logical skills, great ______ and super creativity.