It’s Sunday morning. An old woman opens her windows and looks out into her garden. “What a fine day!” she says, but she is surprised to see that there is a man in front of her garden. The old woman looks at him and thinks, “Why is he eating grass?” She goes out into her garden and asks him, “Are you hungry? Why don’t you go to work and get some food?”
“I don’t like working. I just like eating. I’m hungry and I have nothing for breakfast. You see, I’m eating grass. Can you give me some food?”asks the man.
“Come to the back door of my house.” she answers. The man is very happy. He thinks he can get food from the old woman. So he goes with her.
The old woman opens the back door. “Look, the grass here is longer than that in the front garden. Just enjoy (享受) it here!” she says.
根据短文内容回答问题，请用完整的句子作答。1. What is the weather (天气) like in the morning?
2. Where does the old woman see the man?
3. Does the man like working?
4. Why does the man feel very happy?
5. What does the old woman ask the man to enjoy?
Dear friends, would you like to be a genius (天才) like Einstein? A genius needs to learn and think. Reading is a good idea, but it’s not enough. Here are some ideas:
Ask. When you look at new things, ask why they’re new or different. Ask questions. Ask yourself and ask others. Keep thinking carefully until you find the answer.
Read. Try to read new things. Read books from different parts of the library. After you read, think about the ideas you learned before. Are they different from what you thought?
Relax. Many ideas come up when you relax. Take some time to relax yourself in the ways like taking a walk in a park, going to a concert or a museum.
Share. Einstein used to talk to his friends and explain his ideas. Sometimes, a friend can help you find the answer to a problem.
Be brave. Don’t be afraid that other people say your ideas are silly. If others don’t agree with your ideas, try to explain your ideas to them.
| Ask | If you watch |
| Read | Read different kinds of books and |
| Relax | Take some time to relax yourself. When you get |
| Share | Share your ideas with your friends. Maybe they can help you |
| Be brave | If others |
3 . How to beat sadness
We all have days when we are down, tired and unhappy. That’s OK. You need days like this, or how would you know you are happy? You’ll enjoy your good days even more when you have a few bad days. Even if sadness is a part of life, let’s try to make it small. Here are a few simple ways to help you feel better when you are feeling sad.
1. Stand up straight and this helps your energy flow (流动). When your energy is flowing freely, you can flow too.
2. Smile! It’s easy to do and have good results. This way can not only leave you in a good mood (情绪) but also bring others a good mood.
3. Listen to music. It can be your favourite music. Some kinds of music work better than others, so try and find out what kind of music works the best for you.
4. Take some “me” time. You can find pleasure in reading a book, watching a sunrise or having a hot bath, or something like that.
5. Exercise. Even something as simple as taking a walk will get your blood flowing. It is a great way to clear your mind of anything that makes you sad.
These ways will cheer you up when you are down, but don’t just use them when you are sad. Try and practice them every day to make them a habit. You will be surprised to learn that these simple ways will keep your sadness away. But if you are in a deep depression (沮丧), go to see a doctor.
根据短文内容完成表格所缺信息，每空一词。
Opinions | ※ It is OK to feel down, tired and unhappy. ※ It is possible to make sadness a small |
| Simple | ※ Stand up straight so that your energy can flow freely. |
※ | |
※ Listen to your favourite music because it works the best. | |
※ | |
※ Take a walk and you can clear your mind of sad things. | |
Suggestions | ※ Try to make these simple ways a ※ Go to see a doctor when you are in a deep depression. |
The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Grain Rain (谷雨), as the last term in spring, usually starts on
Grain Rain comes from the old saying, “Rain brings up the growth of hundreds of grains”, which shows that this period of rainfall is very important for the
| * ①People drink tea in southern China, which is good for the eyes and would prevent bad luck. ②People eat the vegetable Toona sinensis in the *The Grain Rain Festival The festival is celebrated by fishing villages and the fishermen |
What would the world be like if cars could drive themselves? Imagine seeing an empty car passing by on its way to pick up its owner, or a car full of passengers who are reading, listening to music or even sleeping. But none of them are worried about the road ahead.
Well, all of this could be the future of driving. There are several companies, including Google, working on driverless cars. So far, no Google self-driven cars have gotten a traffic ticket (罚单), but some of them have been in accidents when other cars hit them.
These cars are now still in the testing stages (阶段). But, if the tests are successful, these electric self-driven cars could be put into use very soon.
The cars are so special that they can take the place of drivers during certain situations. They are able to park themselves, or slow down when they notice objects close by. They can also control the speed if there is danger.
Scientists and engineers believe, with the help of wireless signals (无线信号) , cameras and GPS, creating a safe self-driven car might be possible. The cause of deadly (致死的) road accidents is usually careless drivers or bad conditions. The self-driven car may be able to prevent these. However, some people don’t like the idea. American lawyer White Drake does not believe these cars are safe. He thinks that technologies can also be mistakes.
Self-driven cars | |
| Future of driving | An empty car can drive |
| Situation | They are in the |
| Qualities | They can park themselves, slow down and |
| Different ideas | Scientists think they can prevent road |
“Internet addiction (瘾)” was once used to describe young people who spent too much time watching videos or playing games online. But today, an increasing number of the old are becoming victims (受害者).
According to a report on the Internet use of China’s elderly people last year, 38.6% of people aged 60 or over were Internet users. And some surveyed elderly people spent at least 10 hours on the Internet every day.
Phone overuse could lead to the higher risk of many diseases like cervical spondylosis (颈推病). Besides health problems, elderly people’s phone addiction also brings family problems. For example, their adult children often get upset when they stay up late playing with the phone or shop online blindly.
Why do old people depend heavily on mobile phones? It’s because they have lots of spare time and they wish to communicate with others.
Though it’s natural for the elderly to meet their spiritual needs through the smart phone, they should limit their time on the Internet and get regular rest at night. Adult children should go home more often to talk with their parents and reduce their sense of loneliness and encourage them to do healthy activities.
1. What’s the main idea of this text?2. How long did elderly people spend on the Internet every day according to the report?
3. What problems could phone overuse lead to ?
4. Why do old people depend heavily on mobile phones?
5. What can we do to help the elderly in our families to have a healthier life?
In China, writing brushes, ink sticks, paper and ink stones are called the Four Treasures of Study. The writing brush in Huzhou, the ink (墨水) stick in Huizhou, the xuan paper in Xuancheng and the ink stone in Duanxi are the most famous.
The writing brushes are used to draw the pictures on painted potteries (陶器). They are mostly made of the fur of animals. Tools made of wool are called yanghao and those made of the weasel’s (鼬) tail hair are called langhao.
The ink stick produced in Huizhou is of high quality. Two famous skilled men Xi Chao and his son produced a kind of high-quality ink stick. As a result, the Emperor Li Yu in the Southern Tang Dynasty announced to give them the family name “Li”. From then on, the fame (声誉) of the Li Ink Sticks spread widely. In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou, and it was then called the Hui ink Stick.
Paper is among the four great inventions in ancient China. The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In Nuanzhou, it’s said that Cai Lun’s pupil Kong Dan happened to see the ebony (檀木) in the rivers. It was turned white in water. Then he used the bark (树皮) to produce the world-famous xuan paper.
The ink stone was already very popular in the Han Dynasty. In Ming and Qing dynasties, Duan Ink Stone, She Ink Stone, Tao Ink Stone and Chengni Ink Stone can not only be used in writing and painting but also for admiration.
| The | |
| The writing brushes | They are used to draw the pictures and mostly |
| The ink stick | Two famous skilled men were In the Song Dynasty, its producing area was changed into Huizhou. |
| Paper | The famous xuan paper appeared in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Kong Dan used the |
| The ink stone | In Ming and Qing dynasties, ink Stone can not only |
The Internet has greatly changed Chinese people’s lives in different ways over the past twenty years. In order to show the rapid development of China’s Internet, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) gives their reports twice a year. The following is part of The 45th China Report on Internet Development.
Kinds of Mobile Apps. 19...... Internet Users....
These charts alone cannot cover all sides of the present development of China’s Internet, but it is still enough to show a surprising progress on the way. In fact, the Internet economy itself now takes nearly one third of China’s GDP: China’s total amount of Internet payment is the most in the world for seven years in a row.
According to the report, students take up the largest part of Internet users. The use of Internet can be found everywhere in a student’s life. They check out weather, discuss with classmates; and search on the Internet. As is specially mentioned in the report, almost all the students of all grades have taken classes on Dingtalk or other apps during their stay at home. The Internet has made these (become) possible. Not only is the Internet bringing more convenience to the Chinese people, but it is also helping to make the world a better place to live in.
1. What is the purpose of the report made by CNNIC?2. According to Chart I, what percent of mobile apps are game and life service apps in total?
3. Which Chart tell us that China’s Internet is developing rapidly?
4. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
5. Is the Internet important in your life? Why or why not?
Critical thinking is about thinking better. Training your critical thinking skills can open up a door to the better world. But the journey of being a person with critical thinking is difficult.
Train your questioning skills.
Asking questions is perhaps the key act of critical thinking. If you don’t know what questions to ask, you may as well not get the answer. Finding the answer is what critical thinking is all about.
Think several steps ahead.
Think several steps ahead. Once the problem you are working on may begin, use your imagination to guess what the possible futures will be.
Spare at least 30 minutes a day to improve your brain function.
Spend 30 minutes in your busy day making your brain more powerful. There are a few ways that you can do:
●Try to be active in finding the solution to be a problem a day.
●Find the time to exercise regularly.
●Eating the right kinds of foods is to keep your brain in good health.
Critical Thinking It is not | |
| Ways to Improve Your Critical Thinking | Think critically by asking questions and finding |
| Spend-30 minutes a day training your brain function. ●Try to ● Do regular exercise every day. ●Eat right kinds of foods to keep your brain | |
| As long as you keep practicing, you can improve your critical thinking a lot. | |
I have a problem and I need your help. My parents are really strict and they never let me do anything. For example, when I go out with my friends, my mom always asks, “Where are you going? Who are you going with?” Two months ago, I got an earring (耳环) and my father was really angry. He told me to take it out. My parents want to control everything I do. But I’m 18 years old! I try to talk to them, but they don’t listen. They say “This is our house and these are our rules.” Then we have a fight. Why is it so hard for them to understand me?
Josh
Dear Josh,You asked, “Why is it so hard for them to understand you?” That’s a good question. You’re growing up, but often, you’re still a child and they want to protect you.
Sometimes, it’s hard to talk to your parents. Here is an idea: Write a letter to them. Tell them your feelings. In the letter, talk about your friends. Tell them about yourself and your life. After they read the letter, try to talk to them. I hope this helps!
Emma
根据短文内容，回答下列问题。1. What is Josh’s problem in his letter?
2. Why does Josh’s father ask him to take the earring out?
3. What is Emma’s idea for Josh?
4. What does Emma advise Josh to do after the letter?
5. What kind of people do you think Emma is?
