1 . It’s school time again! You’re probably feeling excited and maybe a little sad that summer is over. Some kids feel nervous or a little scared on the first day of school because of all the new things: new teachers, new friends, and even a new school. Luckily, these “new” worries only stick around for a little while. Let’s find out more about going to a new school.
Most teachers kick off the new school year by introducing themselves and talking about all the stuff you’ll be doing that year. Some teachers give students a chance to tell something about themselves to the rest of the class, too. When teachers do the talking on the first day, they often go over classroom rules and school rules so you’ll know what’s allowed and what’s not. Please pay close attention.
You might already know a lot of people in your classes on the first day, but it’s a great day to make a new friend, so try to say hello to kids you know and new ones that you don’t. Make the first move and you’ll be glad you did, and so will your new friend!
Seeing friends you haven’t seen for some time can make the first day a good one. You can make the day feel special by wearing clothes that you really like. Maybe you got a great T-shirt on one of your vacations, or a pair of sneakers (运动鞋). It also can make you feel good to be prepared and have all the things you need, such as pencils, folders, and whatever else you’ll be needing. But make sure that you pack them the night before in case you don’t have time in the morning.
1. The underlined phrase “kick off” in the second paragraph probably means “________”.| A．start | B．study | C．find | D．learn |
| A．what to know about a new school | B．how to prepare for a new school |
| C．what to do on your first day of school | D．how to spend your first day of school |
| A．introduce yourself | B．learn about the school rules |
| C．make new friends | D．go over your lessons |
| A．nervous | B．mad | C．happy | D．upset |
2 . Charlie Chaplin, British comedian, producer, writer, director and composer, is widely regarded as the greatest comic artist of the screen and one of the most important figures in the film history.
Chaplin was named after his father, a British entertainer. He spent his early childhood with his mother, the singer Hannah Hall, after she and his father separated, and took the place of his mentally unstable mother to appear on the stage. However, he and his mother soon separated from each other because the sick Hall was sent to a hospital. Then, Charlie was sent to a series of boarding schools.
Using his mother’s show-business contacts, Charlie became a professional entertainer in 1897 when he joined the Eight Lancashire Lads, a dancing act.
His early stage characters include a small role in William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes (1899). While touring America with the Karno company in 1913, Chaplin was signed to appear in Mack Sennett’s Keystone comedy films. Though Making a Living (1914) was not the failure that historians have claimed, Chaplin’s first screen character did not show him to best advantage.
To come up with a more-workable screen image, Chaplin created an outfit consisting of a too-small coat, too-large pants and a walking stick. As a finishing touch,he put on a mustache (胡子). It was in his second Keystone film, Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914), that Chaplin’s classic screen character, “the Little Tramp (流浪汉)”,was born.
In truth, Chaplin did not always portray a tramp; in many of his films his character was employed as a waiter,store clerk, stagehand, fireman,and the like. But the Tramp’s attraction was universal: audiences loved his cheekiness (厚脸皮), unexpected bravery and especially his recovery in the face of difficulties which moved the audience most. Some historians have traced the Tramp’s origins to Chaplin’s Dickensian childhood, while others have suggested that the character had its roots in the motto (座右铭) of Chaplin’s teacher, Fred Karno: “Keep it eager, gentlemen, keep it eager.” Whatever the case, within months after his movie was on, Chaplin was the screen’s biggest star.
1. Which word best describes Chaplin’s early life?| A．Carefree. | B．Struggling. | C．Simple. | D．Boring. |
| A．His further study in an art school. |
| B．His performances in another country. |
| C．His mother’s serious health problem. |
| D．His father’s disapproval of their meeting. |
| A．His early works. | B．His main character. |
| C．The reasons for his success. | D．His relationship with others. |
| A．His action with a walking stick. |
| B．His unique and serious appearance. |
| C．His special learning experience. |
| D．His ability to recover from difficulties. |
3 . When I was a boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1960s, we had a milkman delivering milk to our doorstep. His name was Mr. Basille. He wore a white cap and drove a white truck. As a 5-year-old boy, I couldn’t take my eyes off the coin changer fixed to his belt. He noticed this one day during a delivery and gave me a quarter out of his coin changer.
Of course, he delivered more than milk. There was cheese, eggs and so on. If we needed to change our order, my mother would pen a note — “Please add a bottle of buttermilk next delivery” — and place it in the box along with the empty bottles. And then, the buttermilk would magically (魔术般) appear.
All of this was about more than convenience. There existed a close relationship between families and their milkmen. Mr. Basille even had a key to our house, for those times when it was so cold outside that we put the box indoors, so that the milk wouldn’t freeze. And I remember Mr. Basille from time to time taking a break at our kitchen table, having a cup of tea and telling stories about his delivery.
There is sadly no home milk delivery today. Big companies allowed the production of cheaper milk, thus making it difficult for milkmen to compete. Besides, milk is for sale everywhere, and it may just not have been practical to have a delivery service.
Recently, an old milk box in the countryside I saw brought back my childhood memories. I took it home and planted it on the back porch (门廊) . Every so often my son’s friends will ask what it is. So I start telling stories of my boyhood, and of the milkman who brought us friendship along with his milk.
1. Mr. Basille gave the boy a quarter out of his coin changer to __________.| A．show his magical power | B．pay for the delivery |
| C．satisfy his curiosity | D．please his mother |
| A．He wanted to have tea there. | B．He was a respectable person. |
| C．He was treated as a family member. | D．He was fully trusted by the family. |
| A．Nobody wants to be a milkman now. | B．It has been driven out of the market. |
| C．Its service is getting poor. | D．It is not allowed by law. |
| A．He missed the good old days. | B．He wanted to tell interesting stories. |
| C．He needed it for his milk bottles. | D．He planted flowers in it. |
4 . I’m a strong believer in learning different languages, which makes you look incredibly good when you’re in a foreign country and can understand and speak the language. The following are 4 apps that will help you learn a foreign language! You can download them for free.
Babbel
Babbel’s lessons are mainly quiz-styled and use audio, pictures and words to help you with the grammar and vocabulary of your chosen language. It helps you use most of the skills needed to learn a language. Your skills are improved by carrying out different tasks, such as completing sentences with missing words, translating, placing words in order and so on.
FluentU
FluentU takes native language content like music videos, news and inspiring talks and turns them into language learning lessons. The videos all make use of interactive (交互的) subtitles (字幕) to ensure understanding, allow users to save material for later review, and make the experience more enjoyable. Clicking on a word or phrase brings up extra information, including example sentences and other video clips that use the language item.
Tandem
Rather than have you work through tasks and memorise different things, the app matches you up with people who share your interests but speak the language you want to learn. You can then have text, voice and video conversations with people to learn their native language, and in return they can learn yours, all by simply communicating with each other.
Busuu
This app is perfect if you want to learn English. There are all sorts of audio and visual learning aids. You’ll find yourself working through interactive tests and learning tools for the vocabulary and dialogue.
1. Which app suits you best if you want to learn through communication?| A．Babbel. | B．FluentU. | C．Tandem. | D．Busuu. |
| A．They cover all languages. | B．They focus on grammar. |
| C．They contain many tests. | D．They are free to download. |
| A．To sell apps to language learners. | B．To teach languages through apps. |
| C．To introduce language learning apps. | D．To teach language learners to use apps. |
5 . Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal, or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.
Different cultures emphasise the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example,business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work,it is necessary to spend a lot of time in“small talk”, usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job. In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office.
Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand. I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled. After getting to know their ways better, I realised that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.
Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.
People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a better chance to us to understand and learn from each other.
1. What’s the benefit of eating together at restaurants in some countries according to this passage?| A．People can develop closer relations. | B．People can share the same culture. |
| C．People can get to know each other. | D．People can keep each other company. |
| A．To show the English prefer to make long speeches. |
| B．To show too many words are of no use. |
| C．To show people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature. |
| D．To show even talk and silence can be culturally different. |
| A．By sharing different ways of life. | B．By accepting different habits. |
| C．By recognising different values. | D．By speaking each other’s languages. |
| A．Multicultural Environment | B．Cross-cultural Differences |
| C．How to Understand Each Other | D．How to Build up a Relationship |
6 . Harper Lee (1926—2016) was an American novelist widely known for To Kill a Mockingbird (published in 1960), which won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American literature. The 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck won three Academy Awards.
For decades, the book was Lee’s only major work of published fiction, but it was hugely influential for generations of U.S. readers. It has sold more than 10 million copies, and is one of the most widely taught novels in the U.S. schools. In 2007 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to literature.
Lee wanted to live a simple life and was never comfortable with the attention the novel won her, and she practically disappeared from public life after it appeared. The world, however, continued waiting for a new novel from her, and on occasion she suggested that she was working on another story.
In 2015, a book did come out. Go Set a Watchman was more of a first draft, featuring Scout, the young girl who was the main character of To Kill a Mockingbird. Go Set a Watchman tells a story of Scout as adult.
Though Lee moved to New York in 1949, she spent many years guarding her privacy (隐私) in Monroeville, which served as the clear inspiration for the setting in To Kill a Mockingbird.
In 2007, Lee suffered a stroke (中风), but recovered and later settled in Monroeville permanently to care for her sister, Alice, who died in 2014. She was said to eat breakfast every morning at the same fast-food spot, and was friendly with her neighbors. The countless Americans knew her only through her works, and they will undoubtedly miss her.
1. What can be learned about Harper Lee from the first two paragraphs?| A．She was regarded as the greatest writer in America. |
| B．She made great contributions to American literature. |
| C．She once starred in a film adapted from her own novel. |
| D．She is the most popular writer in American schools in history. |
| A．She tried to get out of criticism. |
| B．She wanted to write another novel. |
| C．She suffered a stroke and was in recovery. |
| D．She felt uneasy about her novel’s influence. |
| A．It is based on her own life story. | B．It is adapted into a famous film. |
| C．It won her lots of honors and awards. | D．It continues the story of her earlier novel. |
| A．Influential but simple. | B．Ill-tempered but productive. |
| C．Caring but stubborn. | D．Inspiring but struggling. |
7 . Living a healthy lifestyle lies in forming the right eating habits. Here are some of the good habits you can develop when it comes to healthy eating.
Drink plenty of water. You must drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. You may need even more water if you are in a hot environment or if you are exercising.
Eat breakfast.Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A recent study has shown that those who eat breakfast will consume an average of 100 calories more during the day than their colleagues (同事) who skipped breakfast. They will also be able to concentrate better.
Don’t skip lunch. If you do so, your blood sugar level will drop and your metabolism (新陈代谢) will slow down. When you get home you are starving and eat everything you can find.
We all need to snack from time to time, but please choose your snacks carefully. In fact, it’s a good idea to eat two healthy snacks besides your three main meals. Choose healthy snacks like fruits and vegetables, low fat yogurt, cottage cheese with apple sauce, and so on.
Eat your fruits and vegetables. We should eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Take a piece of fruit for a snack, add some banana and raisins to your favourite breakfast cereal (谷类食品), have a salad with lunch, and eat at least one vegetable at dinner each night.
Do not eat your dinner too late. Try to eat dinner at least 3 hours before you go to bed. This will give your body a chance to digest most of the food before you rest for the next 8 hours. Plan dinner for the week ahead of time and make sure you have everything you need in the house so other family members can get ahead start on dinner if you have a late meeting at the office.
1. How many good eating habits are mentioned in the passage?| A．5. | B．6. |
| C．7. | D．8. |
| A．You should drink at least 8 glasses of water whatever the environment may be. |
| B．Breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, fruits and vegetables are equally important. |
| C．It is suggested that you eat your dinner at seven if you plan to go to bed at ten. |
| D．It is good for your health to eat fruits and vegetables at each meal every day. |
| A．dried grapes | B．peach leaves |
| C．pieces of cheese | D．peanuts |
| A．Students. | B．Office workers. |
| C．Housewives. | D．Cooks. |
8 . Born in New York in 1918, scientist Gertrude B. Elion had an impressive career, during which she developed medicines to cure many major diseases. Elion spent her early youth in Manhattan. She attended senior high school and had, in her words, an unbelievable thirst for knowledge.
Influenced by the death of her grandfather, who died of cancer, Elion entered Hunter College at the age of 15 and graduated in chemistry at the age of 19. She had difficulty finding employment after graduation because many laboratories refused to hire women chemists. She found a part-time job as a lab assistant and went back to school at New York University. Elion worked as a high school teacher for a few years after finishing work on her master’s degree.
The start of World War II created more opportunities for women. At the age of 26, Elion was able to get a job at Burroughs Welcome, where she began a 40-year partnership with Dr. George H. Hitchings. Her thirst for knowledge impressed Dr. Hitchings, and he permitted her to take on more responsibility.
Elion and Hitchings set out on a course of creating medicines by studying the chemical composition of diseased cells. Rather than relying on old trial-and-error methods, they used the differences in biochemistry between normal human cells and pathogens(病原体)to design medicines. In all, Elion obtained 45 patents on medicine and was awarded 23 honorary degrees.
In 1988, Elion received the Nobel Prize for Medicine, together with George H. Hlitchings and Sir James Black. She received other awards for her work, including the National Medal of Science in 1991, and that same year, she became the first woman to be absorbed into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. In 1997, she was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award.
1. What can we say about Elion as a high school student?| A．She had a satisfying part-time job. |
| B．She had a strong desire for learning. |
| C．She had a gift for chemistry at high school. |
| D．She made great achievements in chemistry. |
| A．To meet her grandfather’s wish. |
| B．To find a good job after graduation. |
| C．To create medicines to cure diseases. |
| D．To be a chemistry teacher in the future. |
| A．In 1944. | B．In 1937. | C．In 1933. | D．In 1984. |
| A．Her later life. | B．Her contributions. |
| C．Her interest in chemistry. | D．Her honors. |
9 . Are you fond of watching films? Does the colorful, natural, or spectacular scenery in the films attract you to travel to their locations? Although many films nowadays use many special effects, most scenes are captured in natural places, which can create lasting impressions on audiences. We have selected four beautiful film locations in China. Check them out!
Xixi National Wetland Park & If You Are the One
Lying in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, less than 5 kilometers from West Lake, Xixi National Wetland Park covers a total area of 11.5 square kilometers. It has rich ecological resources, beautiful natural scenery, and profound culture. Rivers, ponds, and lakes make up over 70 percent of the park, which is China’s first national wetland park integrating (合并) urban, agricultural, and cultural wetlands.
Great Bamboo Sea of China & Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Great Bamboo Sea of China, commonly known as the Anji Bamboo Sea, is a national 4A-level tourism attraction dominated by Moso bamboo forests located in Anji county, Huzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province. It has been recognized as the largest ecological leisure and tourism area featuring bamboo culture in southeastern China.
Moso bamboo grows all over the mountains in the scenic area, creating a magnificent landscape. The largest bamboo stalk (茎), which has been exhibited at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center, has a diameter of 17 centimeters, with most stalks having a diameter of more than 10 centimeters.
Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourism Area & Let the Bullets Fly
Located to the southwest of the Pearl River Delta in South China’s Guangdong province, Kaiping Diaolou Cultural Tourism Area is a well-known scenic spot that also serves as a base for scientific education. The magnificent and distinctive gardens, traditional and simple folk houses, and the diaolou (a multi-story folk residence) complexly joined with Chinese and Western architectural forms are wonderfully integrated with the surrounding mountains and rivers, ponds, farms, and rice fields in the tourism area.
With a long history and profound cultural resources, Kaiping Diaolou was on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007.
Wulong Karst Tourism Area & Curse of the Golden Flower
Wulong Karst Tourism Area, located in Chongqing’s Wulong district, has unique karst landscapes including three sections and also impresses visitors with distinctive folk customs of the Tujia, Miao, and Mulam ethnic groups.
The Three Natural Bridges in Wulong is a rare geological wonder of typical karst landforms and is home to three magnificent natural limestone arch bridges. They span the Yangshuihe Canyon in parallel and connect the mountains on both sides, forming an unusual landscape of “three bridges sandwiched by two pits”.
1. Who will be most interested in the places above according to the text?| A．Cyclists and tourists. | B．Film fans and outdoor enthusiasts. |
| C．Actors and geologists. | D．Educators and writers. |
| A．It offers a well-known scenic spot. |
| B．It provides wonderful Western architectural forms. |
| C．It is a rare geological wonder of typical land-forms. |
| D．It was on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007. |
| A．They are open to special events. |
| B．They enjoy convenient transportation. |
| C．They offer unique and spectacular scenery. |
| D．They are located in the same part of China. |
10 . Let’s celebrate some festivals in summer.
The Cariwest Festival
It is one of Edmonton’s most colourful summer festivals! It’s three days of fun as Caribbean Canadians share their music, cuisine and carnival culture! Local performers bring you amazing dance, music and fun. Bring Cariwest atmosphere into your home this year with these amazing online events.
Indigenous Festival
The annual Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival (SSIF) in Edmonton has done a wonderful job to make their annual off-line festival a number of online events this year because of COVID-19. The events take place from June 1 to 21. SSIF has partnered with BMO to provide Education Days for students to learn together about indigenous history. These classes for which only a small fee will be charged include art workshops, book readings and museum tours.
Bluegrass Festival
Just 45 minutes from the heart of downtown Edmonton is the town of Stony Plain that works hard to keep ties to its agricultural background, and here you’ll see old-styled lamp posts and historical wall paintings with a long history everywhere. It’s also the site of Western Canada’s largest bluegrass festival, which has been a main attraction for more than 25 years and in July every year draws in all the big names, including Grammy winners.
Cowboy Festival
You like poetry, music, art and cowboys? Then you can’t miss it. Heading into its 24th year, Cowboy Festival in Stony Plain in August is a showcase of the cowboy life. The events include good old-fashioned BBQ meals and some other entertainment.
1. What is true about SSIF?| A．It takes place in two cities. | B．It focuses on students. |
| C．It is annually held online. | D．It is free of charge. |
| A．It’s a city with modern appearance. | B．It has produced many musicians. |
| C．It has deep roots in agriculture. | D．It often hosts national festivals. |
| A．Cowboy Festival. | B．Indigenous Festival. |
| C．Bluegrass Festival. | D．The Cariwest Festival. |
