1 . Sharks are amazing creatures. They are known as the deadliest hunters in the sea. Fortunately most are not, but there are some kinds of sharks that can be extremely dangerous. Look at these short descriptions of four kinds of sharks.
The Great White Shark
Great Whites are one of the most frightening creatures in the sea. They live in tropical and subtropical waters, and they can grow up to 9 meters long. Most Great Whites are actually grey, blue or brown with a white belly, and their powerful teeth are triangles with edges like saws.
The Whale Shark
Whale Sharks are the largest kind of shark in the world-up to 11 meters in length. They live in tropical waters all around the world, but they are not dangerous. Whale Sharks are brown or grey with white or yellow stripes. They often travel near the surface of the sea.
The Mako Shark
Mako Sharks are fierce predators. They come from the same family of sharks as the Great White and they are especially fast-they can swim at speeds of up to 65 kilometers per hour. They are large bluish sharks found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Mako Sharks can grow up to 3 meters long.
The Great Hammerhead Shark
The Great Hammerheads' most striking feature is its wide thick head which looks like a hammer. The average size of a Great Hammerhead is approximately 3.5 meters, but can grow up to 6 meters long. These sharks average over 500 pounds but can weigh as much as 1,000 pounds. Like most sharks the females are larger than the males. They have several rows of teeth that have 24 to 37 teeth per row. The Great Hammerhead has a very keen sense of smell, which helps find its prey.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Sharks usually live in icy waters. |
| B．Mako Sharks are fast but not dangerous. |
| C．Great Whites have at least 24 to 37 sharp teeth. |
| D．Whale Sharks are bigger than other sharks in the sea. |
| A．The size of its body. | B．The waters it lives in. |
| C．The shape of its head. | D．The function of its teeth. |
| A．A news report. | B．A book review. |
| C．An advertisement. | D．A biology magazine. |
2 . Four interesting festivals :
Grand Old Days:
Phone numeber: (651) 699-0029 E-mail address: fo@grandave.com
Grand Old Days is one of the Midwest’s largest one-day festivals. It’s held every year on the first Sunday in June. It starts at 7:45 am until 5:00 pm. You should pay $8 for a ticket to enter the live music festival gardens and you must be at least 21 years old. There are a lot of interesting activities for the whole family.
Uptown Art Fair:
Phone numeber: (612) 823-4581 E-mail address: info@uptownminneapolis.com
There is a wide variety of artwork you can buy from only a few dollars to thousands of dollars. There are also activities held by some artists. Uptown Art Fair starts on August 5th and ends on August 7th. It is free to attend. The opening time and closing time are Friday 11 am-8 pm, Saturday 10 am-8 pm, and Sunday 10 am-6 pm.
Minnesota State Fair:
Phone numeber: (651) 288-4400 E-mail address: fairinfo@mnstatefair.org
It is one of the most popular fairs in Minnesota. It starts on August 25th and goes through Labor Day on September 5th. Tickets for adults (aged 13-64) are $11, seniors (aged 65 and older) $9, kids (aged 5-12) $8 and children under 5 are free of charge. It opens at 6 am and closes at midnight. The State Fair has lots of fun activities, bands, games, and rides.
Nativity County Fair:
Phone numeber: (651) 696-5401 E-mail address: info@nativitycountyfair.com
The Nativity County Fair is a kid’s fair, but it has some fun things for adults as well. You can buy tickets for the rides and games, and the price depends on how many tickets you want to buy. It starts from September 16th to September 18th.
1. Which of the following lasts the longest?| A．Grand Old Days. |
| B．Minnesota State Fair. |
| C．Uptown Art Fair. |
| D．Nativity County Fair. |
| A．17 dollars. |
| B．19 dollars. |
| C．22 dollars. |
| D．30 dollars. |
| A．advertise some popular festivals. |
| B．introduce some festival activities. |
| C．give advice on kids’ festival safety. |
| D．compare the costs of different festivals. |
| A．In a museum guide. |
| B．In a business report. |
| C．In a book review. |
| D．On a tourist website. |
3 . While some customs like setting off fireworks and counting down the last few seconds seem universal, many countries have their own unique New Year’s Eve traditions.
Denmark: Break plates
A Danish tradition is to throw plates and dishes against friend’s and neighbor’s front doors. It’s a bit of a popularity contest as the bigger the pile of broken china is the next morning, the more friends and good luck you’ll have in the coming year.
Germany: Pouring lead
In Germany, people melt small pieces of lead in a spoon over a candle, then pour the liquid into cold water. The shapes from the lead pouring are supposed to reveal what the year ahead will bring. If the lead forms a ball, luck will roll one’s way, while the shape of a crown means wealth; a cross means death and a star will bring happiness.
Spain: Twelve grapes of luck
In Spain, one New Year’s tradition is to eat 12 grapes, one for each month of the coming year, to secure prosperity (繁荣). You need to eat one grape with each bell strike at midnight. The tradition dates from 1909 when farmers in Alicante came up with this idea to sell more grapes after an exceptional harvest.
Philippines: Round food, round clothes, round everything
In the Philippines, the start of the new year is all about the money. The locals believe that surrounding themselves with round things (to represent coins) will bring money or fortune. As a result, clothes with dots are worn and round food is eaten.
1. What is believed to bring good luck for the coming new year in Denmark?| A．A red candle. | B．Round food. | C．Broken china. | D．A lead cross. |
| A．A way to make coins. | B．An act to keep power. |
| C．A desire to be popular. | D．An idea to gain profit. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Travel. | C．Culture. | D．Entertainment. |
4 . Learning a second language is difficult at any age and it only gets harder the longer you wait to open that dusty French book. Now, in a new study, scientists have pointed the exact age at which your chances of reaching fluency（流利）in a second language seem to rise： 10.
The study, published in the journal Cognition, found that it's "nearly impossible” for language learners to reach native-level fluency if they start learning a second language after 10. But that doesn't seem to be because language skills go downhill “It turns out you're still learning fast. It's just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old,“ says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne, an assistant professor of psychology at Boston College.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children's brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they're better able to adapt and respond to new information. "All learning involves the brain changing,“ Hartshorne says, “and children's brains seem to be a lot more skilled at changing. "
These findings may seem discouraging, but it was heartening for scientists to learn that the critical （关键的）period for fluent language acquisition might be longer than they previously thought. Some scientists believed that the brief window closes shortly after birth, while others stretched it only to early adolescence. Compared to those estimates, 17 or 18 when language learning ability starts to drop off——seems old.
“People progress better when they learn by immersion （沉 浸）rather than simply in a classroom. And moving to a place where your desired language is spoken is the best way to learn as an adult. If that's not an option, you can create an immersive environment by finding ways to have conversations with native speakers in their own communities," Hartshorne says. By doing so, it's possible to become conversationally fluent——even without the advantage of a child's brain.
1. What is the most important finding of the new study?| A．The best age to learn a second language. |
| B．The possibility of speaking fluent language. |
| C．The change of language skills over the time. |
| D．The great approaches to learning a language. |
| A．Their focus is language learning only. |
| B．They are more interested in languages. |
| C．They are more adaptable to new things. |
| D．Their brain always ignores big changes. |
| A．Joining friends in their learning. | B．Turning to immersive learning. |
| C．Studying in a quiet classroom. | D．Training the brain to a kid's brain. |
| A．Science. | B．Travel |
| C．Health. | D．Education. |
5 . Shenzhen is an ideal shopping place for visitors. The following is a list of the most popular shopping areas in the city.
North Huaqiang Area
The most prosperous shopping area in Shenzhen, it is home to dozens of market places for electronic products, clothing and jewelry. Some market places each house hundreds of shops, from flagship stores selling big brands to small shops where you can bargain.
It is also a great place to dine, with plenty of restaurants offering various Chinese dishes and foreign brands like Pizza Hut, Hagen Dazs and AijiSen.
Dongmen Area
One of the oldest commercial centers in Shenzhen, this area highlights a walking street flanked by humming stores. It is a good place to buy clothes, handbags, fashion accessories, jewelry, handicrafts, toys and small electronic gadgets.
MixC Shopping Mall
It is the city’s largest shopping mall and one of the most luxurious, selling clothes, cosmetics and fashion accessories. There is a large indoor ice skating rink, a movie theater and a supermarket selling many imported goods. You can also find quite a few foreign restaurant brands here, including Pizza Hut, Starbucks and a Japanese noodle house.
Shekou
Sitting by a beautiful cove in Western Nanshan District, this quiet place is frequented by many expatriates living in Shenzhen. There are stores selling antiques, collectibles, handicrafts and souvenirs, as well as bars and restaurants offering western food.
1. What can you do at North Huaqiang Area？| A．Skate. | B．Enjoy Chinese food. |
| C．Watch a film. | D．Buy antiques. |
| A．In North Huaqiang Area. | B．In Dongmen Area. |
| C．In MixC Shopping Mall. | D．In Shekou. |
| A．A text book. | B．A museum guide. |
| C．A news report. | D．A travel magazine. |
6 . Life affects friendships. As we grow, marry, fight in wars, move across the country or change jobs, old friendships fall away and new ones form. As long as we live, the things around us change, and as long as things change, friendships are affected.
When we were children we had best friends. No matter what happened we were still friends. We live our lives, however, and do what life calls for us to do, and as we get older, memories fade (逐渐消失), faces blur (变得模糊不清), and even friends' names from childhood are forgotten.
Do you have a question about friendship? Do you wonder what to do with a friend who is no longer friendly? Perhaps you will see that you can't control others. If someone wants to be your friend, it is their choice. All you can do is treat them well and do the best for them when you are with them. Then you wish them well when they leave.
You can talk to old timers and they will tell you that life is full of incredible (难以置信的) joy and incredible sorrow, and that what bothers you today will one day become a memory and the sting (痛苦) will be gone. Seniors might tell you that you will learn more as you get older. They will tell you that friendships come and friendships go. Sometimes when they go it will hurt, but you will be okay with it. It's the way life works, after all.
1. What can we learn about friendship, according to the text?| A．Friendship can not be easily affected by one's family. |
| B．Friends are always around us and will never go away. |
| C．Friends in childhood are the best no matter what happens. |
| D．Friends in childhood are sometimes forgotten by us. |
| A．Old people. | B．Kind people. |
| C．Rich people. | D．Smart people. |
| A．how to face the changes in friendship |
| B．how to deal with unfriendly people |
| C．that childhood friendship is valuable |
| D．how to share happiness with friends |
| A．science newspaper | B．novel |
| C．psychology book | D．health magazine |
7 . This is not a diet. It’s a simple way to lose weight. You don’t have to give up the food you love or join a gym. You just follow some habits thin people have. Keep them, and you’ll become thin.
◆Wake-up
When you wake up in the morning, sit up slowly without using your hands. With legs straight out, lean forward (前俯) until you feel sore (酸痛的) in your back. It will use up 10 calories.
◆Start with soup
Order a clear soup, and have it before the main food. In this way, you’ll feel fuller, so you’ll eat less when the main food comes.
◆An apple or more a day
Apples are full of fiber (纤维) and water, so your stomach will want less. Studies show that people who eat at least three apples or pears a day may lose weight.
◆Talk it up
Every time you use the cell phone, stand up and walk around. Heavy people sit on average two and a half hours more each day than thin people. This skill is very important as standing up and walking around will burn up 50 or more calories. Use these skills, and you will have a big weight loss.
1. The text is to encourage you to ______.| A．go on a diet | B．give up your favorite foods |
| C．join a gym | D．follow some habits of thin people |
| A．Sit up quickly in the morning. | B．Have soup before the main food. |
| C．Eat rice instead of apples. | D．Sit down when using a cell phone. |
| A．in a magazine | B．in a dictionary | C．in a story-book | D．on a map |
8 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
9 . Optimism (乐观) doesn’t mean paying no attention to things that cause stress. But when bad things happen, optimistic people are less likely to be unhappy about themselves and more likely to see the bad things as something that lasts a short time.
A new research has found a direct connection between optimism and healthier diet and exercise behaviors, as well as better heart health, a stronger immune system (免疫系统), better lung function, and lower death risk. “Optimistic people, regardless of sex, often have goals and the confidence to reach them,” Lee said. “Those goals could include healthy habits that contribute to a longer life.”
Studies find only about 25% of our optimism is controlled by our genes (基因), and the rest is up to us. It turns out we can actually train our brain to be more positive. Researchers studied the brains of monks (僧侣) and found surprising results: Tens of thousands of hours of meditation(冥思) had changed the function (机能) of their brains, which support positive qualities. And that may be key in producing the effect on the body.
There are simple mental exercises to develop an optimistic attitude. One of the most effective ways to increase optimism is called the “Best Possible Self” method. That is to imagine ourselves in a future in which we have achieved all our life goals. And keeping a diary in which we list the positive experiences we had can also help shape our attitude. Taking a few minutes each day to write down what makes us thankful can improve our view on life, too.
1. What is the meaning of Lee’s words?| A．Goals can lead to confidence. |
| B．Better lung function lowers death risk. |
| C．Optimism is connected with length of life. |
| D．Sex should be taken into consideration when studying optimism. |
| A．To lengthen their life. |
| B．To improve their brains’ function. |
| C．To prove optimism can be learned. |
| D．To show genes’ connection with optimism. |
| A．How to be a positive person. | B．How to make people thankful. |
| C．What to write about in a diary. | D．What to do to achieve the goals. |
| A．A science magazine. | B．A guidebook. |
| C．A novel. | D．A diary. |
10 . Passenger pigeons were the most common birds in all of North America in the 1800s. It was common to see large groups of passenger pigeons — group that made a sound like a storm.
But today, they are extinct because of human behavior. Now, some scientists want to bring passenger pigeons back to life by using new technology and scientific ideas. They call this process de-extinction
De-extinction has not happened yet. It is still just an idea. The process of de-extinction is not easy. First, scientists must collect DNA from the bodies of extinct animals. Then they will put it in the eggs of similar animals species. When these animals become adults, they will have babies. And these baby animals will have the DNA of the extinct animals.
Scientists believe it is possible to bring back passenger pigeons and many other animals. However, not everyone think this is a good idea.
Stewart Primm is the world’s leading expert on modern animal extinction. He believes that bringing extinct animals back to life is bad for the earth. On the one hand, these animals no longer have a safe place to live. On the other hand, they could cause other animals to die.
Many other scientists do not agree with Stewart Primm. Stuart Brand, a writer and scientist, is one of them. He believes de-extinction is good for many reasons.
“The current generation of children will experience the return of some unusual animals in their lifetime. It may be part of what defines their generation and their attitude to the natural world. They will take their parents to zoos to see the growing populations of passenger pigeons, and maybe even dodo birds. This will provide a good deal of money for zoos busy with extinct species restoration (恢复). Humans killed off a lot of species over the last 10,000 years. So, it’s right to bring some back to life,” he said.
1. What can we know about the passenger pigeons from the text?| A．They were common sightings. |
| B．They suffered a lot from storms. |
| C．They lived mainly in North America. |
| D．They were the largest in American history. |
| A．It will change the DNA of the extinct animals. |
| B．It was first used in passenger pigeons. |
| C．It is difficult to carry out. |
| D．It proved to be useful. |
| A．They will die very soon. |
| B．They will create other problems. |
| C．They will do great harm to humans. |
| D．They will replace the similar species. |
| A．Wrong | B．Difficult |
| C．Important | D．Wasteful |
| A．A research paper. |
| B．A scientific magazine. |
| C．A travel guidebook. |
| D．A geography textbook. |
