1 . When a heavy rain hit Beijing one afternoon in May, for many the first thing to do was to rush for cover. For photographer Yang Dong, however, his first thought was to take his camera. The next morning, Yang got up at 2:30 am and drove to the Great Wall. Arriving at the foot of the mountain an hour and a half later, Yang started to climb with all his photography equipment. Before sunrise, Yang had already set up his camera, hoping to catch an impressive moment when the Great Wall would be partly hidden in the clouds. With a large amount of patience, he got what he came for.
“After heavy rain or snow, the next morning is the best time to find a sea of clouds around the Great Wall,” Yang says in a phone interview. The 28-year-old became popular on the Internet sharing the stories behind his photographs of the Great Wall over the past five years, with his stories being viewed more than 150 million times. One Internet user comments: “Only repeatedly measuring the Great Wall step by step can he know which angle (角度) is the most beautiful. I have never met such a professional photographer like him.”
He is known as the Great Wall photographer, and his stories are well-known among the fans. What’s more, he was invited to play a lead role in the documentary (纪录片) Loving the Great Wall issued in January, and was also the spokesman for the 2019 China Great Wall International Foto Week.
1. When a heavy rain came, Yang Dong ________.| A．got up early | B．rushed for cover |
| C．drove to the Great Wall | D．got ready to take photos |
| A．The morning after sunrise. | B．The afternoon after rain. |
| C．The next morning after rain. | D．The evening before snow. |
| A．Admiring. | B．Doubtful. | C．Disappointed. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．He was considered as a successful actor. |
| B．He gained some achievements in his field. |
| C．His stories were famous around the world. |
| D．He became the spokesman of the Great Wall. |
2 . Many people turn to doctors or self-help books, but they forget a great thing that could help them fight illness: their friends.
Researchers are only now starting to pay attention to the importance of friendship in health. A 10-year Australian study found that older people with a large circle of friends were 22 percent less likely to die during the study period than those with fewer friends. A large 2007 study showed an increase of nearly 60 percent in the danger for obesity among people whose friends gained weight. And last year, Harvard researchers reported that strong social ties (关系) could improve brain health as we age.
“In general, the role of friendship in our lives isn’t well realized,” said Rebecca, a professor at the University of North Carolina. “Friendship has a bigger effect on our psychological (心理的) health than family relationships.”
While many friendship studies are about the close relationships of women, some research shows that it can do good to men too. In a six-year study of 736 middle-aged men, having friendships reduces the risk of heart disease. Only smoking was as important a danger factor (因素) as having little social support.
The exact reason why friendship has such a big effect isn’t clear. While friends can send a sick person to the hospital or pick up medicine, the advantages go well beyond physical help. Friendship clearly has a big psychological effect. “People with stronger friendships feel like there is someone they can turn to,” said Karen, a doctor. “The message of these studies is that friends make your life better.”
1. The three studies in paragraph 2 show that ________.| A．social ties have something to do with health |
| B．friends can help us lose weight |
| C．old people need friends the most |
| D．having more friends makes us healthier |
| A．health | B．unhappiness | C．excitement | D．fatness |
| A．Friendship is more important to women than to men. |
| B．What people need most is a friend’s care. |
| C．The value of friendship hasn’t been fully understood. |
| D．Friendship is more important than family relationship. |
| A．Smoking and lack of friends are also risk factors for health. |
| B．Friendship and family relationships have equal effects on health. |
| C．Close friendships are good for women but not for men. |
| D．It is clear why friendship has such a huge impact on health. |
| A．How to keep healthy. |
| B．The importance of doctors or self-help books. |
| C．The relationship between friendship and health. |
| D．How to improve family relationships. |
3 . Spaghetti and meatballs is my favorite food. And reading is my favorite hobby. When you are deeply absorbed in a book, you stop paying attention to what’s going on around you. People describe it as being “lost in a book”. It’s a wonderful feeling, but it can be risky.
One day I was home alone doing two of my favorite things: Eating a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs and reading. At the time, my family had a pet bird, a big white cockatoo named Luke. He was free to leave his perch (栖木)and fly around inside the house. Luke enjoyed “talking” to people, but he wasn’t trained to use real words.
As I was reading and eating, Luke was talking to me, but I was lost in my book. So Luke decided to get closer. He flew from his perch, and before I knew it, he’d landed right on top of my spaghetti and meatballs!
I was so surprised that I didn’t even have time to think. My reaction was the same as yours would be: I shooed (发出嘘声赶走)him off my food! This wouldn’t have been so bad except for one thing: When Luke had landed on my plate, he had grabbed (抓住)my spaghetti with both feet. So when Luke took off again, the spaghetti-still in his feet-went flying everywhere, landing on my shirt and hitting me in the face. Red sauce splattered (泼溅)up the wall and onto the ceiling. As I pulled noodles out of my hair, Luke flew back to his perch, dropping spaghetti sauce all the way.
He wasn’t hurt, except for his dignity-the sauce in his beautiful white feathers turned him orange for several weeks. So next time if you find a spy novel at the library with red, spots on two pages near the middle, you’ll know that I’ve read that book ,too!
1. What do we know about Luke?| A．He is lost in reading a spy novel. |
| B．He is good at communicating with people. |
| C．He is fond of eating Spaghetti and meatballs. |
| D．He is permitted to fly freely inside the house. |
| A．I reacted properly to Luke’s behaviour. |
| B．Luck was attracted by my Spaghetti. |
| C．Luck made the room in a mess. |
| D．I was addicted to my reading. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Humorous. | C．Anxious. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Love Me, Love My Dog | B．More Food Hurts the Body |
| C．Reading Can Be Dangerous | D．Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds |
4 . The United States space agency will send a spacecraft to explore the sun more closely than ever before on Saturday. NASA'S Parker Solar Probe（探测器）will fly through the hot solar atmosphere and come within just 6 million kilometers of the sun's surface.
The Parker Probe will get almost seven times closer to the sun than earlier spacecraft. To do this, it will fly past Venus（金星）seven times over seven years. Each pass will change the probe's orbit by providing a gravity push. It will move ever closer to the sun and straight into the corona（日冕）, the sun's outermost atmosphere.
By exploring the sun's corona, scientists hope to learn why it is hundreds of times hotter than the sun's surface. They will also study what drives the solar wind.
The project was proposed in 1958, the same year NASA was established. Now, "it's becoming a reality," said project manager Andy Driesman.
The Parker spacecraft has a 2.4 meter heat shield（护罩）that is 11 centimeters thick. It is made of two carbon sheets. The front has a white coating to reflect sunlight. It is expected to shine red when it experiences the extreme solar heat. Almost everything on the spacecraft will be behind this shield to keep its scientific instruments relatively cool.
Besides, the spacecraft will also be traveling at a high speed. The probe will reach 690,000 kilometers per hour in the corona. The spacecraft will make its first flight past Venus in early October. Its first pass by the sun is expected in November.
The Parker Solar Probe is the first NASA spacecraft to be named after someone who is still alive. Eugene Parker is a 91-year-old professor at the University of Chicago. He predicted the existence of solar wind 60 years ago. He plans to be at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the southern state of Florida to see the launch.
1. What's the advantage of the Parker Probe compared to the earlier ones?| A．It can change the orbit by flying past the sun. |
| B．It can get closer to the sun and into the corona. |
| C．It can study the effect of solar wind. |
| D．It can fly through the hot solar atmosphere without protection. |
| A．Human had little achievements in exploring the sun. |
| B．Eugene Parker is the first one to study the sun. |
| C．The Parker Probe has to get close to the sun with the help of Venus. |
| D．Human can get close to the sun's surface within 6 million kilometers today. |
| A．He started NASA. |
| B．He foresaw the solar wind when he was 31. |
| C．He designed the Parker spacecraft. |
| D．He will study the sun using the Parker spacecraft. |
| A．a story book | B．an advertisement |
| C．a science fiction | D．a news report |
5 . Weekly culture& leisure(娱乐) guide （April 17-21)
Superstars of modern Chinese ink art shine in Nanjing
9:00-12:00, Monday; 9:00-17:00, Tuesday to Sunday
Nanjing Museum,Zhongshan Donglu, Xuanwu district, Nanjing
025-8480-7923
The exhibition presents 158 signature works by eight of the most influential ink painting masters of modern China, including Qi Baishi (1864-1957), Pan Tianshou (1897-1971), and Xu Beihong (1895-1953). Their works are officially rated as national treasures, and their painting styles and artistic thoughts have had a far-reaching impact on younger generations of Chinese ink painters.
Wu Guanzhong's grand survey exhibition at Tsinghua Art Museum
9:00-17:00, Tuesday to Sunday
NO. 1, Tsinghua University Campus, Haidian district, Beijing
010-6278-1012
Regarded as one of the most forward-looking artists in China, Wu first attended the China Academy of Art in the 1930s in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, and then lived and studied in France, where he was exposed to different art movements in Europe.
The exhibition ends on May 3, 2020.
Rhinoceros in Love celebrates its 20th birthday in Beijing
Apr. 10-March 5
Fengchao (Honeycomb) Theater, No 3, Xinzhongjie, Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Dongcheng district
86-10-6416-9253
Acclaimed as "the bible of love for young people", Rhinoceros in Love by China's avant-garde theater director Meng Jinghui will be staged in Beijing from Feb. 10 to March 5 to celebrate its 20th birthday since its 1999 premier in the Chinese capital.
As one of Meng's beloved experimental works, the play tells a triangle love story in which a young man named Ma Lu is falls in love with a woman named Mingming and tries everything he can to win her heart. But after he fails, Ma, like a stubborn rhinoceros(犀牛), goes to an extreme by kidnapping Mingming in the name of love.
1. You can call 010-6278-1012 for more information about_______.| A．Wu Guanzhong's exhibition | B．A newset movie |
| C．Rhinoceros in Love birthday celebration | D．Morden Chinese ink art show |
| A．June 1st 2020 | B．December 12th 2019 |
| C．July 7th 2020 | D．April 20th 2020 |
| A．You can only see three famous ink painting masters’ works at the exhibition in Nanjing Museum. |
| B．Wu Guanzhong lives in Beijing all his live. |
| C．Wu Guanzhong's exhibition is at Tsinghua Art Museum |
| D．In Rhinoceros in Love, Mingming stubbornly in love with Ma Lu. |
6 . Use our website to improve your English
Study at the right time each day
The first step in getting better in English is to study at the right time each day. Do you wake up early and study when the house is quiet? Or do you like to stay up late and study before you go to sleep? Choose the proper time to study English every week. Make a study plan for each week. Here is an example of using our website to improve your listening and speaking skills:
Monday: Watch Let's Learn English; practice the conversation with a friend
Tuesday: Watch English in a Minute; teach the new expressions to family or friends
Wednesday: Watch English at the Movies; write a note to a friend about the expressions
Thursday: Watch News Words; write a sentence using the words
Friday: Read or listen to Ask a Teacher or Everyday Grammar; write three sentences
Find a friend to study together
A good way to learn is to study with a friend or a family member. You can study together at home or on the phone. Some families speak English only at dinner time or watch English videos together.
Set goals
One of the most important steps to learn English is to set goals. Make it something you know you can do in a short time. Here are some examples:
I will practice speaking with my friends three times a week.
I will write sentences with five new English words every week.
I will learn four new idioms in the next month and use them with friends.
1. Which advice is given on learning English?| A．Learning from others. | B．Practicing once a week. |
| C．Scheduling proper study time. | D．Turning to parents for help. |
| A．Monday. | B．Tuesday. | C．Wednesday. | D．Thursday. |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Seven. |
7 . Use our website to improve your English
Study at the right time each day
The first step in getting better in English is to study at the right time each day. Do you wake up early and study when the house is quiet? Or do you like to stay up late and study before you go to sleep? Choose the proper time to study English every week. Make a study plan for each week. Here is an example of using our website in the morning to improve your listening and speaking skills:
Monday: Watch Let's Learn English ; practice the conversation with a friend
Tuesday: Watch English in a Minute; teach the new expressions to family or friends
Wednesday: Watch English at the Movies; write a note to a friend about the expressions Thursday: Watch News Words; write a sentence using the words
Friday: Read or listen to Ask a Teacher or Everyday Grammar ; write three sentences
Find a friend to study together
A good way to learn is to study with a friend or a family member. You can study together at home or on the phone. Some families speak English only at dinner time or watch English videos together.
Set goals
One of the most important steps to learn English is to set goals. Make it something you know you can do in a short time. Here are some examples:
♦I will practice speaking with my friends three times a week.
♦I will write sentences with five new English words every week.
♦I will learn four new idioms in the next month and use them with friends.
1. Which advice is given on learning English?| A．Learning from others. | B．Practicing once a week. |
| C．Turning to parents for help. | D．Scheduling proper study time. |
| A．On weekends. | B．Every day. |
| C．On weekdays. | D．Every Monday afternoon. |
| A．Some aims for learning English. |
| B．Some examples of practising English with friends. |
| C．Three important periods of time for learning English. |
| D．The most important steps in improving independent learning. |
8 . Ocean food plays a very important part in our food supply. Not so long ago, the world’s oceans were filled with different types of fish. Now, a large increase in global overfishing has threatened that supply.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 90 percent of the world’s fisheries (渔场) are either being fully exploited (开发), or are at risk of being closed down.
With fish supplies running out at home, fishermen are traveling further to find their catch. Frequently, fishermen are crossing over into other countries. As fish supplies closer to their homeland’s shores are decreasing fishermen cross borders to find fish.
Overfishing can be found everywhere, from Mexican fishing boats off the US coast of Florida to Russian fishing boats in the western Bering Sea. However, the effect is felt the strongest in the South China Sea.
On the other side of the world, West Africa is now seeing malign effects of overfishing. For coastal African countries, such as Senegal, the fishing industry is a large part of the national economy. The World Bank reports nearly 20 percent of the Senegalese are working in the fishing industry. Rashid Sumaila is the Director of Fisheries Economic Research at the University of British Columbia. He says communities that depend on fish for income and food, like Senegal, are now at risk.
1. Why do fishermen cross borders to catch fish?| A．Because they want to protect the environment. |
| B．Because they want to enjoy the overseas scenery. |
| C．Because fish supplies in their countries are decreasing. |
| D．Because fishing is not allowed in their own countries. |
| A．In Russia. | B．In the South China Sea. |
| C．Off the US coast of Florida. | D．In the western Bering Sea. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Satisfying. |
| C．Hopeful. | D．Beneficial. |
| A．Most people in Africa will be out of work. |
| B．The World Bank will lend money to fishermen. |
| C．Rashid Sumaila is unconcerned about overfishing. |
| D．Overfishing has some bad effects on African people. |
9 . After Stewart and Debbie Wilder lost their son, Cameron, in 2013, the last thing on their minds was decorating for the holiday season. “We haven’t put anything up in three years. It has all stayed boxed up,” said Debbie.
But in December 2016, the house was lit up for Christmas, with little lights cheerfully lining the rood and eaves(屋檐). It wasn’t the Wilders but a stranger Carson Zickgraf, the founder of CZ Enterprises LLC, who finally made the house shine. “I started crying,” Debbie says about seeing the lights for the first time. “It was really special.”
Zickgraf has been donating his light-stringing services to brighten the lives of families affected by losing their children, especially during the difficult holiday season since 2015 and has decorated the houses of more than two dozen families so far.
He started the project by chance. He was hanging lights on a home when the owner mentioned that some neighbors were having a hard time that holiday season because their son had recently died. Then he had an idea. “I sent my crew there to decorate that house too,” he says. The family was delighted. In fact, he had two friends who had died young, and he’d always wished he could ease the pain for their loved ones. Now, he’s found a way.
“There’s something special about Christmas lights. They warm the spirit.” Zickgraf knows his efforts can’t completely remove the pain from these families, but he can make the holidays a little cheerier. “I wish I had a bigger company so I could do more houses,” he says.
1. How was the Wilders affected by the loss of their son?| A．They didn’t feel like decorating their house for Christmas. |
| B．They were the last to put up some decorations at Christmas. |
| C．They had no one to help decorate their house for Christmas. |
| D．They had the belongings of their son boxed up at Christmas. |
| A．To make more houses brighter. | B．To expand his own business. |
| C．To relieve the victim family’s pain. | D．To memorize his dead friends. |
| A．Enthusiastic and optimistic. | B．Courageous and smart. |
| C．Ambitious and generous. | D．Considerate and helpful. |
| A．Lights warming the spirit | B．A person brightening houses |
| C．Families going through sufferings | D．A business hanging lights |
10 . I don’t realize that I’ve been at college for nearly one and half year until now. Looking back into the last year, what shall I say? It consisted of both happiness and sadness. Life always goes like this, up and down, as is so exciting. Now when I recall the past, no matter how I felt at that time, they are all treasures for me.
That was the moon festival last year, which was also the first time we went out after we entered the college. It was said that the sea in Dalian was well-known and was also a wonderful place to watch the moon. After getting all the food and drinking ready, we four girls set off for the seaside. There were many people and we picked up a less crowded beach. At first, we enjoyed ourselves by drinking and eating. When the moon turned brighter, we played with the seawater. As a result, we were all drenched with water. Bathing in the moonlight, we ran and laughed. We seemed to land on another world, where was full of fresh air, laughter and love. The laughter is still echoing(回响) on my mind so far.
Life doesn’t stay the same, occasionally having a particular taste. That is sadness. What impressed me deeply is a failure in a singing competition. It was the first time I had given a performance on such a large stage in front of so many people. I was so nervous that the whole song was performed out of tune. As you could imagine, I was greeted with boos from the audience. I still remembered how dismal I felt that moment and I sat alone crying at the seaside. After that, I talked to mother about it. She told me that it was not a failure; at least, I was brave enough to show myself publicly.
Everything has passed. I’ve stored them at the bottom of my heart. I am in the second grade already. Yet much needs me to challenge. On the way, there's both happiness and distress. However, I will go ahead just all the same.
1. The author of the text is ______.| A．a boy | B．a girl |
| C．the passage doesn’t say | D．none of the above |
| A．dried | B．wet |
| C．frozen | D．washed away |
| A．full of happiness | B．filled with sadness |
| C．made up of laughter and tears | D．not worth living |
| A．It was wonderful | B．It was disappointing |
| C．The passage doesn’t say | D．It was perfect |
| A．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| B．Do wrong once and you’ll never hear the end of it. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| D．Time and tide wait for no man. |
