3 . There are many things to do in Macao. Macao is small, but that just means you can do and see a lot in a short amount of time.

Try the Macao Tower Bungee Jump

The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of entertainment activities.

One of the activities is the bungee jump, which is popular with extreme sports lovers. The bungee-jumping height is 233 meters, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.

Enjoy the Egg Tart of Macao

One of the must-try local foods in Macao is the egg tart. This dessert is different from the Cantonese egg tart. One of the visible differences is the slightly burned caramel (焦糖) top. The creamy filling, tasty crust (酥皮) and the burned caramel top create an incredible mixture of flavor.

Gradually, the bakery has become a fixed tourist spot in Macao, where the queue outside will never be empty.

Grab a Selfie at the Ruins of St. Paul

The Ruins of St. Paul is one of the signature landmarks of Macao. The ruins consist of the St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul, built in 1580. However, after three intense fires in 1595, 1601 and 1835, the church was seriously damaged.

Watch the Macao Grand Prix

Racing through the small streets and roads of this tiny city, the Macao Grand Prix circuit (巡回赛) is the only street circuit racing in the world for car and motorcycle races. The Macao Grand Prix is a major worldwide car-racing event held every year, featuring over 300 top drivers a year.

1. Where should you go if you are an extreme sports lover?

A．The Macao Tower.	B．The small streets in Macao.
C．The Ruins of St. Paul.	D．The St. Paul’s College.

2. What’s the visible difference between the egg tart of Macao and the Cantonese one?

A．The creamy filling.	B．The tasty crust.
C．The slightly burned caramel top.	D．The mixture of flavor.

3. What do we know about the Church of St. Paul?

A．It is the most famous site in Macao.	B．It was built in 1595.
C．It was rebuilt only once.	D．It was damaged badly.

4 . There is an old saying in China that goes, “The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days.” “Sanjiu period”, which is in Minor (较小的) Cold, refers to the third nine-day period (the 19th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice (冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.

Eating hotpot

During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.

Eating huangyacai

In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.

Eating glutinous rice (糯米饭)

According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved (腌制的) pork, sausage and peanuts and mix them into the rice.

Eating vegetable rice

In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is unspeakably delicious. Among the ingredients (原料), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausage and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.

1. What do we know about Minor Cold?

A．The Sanjiu period is in this period.	B．It refers to the Winter Solstice.
C．It lasts twenty-seven days.	D．It marks the first day of winter.

2. What is a special custom in Tianjin in Minor Cold?

A．Eating hotpot.	B．Having vitamin A and B pills.
C．Having huangyacai.	D．Buying cabbage.

3. This text may be taken from the        column (栏目) of a newspaper.

A．travel

B．fashion

C．culture

D．science

5 . Every year, young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists (自然环境保护主义者) from all over the world participate in the presentation of the Future For Nature (FFN) Award, an honorable international award.

The Future For Nature aims to:

·Reward and fund individuals for their outstanding efforts in the protection of species of wildlife

·Encourage winners to sustain their dedicated work.

·Help winners to raise their profiles, extend their professional network and strengthen their funding basis.

Benefits

·The winners each receive 50, 000 euros and may make their own decision to spend the money in the service of nature conservation.

·FFN offers the winners a platform and brings their stories to the attention of conservationists, financiers and a wide audience, allowing them to increase their impact and gain more access to funds.

·FFN is building a growing family of winners, dedicated people who form a community of people with the same interest. FFN offers them the opportunity to meet each other and continue to learn with each other in order to continue their fight for nature as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Qualifications

The candidate (候选人) :

·Must be born on or after the 31st May 1988 and before the 28th of August 2005.

·Is able to explain his/her conservation work in fluent English (written and spoken)

·Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more animal or plant species.

·Must be determined to continue his/her conservation work, as the Award aims to stimulate (激励) the winner’s future work. It is not an “end of career” prize.

Additional Remarks

For the 2024 Future For Future Awards, we are again searching for natural leaders, who have proven that they can make a difference in species’ survival.

From all applications, 6 to 10 nominees (被提名者) will be selected. These applicants will be asked to provide additional information, which will be used to select the final Awardees. Ultimately, three inspiring wildlife heroes are selected as the winners.

Application Process: Apply online through the Apply Now link

Application Deadline: 28^th August, 2023

1. Which is one of the aims of the Future For Nature?

A．To help more green groups.	B．To fund academic education.
C．To inspire conservation efforts.	D．To raise environmental awareness.

2. The winners will get the chance to ________.

A．ask experts for advice	B．meet those with same interest
C．benefit the local community	D．promote self-created platforms

3. To apply for the 2024 Future For Nature Awards, candidates must ________.

A．meet the age requirement	B．apply via mail by the deadline
C．hand in the application in English	D．provide additional personal information

6 . Technology is forever changing the way we get our news. Many people now get a lot of their news on electronic devices, instead of traditional media, such as newspapers, television or radio. Now, there is a new way we get the news: computer-created news readers.

Recently, China’s Xinhua launched(推出)the world’s first AI news presenters with the Chinese search engine Sogou. The news readers created by machine learning technology are based on two real-life newsmen. One is able to present newscasts in English; the other, in Mandarin Chinese.

Machine learning is used to examine video images and sounds of the two newsmen, which look and sound like real people. Some machine learning experts said the system showed off China’s latest progress in voice recognition, text-to-speech technology and data analysis. But several experts suggested that the term Al does not correctly describe abilities of the robotic news readers.

On social media, many Chinese noted that the AI presenters did not seem real. People blamed them for not being more lifelike. Others wondered about the effects robots might have on employment and workers. Some people argued that only low-level jobs requiring heavy labor will be easily replaced by robots. Others praised the technology as a way for companies to make money from low-cost labor machines.

Some businesses have experimented with similar technology for possible use in news operations. Britain’s BBC recently released a video that used machine learning to make it look like one of its news readers speaking different languages. The London-based company that developed the system says its goal is to “remove the language barrier” for many different kinds of video across the Internet.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?

A．Introduce the topic of the text.	B．Summarize the different opinions.
C．Add some data about the AI presenters.	D．Compare different ways of getting news.

2. What is the machine learning technology used to do?

A．To bring newscasts up to date every hour.

B．To help AI presenters speak more fluently.

C．To keep AI presenters from making any mistakes.

D．To ensure images and sounds are like those of real persons.

3. What are some people worried about when AI presenters were launched?

A．Robots will rule over the world in the end.

B．Robots will eventually replace human all over.

C．Robots may endanger most people’s health.

D．Robots may threaten some people’s employment.

4. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．BBC has done similar experiments as Xinhua does.

B．BBC has removed the language barrier in newscasts.

C．BBC shows interest in Xinhua’s AI news presenters.

D．BBC’s news readers can explore different technologies.

7 . I must have always known reading was very important because the first memories I had as a child dealt with books. There was not one night that I don’t remember mom reading me a storybook by my bedside. I was extremely inspired by the elegant way the words sounded.

I always wanted to know what my mom was reading. Hearing mom say “I can’t believe what’s printed in the newspaper this morning” made me want to grab it out of her hands and read it myself. I wanted to be like my mom and know all of the things she knew. So I carried around a book, and each night, just to be like her. I would pretend to be reading.

This is how everyone learned to read. We would start off with sentences, then paragraphs, and then stories. It seemed an unending journey, but even as a six-year-old girl I realized that knowing how to read could open many doors. When mom said “The C-A-N-D-Y is hidden on the top shelf”, I knew where the candy was. My progress in reading raised my curiosity, and I wanted to know everything. I often found myself telling my mom to drive more slowly, so that I could read all of the road signs we passed.

Most of my reading through primary, middle and high school was factual reading. I read for knowledge, and to make A’s on my tests. Occasionally, I would read a novel that was assigned, but I didn’t enjoy this type of reading. I liked facts, things that are concrete. I thought anything abstract left too much room for argument.

Yet, now that I’m growing and the world I once knew as being so simple is becoming more complex I find myself needing a way to escape. By opening a novel, I can leave behind my burdens and enter into a wonderful and mysterious world where I am now a new character. In these worlds I can become anyone. I don’t have to write down what happened or what technique the author was using when he or she wrote this. I just read to relax.

We’re taught to read because it’s necessary for much of human understanding. Reading is a vital part of my life. Reading satisfies my desire to keep learning. And I’ve found that the possibilities that lie within books are limitless.

1. Why did the author want to take the newspaper suddenly out of mom’s hands?

A．She was dying to know what had happened.

B．She wanted mom to read the news to her.

C．She couldn’t wait to destroy the newspaper.

D．She couldn’t help but stop mom from reading.

2. What does the author’s reading of road signs show according to paragraph 3?

A．Her special way to find a place.

B．Her eagerness to develop her reading ability.

C．Her effort to remind mom to respect traffic rules.

D．Her growing desire to know the world around her.

3. What does the author think of novel reading?

A．A way to develop a love for learning.	B．A way to create a mysterious land
C．A way to get away from a confusing world.	D．A way to learn about the adult world.

4. What could be the best title for the passage?

A．The Methods of Reading	B．Growing Up with Reading
C．The Process of Reading	D．Reading Makes a Full Man

8 . Some people say he is a hero. Some people say he is stupid. Emmanuel Tulor thinks he did the _______ thing. The 18-year-old from Liberia found $50,000 on the highway. He gave it back to the _______ . Life in Liberia isn't _______ . The country went through 14 years of civil wars. Tulor dropped out of school in seventh grade and started driving a motorcycle taxi to _______ money. One day, he was _______ on the highway when he saw a bunch of money wrapped in a plastic bag. It had been _______ on the road unnoticed. There were thousands of dollars inside. “I was _______ because it was plenty.” he said, “and so I brought it home and gave it to my aunty to _______ until the owner could ask for it.”

That day, Musu Yancy, the businesswoman who had lost the money, went on the radio _______ for her money and appealing to anyone who found the money to return it. So he took it to her. Yancy gave him a(n) ________ of cash and some gifts, which was worth about $1, 500 in all. Yancy celebrated with Tulor.

Tulor said that while many Liberians are praising his actions, others couldn't ________ him. They said it might be a better ________ for him to save the money; they said Tulor should let the money help himself.”

Tulor ________ thinks he made the right choice. He thinks people should ________ lost things and the cash they find. Tulor planned to ________ the gifts with some people who were with him when he found the cash. “But the cash I got will be given to my grandma.” he said.

1.

A．strange

B．foolish

C．right

D．wrong

2.

A．owner

B．police

C．person

D．school

3.

A．hard

B．poor

C．happy

D．easy

4.

A．borrow

B．pick

C．produce

D．make

5.

A．wandering

B．approaching

C．driving

D．parading

6.

A．dropped

B．placed

C．buried

D．forgotten

7.

A．shocked

B．excited

C．content

D．curious

8.

A．check

B．donate

C．hide

D．keep

9.

A．shouting

B．crying

C．arguing

D．complaining

10.

A．award

B．room

C．reward

D．prize

11.

A．help

B．understand

C．save

D．recognize

12.

A．opportunity

B．target

C．choice

D．tradition

13.

A．only

B．still

C．seldom

D．even

14.

A．ignore

B．seek

C．return

D．report

15.

A．share

B．accept

C．tolerate

D．purchase

9 . Recently scientists have announced some good news: Several important tuna (金枪鱼) species have stepped back from the edge of extinction.

Two bluefin tuna species, a yellowfin, and an albacore are no. longer seriously endangered or have moved off the leading international list of endangered species entirely.

The unexpectedly fast recovery speaks to the success of efforts over the past decade to end overfishing. But tuna are not the only species scientists are thinking carefully at the 2021 World Conservation Congress in Marseille, France, which is organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Researchers warn that many other sea species continued to be imperiled. For example, more than a third of the world’s sharks are still threatened with extinction due to overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change.

“I think the good news is that sustainable (可持续的) fishing industry is possible,” says Beth Polidoro, a biologist at Arizona State University. “We can eat fish without reducing the population to the point where it is on the road to dying out or extinction.” At the same time, she warns that the recovery should not encourage us to catch as many fish as we want. “We need to keep doing what’s working.” Polidoro adds.

The IUCN, which determines the world’s most endangered species on its Red List of Threatened Species, also announced at the meeting that some animals are moving in the other direction, onto the Red List. Like the Komodo dragon, an lizard (蜥蜴), it is at particular risk from climate change.

Of course, the work of protection is never over, and it will require close and continuous attention to make sure neither tuna nor Komodo dragons return to the edge of dying out. But for now, people can celebrate a few wins for the animal world.

1. What is the good news about tuna?

A．They have been removed from the list of endangered species.

B．The fishing of tuna has been put to an end completely.

C．The population of some tuna species has recovered.

D．The number of some tuna species increases slowly.

2. What does the underlined word “imperiled” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Dangerous.	B．Sustainable.
C．Disappointing.	D．Endangered.

3. Why does the writer mention “the Komodo dragon” in paragraph 5?

A．To introduce a topic.	B．To make a comparison.
C．To explain an idea.	D．To give an example.

4. What is the writer s attitude towards the recovery of the tuna species?

A．Positive.

B．Concerned.

C．Critical.

D．Doubtful.