1 . Top Family Vacation Destinations Everyone Will Love

Think of taking a vacation and need some inspiration for where to travel? We have you covered. Here are some of our top picks for kid-friendly destinations.

Anaheim, California

California is a great family vacation destination that you will remember forever. Additionally, there are many other places to visit around the Anaheim area besides Disneyland Park. Other attractions like Knott’s Berry Farm, a water park and museums are close by as well, so you are sure to have lots of family adventures.

Panama City, Florida

If you’re looking for some family beach fun, why not try Panama City in Florida? You’ll find white sand and a beautiful tropical climate. It is the perfect place to relax and enjoy yourself.

Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria

One of our top family vacation destinations outside of the United States is Salzburg. You can visit Mozart’s home and catch a concert show. Or, if you’re looking for a snowy outdoor adventure, then Austria is also a great place to go during the right time of year. Austria has some great family hotels. Some even offer baby monitors and child care available.

Dublin, Ireland

If you’re looking for peace and quiet, and beautiful surroundings, why not go to Dublin? It’s a place where your kids can run around wild and free and it also has a romantic feel. There are attractions to visit as well, such as Clara Lara Amusement Park, located in the Wicklow mountains and many other outdoor activities kids can take part in.
1. Which of the following destinations is suitable for kids fond of coastal life?

A．Anaheim, California.	B．Panama City, Florida.
C．Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria.	D．Dublin, Ireland.

2. What makes Salzburg, Austrian Alps, Austria special?

A．White sand.

B．Wildlife.

C．Music.

D．Water.

3. What do Anaheim and Dublin have in common?

A．They both feature theme parks.

B．They both offer child care service.

C．They are both perfect places for museum lovers.

D．They both provide visitors with a romantic feeling.

2 . There were two fishermen named Tom and Jack. They were close friends. One day they went out to catch fish together and have a fish meal in the field. They sat at a distance and started hunting for fish. Tom got a big and beautiful fish in a few minutes. He was so happy and placed the fish in the ice box. He decided to cook the fish at noon. He spent some more time and caught a few more fish. He decided to make a grand meal with the fish. Also, he froze a few fish to take them back home.

After an hour or so, Tom went to Jack to see if he needed any help. Jack said no. In a few minutes, Jack caught a large fish. However, he put it back into the lake. Tom was surprised at his act, but he remained silent. Jack caught more big fish, and put them all back into the lake. Very frustrated, Tom angrily asked him, “Are you mad? Why do you put your fish back into the water? They are beautiful and big!” Jack replied, “I know they are big, but I don’t have the big pan to cook the big fish! So I’m looking for a smaller fish that fits my cooking pan! God is troubling me today.”

1. What did Tom and Jack go out for?

A．To catch fish.	B．To have a joy ride.
C．To eat out together.	D．To feed the fish in the lake.

2. What did Tom want to do when he went to his friend?

A．To give him some fish.	B．To see if he needed some help.
C．To ask him to cook his fish.	D．To take some of Jack’s fish for himself.

3. Why was Tom angry with his friend?

A．He couldn’t understand his act.	B．He was fond of eating big fish.
C．He thought it was unfair for small fish.	D．He didn’t catch any big fish himself.

4. What would be Tom’s advice for his friend at the end of the story?

A．Asking God to send him only small fish.	B．Taking a bigger pan with him next time.
C．Changing his fishing pole to catch small fish.	D．Cutting the big fish into small pieces to fit his pan.

3 . Are you troubled by housework, such as cleaning tables or tidying your room? Do you need a helping hand? Recently, the robot Mobile Aloha made by scientists at Stanford University in the US became popular online. In the videos posted, we can see the robot preparing dishes on its own. It’s also good at watering plants, petting cats, cleaning the floor and washing clothes.

Sounds good? Well, another video posted by researchers may disappoint some people. Mobile Aloha isn’t good at doing housework on its own. Instead, it learns from human actions before doing each kind of housework. When the situation changes, it can’t work well without a human “teaching” it. So it may break dishes, bump into (撞上) things and even burn a pot.

The robot can successfully move chairs 80 percent of the time, said the team after they did more research on it. For cooking dishes, it’s only 40 percent. In short, it’s far from perfect.

In fact, AI robots are good at tasks such as math and playing chess, but they face challenges when it comes to simpler actions like cleaning. And it’s the same for Mobile Aloha. For example, if its body doesn’t move correctly — even just with a small mistake, its arm may move too far to pick up a glass.

“Robots are not ready to take over the world,” the team posted online.
1. How does the writer begin the passage?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By asking questions.
C．By showing a finding.	D．By imagining a scene.

2. What is the function of the numbers in Paragraph 3?

A．To show the latest findings of the team.

B．To prove that robots can do nothing right.

C．To support an opinion that robots are far from perfect.

D．To explain the main function of Mobile Aloha is moving chairs.

3. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The importance of robots to the world.	B．The latest research on robots.
C．Some disadvantages of robots.	D．Some ways to produce perfect robots.

4. In which part of the newspaper can we read the passage?

A．EDUCATION.

B．CULTURE.

C．PEOPLE.

D．TECHNOLOGY.

4 . I believe that we can have an important influence on anyone we meet. The right words at just the right time could _______ someone’s life.

When I was three years old, my parents discovered I was deaf. After asking many doctors and parents of other deaf children, they decided to put me in a normal _______.

On my first day, the other kids made fun of me _______ my hearing aid (助听器) and the way I talked. _______ I seemed outgoing and happy, my self-esteem (自尊) was quite low. I _______ myself as an ugly kid.

Mrs. Jordan, my teacher changed all of that with a _______ three-word phrase.

One morning she asked the class a question. I read her lips and raised my hand right away. She called on me. I took a deep breath and _______ answered Mrs. Jordan’s question.

I will never forget what _______ next. Mrs. Jordan pointed directly at me. With shining eyes and a big smile, she cried, “That’s right, Stephen!”

For the first time in my young life, my confidence soared (自信增强) like _______ before.

At that moment, I decided that no matter how many ________ I may face, I can overcome them. Just from those three simple words, my whole life was changed.

1.

A．finish

B．stop

C．change

D．create

2.

A．yard

B．house

C．community

D．school

3.

A．because of

B．with the help of

C．instead of

D．except for

4.

A．Unless

B．Although

C．When

D．Whether

5.

A．turned down

B．thought of

C．took after

D．brought up

6.

A．long

B．useless

C．simple

D．last

7.

A．nervously

B．angrily

C．recently

D．sadly

8.

A．caused

B．happened

C．discussed

D．explained

9.

A．ever

B．always

C．often

D．never

10.

A．successes

B．messages

C．difficulties

D．situations

5 . Young babies make many short and word-like sounds such as “ba” or “aga”. Those early sounds are later replaced with words and, eventually, sentences. While some of them are born to be more talkative than others, a new study confirms that male babies make more sounds than female babies in the first year.

While the research confirms earlier findings from a much smaller study by the same team, they still come as a surprise. That’s because there’s a common and long-held belief that females have an advantage over males in language.

In the study, Dr Kim and his team included more than 450,000 hours of all-day recordings of 5,899 babies, using a device about the size of an iPod. Those recordings were processed to count the number of words spoken by babies and adults across the first two years of life.

Generally, the data showed that male babies made 10% more sounds in the first year compared to females. In the second year, the difference turned directions, with female babies making about 7% more sounds than males. Those differences were observed even though the number of words spoken by adults caring for those babies was higher for female babies in both years compared to males.

Why, then, would male babies be more talkative than females in the first year and not later? “We think it may be because boys are more likely to die in the first year than girls. Given that so many male deaths happen in the first year, boys may have been under especially high selection pressure to produce fitness signals to express their wellness and improve their chances of surviving,” says Kim. By the second year of life, as death rates drop sharply across the board, he added, “the pressure on special fitness signaling is lower for both boys and girls.”

1. Why are the findings of the new study surprising?

A．They are similar to earlier ones.

B．They show males are more talkative.

C．They go against people’s common belief.

D．They show babies learn language differently

2. What did the study find about male babies in the second year?

A．They received more language input.

B．They showed better language abilities.

C．They communicated more with adults.

D．They made less sounds than female babies.

3. What might cause the change in sound production for male babies?

A．Improved language skills.	B．Change in living environment.
C．Less need for fitness signaling.	D．Increase in social communication.

6 . One day, a woman bought a parrot (鹦鹉) from a pet store. However, the woman decided to send the parrot back to the store the next day. “This bird doesn’t talk,” she told the pet store owner. “Does he have a mirror?” the owner asked. “Parrots enjoy watching themselves in it.” So the woman bought one and left.

The next day, she came back, saying that the bird still didn’t say anything. “How about a ladder (梯子)? Parrots love ladders,” the owner said. The woman bought a ladder and left.

But the next day, she went back a third time. “Does your parrot have a swing (秋千)? No? Well, once he starts swinging, he’ll talk a lot happily,” the owner said. The woman then bought a swing and left.

When she walked into the store the next day, she began to cry and said sadly, “The parrot died.” The pet store owner was surprised at what she said. “What? I’m sorry. Tell me, did he say anything?” he asked. “Yes, right before he died,” the woman answered in a low voice, “he asked me weakly, ‘Don’t they sell any food at that pet store?’”

Sometimes we forget what’s really necessary in life. We sometimes have lots of things to do at once, but we forget to do with the most important things first. We have to remember to “feed the parrots” in our lives.

1. The woman bought ______ for the parrot from the pet shop owner.
①a cage   ②a mirror   ③a ladder   ④a swing ⑤some food

A．①②⑤

B．②③④

C．①②③

D．②③

2. The woman went back to the store for ______ times.

A．one

B．two

C．three

D．four

3. The parrot died because ______.

A．the woman gave him nothing to eat	B．he couldn’t enjoy himself in the mirror
C．he couldn’t fly in the sky like others	D．the woman was angry and killed him

4. In our real life, the words “to feed the parrots” refer to “______”.

A．喂养鹦鹉

B．放飞鹦鹉

C．做最重要的事情

D．让鹦鹉唱歌

7 . Have you ever heard of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”? Well, in Chinese, we have an expression called “yi mao qu ren”.

Imagine you meet someone new at school. They might look different from you in hair, clothes, or looks. It’s important not to make any judgments about them just because of how they look.

Sometimes, people make a mistake by judging others by their looks. They might think someone is mean or unfriendly just because they have a serious face or wear unusual clothes. But what meets the eye isn’t always the truth!

In fact, people are like books with many, many pages. We need to read more and more pages to understand them. That means getting to know them, talking to them, and learning about their interests and personalities.

Think about your best friends. When you met them at early time, you might not have known they would become your best friends. But as you spent time together and got to know each other, you realized how amazing they are.

By not judging people by their looks, we open our hearts to new people in our lives. We start to understand and treasure the distinctions between us, like different cultures, backgrounds, and ways of thinking.

So, let’s keep an open mind and be nice to everyone we meet. Let’s treat others with kindness and fairness, no matter how they look. When we do that, we make a world where everyone feels important and accepted for who they are. After all, the most amazing things are hidden—within every one of us!

1. How does the writer begin the text?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By showing a saying.
C．By giving an example.	D．By making an expectation.

2. Which word is close in meaning to the underlined word “distinctions”?

A．Cultures.

B．Differences.

C．Successes.

D．Advantages.

3. How should we treat others according to the writer?

A．With a happy mind.	B．With a serious face.
C．With kindness and fairness.	D．With some doubts.

4. Which can be a proper title for the text?

A．Try to Read More Books	B．Try to Understand Others Better
C．Don’t Be Unfriendly to Others	D．Don’t Judge People by Their Looks

8 . It is necessary for students to learn some team skills like developing relationships, communicating well with others and solving problems. Here are two fun team activities.

Activity 1: Water Relay (接力赛)

Tools

Two large buckets (水桶) to hold water

One small bucket for each team member

Instructions

Fill one large bucket with water.

Make holes in the bottom of the small buckets.

Have the team members line up between the two large buckets.

Pass the water from one large bucket to the other, using small buckets. Try to keep as much water as possible.

Why It’s Fun

It’s fun to work out a way to lose as little water as possible. It’s water. Isn’t it fun to get you wet on a hot summer day?

Activity 2: Truth and Lie

This activity will allow team members to learn about each other.

Instructions

Have each team member think of three pieces of information about themselves, and one of them is a lie. Each team member tells the group all the three pieces of information. Let the other team members guess which is the lie.

Why It’s Fun

Students love talking about themselves and this gives them the chance to do so.

Members can learn about each other.

Members will be surprised at what others think of them.

1. What tools are needed for each team in Water Relay?

A．One large bucket for each member.

B．Two large buckets for each member.

C．Two large buckets and one small bucket for each member.

D．Two small buckets for each member and one large bucket.

2. How can the team win Water Relay?

A．Get themselves wet.	B．Keep as much water as possible.
C．Pass the water as slowly as possible.	D．Pass the large bucket to the other team.

3. Why is it fun to play Truth and Lie?

A．Because the team can have a chance to talk about themselves.

B．Because the team can share love with each other.

C．Because the team can tell lies.

D．Because the team can learn all the information.

4. Where is the passage most probably from?

A．A science book.	B．A travel guide.
C．A fashion magazine.	D．A school magazine.

9 . One day, Sue argued with her mother. She left home without saying a word. _________ she left in a hurry, she didn’t take any money.

When she saw a noodle shop, she suddenly felt _________. The shop owner saw her standing outside and asked her if she would like a bowl of noodles. She nodded but then she said that she didn’t have money.

“Don’t worry. I’ll _________ you,” the shop owner said. A few minutes later, he brought _________ a bowl of noodles. Sue cried.

“What’s wrong?” the shop owner asked.

“I am touched by your kindness. Even a _________ can give me a bowl of noodles, but my mother often argues with me. I hate her!”

“Girl, why do you think so? Think again. I _________ gave you a bowl of noodles and you were touched. Your mother has raised you since you were born. Why aren’t you grateful (感激的)?”

Sue was surprised after _________ that.

On the way home, Sue thought over. She stopped in front of the door and saw her _________ worried and tired after looking for her everywhere. When she saw Sue come back home, she was overjoyed. “Are you hungry? I cooked supper. Come to _________ while it is still hot.”

Sue couldn’t control herself. She cried and hugged her mother.

In our life, it is __________ for us to appreciate the small actions of strangers. But for the relatives, especially our parents, we see their sacrifices (牺牲) as a matter of course.

1.

A．Because

B．If

C．Although

D．Unless

2.

A．thirsty

B．cold

C．hungry

D．sleepy

3.

A．leave

B．call

C．borrow

D．treat

4.

A．you

B．me

C．her

D．him

5.

A．child

B．friend

C．relative

D．stranger

6.

A．even

B．never

C．often

D．just

7.

A．seeing

B．tasting

C．hearing

D．touching

8.

A．sister

B．mother

C．father

D．brother

9.

A．sleep

B．drink

C．eat

D．play

10.

A．unusual

B．strange

C．difficult

D．easy

10 . The campaign to reduce food waste is in its third week, and we’re already seeing some great results. We’d like every student and teacher to join in the campaign, so if you haven’t started yet, read our blog and join in!

Stop wasting food at school.

“The children are making a big effort to think in a sensible way about the food they put on their plates. We now have about 15% less waste and we think this percentage grows as more children join in the campaign,” school lunch director Marge Kaplan said. The school canteen now offers two portion (份) sizes for all main meals: small and large. This week they’ll replace single bread rolls with slices of bread. You can take as many slices as you want, but one at a time.

Latest news!

From next week you’ll be able to put any waste from fresh fruit and vegetables into the special green bin at the back of the canteen. Miss Norris, the school gardener, will empty the bin each day into a giant compost (堆肥) container in the school’s vegetable garden. That can be used to improve the quality of soils.

Stop wasting food at home.

Every year, we waste about a third of our food. In the UK, more than 97% of food waste ends up in a landfill (废物填埋) site. That’s a lot! Come to a special meeting with supermarket owner Carlos Rodriguez to learn how we can save food and money at home!

Campaign meeting!

When: Friday 12 May, 5-6 p. m.

Where: School hall

What: Top tips on how to store food, measure sensible portion sizes and cook tasty meals from leftovers

Students and families are welcome!

1. What change was made in the school canteen to reduce food waste?

A．Offering only healthy meals.	B．Serving meals in reusable containers.
C．Releasing some new punishment rules.	D．Introducing two sizes for main meals.

2. What will the school do with waste from fresh fruit and vegetables?

A．Donate it to food banks.	B．Improve the quality of soils.
C．Send it to recycling.	D．Feed school pets.

3. What is the purpose of the meeting with Carlos Rodriguez?

A．To plan a landfill visit.	B．To discuss the environmental impact.
C．To teach saving food and money.	D．To introduce new recycling ways.

4. Where is probably the passage taken from?

A．The Internet.

B．A textbook.

C．A research report.

D．A storybook.