1 . China is widely known for its ancient civilisation (文明) which has continued all the way through into modern times, in the fact of many ups and downs in its history. There are many reasons, why this has been possible, but one of the main factors has been the Chinese writing system.
At the beginning, written Chinese was a picture based language. It dates back several thousand years to the use of longgu-animal bones and shells on which marks were cared (雕刻) by ancient Chinese people. In ancient China, characters began as simple drawings of natural objects—trees, rivers, mountains and hill, horses and oxen, human beings themselves, etc. The earliest character-like drawings are “pictographic” in quality. Compared with other scripts (字体) in the world, Chinese characters appeared much earlier with the first evidence of the characters around 5, 000 or more years old. More than 50 kinds of carved marks appeared around the Banpo Site and other nearby places. They were shaped and ordered in a certain rule and they have the same characteristics as today’s simple characters—scientists judge them to be the original Chinese characters.
By the Shang Dynasty (around 1600—1046 BCE), these marks had become a well-developed writing system. Over the years, the systems developed into different forms, as it was a time when people were divided geographically, leading to many kinds of dialects (方言) and characters. This, however, changed under Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty (221—207 BCE).
Emperor Qin Shi Huang united the six major states into one country where the Chinese writing system began to develop in one direction. That writing method was of great importance in uniting the Chinese people and culture.
Written Chinese has also become an important means by which China’s present is connected with its past. People in modern times can read the classic works which were written by Chinese in ancient times. Chinese character, therefore, is a bridge between the present and the past.
Today, the Chinese writing system is still an important part of Chinese culture. As China plays a greater role in the world, an increasing number of international students are beginning to show their love to China’s culture and history through this amazing language.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To present ancient Chinese civilization. | B．To explain the reasons for ups and downs. |
| C．To show the importance of Chinese writing. | D．To introduce the civilization in modern times. |
| A．Because it was a picture-based language. | B．Because it was in different animal bones. |
| C．Because Emperor Qin Shi Huang changed it. | D．Because people were geographically divided. |
| A．separating and becoming different groups | B．guiding and helping to the one direction |
| C．dividing the writing system | D．joining and getting together to make one |
| A．From picture-based language to different writing systems to united system. |
| B．From simple characters to simple drawing rules to different writing forms. |
| C．From colorful carved marks to different characters to simple object drawings. |
| D．From simple writing rule to different scripts to well-developed writing system. |
In our life, we should often be ready for change that will help us unlock (释放) our self-improvement power. However, we don’t always understand it. We think of unlocking our self-improvement power only when everything gets worst.
When do we realize (意识到) that we need to change diets? When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth have fallen off.
Most of us will learn about unlocking our self-improvement power only when the whole world falls apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. However, change becomes more painful when we pay no attention to it.
Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to finally unlock our self-improvement power, not because the world says so, but because we realize it’s good for ourselves.
Happy people don’t just accept change; they welcome it. Unlocking our self-improvement power means unlocking ourselves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she is afraid of being around groups of people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd come, she steps back and locks herself up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
If we look at things in a different way, we might have greater fun. Doing exercise three times a week would lead to a healthier life. Reading books every day would build up knowledge. And only when we are enjoying the whole process (过程) of unlocking our self-improvement power, will we realize that we can take things light and become happy.
1. What’s the writing purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To tell a story. | B．To solve a problem. |
| C．To give an example. | D．To introduce a topic. |
| A．Always believe in herself. | B．Get on with people in a friendly way. |
| C．Unlock herself out of the box of thought. | D．Count the days until she is fully improved. |
We see the warning signs when things get difficult.
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
| A．Is It Important to Take Things Light? |
| B．Is It Necessary to Believe in Yourselves? |
| C．To Hold on to The Last Moment or to Give Up? |
| D．To Unlock Ourselves out of the Box of Thought or to Stay in It? |
3 . “I hate Tuesdays,” said Finn. “Tuesdays are the worst days now.”
“Wait and see,” said his mother. “You haven’t even met Miss Bea.”
Finn was starting piano lessons at 3:30 every Tuesday, right after school. That’s when his hands wanted to build his new Star-Blaster, a toy like Lego (乐高). Finn’s mother rang the doorbell. “Maybe she went shopping,” said Finn hopefully. But when the door opened, and there was Miss Bea, at home, with a warm smile.
“Hello there, Finn,” she said. “Come in.”
Miss Bea’s piano was black and shiny. Finn sat on the bench (长凳). His feet sure couldn’t run now. They couldn’t even touch the floor. He held on his Star-Blaster box. “That looks like a special box,” said Miss Bea. “Is it something new?”
“It’s going to be a Star-Blaster,” said Finn, “but I have to wait till I get home.” He tried not to look impolite when he said it.
“Ah, so you are a builder,” said Miss Bea. “That’s very good. I bet you can find out how this piano works. Why don’t you start by pressing (按) some keys?”
Finn pressed some white keys and then black keys. Then he pressed a white and black one at the same time. It didn’t really make a song, but Miss Bea said she liked it.
Then Miss Bea had a question. “If you were going to build a piano, how many pieces would you need?” Finn guessed all the way up to nine hundred fifty-seven, but it was “More-more-more.”
He tried sixty-eight zillion. “Not exactly,” laughed Miss Bea. “But it’s still a big number: ten thousand pieces.” “Whoa,” said Finn. “My Star-Blaster only has sixty-two. But it’s still going to be hard to put it together.” “But it will be worth (值得) it,” said Miss Bea, “Piano lessons are like that, too. You work and work to build a song. Your songs can be fast or slow, high or low, soft or loud.”
“I want to build a fast loud one,” said Finn. “You will,” said Miss Bea, “when your fingers learn to run and jump. But for now, our time is up.”
On the way home, Finn asked his mother how many songs there were to learn.
“There must be thousands,” she said, “especially (尤其) you practice.”
“Then I’d better start soon,” said Finn. He looked at all his fingers. “How many days,” he asked, “until Tuesday?”
1. How did Finn feel when he met Miss Bea at first?| A．Excited. | B．Afraid. | C．Worried. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．make him interested in playing the piano | B．ask him to work hard at the piano lesson |
| C．tell him it’s important to learn about the piano | D．let him know it’s difficult to build a piano |
| A．Finn still didn’t like Tuesdays. | B．Finn was going to be a great pianist. |
| C．Finn started to like the piano lesson. | D．Finn would build a piano by himself. |
| A．Tuesdays | B．A Boring Piano Lesson |
| C．Star Blasters | D．A Humorous Piano Teacher |
4 . Do you like writing by hand or with a keyboard?
A new brain (脑) study at Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that choosing handwriting instead of using a keyboard results in better learning and memory.
“When you write your shopping list or class notes by hand, you simply remember what you wrote better later,” said Audrey van der Meer, who did the study.
12 young grown-ups and 12 children took part in the study. Special machines were used to follow and record brain wave (电波) activities. Each person wore a special cap with over 250 electrodes (极) on the head, and was asked to write by hand and use a keyboard. The sensors (传感器) in the electrodes picked up the activities that took place in the brain. Each examination took 45 minutes for each person.
The results showed that the brain in both young grown-ups and children was much more active when writing by hand than when using a keyboard. According to Van der Meer, plenty of senses become active by holding a pen and putting it down on paper, seeing the letters written and hearing the sound made while writing. These build connection (关联) between different parts of the brain, opening the brain up for learning.
Van der Meer believes that the results let us know the importance of children being asked to draw and write at an early age, “Learning to write by hand is a slower course, but it's important for children to experience the tiring step of learning to write by hand,” she said.
The hand movements used to form the shapes (形状) of letters are helpful in several ways. “If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand needs control (控制) of your fine motor (精细动作) skills and senses. It’s important to put the brain in a learning condition as often as possible,” Van der Meer added, For example, you might use a keyboard to write an article, but you should take notes by hand during a class.
1. Which is the correct order of the study?①Record and study the results.
②Put a special cap on each person.
③Find 12 young grown-ups and 12 children.
④Ask the people to write by hand and use a keyboard.
| A．②④①③ | B．③②④① | C．③④②① | D．②①④③ |
| A．You can remember what you write better if you use a keyboard. |
| B．Fewer people choose handwriting and more people use a keyboard. |
| C．The brain is more active when writing by hand than when using a keyboard. |
| D．It is easier to put your brain in a learning condition when you use a keyboard. |
| A．The letters you are learning to write, |
| B．The skills you use to write an article. |
| C．The sense experiences when you write by hand. |
| D．The different parts of the brain relative (相关的) to writing. |
| A．Ways to take notes by hand. |
| B．How to control your fine motor skills. |
| C．Examples of using a keyboard. |
| D．Why hand movements in writing are helpful. |
The Secret of happiness
Another secret to leading a happy life is to be active, and have hobbies that can help you forget your problems. Many people experience this by dancing or playing a sport, such as skating or playing.
Finally, many people find happiness in helping others. According to studies, people feel good when they volunteer their time to help others.
| A．The second secret of happiness is to do more exercise. |
| B．If you want to feel happier, do something nice for someone. |
| C．People who have brothers and sisters are happier than others. |
| D．The first secret of happiness is to enjoy the simple things in life. |
| E．Most people want to be happy, but few knows how to find happiness. |
| F．People who have several close friends live happier and healthier lives. |
| G．You can forget about your problems, and only think about the activity. |
6 . 阅读下面短文，从短文后所给的五个选项中选出能填入短文空白处的最佳选项，使短文通顺、连贯，意思完整。
Which color stands for the world’s mood (气氛)?
As virtual (虚拟的) worlds become a more important part of daily lives, people look to draw inspiration (灵感) from nature and what is real.
| A．The color also tells us that nature still plays a big part in our lives. |
| B．It can best be seen as a lively pink with strong red tones (色调). |
| C．Each year, the Pantone Color Institute tries to answer that question. |
| D．As a color from nature, Viva Magenta serves this goal. |
| E．It can bring a feeling of warmth and coolness at the same time. |
7 . Water is important for all living things on Earth. The water cycle (循环) is a natural process that takes water from the ground and the sky and brings it back to the Earth again. It is a cycle that happens the whole year and is most active from March to June in China. In this article, we will learn about the water cycle and discuss its importance for the Earth.
The water cycle always begins with water vapour (蒸汽). As water vapour rises into the sky, it cools down and the clouds are formed. After that, clouds travel through the sky and fall back to Earth as rain or snow. Then, water runs through rivers and oceans and finally returns to the ground again in different forms like rainwater or snow.
The water cycle plays an important role in protecting our Earth’s climate. It provides us with water to drink and keeps our climate healthy. On top of that, it takes water from rivers and oceans and brings it to the areas that don’t have enough water. Without the cycle, we would face many problems. When there is too much water in one place, it becomes a flood. When water is badly in need, it becomes a drought. Besides, water vapour can take heat (热) from the sun and keep our earth cool.
The water cycle is a natural process that keeps our Earth alive. It’s important for plants and animals to drink water and for our rivers to stay running with water. Understanding the water cycle can help us enjoy the beauty of nature, know how our earth works and find better ways to protect our Earth. And that is our duty.
1. Which season might have the most active water cycle in China?| A．Spring. | B．Summer. | C．Autumn. | D．Winter. |
① Water returns to the ground. ② Rain or snow falls down.
③ Water vapour rises up. ④ Clouds are formed in the sky.
| A．③②④① | B．④②③① | C．④③②① | D．③④②① |
| A．Water is important for all living things on Earth. |
| B．We will talk about the water cycle and discuss its importance for the Earth. |
| C．The water cycle plays an important role in protecting our Earth’s climate. |
| D．The water cycle is a natural process that keeps the Earth alive. |
| A．The water cycle happens the whole year only in China. |
| B．Saving water can keep the Earth alive. |
| C．Without the cycle, we may feel hotter in summer. |
| D．Understanding how the Earth works helps us enjoy the beauty of nature. |
| A．To ask people to enjoy the beauty of nature. | B．To ask people to protect our earth. |
| C．To ask people to save water. | D．To ask people to get close to nature. |
From the early days of science fiction, movies have given us a picture of the future. When we see a movie, we understand it from different points of view. “Can it be true? How’s that possible?” People often talk to themselves when watching science fiction movies. If you are a doctor, you may think: “That man would die that fall.” If you are a physical scientist: “That’s not how black holes work.” And if you’re me, it’s more like: “What a silly idea of future personal technology (科技)!”
Sometimes, it makes me crazy when sci-fi movie makers dream up things. On the other hand, some movies show technologies that are so practical. People make them in the real world. Star Trek’s self-opening doors are now commonly seen at store and hotel, and the driverless cars from Total Recall (and many other movies) are already on roads.
It’s clear that Hollywood’s film makers have put serious thoughts into the things we’ll someday carry. For example, there’s a Siri-like voice assistant (助手) in a movie named Her. Her boss talks to her through an earbud (耳机), through which he gets a surprising number of things done such as looking through e-mails and news stories, sending messages and so on. When he needs a picture for the communication, the picture will show up after opening his phone.
My only question with Her is that nobody ever gives an order by saying something like “Hey, Siri.” How do the movie’s computers know when you’re speaking to them? Otherwise, it would make a great movie.
People go crazy over the idea: having all the power (功能) of a smartphone without really needing a smartphone. We won’t see this happen in the real world, though.
Most of these movies, however, still get one thing wrong: Computers make strange sounds like birds singing as their words and pictures appear. Why do movie makers think adding silly sounds make their machines cooler? We’re never going to like that.
1. Which way of writing is used in Paragraph 1?| A．Giving examples. | B．Listing numbers. | C．Beginning with a joke. | D．Showing pictures. |
| A．have no future in science | B．are everywhere on roads |
| C．help you enter a hotel | D．are dreams came true |
| A．is in the shape of an earbud | B．sees her boss as a human servant |
| C．talks like a human | D．can draw beautiful pictures by hand |
| A．We don’t need smartphones anymore. | B．We don’t add cooler sounds to our phones. |
| C．People like their computers make louder sounds. | D．People enjoy a room full of noisy computers. |
| A．How Well do Movies Predict Our Tech Future? | B．What Can We Believe in Movies? |
| C．Predictions in Movies are Future Life | D．Sci-fi Movies Get Everything Wrong |
Young Artists Bridge Cultural Divide Through Their Works The 2023 “Chinese Bridge Chinese Proficiency Competition-Calligraphy (书法) and Painting Challenge” received many entries from Chinese language lovers worldwide. The challenge offers a chance for Chinese language lovers around the world to meet new friends, show their artistic skills and have deeper understanding of traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting, organizers said. |
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Eight years of studying paper quilling (卷纬工艺) has given Yue Shun the ability to turn scraps (屑) of paper into artworks. Yue added local parts in Heze, Shangdong province to his works and uses special skills to fill them with a 3D quality. Recently he worked on a project—a large flower basket. To achieve the expected effect, layers of paper rolls were glued together. |
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| A Wound Inspires Artisan to Be a Cut above the Rest Yang Li, from the Miao ethnic (民族的) group, created leaf-vein embroidery (叶脉刺绣) three months after a leaf cut her hand. She took in traditional different kinds of embroidery, creating unique art. The veins are processed with over 30 steps, and then embroidered by skilled artisans. A single piece sells for from 1,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan. |
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| A．LIFESTYLE. | B．CULTURE. | C．SPORTS. | D．BUSINESS. |
| A．Meet new friends. | B．Learn more about Chinese culture. |
| C．Challenge calligraphy masters. | D．Show their artistic skills. |
| A．An Artisan Turns Paper into Artworks | B．An Artisan Makes Full Use of Paper |
| C．You Can Come to Paper Quilling | D．Let’s Glue Paper Rolls Together |
| A．a leaf cut her hand | B．a cut gave her an idea |
| C．she was a skilled artisan | D．she wanted to make money |
| A．reports cultural competitions | B．describes creative process |
| C．introduces some young artists | D．tells Chinese stories |
10 . Have you heard of a bike bus? It carries a group of children to school in the same way a school bus does, except everyone is on bikes. The “bus driver”—an adult on a bike—guides a slowly moving group along a route (路线) that has already been chosen. Kids and their parents join the group on their own bikes when the group rides by.
Bike buses are a way for everyone to bike together for fun, convenience and safety. On busy streets, a big group of five to ten kids is much more visible (明显的) than one or two kids biking alone.
Sam Balto is a PE teacher. He leads a bike bus to school. His bus is especially visible because it has hundreds of shouting kids and parents. It stretches out over several blocks (街区). Sam vlogs his bike bus trip. As the parent of two kids, I can’t watch his videos without crying. The bike bus calms my fear that the kids will get hurt on the road. Laughing kids! Outside, in person! Together! So when a friend asked if I would lead a bike bus in our neighborhood, of course I said yes.
Using active transportation to go to work and school—whether that’s a biking bus, or even a walking bus—has many advantages. Yes, people are healthier and happier when they’re more active, but reducing the number of cars around a school can also reduce heavy traffic and air pollution.
I was shocked by what starting or driving a bike bus meant to different people. For Luke Bornheimer, the leader of the San Francisco Bike Bus, it’s amazing to see children take care of themselves. “Kids are really smart and strong.” Bornheimer says. “They get how to ride responsibly (负责任地) and have fun. We’re just giving them that chance.” For me, the bike bus was the start of rejoining my community. My kids love the bike bus, but we parents might love it even more. We talk about everything, from the bike bus to other topics, such as planning neighborhood roller skating meetups and party nights.
I do accept that getting more kids to safely bike and walk in more places will take a lot more work than parents just trying to get their kids to school every day. But our efforts are a start. We live on a planet that has many environmental problems. Maybe the best way to remind ourselves that we and the Earth are worth (值得的) protecting is by moving through it, not in cars, but with fresh air on our faces and the sounds of kids’ laughter echoing in our ears.
1. According to the passage, a bike bus is __________.| A．a special bus that parents take to go to their workplace |
| B．a school bus with parents riding bikes as guides in front |
| C．a fun game for children as they’re on their way to school |
| D．a way for children to ride to school with a “driver” on a bike |
| A．She couldn’t stand her kids shouting. |
| B．She decided to do something for the school. |
| C．She liked how it kept children safe on the road. |
| D．She thought cycling was a popular outdoor activity. |
| A．The writer is the leader of her neighborhood activities. |
| B．Different people started the bike bus in different ways. |
| C．Bike buses offer kids chances to be responsible on the road. |
| D．The writer started riding a bike because of the heavy traffic. |
| A．To introduce the good and bad points of active transportation. |
| B．To invite some experienced bus drivers to be bike bus leaders. |
| C．To advise the local government to offer more public services for kids. |
| D．To ask people to help kids and the environment by starting bike buses. |
