1 . Unique and Weird New Year's Eve Traditions
German
In some parts of Germany, they do lead （铅）pouring. Pour a dollop （团）of lead into cold water and the shape it dorms may be telling you about the year to come. A heart shape, naturally, means love will come your way. A crown predicts wealth and fortune. A star indicates happiness. But if you see a cross, you're almost dead!
Latin America
If you are in Latin America, make sure you have some colourful underpants to ring in the New Year. End — of — the — year partiers put on colourful underwear to ensure certain types of outcomes of the following year, red for love and yellow for success.
Naples, Italy
Neapolitans like throwing things out of the windows, at least on New Year's Eve. Furniture, kitchen machines, grandma.. Well, maybe not the last one. Let's hope not, anyway. This tradition is meant to symbolize an out — with — the — old gesture and get a new beginning of the new year. These days people are a bit more mindful of what they throw into the street below.
Spain
In 1909, winegrowers in the Alicante region of Spain had a brilliant idea: Start and promote an annual tradition that would involve people in having to buy and eat more grapes. Everyone must eat 12 grapes on New Year's Eve to pray for wealth of the coming year. Now, it's a popular custom in Spain. But the problem is that people have to eat a grape for each bell striking at midnight.
1. Germans would like to see the following shapes of lead Except ________.| A．a heart | B．a cross |
| C．a star | D．a crown |
| A．They hate cooking at home. |
| B．They are more careful about what to throw now. |
| C．They throw their grandma out of the window. |
| D．They like making gestures in front of the windows. |
| A．They buy lots of wine. |
| B．They pray with 12 grapes. |
| C．They eat as many grapes as possible. |
| D．They eat a grape for each bell striking, |
2 . Home fires can happen quickly, destroying lives and property, but unlike other disasters, most home fires can be prevented. Read on to learn 4 unexpected home fire dangers.
Having old smoke alarms
An effective smoke alarm can make much difference when it comes to surviving a house fire. It's not enough to change the batteries twice a year, you also need to replace your alarms every decade. "You should test your smoke alarms every month, "says Lorraine Carli, vice president of the National Fire Protection Association. "But also don't forget to check the dates and replace an alarm that is more than10 years old."
Leaving the kitchen while you cook
One in five Americans admitted leaving food cooking unattended on the stove, found an American Red Cross survey. Walking away from food cooking in the kitchen is a serious fire risk." The leading cause of home fires is cooking and the leading cause of those fires is unattended cooking," says Carli. If you need to use the stove or oven, be sure to keep an eye on it.”
Turning the heat too high when you cook
Turning up the heat too high can be deadly, even if you're in the kitchen while you cook. Kevin Kelley, senior director of the American Red Cross, recommends paying close attention and turning off the burner if you see smoke or grease(油脂)starting to boil while frying food.
Having a dirty stove while you cook
If your stove is covered with grease, a small kitchen fire can get out of hand quickly. Clean and clear the area around the stove before turning on the heat, or the result will be dangerous.
1. How long should you have a new smoke alarm?| A．2 years. | B．10 years. | C．12 years. | D．8 years. |
| A．Having a dirty stove. |
| B．Turning the heat too high. |
| C．Having an old alarm. |
| D．Walking away from food cooking. |
| A．Some home fire dangers can be prevented. |
| B．It is advisable to change the batteries of smoke alarms twice a year. |
| C．Kevin Kelley suggests paying close attention to fried food. |
| D．Having a dirty stove is dangerous while you cook. |
3 . I was unbelievably proud of my nine–year–old daughter, Emily. Determined to buy a mountain bike, she’d been saving her pocket money all the year, as well as doing small jobs to earn extra money.
By Thanksgiving Day, she had collected only＄49. I said, “You can have your pick from my bicycle collection.” “Thanks, Daddy. But your bikes are so old.” She was right. All my girls’ bikes were 1980s models, not the kind kids today would likely choose.
As Christmas drew near, Emily and I went bike shopping. As we left one store, she noticed a Salvation(救助) Army volunteer standing next to a big pot. “Can we give something, Daddy?” she asked. “Sorry, Emily. I’m out of change.”
Throughout December, Emily continued to work hard. Then one day, she made a surprising decision. “You know all the money I’ve been saving?” she said hesitantly. “I’m going to give it to the poor people.” So one cold morning before Christmas, Emily gave her total savings of＄58 to a volunteer who was really very thankful.
Affected by Emily’s deed, I decided to contribute one of my old bicycles to a car dealer who was collecting used bikes for poor children. As I selected a shiny model from my collection, however, it seemed as if a second bike took on a glow（发光). Should I contribute two? No, one would be enough. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should give a second bike. When I later delivered the bikes, the car dealer said, “You’re making two kids very happy, sir. Here are your tickets. For each bicycle contributed, we’re giving away one chance to win a girls’ mountain bike.”
Why wasn’t I surprised when that second ticket turned out to be the winner? I like to think it was God’s way of rewarding a little girl for a sacrifice（牺牲）beyond her age—while giving her dad a lesson in the process.
1. The father took pride in his daughter probably NOT because_____.| A．she’d been saving her pocket money all the year |
| B．she’d been doing small jobs to earn extra money |
| C．she made up her mind to buy a mountain bike |
| D．she presented her total savings of＄58 to a volunteer |
| A．Emily was angry with her father as he didn’t give his change. |
| B．The volunteer wasn’t moved by Emily’s donation of her savings. |
| C．The car dealer exchanged two tickets for the father’s two bikes. |
| D．The father made his final decision that he should give one more bike. |
| A．The car dealer cheated people of their contributions. |
| B．Two girls really appreciated receiving donated bikes. |
| C．Emily got a mountain bike for her kindness finally. |
| D．The father felt regretful for winning a girl’s mountain bike. |
| A．One good turn deserves another. | B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Do as you would be done. | D．Great minds think alike. |
4 . Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. Some scientists had already observed comets then, and Halley studied them carefully. The orbit (轨道) of one special comet was a very hard mathematical (数学的) problem. He couldn’t work it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Newton, who was an excellent mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse (椭圆).
Now Halley set to work. He worked out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. The different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what comet would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley's prediction could be tested. In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he has died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley's comet, in his honor.
1. Halley made his discovery ________.| A．by using the work of other scientists | B．through his own careful observation |
| C．by doing some experiments secretly | D．by figuring out some hard problems |
| A．1607 | B．1682 | C．1705 | D．1811 |
| A．Halley and other scientists | B．the orbit of a comet |
| C．Newton and Halley | D．Halley and his discovery |
| A．The orbit of a comet was a round shape. |
| B．Halley did not live up to the year 1758. |
| C．Halley was an Australian mathematician. |
| D．Halley worked out the comet’s orbit first. |
5 . Hundreds of years ago，news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days，weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day，either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news stories to print? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?
Firstly，it is important to report news stories.TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers. Yet，newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way，or they may print completely different stories to those on TV.
Secondly，a news story has to be interesting and unusual. People don’t want to read stories about everyday life. As a result， many stories are about some kind of danger and seem to be “bad” news. For example，newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely；instead they print stories about plane accidents.
Another factor is also very important in many news stories. Many people are interested in news in foreign countries， but more prefer to read stories about people，places and events in their own country. So the stories on the front page in Chinese newspapers are usually very different from the ones in British，French and American newspapers.
1. The difference between newspaper stories and TV news reports it that________.| A．people can learn more about the same news story from a newspaper |
| B．people can read the news story more quickly in a newspaper |
| C．people can read news stories in other countries |
| D．people can read news stories about their own country |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．You often play football with your friends after school. |
| B．Your teacher has got a cold. |
| C．A tiger in the city zoo has run out and hasn’t been caught. |
| D．The bike in front of your house is lost. |
| A．News stories on the front page of every country are always the same. |
| B．People like to read interesting and unusual news. |
| C．Not only TV but also newspapers can help people to learn what is happening around the world. |
| D．Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life for more than three hundred years. |
6 . Futurologists(未来学家)predict that life will probably be very different in 2050 in all the fields of activity，from entertainment to technology.First of all，it seems that TV channels will have disappeared by 2050.Instead，people will choose a programme from a “menu”(菜单)and a computer will send the programme directly to the television.Today，we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometres away.By 2050，music，films，programmes，newspapers and books will come to us by computer.We will also be able to see，smell and touch the things that we see on television.
In transport，cars will run on new，clean “gas” and they will go very fast.Cars will have computers to control the speed of the car and there won't be any accidents.Today，many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are.By 2050，the computer will control the car and drive it to where you want to go.Space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours.
In technology，robots will have replaced people in factories.Many factories already use robots.Big companies prefer robots — they do not ask for pay rises or go on strike，and they work 24 hours a day.By 2050，we will see robots everywhere — in factories，schools，offices，hospitals，shops and homes.
Last but not least，medicine technology will have conquered many diseases.By 2050，we will be able to help blind and deaf people see again and hear again.Scientists will be able to produce clones of people and decide how they look，how they behave and how much intelligence they have.
1. What is NOT true about television by 2050 according to this passage?| A．One will be able to smell the food on television. |
| B．One can have a try of the food he or she sees on television. |
| C．There will be no channels for us to choose programmes. |
| D．Televisions will be completely controlled by computers. |
| A．Cars will go at a very high speed on their own. |
| B．Space planes will fly all over the world in a short time. |
| C．There will be less pollution and no car accidents. |
| D．Computers will tell people where they are going. |
| A．people will live more healthily and longer |
| B．computers will control the speed of cars |
| C．people can read newspapers through a computer |
| D．there will be no people working in factories |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Sad. |
| C．Happy. | D．Worried. |
7 . The small unframed painting called “Fishman” was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone (1669-1740). When it was sold recently in New York for $ 27,000, the seller, Mr. Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession. Pitt said, “I didn’t know it was so valuable. I’m not an art expert. Photography is my hobby. I bought ‘Fisherman’ in Italy in 1970 for $140. The picture was dirty, and I could see the artist’s signature. But anyway, it wasn’t the picture that I liked. I bought it because of the frame.
“It’s a most unusual frame, made of tiny, silver sea-shells. They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture. I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I’ll never part with it.
“When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer. I told him that I had paid $140 for it but admitted I didn’t know its actual worth. The customs man valued it at $140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value. I did so, there and then.
“Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone’s signature. My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one; so I cleaned it and put it up for sale.”
As a result of this explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court. He was accused of knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department.
Pitt was not happy, “I told the truth as I knew then,” he said. “What else could I say?”
And then the judge agreed with him. “The Customs Department is responsible,” he said, “for making a true valuation of goods brought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged. Mr. Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made. He paid the duty that was demanded. If, now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try. Pitt is not guilty.”
1. When Oliver Pitt bought the picture, ________.| A．it was unframed | B．Maveleone signed the deal |
| C．he suggested that it was valuable | D．it was the frame the attracted him |
| A．the painting would have cost much more than $140 |
| B．he wouldn’t have sold his painting at such a low price |
| C．the customs officer would have valued the painting at $140 or less |
| D．Pitt wouldn’t have had the intention to buy any of his paintings |
| A．look for the artist’s signature | B．find the painting’s true value |
| C．use it for his wife’s photograph | D．clean the painting to put it up for sale |
| A．Pitt was asked to pay the correct amount of duty |
| B．Pitt sold the frame of the painting at an even higher price |
| C．the Customs Department had no right to revalue the painting |
| D．Pitt’s wife was regarded as an expert because of her wise suggestion |
8 . When I was a child, my mom liked to make food for dinner every now and then．And I remembered one night in particular when she made dinner after a long, hard day at work．
On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burned toast in front of my dad．I remembered waiting to see if anyone noticed．Yet all my dad did was to reach for his toast, smile at my mom and ask me how my day was at school．I didn't remember what I told him that night, but I did remember watching him smear（涂上）butter on that toast and eat every bite!
When I got up from the table that evening, I remembered hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast．And I would never forget what he said, "Baby, I love burnt toast．"
Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy goodnight and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned．He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Son, your mom spent a hard day at work today and she's really tired．And besides, a little burnt toast never hurts anyone!"
You know, life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people．I'm not the best housekeeper or cook．What I've learned over the years is that trying to accept faults of each other and choosing to embrace differences of each other are the most important keys to creating a healthy and lasting relationship．
1. Which of the following is NOT TRUE about the author's mom?| A．She was always careless when making toast． |
| B．Her workday could be long and hard sometimes． |
| C．She enjoyed making supper for her family at times． |
| D．She felt soy after serving the burnt toast to her husband． |
| A．Proud and crazy． | B．Thoughtful and caring． |
| C．Cautious and kind． | D．Generous and patient． |
| A．Everyone is supposed to go after perfection in life． |
| B．A person can't be both a good housekeeper and a good cook． |
| C．More tolerance and understanding help people stay in good heath． |
| D．Accepting faults and differences is important for an impressive relationship． |
9 . Throughout history scientists have risked their health and their lives in their search for the truth.
Sir Isaac Newton, the seventeenth century scientist, was very smart, but that didn't stop him from doing some pretty stupid things. In his laboratory in Cambridge he often did the strangest experiments. Once, while testing how light passes through lenses, he put a long needle into his eye, pushed it to the back, and then moved it around just to see what would happen. Luckily, nothing long-lasting did. On another occasion he stared at the sun for as long as he could bear, to discover what effect this would have on his sight. Again he escaped suffering permanent damage, though he had to spend some days in a darkened room before his eyes recovered.
In the 1750s the Swedish chemist Karl Scheele was the first person to find a way to produce phosphorus. He in fact discovered eight more chemical elements including chlorine , though he didn't get any praise for them. He was a very clever scientist, but his one failing was a curious habit of tasting a little of every substance he worked with. This risky practice finally caught up with him, and in 1786 he was found dead in his laboratory surrounded by a large number of dangerous chemicals, any of which might have been responsible for his death.
Eugene Shoemaker was a respected geologist. He spent a large part of his life studying craters on the moon, and how they were formed, and later did research into the comets of the planet Jupiter. In 1997 he and his wife were in the Australian desert where they went every year to search for places where comets might have hit the earth. While driving in the Tanami desert, normally one of the emptiest places in the world, another vehicle crashed into them and Shoemaker was killed on the spot. Some of his ashes were sent to the moon aboard the Lunar Prospector spacecraft and left there — he is the only person who has had this honor.
1. Which word is similar to the underlined word “permanent” in Paragraph 2?| A．Brief. | B．Lasting. | C．Slight. | D．Ordinary. |
| A．He was killed by tasting phosphorus. |
| B．He killed himself with some dangerous chemicals. |
| C．His habit of tasting chemicals might account for his death. |
| D．He got a large number of honors for discovering many chemical elements. |
| A．He was knocked over and died in a desert. | B．All of his ashes were placed on the moon. |
| C．One comet of Jupiter was named after him. | D．A spacecraft carrying him traveled around Jupiter. |
| A．Three great scientists' famous experiments. | B．Three great scientists' great achievements. |
| C．Three great scientists' sacrifice for the truth. | D．Three great scientists' special honors. |
10 . What’s on your travel list for 2021? I’ve consulted several travel experts to find out the top places in the USA worth visiting in 2021.
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana
Why: New Orleans is known for its music and food—not to mention the festivals.
It has about 130 festivals each year, so there’s really no bad time to visit. Bourbon Street is the obvious choice for food, drink and jazz and it’s definitely a must-visit location, especially for the first timers to the city.
Where: Vail, Colorado
Why: Vail is the perfect destination for travelers looking to find almost everything in one central spot. Stay at the amazing Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail a few steps away from Vail Village, a popular town with cobblestone(鹅卵石) steets for wandering leisurely. The country’s largest free transportation system runs frequently, making it easy to access almost anywhere from Vail Village to Lionshead Village.
Where: Hudson Valley, New York
Why: The Hudson Valley is where New Yorkers go to escape the city when they need a healthy dose of nature and relaxation. Just an hour and half north of New York City, the Hudson Valley is made up of small, impossibly charming towns, where the air is fresher and things do move slower in the mountains.
1. You can enjoy different things in New Orleans EXCEPT________.| A．sports | B．music | C．festivals | D．food |
| A．Bourbon Street. | B．New Orleans. |
| C．Vail Village. | D．Lionshead Village. |
| A．Ancient towns. | B．Healthy diets. |
| C．Light music. | D．Wonderful nature. |
