1 . Paris is the city of dreams, the city of love. If you are thinking of heading to Paris for a study period, then perhaps a little reality check is in order. But my experience was a romantic one.
I paved my path to Paris through an exchange program. On arrival in Paris, I was constantly reminded of the official processes I was required to complete — forms to be filled in, meetings to attend, the list seemed endless. Perhaps it was due to my well organizational habit, but somehow this endless list of todo’s was completed in little more than a week.
Then the real work began. Once classes were underway, I found myself volunteering to do oral presentations and assignments first, rather than last. This method proved to be very helpful.
Once I had finished class for the week, I had an ever-increasing list of museums to visit, neighborhoods to explore, and cafes to sit in and parks to run around. Read as many books about Paris as you can. Talk to as many locals and other foreigners living there as you can. But the one thing that reading a book or talking to someone cannot do is to provide you with the experience of wandering Paris on foot. I discovered some of my favorite places in Paris by wandering. The people watching, the sounds of the city, the colors as the seasons change, they all add to the ecstasy that I experienced in Paris as an exchange student.
After spending five months wandering through the charming neighborhoods, I fell in love with the atmosphere that came out from every open door, and with every spoken word. There is something comforting about walking to the market each Sunday to be faced with the beautiful display of fruits, vegetables and dairy products. There is warmth in saying bonjour to the passers-by.
On my last day in Paris, I confidently said, “Bonjour Monsieur,” as I passed the little store down the street. I guess no matter how hard I tried I was always going to be an outsider, a tourist. The best part about going on exchange in Paris is falling in love with the city in your own way. Everyone’s experience of Paris is different. I know mine is unique and special to me, my own little pieces of Paris.
1. What does the underlined word “ecstasy” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?| A．Courage. | B．Imagination. |
| C．Happiness. | D．Reputation. |
| A．An exchange student’s life. |
| B．Charming neighborhoods. |
| C．An exchange program. |
| D．A traveling experience. |
| A．Enjoying coffee in his spare time. |
| B．Greeting people in French in the street. |
| C．Buying vegetables in the market. |
| D．Hanging around in Paris. |
| A．The friendly people he met in Paris. |
| B．The special culture he experienced in the city. |
| C．The academic achievement he made in his study. |
| D．The presentations and assignments he did in class. |
2 . Earth Day falls on 22 April and it began in 1970. It has grown into a global event recognized by over 192 countries. Devoting a special day to helping Earth is a way to demonstrate how much we care about the future of our planet. If you like, there's always a way for you to get involved in Earth Day celebrations. But you don’t have to wait for Earth Day to show your love for the planet we call home.The following are what you can do for our mother Earth.
Learn more about the environment.
Earth Day is a good time to make a commitment to learning more about the environment and how you can help to protect it. Read articles to get up to date on the current issues affecting the environment,like pollution, water shortage and climate change. Or, learn about a region you’ve never thought about before, like the Arctic, the deserts or the rainforests. Not sure where to start? Check out your local news sources for information about environmental issues in your own backyard.
Join an environmental group.
Think about the issues that concern you the most and if you haven't done so already, join a local group that undertakes activities to help protect the environment in your area. Earth Day is a great day to start getting involved In almost any community, you'll find local groups that do the following.
Host clean-ups of local rivers, lakes or seashores.
Plant trees and grow flowers or vegetables in community gardens.
Protect wildlife habitats under threat.
Spread the word
Everyone who has environmental knowledge can share with others. It's a good way to talk about the environment with people who may not think about it that much. Talk to your parents, friends,teachers, siblings, and anyone else you'd like to know about the issues you care about most.
1. The underlined word"demonstrate"in paragraph 1 can be replaced by “______”.| A．display | B．make sure | C．lead to | D．throw light on |
| A．checking out local news |
| B．planting trees in community gardens |
| C．sharing environmental knowledge with others |
| D．using public transport like buses |
| A．tell us what we can do to protect Earth |
| B．inform us of the information about Earth Day |
| C．tell us the background of Earth Day |
| D．tell us the significance of Earth Day |
3 . Thanksgiving Day is a public vacation. It is a day off for the general population in the US, and schools and most businesses are closed。
What Do People Do
Thanksgiving Day is traditionally a day for families and friends to get together for a special meal.The meal often includes a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie and vegetables. Thanksgiving Day is a time for many people to give thanks for what they have.
Thanksgiving Day parades are held in some cities and towns on or around Thanksgiving Day. Some parades or festivities also mark the opening of the Christmas shopping season. Some people have a four-day weekend so it is a popular time for trips and to visit family and friends.
Public Life
Most government offices, businesses, schools and other organizations are closed on Thanksgiving Day. Many offices and businesses allow staff to have a four-day weekend so these offices and businesses are also closed on the Friday after Thanksgiving Day. Public transit systems do not usually operate on their regular timetables.
Thanksgiving Day is one of the busiest periods for travel in the US. This can causecongestionand overcrowding. Seasonal parades and busy football games can cause disruption to local traffic
1. What do people usually do on Thanksgiving Day?| A．All people will have a four-day weekend. |
| B．People usually get together with their family without travelling. |
| C．People in government officials still work on this day. |
| D．People usually go out to parade on this day. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Environment damage. |
| C．Too much traffic and too many people. | D．Destruction to the road. |
| A．Students usually go to school to celebrate. |
| B．Buses usually serve on the regular timetable. |
| C．You'd better not go shopping because shops are all closed. |
| D．You and your family can get together for a special meal. |
4 . The first time I went to France, I was shocked by the cultural differences in daily routines and manners. Born and brought up in Britain, I used to believe that we share the same cultural manners with our European neighbour. But how wrong I was!
The most challenging difference for me was the food and eating time. After one month of living here, I still got strange looks as I ate my homemade sandwiches behind a computer screen while the other colleagues enjoyed a three-course meal in the canteen. They also had a two-hour "pause" which seemed to involve every employee in France. What's more, having evening meals at 6 pm was a common habit for people from the north of England, like me. Therefore, an evening meal at 9 pm was quite challenging for my stomach. After realising the fact that the local snacks were worth the wait, however, I quickly accustomed to this more relaxing way of life, which was hard to imagine before I came here.
Another aspect of French food and drink culture that I found hard to adapt to at first is the cafe culture. I am getting used to a quick espresso(浓咖啡 ), but deep down I have to admit that when catching up with an old friend, nothing suits more than a tall latte(1#)and a slice of homemade cake, preferably in a comfortable English tea room
Finally, there go greetings. At home I feel comfortable shaking someone's hand on the first meeting. So when I greeted a stranger with two kisses on the cheeks, I felt slightly out of my comfort zone. I do,though, appreciate this part of the French culture.
Being exposed to cultural differences is a unique experience which makes you appreciate your roots more and open your eyes to the diversity of the world.
1. What do we know about the food and eating time in France?| A．French people eat a quick lunch at work. |
| B．French people have a three-course meal in the evening. |
| C．French people usually eat evening meals at 6 pm. |
| D．An evening meal at 9 pm is quite common in France. |
| A．used | B．adapted | C．abandoned | D．refused |
| A．Comfortable . | B．Challenging but enriching . | C．Hard to adapt to. | D．Unworthy. |
5 . Hamburgers were first introduced to the United States in the early 20th century, and the first fast-food restaurant chain opened its doors in 1921. However, it was only after World War II that fast food became popular in the whole country.
After designing their hamburger restaurant to make food in a simpler and more effective way,the McDonald brothers reduced the costs of production. They ended up earning $275,000 by 1951which was quite a fortune for a small restaurant at that time. Along with other pioneers in the fast-food business, by 1990 fast-food restaurants had taken over the American landscape. Today, at least 50 million Americans are fed by more than 180.000 fast-food restaurants every day.
When analyzing these data, we might find it shocking that the decline of our health has moved in direct proportion(比例) to the rise of fast-food consumption.This,sadly, is not a coincidence(巧合) Since1990, various kinds of fast food have led to more consumption of calories compared to homemade meals.
The US government has conducted several surveys on this issue, and they have pointed out some alarming facts. Fast food and ultra-processed snacks are now taking the lead in more and more Americans’ daily diets. Rather than healthy food, more people prefer quick, easy treats with high calories like fried chicken and potato chips. Moreover, according to the surveys, fast-food consumption has more than doubled since the 1970s among people aged between 19 and 39. In a relatively short period of time, the fast-food industry has changed not only the way Americans eat, but also their economy and cultural landscape.The rapid development of the fast-food industry alsotriggersthe problem of increased overweight population in the US.
1. What are the first two paragraphs about?| A．The development of the fast-food industry in the world. |
| B．The booming of the fast-food industry in the US. |
| C．The influence of fast food on our health |
| D．The relationship between fast food and our lifestyle. |
| A．To reduce | B．To cause | C．To increase | D．To remove |
| A．Supportive | B．Unconcerned | C．Negative | D．Unclear |
| A．the influence of fast food on the economy |
| B．the development of fast-food industry |
| C．the solutions to the problem of overweight population |
| D．the relationship between fast food and overweight |
6 . China on Monday asked video sites to clean up cartoons recently uploaded online that use cartoon characters in improper and violent situations.
The National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications(NOAPIP) said in a statement on Monday that it had launched a nationwide campaign to crack down on the harmful videos. " We'll keep an eye out for whether those websites carry out self-examination and clean up the videos. Any company that fails to take on its responsibility and continues spreading the videos will be severely punished, "it said.
The recent action was sparked by the translation of an English article, which was published on social network Reddit and went viral on Chinese social media. The article describes the author's experience working in an animation firm that makes cartoon copies of popular children’s characters, typically Spiderman, Elsa and Sponge Bob into scenes of violence or something improper to attract children to watch. The videos were shared on You Tube. Foreign media has reported that You Tube started closing the related accounts and declared that it had deleted more than 150, 000 videos. Whether true or false. The article made people more concerned about harmful videos on the Internet, especially those for children.
The capital also launched a campaign against online games that distort Chinese history, discredit heroes, violate the national religious policy, or promote violence or crime, to develop a healthy network environment for children.
1. What does the underlined word "viral" in paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Ignore. | B．Widespread. | C．Attractive. | D．Interesting |
| A．To satisfy people's requirement. | B．To protect the safety of children. |
| C．To create a healthy network environment for children. | D．To reduce violence and crime. |
| A．Campaign Against Online Games | B．Unhealthy Cartoons Harm Children |
| C．YouTube Deals with Cartoon Copies | D．Clean up Children-targeted Harmful Cartoons |
7 . Spain's Royal Theatre and China's National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) have signed agreement on exchange of audiovisual materials through an online platform. The agreement will allow consumers to view materials on demand.
“The NCPA will offer one opera and four concerts live, as well as five documentaries to present them on the platform. With the launch of this project, viewers from several countries will be able to view them on the Internet,”said Wang Ning, the president of the NCPA.
Wang Ning also said the agreement was positive for both institutions because “culture is connected”. “We are going to present the classical operas of the world to the Chinese audience, and we also want to introduce some Chinese operas to the world to help the exchange between different cultures. It doesn't matter if it is from the East or the West. Art has a common character,”he added.
The Royal Theatre, which opened in 1850, is now considered to be the most important centre for classical music, opera and ballet in Spain. The agreement is another step towards greater collaboration between the two institutions which have enjoyed a close relationship for several years. He said the relationship between the Royal Theatre and China had received an important boost following the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to the theatre on 28 November 2018 during their official visit to Spain.
“We are working to take flamenco(弗拉明科舞) to China, to carry out Joint university projects and exchange activities so our respective people can see how each other works,” he explained.
1. The NCPA promised to offer _____.| A．Peking Opera shows | B．cartoons |
| C．documentaries and concerts | D．flamenco |
| A．To introduce Chinese operas to the world |
| B．To introduce Spanish operas to the Chinese audience |
| C．To carry out joint university projects and exchange activities |
| D．To promote the exchange between cultures |
| A．Encouragement. | B．Rise. | C．Drop. | D．Success. |
| A．On an Internet blog. | B．From a magazine. |
| C．From a news agency app. | D．In a textbook. |
8 . Have you noticed the number of plastic bags in your house? I just realised that my cupboards in the kitchen are full of them, and without even realising it, they are taking over my home! Actually, this is just one example of how plastic-this useful material -is almost everywhere in our life. Convenient as it is, however, it's unfortunately not the easiest thing to break down and recycle, causing serious environmental problems.
Nowadays, most of our plastic waste is buried and left to break down for years. But some of it blows away, blighting the countryside and causing damage to the natural environment and the wildlife.The situation is most severe in our oceans.
Some biologists and marine scientists have claimed that the plastic waste is now impacting most islands in the world as well as the majority of species in the ocean in various ways.
This highlights the negative effect of the disposable (一次性的) culture. When we throw a plastic item away, it doesn't just disappear. Instead, it goes somewhere and could somehow end in the ocean.Due to its durable nature, it takes a long time to break down and causes great damage to the ocean's ecology. Some recent research also mentions that 90 per cent of all seabirds have swallowed plastic.And what's worse, the plastic item can be broken down into tiny pieces over a long period of time by the wind and the waves. It later becomes the food of the sea creatures at the bottom of the food chain. These creatures are then eaten by the fish that eventually ends in our stomach.
We could solve this problem by using less plastic. Several countries now charge for using plastic bags, and some products now use natural and recyclable materials. But it still seems unlikely to stop using plastic once and for all, and plastic will continue to be a necessary part in many of the things that we demand.
So next time you use a plastic bag, take some time to think about the animals on the remote islands as well as in the oceans.
1. Why does the author mention the plastic bags at the very beginning?| A．To show his anger at the stuff taking over his home. |
| B．To introduce the topic that plastic can cause environmental problems. |
| C．To find out the easiest thing to recycle in our daily life. |
| D．D. To imply that plastic bags can be very useful. |
| A．ruining | B．brightening | C．benefiting | D．wasting |
| A．It has somewhat affected the creatures in the water. |
| B．The plastic thrown away causes great damage to the ocean's ecology. |
| C．Only seabirds swallow the tiny particles broken down from the plastic. |
| D．Chances are that humans will be the ultimate victim of it. |
| A．He is quite indifferent to the issue. |
| B．He considers plastic should be forbidden entirely. |
| C．He suggests that people should think twice before using plastic items. |
| D．He encourages the governments to make their move. |
9 . Outside the protected areas in India, the number of large carnivores(食肉动物) is increasing,due to the stricter protection of wildlife. It is good news indeed, but at the same time it causes serious problems for management. From time to time, the interactions between people and carnivores result in conflicts. And this issue is particularly serious with leopards.
A group of researchers have studied the interactions between people and leopards in Kamataka, a state in India with more than 90 million people. Leopards can be found in nearly half of the state, so there is a good chance that people and leopards run into each other from time to time.
To gauge the frequency of such interactions, the researchers looked through the media reports from 2013 to 2014 carefully. They found 245 separate incidents in total. Among them, most cases were attacks on livestock or spotting of the leopards by people.
But there are a small number of those incidents that involve injuries or even death of people.According to the researchers, there were 32 attacks on people, causing three deaths. There were also34 leopards died during the study period. Most of their death resulted from hunting and being hit by vehicles. Disappointing it may sound, they found capturing and relocating the animals didn't seem to work out well in reducing their contacts with humans.
So here comes the question: how can the large carnivores and people better coexist?
The researchers believe that it is important to collect more data on where leopards are most likely to be found in populated areas. In this way, people can avoid those big cats effectively. Meanwhile farmers should be paid quickly and fairly for their loss of livestock. People can thus lower the chances of hunting down and killing or moving the offending animal.
1. Which of the following statements best describes the author's attitude towards the in creasing number of large carnivores?| A．Stricter protection of wildlife is the only reason for it |
| B．Besides the conservation of the animals, there are no other benefits |
| C．It might present a threat to the harmony between humans and carnivores |
| D．There is nothing bad about the phenomenon |
| A．to search | B．to gather | C．to plan | D．to determine |
| A．To figure out the possible locations of the carnivores and avoid running into them. |
| B．To hunt down the offensive carnivores in populated areas. |
| C．To capture and relocate the animals. |
| D．To gain data on the frequency of interactions between people and carnivores. |
10 . When going on holiday, you normally expect nothing but to relax, enjoy yourselves and above all stay safe. Sometimes, you may sadly have to face certain unexpected problems that would end your sweet holidays without any warning, such as a typhoon or an earthquake. But holidaymakers at the Red Sea resort in Egypt are facing a different problem, which you may have never thought of before.
The resort is famous for its golden beaches, warm sea and nice weather, and it is an excellent place for scuba diving(带水肺潜水). But at the moment, no tourists are willing to take the risk of diving into the water due to the recent shark attacks. These attacks have caused one death and several injuries over the last few weeks.
According to some biologists, these sharks live in the open ocean, and are frequently seen in the ocean of this region. But as they have pointed out, it was not common for swimmers to run into them in shallow waters.
Experts are still not sure what has lured the sharks into these waters and to attack people. However, they all believe that shark attacks are extremely rare and they are definitely not man-eaters as shown in films like Jaws. One thought is that animal carcasses(尸体) were recently thrown into the sea from a ship close to the shore. Some experts believe that it could just be a case of people being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A shark attack might make you think twice before stepping into the sea, but things may not be as severe as you've thought. According to recent research, there are about 70 to 100 attacks on humans per year, and only a small number of them are fatal.
Mark Williams runs a scuba diving company at the resort, and he is concerned about how the local authorities will deal with these sharks. ''Tens of millions of sharks have been hunted and killed by humans every year!'' Mark points out. ''They are an essential part of the marine(海洋的) ecosystem.''
1. We can learn from the passage that_______.| A．over the last few weeks only one person has been injured in the shark attacks. |
| B．sharks frequently visit this region and swimmers often meet them in shallow waters. |
| C．experts think that sharks rarely attack people as shown in the film Jaws. |
| D．experts know for sure why sharks attack people. |
| A．Drawn | B．Attracted | C．Forced | D．Tempted |
| A．the animals' dead bodies thrown into the sea have lured sharks |
| B．humans do more harm to sharks than sharks do to humans |
| C．sharks attack people completely by accident |
| D．shark attacks are not as dangerous as people have imagined |
