1 . The sun is shinning. I get on No. 151 bus. I’m heading for my office. The sight on the bus is striking: People sit so close together, using those thin sheets of newspapers to keep their distance.

As the bus approaches the National Park, a voice suddenly rings out, “Attention! Attention! This is your driver speaking.”

No one speaks. We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice carries authority. “Put your papers down. All of you.” The newspapers come down and they are placed on our laps.

“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.” Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles. Just follow the order.

I face an old woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly everyday. Our eyes meet. We wait for the next order from the driver. We smile to each other. There is a feeling of relief. The barrier (隔阂) has been broken. We cannot help saying, “Good morning, neighbor.”

It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh. The bus driver says nothing more. Slowly, I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on the bus.

When we reach my stop, I say good-bye to my seatmate, and then jump from the doorstep. As No. 151 bus drives away, I smile as I watch the happy faces of the passengers. This day is starting off better than most.

1. Where does the story take place according to the passage?

A．On a street.

B．On a bus.

C．In a park.

D．In an office.

2. What’s the author’s attitude towards the driver’s behaviour?

A．Supportive.

B．Negative.

C．Unclear.

D．Doubtful.

3. What message does the author seem to convey in the text?

A．To stress the effect of reading on people.	B．To introduce the ways of communicating.
C．To ask people to use more public transport.	D．To encourage people to break the barriers.

2 . It’s a hot time for Chinese language learning across the world, not only because of China’s higher position in the world but also because of the increasing economic and cultural connections between China and the other countries.

For example, the United Arab Emirates(UAE)plans to open Chinese language courses in 200 public primary and middle schools, so experienced Chinese teachers are needed.

Other Chinese courses opened across the world show the increasing need for Chinese-speaking talent. Mandarin(普通话)became an elective(选修的)foreign language in Russia＇s college entrance exam. Following English, German, French and Spanish, Mandarin has become the fifth elective test subject for the exam.

Spain has more than 40,000 people learning Chinese. Last year about 8,000 people took the Chinese Proficiency Test(HSK) exam. The number of people who took the test was the biggest, according to Xinhua News Agency.

In the USA, learning Chinese has been growing fast for many years and is now a popular choice for American children, especially those who were born in rich families. The children begin to learn Chinese at an early age because their parents believe that learning Chinese will help them build successful international business.

1. Why is Chinese language learning so hot?

A．Many foreigners like China’s culturc.

B．China helps a lot of countries to develop.

C．China has the highest position in the world.

D．China has more international influence around the world.

2. What can we know about Chinese learning around the world?

A．The UAE needs experienced English teachers.

B．All American children learn Chinese at an early age.

C．About one fifth of the Spanish learning Chinese took the HSK.

D．The Mandarin exam must be taken before going to Russia’s colleges.

3. What do American parents think of learning Chinese?

A．Helpful.

B．Difficult.

C．Boring.

D．Interesting.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．More people in the UAE begin to learn Chinese.

B．Chinese language learning is popular around the world.

C．Some foreign countries want more Chinese teachers.

D．Many American children are learning Chinese now.

3 . Do you like travelling? Do you want to travel with less money? OK, let me introduce something about couch surfers(沙发漫游)to you? They are travelers who spend the night in an Internet friend’s house. Let’s share some of their stories.

After spending the whole day traveling in Paris, I met Theo at the bus station. At his apartment I met his roommate Roger. Both of them were very friendly. They took me to a party the next day. I went back to Theo’s apartment on the back of his bicycle. Peter

When I traveled in Vienna, I stayed with Artur, a college student. One day I forgot to turn off the tap after having a bath. The bathroom was full of water. However, Artur did not get angry with me. Henri

I got off the bus at the wrong station, so I had to take a taxi to Judit’s apartment. Judit was a reporter and she was always busy. The next day we went shopping together and she bought a dress for a party. In the evening she went to the party and I stayed at the apartment alone. Lucy

1. Where did Peter go on a journey?

A．To London.

B．To Paris.

C．To Vienna.

D．To Budapest.

2. Henri once _______ during his trip.

A．got on the wrong bus	B．couldn’t find his partner
C．forgot to turn off the tap	D．did not know how to use the tap

3. How did Lucy get to Judit’s apartment in the end?

A．By bike.

B．By taxi.

C．By train.

D．On foot,

4. Who didn’t go to a party but stayed at the apartment alone?

A．Peter.

B．Judit.

C．Theo.

D．Lucy.

4 . Little Rohan was standing by the door with a bag on his shoulders and a hat on his head. He didn’t want to leave the________. “Mom, do we have to go?”

“Yes, Rohan, we have to,” Rashmi________as she picked up the car keys.

Rohan was________of water ever since he almost drowned(淹死) during a swimming class. Rashmi knew her son had to face his________.But as they drove to the beach, Rohan started making________.He opened his bag and________to look for something. “Mom, I think I left my sunglasses. Can we go back and get it?”

“Check it again,” she pointed at the bag.

“Yes, found them,” he looked________.

When they reached, Rashmi found a good________and sat under the shade. “Why don’t you go play? I am right here,” she said.

Rohan________his shoes, tiptoed (踮脚走) into the water carefully and________a little further in. Suddenly, a big________came and swept him off his feet. Rohan tried to scream________all useless. He had a bigmouth of seawater. Only when his hands touched the sand beneath the water, he ________he was safe. He rose to his feet, and at the same time drove away his fear of water.

While his mother was standing there, with a worried________on her face, Rohan_______ran towards her, “Mom, come to the water with me. It’s so much fun.” That day was a new beginning for Rohan. He was no longer afraid of water.

1.

A．house

B．garden

C．beach

D．school

2.

A．shouted

B．looked

C．cried

D．replied

3.

A．fond

B．afraid

C．aware

D．careful

4.

A．joy

B．change

C．fear

D．belief

5.

A．excuses

B．mistakes

C．differences

D．choices

6.

A．agreed

B．offered

C．managed

D．seemed

7.

A．eager

B．angry

C．upset

D．sleepy

8.

A．way

B．place

C．room

D．product

9.

A．gave out

B．took off

C．came across

D．picked up

10.

A．stepped

B．jumped

C．swam

D．ran

11.

A．wind

B．rain

C．wave

D．storm

12.

A．and

B．although

C．since

D．but

13.

A．doubted

B．decided

C．realized

D．hoped

14.

A．smile

B．tear

C．pity

D．look

15.

A．politely

B．happily

C．gradually

D．lonely

5 . TV was one of the greatest inventions in the 20th century. Nowadays, nearly every house has at least one TV set.

Television came into being based on the inventions and discoveries of many scientists. On April 7, 1927, the first public television programme was broadcast in the USA. The signals were received on a very small screen. It was only about the size of a business card. The pictures were reddish (微红色的) and not clear.

In the 1930s, bigger screens appeared with black-and-white pictures. However, a snowy picture was the best many TV viewers could hope for. Often, they could only get one station, and only when the weather conditions were good.

When World War II(1939~1945) began, the development of TV stopped. There were a very small number of TV sets in the hands of the public. By 1945, there were fewer than 7,000 working TV sets in the USA. A TV set cost about half the price of a car at that time.

The time after World War II is considered one of the golden periods of television. Families saved money during the war years, and wanted to buy a lot of things after the war. TV sets were soon put onto the “must-have” list.1950~1959 was an exciting period for television. Colour television and remote (遥控的) controls came out during this time. By 1955, the cost of TV sets came down a lot. Instead of being equal to half the price of a car, they were now just equal to the cost of a new set of tyres (轮胎). This marked the beginning of the booming age of TV.

1. Where was the first public television programme broadcast?

A．In America.

B．In British.

C．In Russia.

D．In Canada.

2. What do we know about the cost of TV sets before 1955?

A．It’s beautiful.

B．It’s boring.

C．It’s expensive.

D．It’s cheap.

3. Which of the following is true?

A．In the 1930s, TV signals became very easy to receive.

B．During World War II, TV sets went into lots of families.

C．After World War II, TV was invented.

D．TV developed fast in the 1950s.

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

A．The Birth of Television	B．The Development of Television
C．The Need for Television	D．The Price of Television

6 . One day, Franz Kafka saw a young girl crying in the park_________she had lost her favorite toy bear. She and Kafka_________the toy bear but they didn’t find it. Kafka told her to meet him there the next day.

The next day, they looked again, but_________didn’t find the toy bear. Kafka gave the girl a(n)_________ “written” by the toy bear. It said, “Please don’t cry. I have gone on a _________ to see the world. I’m going to write to you about my adventures.”

When they_________, Kafka read aloud his carefully written letters of the toy bear’s adventures. The girl found them quite_________and laughed a lot. Finally, Kafka_________her a new toy bear. “This doesn’t look like my toy bear,” she said. Kafka handed her another letter. It said, “My trips have_________me.” The girl hugged the new toy bear and took it home with her.

Many years later, the grown-up girl__________a letter in the toy bear by accident. It said, “Everything you love is very likely to be lost, but in the end, love will return in a different way.”

1.

A．although

B．because

C．unless

D．until

2.

A．looked for

B．looked at

C．looked through

D．looked after

3.

A．just

B．even

C．still

D．ever

4.

A．invitation

B．diary

C．novel

D．letter

5.

A．trip

B．place

C．speed

D．sight

6.

A．visited

B．met

C．moved

D．won

7.

A．difficult

B．useful

C．interesting

D．slow

8.

A．gave

B．sold

C．promised

D．lent

9.

A．copied

B．changed

C．missed

D．trained

10.

A．wrote

B．forgot

C．returned

D．found

7 . In Britain all children have to go to school between the ages of 5 and 16. In the US children must go to school from the age of 6 to the ages between 14 and 16, depending on the state they live in.

Subjects

In England and Wales the subjects taught in schools are laid down by the National Curriculum, which was introduced in 1988 and sets out in detail the subjects that children should study and the levels of achievement they should reach by the ages of 7, 11, 14, and 16, when they are tested. The National Curriculum does not apply to Scotland, where each school decides what subjects it will teach.

Examinations

At 16, students in England and Wales take GCSE examinations. These examinations are taken by students of all levels of ability in any of a range of subjects, and may involve a final examination, an assessment of work done during the two-year course, or both of these things. At 18 some students take A-level examinations, usually in no more than three subjects. It is necessary to have A levels in order to go to university.

In Scotland students take the SCE examinations. A year later, they can take examinations called Highers, after which they can either go straight to a university or spend a further year at school and take the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies. In Scotland the university system is different from that in England and Wales.Courses usually last four years rather than three, and students study a large number of subjects as part of their degree.

1. According to the passage, children have to go to school between the ages of 　　　in both Britain and the US.

A．5—14	B．6—14
C．5—15	D．6—17

2. In which parts of the world are the subjects taught only decided by the nation?

A．England and Wales.	B．England and Scotland.
C．US and Britain.	D．Wales and Scotland.

3. Which of the following has nothing to do with students in Scotland?

A．GCSE.	B．SCE.
C．Highers.	D．The Certificate of Sixth Year Studies.

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．In the US, only local government can decide the subjects.

B．In Scotland, students can take either the SCE examinations or the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies.

C．In England and Wales, one cannot go to university without A levels.

D．As for a 16-year-old student in England and Wales, he has to take both GCSE examinations and a final examination.

8 . When Guo Xiaoyu was born just days ahead of the Opening Ceremony in August, his grandpa Tao Zhenguo was very busy with his volunteer work for the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The grandpa was very happy to _________ his newcomer.

Fourteen years later, the 77-year-old Tao is even _________ because Guo has also become an Olympics volunteer. “He is _________ an Olympic boy now,” Tao says. Both grandfather and grandson are volunteering at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. They are helping with garbage _________, traffic guidance and information inquiries (查询).

Guo says he learned a lot from his _________. He listened to Tao’s volunteer _________ when he was a little child, and began doing community work. But Guo is not just _________. He’s now also teaching his grandpa English.

Tao doesn’t speak English, but he is _________ that “as an Olympics volunteer, I have to learn it to at least be able to communicate a bit with foreign guests”. “It’s never too late to learn,” Tao says. “I don’t _________ to become an English-language master, but I hope that I can at least say Welcome to Beijing when I ____________ foreign athletes and guests.”

1.

A．greet

B．find

C．get

D．raise

2.

A．luckier

B．happier

C．busier

D．easier

3.

A．just

B．only

C．ever

D．indeed

4.

A．containing

B．throwing

C．sorting

D．covering

5.

A．friends

B．sisters

C．parents

D．grandpa

6.

A．experience

B．lesson

C．comment

D．education

7.

A．giving

B．learning

C．working

D．playing

8.

A．excited

B．calm

C．curious

D．clear

9.

A．believe

B．expect

C．predict

D．claim

10.

A．knock down

B．get over

C．meet with

D．pick up

9 . On my first day in America, I was excited, but nervous as well. It was my dear neighbor Susan who helped me   _________ my new life far away from home.

There was a knock at the door. When I _________ it. Susan came in with a homemade apple ple. She hugged me and said, “Wow, you   _________ be the precious (珍贵的) Chinese dull (娃娃)!”

With a big smile, she   _________, “Alice, I am sure you have never tried a home-made apple pie before! You are going to _________ it so much!”

To be honest, I was greatly surprised by this welcome from a _________. And the apple pie made me _________.

Susan was very helpful to me.

When I was thinking about the clothes to wear on Halloween, she suggested I _________like a traditional Chinese girl. “I happen to have a traditional Chinese dress and guess _________, I’m a great make-up artist!” She said. Susan did not hide (隐藏) her excitement, when she pushed me to the __________ to examine our work after an hour of hard work. The clothes fit me perfectly! I am sure that I stood out from the crowd that Halloween, and I am __________ for her help.

My first Thanksgiving was another highlight (亮点). __________ the festival morning, I was surprised to find a gift box in my front yard. There was a note on it: “Hello Alice, I’m the Thanksgiving bunny (兔子)! Enjoy your __________!” I looked around and caught Susan looking at me from her porch (走廊). Seeing that she had been __________, she hurriedly picked up a newspaper and pretended (假装) to __________ it. I couldn’t help __________. When I walked up to her, she said, “ __________ was not me. It was the Thanksgiving bunny!” Susan is such a __________ person; She is the American above all others I need to thank.

I saw that the spirit of the Chinese saying, that “Neighbors carry more__________ than distant relatives”, is alive and well in America. Susan filled my heart with   __________ and joy, just as angels do.

1.

A．look forward to

B．get away from

C．look up to

D．get used to

2.

A．opened

B．dosed

C．locked

D．got

3.

A．must

B．can

C．need

D．got

4.

A．stopped

B．continued

C．paused

D．broke

5.

A．love

B．hate

C．eat

D．take

6.

A．friend

B．stranger

C．relative

D．partner

7.

A．lonely

B．moved

C．free

D．sad

8.

A．look up

B．pick up

C．dress up

D．take up

9.

A．when

B．that

C．what

D．whom

10.

A．door

B．mirror

C．hospital

D．window

11.

A．thankful

B．angry

C．tired

D．satisfied

12.

A．In

B．At

C．On

D．For

13.

A．box

B．note

C．dinner

D．gift

14.

A．heard

B．looked

C．caught

D．fooled

15.

A．look

B．see

C．do

D．read

16.

A．crying

B．laughing

C．shouting

D．walking

17.

A．It

B．That

C．This

D．She

18.

A．naughty

B．strange

C．boring

D．lovely

19.

A．trouble

B．difficulty

C．weight

D．matter

20.

A．coldness

B．sorrow

C．happiness

D．warmth

10 . Wild beavers (河狸) are back! Experts say that the wild beaver families are doing well. The beavers are even boosting wildlife and the environment!

Over ten years ago, a family of beavers turned up in a part of the river Otter, in Devon. No one knew exactly where they came from. It was a big surprise wild beavers hadn’t lived in England for around 400 years!

In 2015, the government allowed the beavers to stay there as part of a test. They wanted to see if these animals could be reintroduced to the wild. The test ends in February. Some scientists from the University of Exeter already say the beavers help the wildlife in the area. One scientist called it “an amazing story”.

A lot of this is because of dams (水坝). Beavers build dams along the river. This creates deep pools in the riverbed and slows the water down. Scientists say this is perfect for many different types of plants and animals! Many plants are growing near the beavers. Different types of animals are also becoming more and more in the river. Beavers also help make flooding less, scientists say. The beavers’ dams slow down the speed of the river, especially after heavy rain.

Beavers aren’t the only animals that are being reintroduced to the wild! In 2019, red squirrels were brought back to an area of the Scottish Highlands. Further away, the world's rarest (罕见的) duck, the Madagascar pochard, is making a comeback. It was set free into the wild on the African island in 2019 and is doing well.

Who knows what other animals might be making a comeback?

1. The underlined word “boosting”in Paragraph 1 probably means “______”

A．building

B．spreading

C．helping

D．creating

2. Why did the government want a test first?

A．To reintroduce animals to the wild.

B．To introduce the beavers to the wild.

C．To build dams for the beavers in the river.

D．To grow more different plants along the river.

3. What can we know about the wild beavers?

A．They help plants grow.	B．They eat up the plants.
C．They do harm to animals.	D．They bring heavy floods.

4. How many kinds of animals have been reintroduced to the wild besides beavers?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

5. How does the writer feel about the news?

A．Worried.

B．Disappointed.

C．Tired.

D．Pleased.