1 . Chinese Teapot Escaping from British Museum Goes Viral

Chinese state media has praised a viral video series telling the story of a jade teapot coming to life and fleeing the British Museum to make its way back home.

The set of three short videos, entitled Escape from the British Museum, shows the teapot turning into a young woman in a green dress, who then engages a London-based Chinese journalist to help her reunite with her family. It appears to have struck a chord (弦) in China after first being released by independent vloggers on Douyin. By Monday evening, it had reportedly received more than 310 million views. The plot line taps into growing Chinese criticism of the British Museum after reports last month that more than 1,500 priceless objects, including gold jewelry, semi-precious stones and glass, were missing, stolen or damaged.

In August the state media Global Times called for the return of Chinese artifacts from the museum “free of charge” in the wake of the controversy. “The huge holes in the management and security of cultural objects in the British Museum exposed by this scandal (丑闻) have led to the collapse of a long-standing and widely circulated claim that ‘foreign cultural objects are better protected in the British Museum’,” it said. It strongly supported the video series for touching on a “powerful message” about the importance of cultural heritage and reflecting “Chinese people’s desiring for the repatriation of the Chinese cultural relics.”

State broadcaster CCTV also gave the short films a glowing review saying: “We are very pleased to see Chinese young people are passionate about history and tradition... We are also looking forward to the early return of Chinese artifacts that have been displayed overseas.”

The museum scandal made headlines around the world and reawakened earlier demands by the Chinese media to restore the country’s relics. The new three-part show has triggered a wave of nationalism among viewers, with many praising the creative plot that reduced them to tears by showing how the teapot experienced the happiness of returning to China to see pandas and watch a flag-raising ceremony on Tiananmen Square.

1. What excuse does Britain give for keeping other nations’ cultural objects in its museum?

A．It has taken possession of these objects by all lawful means.

B．These objects are safer and taken better care of in its museum.

C．It is requested by other nations to protect their cultural objects.

D．These objects may come to life, flee their countries and go viral.

2. What does the underlined word “repatriation”(Para.3) probably mean?

A．Repair.

B．Reflection.

C．Reserve.

D．Return.

3. Which of the following can we infer from the passage?

A．China had already demanded the restoration of its cultural relics before the scandal.

B．The museum’s awful management and security systems are involved in the scandal.

C．The Britain Museum is under pressure to return the cultural relics to China sooner or later.

D．A London-based Chinese journalist has contributed a lot to the viral three-part video series.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To appeal to Britain to return China’s cultural objects.

B．To introduce a viral video series about a fleeing jade teapot.

C．To arouse readers’ concern about Chinese cultural objects abroad.

D．To praise Chinese young people’s passion for history and tradition.

3 . If you are looking for apps to learn English for studying abroad, you might be confused. There are so many apps to choose from. How can you decide which English language learning app is right for you? Our list of top four favourite appe to improve your English will help.

Hello English — Best app for middle learners

If you already understand the basics but want to improve your English, this app is for you. Hello English starts with a language test, and then serves up English lessons based on your test results. Hello English supports learners with 23 native languages and lets you play games,watch videos and listen to audio books,too.

Free versions available for iOS, Android and Windows.

FluentU-Best media-based app

This app sources English-language videos from the real world — including news,music videos and commercials (商业)— to help you learn English. Interactive captions (字幕) allow you to tap any word and see more information about it.

Free trial (试用) and paid monthly subscriptions available for Android and iOS.

Rosetta Stone — Most multi-use app

This award-winning English language learning app teaches vocabulary and English grammar. Rosetta Stone includes lessons on pronunciation so you can improve your English accent. You can also download audio lessons to learn offline.

Free trial and paid versions available for Android,i0S and Windows.

Duolingo — Most fun app

This personalised English-learning app turns studying into a game. Earn virtual coins to unlock new levels and spend them on fun upgrades. An animated owl (动画猫头离) keeps you company and encourages you as you learn. When you have questions, get help from fellow students inside the app using the Duolingo message boards.

Free and paid versions available for Android, iOS and Windows.

1. What can we learn about Hello English?

A．The users can’t play games.

B．It may not suit English beginners.

C．It provides lessons without a language test.

D．The users can chat with 23 native speakers.

2. Which app best suits those who want to practise pronunciation?

A．Hello English.	B．Duolingo.
C．Rosetta Stone.	D．FluentU.

3. What is special about Duolingo?

A．It only has the paid version.

B．The users must pay in cash to upgrade.

C．An owl can answer questions of the users.

D．It combines English learning with entertainment.

5 . In the UK, there is a popular route for cyclists: the road from Land’s End in England to John O’Groats in Scotland, about 874 miles long. It covers almost the full length of Great Britain. The 12-year-old boy named Laurence Chandler became the youngest cyclist to finish the route.

Chandler took 20 days to finish the challenge. Each day, he cycled between 40 to 60 miles. He spent six hours on his mountain bike daily. Chandler had to push through rainy and windy days. Cycling uphill was also hard. “It was much harder than I thought. I wasn’t expecting so many hills and how busy the roads were,” Chandler said. “But if you put your mind to anything, then no matter how big, you can do it.”

Chandler first thought of trying the route when he read an article about it two years ago. Later, as his father’s 50th birthday came around, he decided to go for it. He was already used to cycling around his village and to school before starting his journey.

During his ride, Chandler raised 600 pounds for Smile Train, a children’s organization that pays for treatment for children in developing countries who have deft lips (兔唇).

1. What do we know about Laurence Chandler?

A．He is a cycling lover.	B．He is fond of reading.
C．He cycled through England.	D．He is a green hand in cycling.

2. What is suggested from Paragraph 2?

A．Chandler was challenged by the trip.

B．Few people chose to cycle the route.

C．The journey was really disappointing.

D．Chandler rode the same distance every day.

3. What helped Chandler decide to try the route?

A．A related article.	B．The voluntary work.
C．His father’s birthday.	D．The disabled children.

4. What’s the best title for the text?

A．A teenager finishing a great trip

B．A popular cycling route in the UK

C．A road leading England to Scotland

D．A children’s organization for cyclists

6 . In the year I was about twelve years old, my mother told us that we would not be _________ Christmas gifts for short of money. I felt sad and thought, “What would I say when the other kids asked what I'd _________?” Just when I started to accept that there would not be a Christmas gift that year, then three women _________ at our house with gifts for all of us. For me they brought a doll. I would no longer have to feel _________ when I returned to school.

Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my _________ Christmas there special and memorable, I _________ remembered the women's visit. I decided that I wanted to create that same feeling of importance for as many children as I could possibly _________.

So I _________ a plan and asked forty people from my company to help. We _________ about 125 orphans (孤儿) at the Christmas party. For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, each with a child's name. We wanted all of them to know they were __________. Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I __________ them that they couldn't open their presents until every child had come forward. Finally the __________ they had been waiting for came as I called out, “One, two, three. Open your presents!” As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles __________ up the room. The __________ in the room was obvious, and it wasn't just about toys. It was a feeling -the feeling I knew from the Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit. I wasn't forgotten. Somebody thought of me. I __________.

1.

A．sending

B．receiving

C．making

D．exchanging

2.

A．got

B．prepared

C．found

D．expected

3.

A．broke in

B．settled down

C．showed off

D．turned up

4.

A．embarrassed

B．puzzled

C．frightened

D．inspired

5.

A．present

B．first

C．last

D．past

6.

A．hardly

B．regularly

C．immediately

D．rarely

7.

A．know

B．mention

C．remember

D．reach

8.

A．kept up with

B．caught up with

C．came up with

D．put up with

9.

A．explored

B．reflected

C．gathered

D．decorated

10.

A．fine

B．special

C．helpful

D．normal

11.

A．reminded

B．warned

C．enabled

D．promised

12.

A．chance

B．gift

C．moment

D．reward

13.

A．lit

B．took

C．burned

D．cheered

14.

A．warmth

B．appreciation

C．calmness

D．joy

15.

A．matter

B．wonder

C．doubt

D．suppose

7 . It would be nice if eating a particular food could magically protect you against all the boring illnesses. It’s not that simple, of course. Hand washing remains your best defense against picking up illnesses, and sleep is a strong defense too. But what you eat does play an important part. Though it isn’t because of just one or two foods, what you eat in your daily diet have an effect on how weak or strong your immunity(免疫力)is.

We’d better eat fruits and vegetables every day. They contain key vitamins needed in the immune system. For example, Vitamin C and Ain foods help immune system work well to keep us healthy. Remember that eating the actual fruit or veggie is better than eating single-vitamin supplements(补品).

Getting too little protein(蛋白质) can weaken your immune system. Protein-rich foods supply the amino acids(氨基酸)you need to build important proteins in the body. Animal foods like beef and pork also contain zinc(锌), which your body uses to make t-cells.

Fermented foods are foods that are naturally protected by bacteria(细菌), and they’re good for the micro biome(微生物).That’s the name for the bacteria that live in your stomach, where a lot of cells in immunity actually live. Fermented foods like yogurt help beneficial bacteria develop fast in the stomach, leaving less room for harmful bacteria.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us?

A．Hand washing is necessary.	B．Illnesses make people bored.
C．Immunity has much to do with your diet.	D．More sleep does good to health.

2. Why does the writer suggest we eat fruits and vegetables every day?

A．They are rich in vitamins we need.

B．Vitamin A is helpful for immunity.

C．Fruits supply our body with Vitamin C only.

D．Eating single-vitamin foods does little good.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．Amino acids can help to make t-cells.

B．Healthy body needs plenty of protein.

C．The immune system can be hurt easily.

D．We should eat animal foods as many as possible.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．Different foods have different uses.

B．Fruits and vegetables keep us healthy.

C．Many illnesses do harm to the immunity.

D．Proper daily diet protects our immune system.

8 . If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen(氮) dissolved(溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡)accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body—thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or his brain, the consequence can be death.

Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression(减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs. That these ancient sea animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil (化石)bones that have caved in on them selves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.

Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a study of ichthyosaur bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen(标本) showed evidence of that sort of injury.

If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.

Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey(猎物) as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.

1. Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?

A．A twisted body.	B．A gradual decrease in blood supply.
C．A sudden release of nitrogen in blood.	D．A drop in blood pressure.

2. The purpose of Rothschild’s study is to see________ .

A．how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends	B．how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression
C．why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies	D．when ichthyosaurs broke their bones

3. Rothschild’s finding stated in Paragraph 4________ ..

A．confirmed his assumption	B．speeded up his research process
C．disagreed with his assumption	D．changed his research objectives

4. Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs ________ .

A．failed to evolve an anti decompression means

B．gradually developed measures against the bends

C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles

D．evolved an anti decompression means but soon lost it