Honesty is valuable in the world. There are five qualities (特征) of honest people.
Honest people have no interest in competition for popularity. They don’t pay too much attention to what others think of them.
Honest people don’t go looking for fights, but they aren’t afraid to speak their mind. Honest people will express their opinions bravely even when their beliefs (信念) are against other people. While sometimes this may cause some trouble, most people respect honesty and admire those who stick to their beliefs.
Honest people don’t get angry easily. It requires a thick skin (不计较面子) to stay honest. Not all people love to hear the truth. When honest people tell the truth, other people may get angry. Honest people may be hurt by them so that they need to have thick skin.
Honest people often have long, deep friendships. Their friends know that they won’t discuss them behind their back, and will instead deal with problems in a direct way. This allows for deeper, healthier relationships.
We can ask honest people for help and advice. They will not tell us the story that we want to hear. Although it may help avoid bad feelings, sometimes the difficult truth is the only thing we really need to know.
| Five qualities of honest people | |
| Honest people don’t compete in order to be | They don’t care too much about others’ opinions of them. |
| Honest people stick to their beliefs. | Although honest people don’t ask for trouble, they are brave enough to tell others their opinions. They are respected and |
| Honest people don’t get angry easily. | They need to have thick skin to protect them from being hurt by people who are not happy about hearing the |
| Honest people have close friends. | Their friends understand that they deal with problems |
| Honest people are always helpful. | Honest people can offer help and advice to us, |
These days, short videos and live streaming （网络直播）have gotten millions of views online. More and more people create and share short videos on popular apps like Douyin and Kuaishou to show parts of their lives.
Using live streaming is popular among the people aged 18 to 35. Even the teachers give lessons by live streaming. Besides leaving reviews on the screen, viewers can also communicate directly with the hosts by buying virtual（虚拟的）gifts such as flowers, toys and cars for them online. The most recent famous example was the Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui. She did one-hour live streaming which reached more than 11 million viewers.
What’s more, live streaming allows users to communicate with strangers and express themselves. A 19-year-old college student called Nic Li says she spends three to four hours each week chatting and singing with viewers through one app called Ingkee. “Sometimes I feel lonely and want to talk to people,” she says, “I feel nice when viewers are paying attention to me.”
However, as there are more than 80 apps and 300 websites for live streaming in China, the Internet regulator（监管机构）almost can’t monitor the content（内容）all the time.
“We support the use of live streaming. But people should be aware of the two sides of it,” one of the officials said.
1. What do more and more people show by sharing videos on apps?2. How do viewers communicate with hosts?
3. Why is Nic Li’s example mentioned?
4. It isn’t difficult for the Internet regulator to monitor the content all the time, is it?
5. What should people be aware of when using live streaming?
3 . Who can jump the highest at your school? Who has the most skips over a rope? Who’s the fastest at solving a Rubik’s Cube(魔方)? Everyone can be the best at something. Recently, Beijing 101 Middle School held an activity called “Guinness Campus” to help students find their potential(潜力).
“There are all kinds of projects you can take part in and all kinds of records for you to set,” said ninth-grader Liu, “I choose Domino Tower because I have the most confidence in this.”
Students needed to build a tower using dominoes(多米诺骨牌). Who ever built the tallest tower in one minute won. Liu set the record with 33 levels. “At first I didn’t do it well, but after learning from other people and trying over and over again, I found some ways to do it faster,” she said.
“The game requires you to be calm and patient. If you lose your temper(脾气) when the tower falls, you may lose the chance to win.”
Seventh-grader Wang set a record for the longest juggle(颠球) of a soccer ball with one foot.
He did it for 4 minutes and 34 seconds. “I started to play soccer at 5 and have been practicing juggling for three or four years, so I’m confident I can do it well,” said Wang. “Juggling with only one foot needs good balance and stability(稳定性), which help me defeat others.”
When asked if he was afraid that someone else would break his record one day, Wang said he was expecting that to happen. “The charm(魅力) of Guinness Campus is that we keep reaching higher goals. If someone breaks my record next year, I’ll be even more encouraged to try harder finding more potential within me.”
1. How many kinds of projects have been mentioned in the passage?2. Why did Beijing 101 Middle School hold the “Guinness Campus”?
3. According to the passage, how can students win in the Domino Tower?
4. What helped Wang set a record for the longest juggle?
5. In Wang’s opinion, what is the charm of Guinness Campus?
4 . As Chinese traditions go, few things are better than sitting around a hotpot while autumn and winter come over North China. Studies show that Kublai Khan, the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), invented mutton hotpot.
For a long time, only Beijing’s rich people could get their hands on mutton hotpot. Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) was a true hotpot lover, eating the dish more than 200 times in 1789.
Among the vegetables and meat spread out on the dinner table, mutton has been placed front and center. Many people believe mutton has the effect (效果) of warming the body, making it an ideal food for the colder months. Sheep are also generally fattened up after a summer of eating, making them perfect for meat lovers through the winter.
The Chinese capital is home to more than 2,000 mutton hotpot restaurants, according to the food platform Dazhong Dianping. There are well-known hotpot brands such as Jubaoyuan, Manfulou, Yangdaye, Nanmen and Donglaishun.
Today, many mutton hotpot restaurants divide the meat into many kinds according to which part of a sheep it is cut from. An experienced cook can cut the meat so thin that people can read the words of a book through the piece of the meat.
In the old days, restaurants in the capital only started serving mutton hotpot from Mid-Autumn Festival (the 15th day of the eighth lunar month). Business often stopped after Spring Festival. Restaurant workers would have to find a new job after Dragon Boat Festival (the fifth day of the fifth lunar month), when business came to an end. Nowadays, however, people can enjoy the mutton hotpot all year round with technological development in mutton production across the country.
阅读短文，根据短文内容用完整句子回答问题。1. Who was supposed to be the inventor of mutton hotpot?
2. How can we tell Emperor Qianlong was a true hotpot lover?
3. What things are also provided besides mutton when people enjoy mutton hotpot?
4. How many famous hotpot brands are mentioned in the passage?
5. Why would restaurant workers have to find a new job after Dragon Boat Festival in the old days?
5 . Born in the 2000s, what do you think of your generation(一代人)? Young, creative, connected, global, smart, maybe good-looking? But what do other people think about your generation?
Some adults worry that you’re more interested in the phone than the world around you. They see you as the “face-down generation” and wonder how you will deal with school, friends, and family.（A）当今的青少年忙于发信息、拍照片。 Are they serious enough to become successful in real life-or “TRL”, as you would say?
Other adults worry that today’s youth are spoiled(溺爱) and don’t want to face the challenges of adult life. Many children born in the 1990s and 2000s were raised by “helicopter parents” who were always there to do everything for them.（B）So today’s young people seem to prefer to live like teenagers even when they are 30 years old.
Does the face-down generation need a heads-up? Well, probably not. The fact is that many of today’s teenagers are better educated and more creative than past generations. They also seem to be willing to become leaders. More young people than ever volunteer to serve their communities. There are also brave young people such as Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize for pushing girls’ rights to go to school.
So if you are one of them born in the 2000s, there’s reason to be hopeful about the future. Things are looking up for the face-down generation.
1. Mary was born in 2006, is she a member of the “face-down generation”?2. What do adults worry about today’s youth according to the passage?（列举两点即可）
3. 请将（A）处划线部分翻译成英语。
4. 请将（B）处划线部分翻译成汉语。
5. What do you think of your generation?（Your own opinion）
Have you ever heard that a road goes through our building? In fact, there’s such a special light railway track in the city of Chongqing. It has been built through a hole in a 19-storey building.
Chongqing is a city in the southwest of China. (A)它是中国西南部四大城市之一。It lies along the banks of the Yangtze River. It’s 31,000 square miles in size but its population is up to 49 million.
The city is called the Mountain City because it lies around forests and hills. So we can know Chongqing is such a crowded city. It’s a great challenge for the city planners to make room for roads and railway lines. To avoid accidents they came up with the creative method.
A special railway station was built into the block of houses and set into the sixth to eighth floors. People can take Chongqing Rail Transit No.2 at their own Liziba Station.(B)You may think the noise from the station trouble the people living there. In fact, even though they live in rooms closest to the busy train station, they just can hear the sound like the noise from a dishwasher. It’s (C)_______ that the large noise from trains has been muffled（使降低）a lot.
Thanks to the way, the people don’t have to move. And the whole building didn’t have to be taken down to make way for the train tracks.
1. 根据短文内容，回答下面的问题。Why is the light railway track special in Chongqing?
2. 请将（A）处画线句子译成英语。
3. 将（B）处画线句子译成汉语。
4. 在（C）处填入一个恰当的词，使句意完整。
5. What’s the best title of the passage?（不超过7个词）
Music is a big part of our lives. But some US schools have cut music classes in recent years. For example, Chicago public schools hurt arts education when it fired（解雇）over 1, 000 teachers. Among them, 10 percent of the teachers taught art or music, according to The Washington Times.
In fact, this is not just a problem in the US. In other countries, such as China and the UK, music classes are not thought to be as important as other subjects like science, math and history. That’s because music is not seen as a very important life skill, and it isn’t tested. Many students are busy with schoolwork, so parents and students choose to focus on（专注于）subjects that are tested more often.
However, music education is very important for all students. Music helps with math and science. Students learn to count and how to divide. Students also use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn’t. Students can learn a lot about languages through music. Many songs are written in other languages. Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about. Students can also learn about art. Some famous pieces are written about important pieces of art, and students learn about the artists as they’re playing the music.
Music education brings higher thinking to our children. It allows them to think about complex（复杂的）patterns. Students have to sense what every other musician does at every time.
Students also learn plenty of cooperation（协作）of body parts through music. It is not as simple as it looks. For example, when playing the piano, people see music notes and decode（解码）them in their brains. They also use their fingers to make sounds.
| Music Education | |
| Fact | Music is thought to be |
| Music is not seen as a very important life skill. It isn’t tested so parents and students | |
| The writer’s opinion | Music education is important for all students. |
| Importance | Music can help students improve their Music brings higher thinking to our children. Music helps students’ body parts |
8 . Nexi is one of a new generation of robots. It moves on wheels and can pick up objects. But robots like Nexi are more than just entertaining toys.
Nexi, a social robot created by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), can express human emotions. Roboticists at MIT call Nexi a “social robot”. A social robot is a robot that can communicate like a human. Nexi can look sad, mad, and even bored. Some social robots can also “read” our facial expressions. Roboticists believe that it won’t be long before we have social robots in our homes, helping us live better lives.
Autom is another social robot developed at MIT. Autom is a robot health coach. It has a screen where you enter information about what food you eat that day or how much you exercised. Autom has a face with eyes that move. It speaks with a synthesized（合成的）voice. Autom gives you advice about your diet and exercise and drives you to do better.
In a test, Autom helped people lose weight better than other ways of recording diet information. Roboticists think this is because Autom used facial expressions and words of encouragement. In other words, Autom communicated like a real person. In fact, many people who used Autom gave the robot a new name and talked to it. When robots use human expressions and body languages, people reply to them a lot like they reply to people.
In the future, humans may communicate with social robots just like they do with other people. Let’s wait and see what will happen in the future!
1. What can Nexi do according to the passage?2. What does the underlined word “emotions”mean in Chinese?
3. Is it possible or impossible that Autom can communicate with us?
4. Why did Autom help people lose weight better than other ways?
5. What will our life be like if we have a social robot at home?
9 . France is well known for its fine art, tasty food and romantic scenery. About 75 million visitors come here every year.
France is the largest country in Western Europe. It has a population of over 66 million. The country is home to many famous places of interest, like the River Seine as well as the Eiffel Tower.
Many visitors also come for the country’s art. Sculptor Auguste Rodin and painter Claude Monet once created their great works here. If you visit France today, it is not a surprise to meet street artists in the city or come across a singer in the subway.
No visit to Paris is complete without a trip to Louvre, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. Inside, there are 35,000 works of art, such as the painting Mona Lisa by Da Vinci and the statue David by Michelangelo. It would take nine months to enjoy all the pieces. Besides, French food is world-famous. Bread is very important in France. The best known French bread is called a baguette. They are long, delicious and taste salty. Snails are also a must-have here. French people eat 40,000 tons of snails every year!
But France is not always good. Paris, the city of light, may also show its dark side to visitors. Chinese visitors feel sorry about the crowded subway in Paris.
据短文内容，请用完整句子回答下列问题
1. What’s France famous for?
2. What’s the population of France?
3. How long does it take to enjoy all the pieces in Louvre?
4. How many snails do French people eat every year?
5. Why do Chinese visitors feel sorry about the subway in Paris?
10 . What will you eat for lunch today? In some countries, lunchtime often means soup time! There are many kinds of soups served around the world. Some are as thin and clear as water. Some are as thick as stews. Others are full of noodles!
Soup is just one thing that can be eaten for lunch. What you eat for lunch may be different from the lunch of someone who lives in another country. Let’s take a look around the world to see what kids are eating for lunch.
Mexico
Many children in Mexico eat tortillas for lunch. Most tortillas are made from ground corn, but sometimes wheat in used. Tortillas are usually flat and round, but they can also be made into other shapes. Taco shells are made from corn tortillas and filled with beans or meat. Tasty sauces, called salsas, are often added to tacos. These sauces are made from tomatoes, onions, hot peppers and spices.
Russia
Winters in Russia are very cold. Maybe that’s why many Russian children eat soup for lunch. Two of their favourites are cabbage soup and beef soup.
Many Russian soups also include potatoes. Potatoes are an important crop in Russia. They make soups thick. Eating thick soups can help keep people warm and can fill them up, so hunger is no problem!
South Korea
Meals in Korea are made up of many dishes. No matter what else is served, there is always rice. Kimchi is also always on the table. Kimchi is pickled（腌制的）meat or vegetables. Korean children mix together many dishes and flavors at meals. It’s common for their food to be hot and spicy.
Thailand
Lunch in Thailand often includes noodles. There are many ways to serve noodles. One popular dish is made with thin rice noodles, tofu and shrimp. Another favourite way to eat rice noodles is with meat, vegetables and thick gravy.
| What’s for | ||
| Introduction | Kids in different countries may not eat the same food for lunch. | |
| Food for lunch in different countries | Mexico | Taco shells are made from corn tortillas and |
| Russia | Eating thick soups can help keep people | |
| South Korea | Many dishes and flavors are | |
| Thailand | People cook or eat rice noodles with different | |
