1 . On Saturday 24 August 1918, it was raining cats and dogs and thundering over a city called Sunderland on the northeast coast of England. The storm lasted for only about ten minutes. People were surprised to see that it was not just rainwater falling from the sky. There were fish falling down, too! People came out to find out what was happening. They could not believe their own eyes. There were thousands of fish — sand eels— lying on the ground. They were about seven centimeters long, and all were frozen solid.
Sand eels swim together in large groups, often in sandy water, and are often found in large numbers in the North Sea, which reaches out to the east of Sunderland. How was it possible for these sand eels to fall from the sky and land on Sunderland?
Scientists believed the heavy thunderstorm that afternoon may have caused a waterspout. Waterspouts can be formed when strong winds move quickly in a circle over water. They are so powerful; anything less than one meter in length can be taken into them and forced into the clouds. The clouds carry whatever has been taken into them for long distances — sometimes over 150 kilometers. It’s very cold up there and everything soon freezes solid.
For hundreds of years there have been reports of small animals being taken into the sky through waterspouts. In 2009, dead tadpoles rained down on the city of Nanao in Japan. In 2012, fifty kilos of prawns fell from the sky over Sri Lanka. In 2017, fish fell on the coastal city of Tampico In Mexico.
It must be a very strange experience to see fish raining down on you. It would probably hurt if one fell on your head! With climate change, global warming and many reports of terrible natural disasters, will the time ever come when it may really begin to rain cats and dogs?
1. What was the rain like on 24 August 1918?| A．It was very heavy. | B．It fell around England. |
| C．It lasted quite a long time. | D．It caused many human deaths. |
| A．They were few in number. | B．They came in different sizes. |
| C．They were still alive when landing. | D．They probably came from the North Sea. |
| A．Clouds. | B．Waterspouts. | C．Strong winds. | D．The waters of the sea. |
| A．Our health. | B．Our environment. |
| C．The wild animals. | D．The news reports. |
2 . New research into a little-known text written in ancient Greek shows that “stressed poetry”, the ancestor of all modern poetry and song, was already in use in the 2nd century CE, 300 years earlier than previously thought. It has been found sculpted on twenty precious stones and as a graffito (雕画) in Cartagena, Spain.
In its shortest version, the nameless four-line poem reads “They say what they like; let them say it; I dont care.” Other versions extend with “Go on, love me; it does you good.” The poem, unparalleled (绝无仅有的) so far in the classical world, consists of lines of 4 syllables (音节), with a strong accent on the first and a weaker on the third. This allows it to come into the rhythms of numerous pop and rock songs. So it became popular across the eastern Roman Empire and survives.
By comparing all of the known examples for the first time, Cambridges Professor Tim Whitmarsh noticed that the poem used a different form of rhythm to that usually found in ancient Greek poetry. As well as showing signs of the long and short syllables characteristic of traditional “quantitative” poem, this text employed stressed and unstressed syllables. The new study, published in The Cambridge Classical Journal, also suggests that this poem could represent a “missing link” between the lost world of ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song, and the more modern forms that we know today. A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek takes a similar form to traditional high poetics. This poem, on the other hand, points to a distinct and rich culture, primarily oral.
1. Where was the “stressed poetry” discovered?| A．In Greece. | B．In Spain. |
| C．In Britain. | D．In Mediterranean. |
| A．A syllable. | B．A strong accent. |
| C．The four-line poem. | D．The content of the poem. |
| A．A missing link between poems was found finally. |
| B．A lot of popular poetry in ancient Greek was then popular in the world. |
| C．The stressed and unstressed syllables distinguished the poem from others. |
| D．The ancient Mediterranean oral poetry and song was older than the poem. |
| A．Ancient Greek “pop culture” discovery rewrites the history of poetry and song |
| B．The unparalleled poem made ancient Greek culture more attractive |
| C．Ancient Greek poetry lay the foundation of modern culture |
| D．Four syllables are still popular in modern poetry and song |
3 . Most artists have to wait decades for their talents to be recognized. Some, like Dutch painter Van Gogh, only achieve
Andres’ parents are art lovers and collectors. They began
By age six, the
Bernie Chase, a family friend and owner of an art gallery, recognized Andres’
When not painting, Andres is a
| A．victory | B．progress | C．fame | D．effect |
| A．case | B．model | C．lesson | D．honor |
| A．wasted | B．paid | C．spent | D．earned |
| A．showing | B．leading | C．exposing | D．adapting |
| A．learning | B．appreciating | C．analyzing | D．copying |
| A．watch | B．make | C．help | D．find |
| A．generous | B．ambitious | C．honest | D．brave |
| A．variety | B．sort | C．mixture | D．system |
| A．attached to | B．aimed at | C．recognized as | D．impacted by |
| A．gift | B．courage | C．effort | D．intelligence |
| A．discovered | B．visited | C．admired | D．analyzed |
| A．ceremony | B．celebration | C．exhibition | D．party |
| A．marked | B．restored | C．framed | D．displayed |
| A．regular | B．wise | C．hardworking | D．naughty |
| A．millionaire | B．kid | C．genius | D．master |
4 . Have you ever been caught in difficulties? Remember that self-confidence is
A man was trying to find his way
He pushed the rock, but it stood there firmly without
So he said to himself with confidence, “I will
The rock moved a little, which encouraged him to work
We all may meet difficulties in our life. Some people don’t believe they can overcome them and choose to
| A．nearer | B．faster | C．larger | D．sharper |
| A．consider | B．regain | C．understand | D．ask |
| A．on | B．through | C．below | D．before |
| A．smile | B．think | C．move | D．cry |
| A．pleased | B．surprised | C．sad | D．excited |
| A．breaking | B．refusing | C．disappearing | D．moving |
| A．leaving | B．enjoying | C．destroying | D．checking |
| A．in the heart of | B．at the foot of | C．in the middle of | D．on the right of |
| A．doubted | B．explained | C．worried | D．believed |
| A．show up | B．look around | C．get out of | D．make use of |
| A．time | B．energy | C．space | D．advice |
| A．harder | B．longer | C．wider | D．deeper |
| A．courage | B．fear | C．experience | D．pride |
| A．look up | B．give up | C．catch up | D．cheer up |
| A．usually | B．always | C．sometimes | D．never |
5 . Honesty is always the best policy. Though lying often allows one to escape punishment for the moment, the
Sometimes people lie for the purpose of being
After that I realized the
In some cases, lying seems to be difficult. For example, how can one
| A．answer | B．reason | C．truth | D．result |
| A．find | B．mean | C．imagine | D．include |
| A．active | B．polite | C．fair | D．silent |
| A．opinion | B．decision | C．information | D．instruction |
| A．stopped | B．arrived | C．smiled | D．appeared |
| A．hide | B．ruin | C．control | D．cause |
| A．danger | B．purpose | C．importance | D．possibility |
| A．math | B．history | C．spelling | D．listening |
| A．since | B．when | C．though | D．before |
| A．Clearly | B．Painfully | C．Strangely | D．Luckily |
| A．rule | B．advice | C．example | D．timetable |
| A．saved | B．missed | C．believed | D．refused |
| A．prove | B．explain | C．report | D．suggest |
| A．relaxed | B．impatient | C．confident | D．surprised |
| A．honest | B．brave | C．kind | D．careful |
6 . The 2023 Shanghai Coffee Culture Week opened on May 13, with a variety of activities integrating industry, culture and lifestyle scheduled.
Shanghai, home to more than 8,00 coffee houses, has hosted the event since 2021. This year’s Coffee Culture Week is organized by the Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association, and will run through to June 2.
Coffee has become a key part of Shanghai culture, showcasing the city’s characteristics of opening-up and inclusiveness(包容),local officials said at a news conference in early May.
On the event’s opening day, Yongpu Coffee, in collaboration with the food delivery platform Eleme and China Construction Bank, offered 30,000 cups of coffee for free. Multiple coffee brands such as Luckin Coffee and McCafe will also provide free coffee and coupons (优惠券) during the event.
From May 18 to 21, West Bund International Coffee and Lifestyle Festival is taking place in Xuhui Binjiang area, involving more than 100 coffee brand outlets (销售点) located along a 5-kilometer shoreline of the Huangpu River.
It is the first time that Shanghai has launched such a large coffee-themed market, organizers said. In addition to enjoying freshly brewed coffee, visitors can attend diverse activities such as exhibitions, performances and workshops to experience coffee culture.
Many cultural sites in the city are also participating in the coffee culture week. Sinan Mansions in downtown Shanghai is holding the Bonjour Coffee Art Fair from May 19 to 21,which has attracted some 20 coffee staff members and 80artists.
The Shanghai History Museum will launch the Square Coffee Festival, inviting fans and industry experts to share their knowledge about coffee. Meanwhile, the Shanghai Books and Periodicals Distribution Association will hold a coffee-themed book fair in more than 80 stores across the city.
Organizers said they hope these events will boost the consumption of coffee and cultural products, and promote the coordinated development of the two industries.
The Shanghai Coffee Industry Summit will take place on May 26, which includes two roundtable discussions and about 10 seminars. Corporate leaders will discuss the latest consumer trends and offer their insights into hot topics.
According to data from domestic tech and retail giant Meituan, the value of China’s freshly brewed coffee industry is expected to reach 15.79 billion yuan ($2.25 billion) this year. It was valued at 8.97billion yuan in 2021.
1. Why was the Coffee Culture Week hosted?| A．To hold diverse activities. | B．To spread knowledge about coffee. |
| C．To show the city’s unique features. | D．To promote coffee industry and culture. |
| A．Get coupons and make freshly brewed coffee. |
| B．Enjoy free coffee and read coffee-themed books. |
| C．Visit coffee exhibitions and put on performances. |
| D．Share ideas about coffee and get employed in workshops. |
| A．Coffee consumption is increasing rapidly in China. |
| B．Meituan has benefited a lot from coffee industry. |
| C．The Coffee Culture Week has boosted the coffee industry. |
| D．Freshly brewed coffee industry is the most promising industry. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Culture. | C．Health. | D．Science. |
7 . For ten years my father had been fighting cancer. Now he was forced into the hospital because of an infection. I sensed he
One night after
A(n)
| A．escaped | B．missed | C．avoided | D．hated |
| A．way | B．aim | C．view | D．reply |
| A．battling | B．failing | C．seeking | D．sweating |
| A．hand | B．foot | C．knee | D．head |
| A．exist | B．spread | C．rise | D．recover |
| A．in search for | B．in response to | C．in honor of | D．in common with |
| A．alarmed | B．satisfied | C．shocked | D．concerned |
| A．reflection | B．impression | C．tension | D．inspiration |
| A．admitted | B．expected | C．doubted | D．decided |
| A．minutes | B．struggles | C．adventure | D．impression |
| A．set off | B．pulled up | C．pushed over | D．shot up |
| A．visit | B．check | C．occasion | D．contact |
| A．Definitely | B．Frankly | C．Surprisingly | D．Immediately |
| A．Although | B．Unless | C．Since | D．Once |
| A．aching | B．moving | C．thin | D．strong |
8 . Sometimes life can seem challenging (挑战的) and we usually get the feeling of “the grass on the other side is always greener”! We usually feel upset with the troubles that life throws at us.
The best thing to do at that point of time is to close our eyes and start counting of all the blessings in life that God has given us.
If we think deeply, our life is full of blessings that we hardly recognize. Listening to the singing of birds early in the morning, we realize that there are many people who spend their life in a world that is silent while many others spend their lives in a world that is dark and may have never seen a rainbow or the setting sun.
When you go out for a drive, pull down the window and look at the poor beggar standing under the hot sun, begging for filling his hungry stomach. We get three meals a day without realizing its importance. Isn’t that a blessing?
Whenever you are sad, look at the eyes of your parents and family filled with love and concern for you. There are many people who have never experienced the love of a family. Isn’t that a blessing?
As Mother Teresa once said, “We don’t need to do great things. We need to do small things with great love”.
The key to a happy life is when we consider others problems to be our own and try to help them. When we love people without any expectations and help them, our heart is filled with a sense of happiness and peace seeing the smile on their face.
So the next time whenever life knocks you down, close your eyes and…start counting!
1. What does the author intend to tell us?| A．True happiness lies in achieving wealth. |
| B．Blessings should be treasured in our life. |
| C．The singing of birds can make us happy. |
| D．Love from our family gives us courage to face life. |
| A．however happy we are, we never seem to be satisfied |
| B．though we are rich, we are poor in mind |
| C．we can have a better life if we work harder |
| D．there exists a greener grass on the other side |
| A．We have already known that life is filled with blessings. |
| B．It is a blessing to have three meals a day. |
| C．It’s natural to see a rainbow or the setting sun in life. |
| D．Mother Teresa calls on us to do great things in life. |
| A．Troubles in Life | B．Secrets of Life |
| C．A Sense of Happiness | D．Count Your Blessings |
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today's stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world's attention. Paparazzi(狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids(小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature!
According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities—famous people—worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time，” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B．C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his soldout readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain(抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about filmstars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren't all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.
1. It can be learned from the passage that stars today ________.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Wellknown actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
| A．Sincere. | B．Sceptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
10 . By the year 2050, a fifth of the world’s cities will experience unprecedented climate conditions and environments that currently don’t exist in any major cities, according to new research. A team of scientists at the Crowther Lab in Switzerland produced the report, which described the climate for 520 major cities 30 years in the future.
The results showed that 77 percent of the world’s cities will experience a surprising change in climate conditions by 2050, and 22 percent of the 520 cities will see conditions that are not currently experienced by any existing major cities.
In China in 2050, the climate of Xi’an, in Shanxi province, will be similar to that of current day Maseru, the capital city of Lesotho in southern Africa, with the maximum temperature of the warmest month likely to increase by 4.59℃. Chongqing in southwest China will resemble the climate of Swaziland capital Mbabane, as the warmest temperature is predicted to rise by 5.1℃.
Scientists predict summers in Europe will get warmer by an average of 3.5℃ and European winters will see temperature rises of 4.7℃. London’s climate will be more similar lo Barcelona, and Madrid’s to Marrakech.
The Crowther Lab hopes the analysis will motivate decision-makers to take necessary steps to prevent or address some of the climate effects due to the threat of climate change. The report also found that cities in tropical regions will experience smaller changes in average temperature but will be controlled by shifts in rainfall regimes. This may lead to a noticeable increase in unexpected events, and severe droughts.
“Across all scientific fields, the greatest challenge in climate science is no longer the precise measurement of climate change impacts, but inspiring people to picture is actual effects in order to motivate action,” said Tom Crowther, senior scientist und founder of the Crowther Lab.
1. According to the research, among the 520 cities by 2050, about ________ cities will experience the climate conditions that no major cities currently have experienced.| A．400 | B．114 | C．260 | D．104 |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By doing experiments. | D．By explaining theory. |
| A．To compare the climate change of the major cities of the world. |
| B．To inspire people to picture its actual effects in order to motivate action. |
| C．To inspire decision-makers to take necessary steps to prevent some climate effects. |
| D．To show most word’s cities will experience a striking change in climate conditions. |
| A．World Temperature | B．Current Climate Change |
| C．Big Titles in the World | D．Future Climate Change in Most Big Cities |
