1 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and entertainment. We can find new recipes on the Internet or advice on staying healthy. We can even use it to learn a new language and connect with family and friends.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives —well, that train has left the station. This expression means there is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers.
A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in an unlikely group— teenagers. The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week online were more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney (肾) disease. It is also closely linked to some forms of dementia (痴呆), a brain disease. Dementia is marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and a reduced ability to reason.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people from 14 to 17 years old participated in it. One hundred and thirty-four of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users.” Researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure.
The lead researcher of the study is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. In a statement she said, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life but it shouldn’t consume us.” For the purpose of the study, she explains, teens considered heavy Internet users were online on “average 25 hours a week.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to take “regular breaks from their computers or smartphones” and to do some “kind of physical activity.”
1. Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
| B．There is something wrong with the train. |
| C．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| D．The train has changed its course. |
| A．will remember everything clearly | B．will change his character |
| C．will develop a brain cancer | D．can do analysis accurately |
| A．40% | B．19% | C．25% | D．7% |
| A．The Internet Does Harm to the Study. |
| B．Too Much Internet May Be Bad for Teenagers. |
| C．We Should Stop Using the Internet. |
| D．High Blood Pressure Is around the Comer. |
2 . New Zealand plans to put a price on sheep and cow burps (打嗝) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放). If the plan is passed, New Zealand will become the first country to tax (征税) farmers on each burp of their cattle, since the burps give out methane (甲烷) into the atmosphere.
“There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective emissions pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that,” Climate Change Minister James Shaw said.
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of global warming. It is reportedly responsible for at least 14.5% of the world’s emissions. Moreover, cows are by far the biggest contributors. This is so because they produce 40% of global methane when they burp, fart (放屁) and produce waste. Also, methane is 80 times more warming than CO2 although it’s shorter-lived in the atmosphere.
New Zealand, which has a population of five million people, has around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep. “Almost half the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane,” the draft plan explained.
The “burp tax” is expected to take effect in 2025. Mr. Shaw wants farming to be more environmentally friendly. He also wants farmers to change the way they farm. He wants them to feed their animals on seaweed instead of grass. This will produce fewer emissions. Mr. Shaw also said farmers can reduce the tax they pay by planting more trees. Another suggestion is for cows to wear special masks.
New Zealand’s farmers support the government. They want to do their bit to help the environment.
1. Why will cattle’s burps be taxed?| A．To raise more money. | B．To feed more cattle. |
| C．To limit cattle’s price. | D．To better the environment. |
| A．Its cows produce 40% of global methane. |
| B．Its agriculture affects greenhouse gas emissions. |
| C．It is responsible for at least 14.5% of the world’s emissions. |
| D．There is 80 times more methane than CO2. |
| A．Plant more trees. | B．Correct their way to farm. |
| C．Feed their animals on grass. | D．Wear special masks when farming. |
| A．New Zealand reducing greenhouse gas emissions |
| B．New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions and animal farming |
| C．New Zealand introducing a new tax to help the environment |
| D．New Zealand’s farmers joining in the fight against climate change |
3 . Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Men have been polluting the earth. Many years ago, the pollution was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, men moved to another place.
Air pollution is now the most serious. Air makes people sick. And lots of people now are trying to use something to clear the air. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us become angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight air pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
Although most of the pollution is caused by us, we are the ones who can change the situation. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. And we must pay more attention to the information in pollution at the same time.
1. Why was the pollution in the past less serious?| A．Because life in the past was easier. | B．Because there were not so many people. |
| C．Because men stayed in one place. | D．Because people used less coal to make fire. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Noise pollution. |
| C．Light pollution. | D．Water pollution. |
| A．Try to use something to clear the air. | B．Ask people to use public transport more. |
| C．Stop putting dirty smoke into the air. | D．Encourage people to move to another place. |
| A．To prove life is much easier today. | B．To call on us to take care of our earth. |
| C．To show the danger of pollution. | D．To introduce how to fight air pollution. |
4 . At the 2022-23 China High School Basketball League (CHBL) national Finals on May 14, sportswear giant Nike announced that it would build an environmentally friendly basketball court that uses recycled sneakers as raw materials. The court is scheduled to be completed in Guangzhou by the end of July.
Cooperating with the China School Sports Federation, Nike launched the environmental protection charity project for the CHBL 2022-23 Season. The project encourages the involvement of CHBL players’ coaches, basketball enthusiasts and consumers in the collection and recycling of old sport shoes. Through advanced technology, thrown-away sport shoes will be processed and used in the construction of the first ever CHBL-themed eco-friendly basketball court.
Over the past two months, the old sport shoes collection bins have traveled alongside the CHBL tour making stops at the four major regional tournaments held in the east, west, south and north of China. The bins have gone into schools, including Tsinghua High School in Beijing and Huipu Middle School in Taizhou Zhejiang province, spreading the spirits of CHBL and inspiring its players to become role models not only on the basketball court, but also in their everyday lives.
Famous female basketball player Han Xu has actively contributed to the collection of used shoes and expressed her support for the project through her personal social media channels. Zhang Lei, secretary general of the CSSF, says that CHBL not only assists young players and teenagers in improving their basketball skills but also promotes the development of basketball culture within campuses.
“In addition to expanding the league’s size and influence, we have also added environmental education into the program. Environmental education plays an important role in shaping society’s core values. It guides young individuals toward understanding the importance of environmental issues, forming a proper attitude on the relationship between humans and nature, and raising their environmental awareness and practices. It serves as an endless source of developing environmental consciousness throughout society.”
The construction of the eco-friendly basketball court marks a significant step in Nike’s commitment to supporting young basketball fans while putting environmental sustainability (持续性) at the first place.
1. Which is true about the basketball court mentioned?| A．It is built by Nike without any help | B．It is built out of recycled sport shoes |
| C．It has already been put into use | D．It does harm to the environment |
| A．Doubtful | B．Negative | C．Indifferent | D．Supportive |
| A．CHBL attaches great importance to environment protection. |
| B．Nike builds such a basketball court for making more money. |
| C．Only basketball players benefit from the construction of the court. |
| D．Environmental education has no connection with society’s core values. |
| A．Ways to Recycle Thrown-away Sport Shoes Effectively |
| B．The Importance of Jointly Protecting the Environment |
| C．Eco-friendly Basketball Court to be Completed in Guangzhou |
| D．The Benefits of Living in Harmony with Nature for Humans |
5 . Like flavors of ice cream, people have different tastes and preferences for music. You need to map out your playlist based on the theme of your essay. Here are a few film scores for different themes, you can decide which is the best music for writing:
Nutmeg by Alexandre Desplat
Fear Will Find You by Hans Zimmer
The Station Inspector by Howard Shore
If you are a student writing a reflection paper about a movie your teacher asked you to watch, listening to its film score would get your creative juices flowing. Besides, you can even add what you feel about the music and its impact on the movie. So less work for you and more additional points on your paper.
Some would be happy to listen to anything while others are more specific. For example, there are people who would happily listen to any music while some are more particular and prefer classical music to jazz. If you are one of them, here are a few classical pieces you can listen to while writing:
Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 by Fritz Kreisler
The Gadfly Suite, Op. 97a: VIII. Romance by Dmitri Shostakovich
The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
The number one problem that writers complain about is writer’s block. Even if you are not a professional and just writing a 2000-word research paper, you can still experience writer’s block and not know how to get started. With that, here are a few songs to get you all pumped up to write:
Iron Maiden’s by The Trooper
Run Boy Run by Woodkid
Knights of Cydonia by Muse
If popular songs are not your thing, then you can just listen to famous scores from movies.
1. Which is classical music?| A．Nutmeg. | B．Run Boy Run. |
| C．Iron Maiden’s. | D．The Lark Ascending. |
| A．Hans Zimmer. | B．Howard Shore. |
| C．Muse. | D．Fritz Kreisler. |
| A．Listen to famous songs from movies. |
| B．Listen to songs recommended by others. |
| C．Listen to songs sung by famous singers. |
| D．Listen to songs created by famous artists. |
6 . My Father, the Family Man
This year, my seasonal depression took me deeperssion the past, and a new portrait of my father came into my mind. He was a sometimes difficult, always determined man.
In my early memories, I was sitting at the kitchen table listening to my father yelling (叫嚷) about his challenges as an Italian immigrant. Back then, I couldn’t have known his pain as he struggled to find his footing in this new land.
“We left Italy to give you three girls more opportunities for a better life,” he said. “But we’d had a shaky start. The apartment your aunt had secured for us fell through at the last minute. It went to someone without children. So the five of us moved into your aunt’s living room.”
Bills mounted up. “And then I saw your mother’s face was as white as a sheet.” He said bitterly but soon stared down at the table to compose himself. “And the baby was crying. I worried that the houseowner would come knocking on the door.”
Dad jumped to the end of his story, “What more can I say? I went looking for a job. I found one.”
Armed with a few English phrases and determination, he’d walked for miles in a city he didn’t know, stopping at every hair salon, asking for a chance to show his skills as a hair stylist, his profession and passion. That’s what he’d been doing all day, supporting for his family.
Forty years later in Toronto, he sat at the table, asking if I thought he’d provided well for his family. I answered. His eyes watered. Mine did, too.
1. What did the author think of her father in the early years?| A．The father left Italy for a better job. |
| B．He was moved by his father’s story. |
| C．The father’s early struggle was in vain. |
| D．He didn’t realize his father’s difficulties. |
| A．Show off. | B．Cheer up. | C．Calm down. | D．Make up. |
| A．The father had a big family to support. |
| B．The author’s eyes watered for her childhood. |
| C．The father and daughter misunderstood each other. |
| D．The father learned to be a hair stylist in Toronto. |
7 . Bored? Lonely? Out of condition? Need to relax? Why not try the SPORT CENTER?
TENNIS
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SKIING
Gentle slopes. Instructors of 3levels at weekends and Fridays. Daytime practice. 8 years upwards.
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2 pools, heated, Olympic length. Women: Tuesday and Thursday. Men: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Children: Saturday.
GOLF
9- hole practice course. Professional Coaching. Lessons must be booked in advance in daytime. Evening practice. Minimum (最小的) age — 9 years.
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Maximum (最大的) age—18 years. Children aged 5—10. Monday and Wednesdays. 4:00—6:00 p.m. 10—18 year-old. Friday evenings.
AND MUCH MORE
Table Tennis, Snooker (台球), Darts (标枪), Café (all day), Bar (lunch time and evenings), Nursery (weekdays and weekends, not evenings). Centre open 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. Daily. Interested? More details, call 800-1234-5678.
1. What is this ad mainly about?| A．It mainly shows us some ways to spend weekends. |
| B．It mainly introduces us a place to relax ourselves. |
| C．It mainly introduces some events in a sports meet. |
| D．It mainly gives us some ideas to spend our holidays. |
| A．People can play tennis day and night. |
| B．Men and women swim in the SPORTS CENTER separately． |
| C．Children at any age can play golf in the SPORTS CENTER． |
| D．People under 20 can also take gymnastics． |
| A．5. | B．6. | C．8． | D．11． |
8 . Imperial Bricks
Imperial bricks were made completely for imperial buildings, especially palaces, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. They have a fine quality, and are strong and hard. They have a pure blue-green color like a mirror and produce a metal sound when knocked. Because they are very valuable, they are called the golden bricks. The craft (工艺品) has been on the national-level cultural heritage (遗产) list since 2006.
Peking Duck
Peking duck has been a famous dish from Beijing. The cooked duck is cut into pieces and eaten with green onion, cucumber and sweet bean sauce, often with pancake rolled around fillings. It was selected as a national -level cultural heritage in 2008.
Shadow Play
Shadow play (皮影) is an ancient form of storytelling that uses flat cut-out figures or shadow play between a source of light and a screen. Various sight effects can be achieved by moving both the dolls and the light source. In 2011, Chinese shadow play entered the list of Cultural Heritage by UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization)which is located in Paris, France.
Kunqu Opera
Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest existing forms of Chinese opera, came from Kunshan, Jiangsu province. Using emotional lines from classic poems and through sweet and beautiful singing, it made progress in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and naturally reached other parts of the country via the Grand Canal.
1. Which makes Imperial Bricks get the name of golden bricks?| A．Their value. | B．Their shape. |
| C．Their color. | D．Their history. |
| A．Peking Duck. | B．Imperial Bricks. |
| C．Kunqu Opera. | D．Shadow Play. |
| A．Theater writers. | B．Famous magazines. |
| C．Ancient stories. | D．Classic poems. |
9 . To see the world is one thing. To have someone to share it with is another. Indeed travel becomes more interesting when you have a travel partner. A travel partner can be a close friend, a family member, a pal you’ve met online, or a business friend.
You can have someone to talk to and turn to
Traveling alone is fun, but wouldn’t you feel lonely? Having a travel partner can remove the feeling of loneliness. It will be very convenient if you can get a travel companion who is very familiar with the place you’re traveling to. You don’t have to ask any information from the locals, and you can save your time.
You can have someone to share the costs with
One of the major headaches in traveling is the costs involved. You can’t simply ignore the rising prices of hotels or plane tickets. You should also think about your daily needs, such as your food. Of course, you can’t simply go back without bringing any souvenirs (纪念品) for your friends and family. All these can overspend your budget (预算). However, when you have a travel friend, you can have someone to share the expenses with.
You can meet a new friend
Having a travel mate is a good way of meeting a new friend or even a lifelong partner. You can never count the number of couples who actually found their way into each other’s heart while traveling together in another country.
You can have someone to watch out for you
When you’re in a foreign land, you’ll never be really safe. You don’t know the rules as well as the culture of the people. A travel mate will be able to remind you of your manners in the country and to look after your luggage just in case your belongings get lost. So why don’t you find a travel companion now? Let’s find out how...
1. Which of the following statements agrees with the author’s opinion?| A．Traveling alone is not fun. | B．Buying souvenirs isn’t necessary. |
| C．Many people meet new friends when traveling. | D．It’s better to choose a stranger as a travel partner. |
| A．Giving an introduction of a travel company. |
| B．Explaining how to be a perfect travel partner. |
| C．Telling an interesting experience with a travel partner. |
| D．Showing lots of benefits of having a travel partner. |
| A．How to find a travel partner. | B．How travel can benefit people. |
| C．How to be a good travel partner. | D．How to get along with a travel partner. |
10 . My high school life has been filled with many ups and downs, whether it was social or academic. Even though my current high school was not my first choice, I never regretted attending Southside High School. “Since you have chosen it, then it is the best for you,” said my parents.
Up until the junior year I did not realize my capabilities (能力) as a student. Being in the IB Program, I was told that my junior year would be the toughest in all the years of high school. With this “little” piece of information, I walked into my junior year, scared of my grades. As weeks went by, I started to believe that the junior year was not as hard as everyone had said, but I was wrong. My grades were rapidly declining (下降) and by the end of the first term I had had five Cs in seven of my classes!I could not believe it — I did not want to believe it. I tried my best to get my grades up myself without any help from anyone, but my pride just made my grades worse. And I had to miss out on one of the most important speech and debate competitions all year: States. I was heartbroken. I realized that I could not survive my junior year on my own, so I had to get help fast.
Once I got a tutor, my grades went from Cs, Ds, and even some Fs, to nothing but As and Bs. I slowly started to gain my confidence back in all of my classes and even myself. By the time the third and fourth quarter came around, I had been on the honor roll twice, and I had received awards from speeches and debates, tennis and school.
Southside has taught me to always keep my head up and never give up on myself no matter what life throws at me. I am proud to be a Southside Tiger.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?| A．The writer always thought Southside High School was the best. |
| B．The writer’s parents persuaded her into attending Southside High School. |
| C．The writer has met many challenges since she attended high school. |
| D．Life has become easier since the writer came to Southside High School. |
| A．Excited. | B．Worried. |
| C．Curious. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．She didn’t work hard enough. |
| B．She didn’t ask others for help because of her pride. |
| C．She missed many important speeches. |
| D．No one would like to help her. |
| A．Students should face challenges bravely. |
| B．Students should be careful in choosing school. |
| C．Students should be proud of their school. |
| D．Students should better learn about life. |
