1 . A group of swans (天鹅) flew down to a beach where a crow (乌鸦) was jumping around. The crow watched them with disdain (鄙视).
“You have no flying skills at all!” he said to the swans. “All you can do is to move your wings. Can you turn over in the air? No, that’s beyond you. Let’s have a flying competition. I’ll show you what real flying is!”
One of the swans, a strong young male, took up the challenge. The crow flew up and began to show his skills. He flew in circles, performed other flying tricks, and then came down and looked proudly at the swan.
Now it was the swan’s turn. He flew up, and he began flying over the sea. The crow flew after him, making all kinds of comments about his flying. They flew on and on till they couldn’t see the land and there was nothing but water on all sides. The crow was making fewer and fewer comments. He was now so exhausted that he found it hard to stay in the air, and had to struggle to keep himself from falling into the water.
The swan pretended not to notice, and said, “Why do you keep touching the water, brother? Is that another trick?”
“No,” said the crow. He knew that he had lost the competition. “I’m in trouble because of my pride! If you don’t help me, I’ll lose my life…”
The swan took pity on him, and took him on his shoulders and flew back to the beach.
1. What does the underlined word “exhausted” in Paragraph 4 mean?| A．Tired. | B．Angry. |
| C．Frightened. | D．Regretful. |
| A．It was showing another flying skill. |
| B．It was struggling to keep itself from falling into the water. |
| C．It was thirsty and wanted to drink some water. |
| D．It was enjoying itself by doing so. |
| A．The crow didn’t know flying. |
| B．Flying skills were useless. |
| C．The swan saved the crow because they were good friends. |
| D．The swan was better at long-distance flying than the crow |
| A．No pains, no gains. | B．The early bird catches the worm (虫子). |
| C．Pride goes before a fall. | D．Practice makes perfect. |
2 . Starman, the dummy(仿真人) riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster(特斯拉敞篷车) through space, has made his closest approach ever to Mars. The electric roadster and its passenger were attached to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket during the SpaceX rocket’s first test launch on 6 February 2018.
Two years later, the Falcon Heavy rocket and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the Sun. Mr. McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, found that Starman passed 7.4 million kilometers from Mars at 06:25 GMT 7 October, 2020.
The closest recent approach between the Earth and Mars was 56 million kilometers in 2003, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on where they are in their orbits. No one can see the Falcon Heavy rocket at its current distance, but orbits over periods of a few years are fairly straightforward to predict, and Mr. McDowell used data about how the rocket was moving when it left the Earth’s gravity behind to locate its recent movements exactly.
Last time Starman circled the Sun, McDowell said, it crossed Mars’ orbit while the Red Planet was quite far away. But this time the crossing lined up with a fairly close approach, though still not close enough to feel a strong tug from Mars.
At this point in time, if you were able to go look at the Roadster, it would probably look pretty different. The strong solar radiation environment between the planets would probably have destroyed all the exposed organic materials.
Without the Earth’s atmospheric and magnetic(磁场的) protection, even the plastics and carbon-fibre materials would start to break up. Over the course of decades or centuries, the car will end up with its aluminium(铝) frame and hard glass parts----that’s assuming that none of them get destroyed in impacts with passing space rocks.
1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?| A．Starman is now circling around the Earth in its orbit. |
| B．Starman has set out on its second trip around the Sun. |
| C．Starman has traveled 7.4 million kilometers after launch. |
| D．Starman still has a long way to go before getting to Mars. |
| A．By keeping Starman under visual observation. |
| B．By predicting its future orbit around the earth. |
| C．By seeking professional help from SpaceX. |
| D．By analyzing data about the rocket’s movement. |
| A．pull | B．drive | C．resistance | D．pressure |
| A．It is circling around Mars and will finally crash onto it. |
| B．It will finish its mission and return to SpaceX on earth. |
| C．Starman is likely reduced to at most its frame and glass. |
| D．SpaceX will try to recover it during its next space mission. |
3 . When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather (晴天) friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries, to think of ways to be helpful. He is, also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time? I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favour, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble > he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special, A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humour, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!
1. If you have fair weather friends, what will happen to you?| A．You will become rich |
| B．You can be sure that you get real friends |
| C．You will be refused when you get into trouble |
| D．They will give you all that they have when you need help |
| A．Honesty. | B．Reliability. |
| C．Understanding. | D．A sense of humour. |
| A．Cloudy. | B．Unusual. | C．Unhappy. | D．Pleased. |
| A．the qualities of a friend | B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends | D．the importance of having a friend |
4 . In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys（盲盒)are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside similar boxes but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
Blind boxes have become popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55, 000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figures(人物)come in small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
"Expecting the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process," said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: "Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside."
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, "Life is like a blind box."
1. What do we know about blind boxes?| A．They may bring surprise to our life. | B．They are visible from the outside. |
| C．They are popular among all ages. | D．They were first designed in 2014. |
| A．Because blind boxes are fashionable gifts. |
| B．Because blind boxes are educational gifts. |
| C．Because people enjoy box-opening process. |
| D．Because people prefer the colorful boxes. |
| A．Wonderful | B．Interesting | C．Amazing. | D．Boring. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
5 . Slowly but surely, we’re moving closer and closer to 5G world. From smart-home security(安全) to self-driving cars, all the internet-connected devices in your life will be able to talk to each other at lightning-fast speeds. Objectively speaking, the fastest 4G download speeds in the US top out at an average of 10.42 Mbps. But by comparison, 5G promises gigabit(千兆) speeds.
“5G is one of those signs, along with artificial intelligence(人工智能)，of this coming data age,” said Steve Koenig, senior director of market research for the Consumer Technology Association. The self-driving vehicle(车辆) is a great emblem of this data age, and that is to say, it is a sign of time, because with one single task, driving, you have a large number of data coming from the vehicle itself, and a variety of sensors(传感器) are collecting a lot of information to model its environment as it moves. It’s pulling in data from other vehicles about road conditions down the lane(车道). It could be weather information, but also connected infrastructure (基础设施)construction. There is lots of data behind that task, which is why we need high speeds.
Augmented reality glasses and virtual headset haven’t yet broken the mainstream, but tech companies are joyfully betting(打赌) that these devices will eventually replace our smartphones. With 5G, that could actually happen. This is notable(显著的) because companies such as Apple are reportedly developing AR glasses to assist--or perhaps even replace--smartphones.
Ericsson stated at February' s Mobile World Congress how smart glasses could become faster and lighter with a 5G connection, because instead of being weighed down with components(部件), the glasses could rely on hardware for processing(处理)power.
But don't get too excited. There's still a lot of work to be done in the meantime, including various trials to make sure the radios play nicely with hardware and infrastructure construction, so 5G isn’t concentrated(集中) only in big cities.
1. What does the author want to stress in Paragraph 1?| A．The lightning- fast speeds of 5G. | B．The expectation of 5G world. |
| C．The difference between 4G and 5G. | D．The internet-connected devices in our life. |
| A．Exhibition. | B．Success. | C．Symbol. | D．Explanation. |
| A．How to fully expand 5G coverage(覆盖范围). | B．Smart glasses will become faster and lighter. |
| C．Why 5G isn't concentrated in big cities. | D．The importance of infrastructure construction. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A science magazine. |
| C．A business report. | D．A film documentary. |
6 . It's not easy to grow up. Actually, it's far from easy. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren't allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don't understand why we can't stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.
As a young girl my parents forced me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They've always wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that.
The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps（凸块）on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. According to Paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young ______________.| A．life is full of joy | B．life is easy for us |
| C．we know we can stay young forever | D．we sometimes can't do things we like |
| A．make it easy for you to do something | B．make it difficult for you to do something |
| C．make you happy | D．make you full of energy |
| A．take music lessons | B．turn gains into pains |
| C．look back on hardships | D．live a successful life by suffering a lot |
| A．A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us. |
| B．We all have to experience growing pains. |
| C．Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up. |
| D．Life without fear is a better choice for us. |
7 . Little Tom down the street calls our dog “The keep dog”. Zip is a sheep dog. But when Tom tries to say “sheep”, it comes out “keep”. And in a way Tom is right. Zip is always bringing things home for us to keep! I'll tell you about some of them.
Zip’s first present was a shoe. It was made of green silk.
We didn’t know how Zip found the shoe. But after a moment, Mary, my big sister, told me the shoe had a strange smell. I nodded(点头) and held my nose. “What do you think it is?”
“It smells like something for cleaning. I think someone tried to clean a spot(污点) off the shoe. Then he put it at the door to dry.”
“Along came Zip. And good-bye shoe!” I said. “We should take it back.”
“We can’t ”, said my sister.
“Maybe little Tom is right,” Mary said. “Maybe Zip is a keep dog!”
1. The writer and Mary didn’t know .| A．what Zip’s first present was | B．how Zip carried its first present home |
| C．who owned Zip’s first present | D．what Zip’s first present was made of |
| A．the dog likes keeping things | B．the dog likes playing with shoes |
| C．he doesn’t know the dog’s name | D．he can't pronounce the word “sheep” well |
| A．its color | B．its smell | C．its size | D．that it was a silk one |
| A．keeping things for itself | B．bringing things for other to keep |
| C．not letting it run about | D．taking care of a small child |
8 . China will have the most 5G connections of any nation by 2025, according to a new study, while Europe will fall behind Korea, the United States and Japan in terms of 5G penetration(渗透)by that year.
5G is the fifth generation of network technology. It is expected to bring unbelievable speeds to Internet users, with some operations running 10 times faster than on 4G networks. 5G is also expected to unlock the potential in a lot of new services, including artificial intelligence, science of robots self-driving cars, and the Internet of things.
The GSMA said that China's three major mobile operators-China Unicorn, China Mobile, and China Telecom-are already moving ahead with 5G networks. While most nations will have 5G by updating existing foundations, the study noted that China plans to build part of its 5G networks.
One of the most distinguishing(显著的) factors between Chinese mobile operators and those in the rest of the world is the intention to erect the new and independent 5G networks. That is, China is determined to build a completely advanced 5G. The high cost underlines China's seriousness about paying whatever it takes.
Korea will lead the world in terms of 5G penetration in 2025, when 66 percent of the nation's total connections will be 5G, according to GSMA. This compares to 50 percent in the US, 49 percent in Japan, 36 percent in China, 30 percent in Europe, and a global average of 18 percent. Out of the five economies leading on 5G, Europe will have the lowest participation in 2025, as the area is moving more slowly in having its 5G networks.
1. What will 5G bring?| A．A completely new pattern for daily life. |
| B．Excellent networks and national safety. |
| C．Amazing speeds for public transportation. |
| D．Realizing the potential in many new services. |
| A．It will develop rapidly. | B．It may be lack of government support. |
| C．It will move forward slowly. | D．It may fall behind Europe. |
| A．bring up. | B．set up. | C．turn up. | D．pick up. |
| A．More than half Koreans use 5G in 2025. | B．Chinese cannot own 5G in 2025. |
| C．Only five countries will have 5G in 2025. | D．Europe will pay little attention to 5G in 2025. |
9 . The world has many beautiful sounds. we can hear the songs of birds and laugh of people. We can listen to cool music and news reports. And all this is due to(归功于) our ears! They bring us a world of sounds.
But some people can’t hear any sound at all. Some are born deaf. Others can hear well in their childhood, but too many loud sounds hurt their ears later on.
In China, 6 children out of 1000 have hearing problems when they are born. They can not hear ordinary sounds clearly. Children who have hearing problems usually also have learning problems at school.
A lot of things can cause hearing problems. For example, too much earwax is not good for our hearing and noise louder than 85 decibels(分贝) can hurt our ears and make us lose our hearing for a short time or even forever.
Hearing is a problem for all of us. So we should do our best to give our ears special care. Don't forget the following:
Try to stay away from places with too much noise. If you have to go, wear earplugs(耳塞). A pair of earplugs can cut the noise by 30 decibels. When swimming, remember to put earplugs into your ears to stop water from getting in. Never put anything sharp into your ears. If you think you have too much earwax, ask your parents to help you clean it out.
Keep these things in mind! Then you won’t ask “WHAT?” when you are older.
1. In the first paragraph, the writer wants to .| A．tell us many beautiful sounds. | B．describe the sounds. |
| C．teach us how to use ears. | D．show the importance of ears |
| A．耳膜 | B．耳鸣 | C．耳垢 | D．耳疾 |
| A．a little earwax | B．learning problems at school |
| C．noise louder than 85 decibels | D．earplugs that can only cut noise by 15 decibels |
| A．Hearing problems caused by diseases(疾病). | B．People with hearing problems. |
| C．Ways to protect our ears. | D．Danger of loud noise |
10 . Generally speaking, newly born babies are not beautiful. They are wrinkled(多皱的)or hairless, or they have an angry look on their face. They seem to say, “Get away! I hate everybody.” But to a parent, that hairless, wrinkled, angry-faced baby is the most beautiful and perfect child in the world. When that proud father or mother asks you, “Well, what do you think…isn’t she beautiful?” What are you going to say? Is this the time for the truth? Of course not!
You look that father in the eye and say, “Yes, she is! She is really a beauty. She’s one in a million. She’s going to be a movie star! I can tell! She’s as beautiful as a picture.”
In English, this is a white lie. White lies don’t hurt people. They are not cruel or angry words. People use them to make a difficult thing a little easier. When people don’t want to meet someone, or eat something new that they really don’t like at a friend’s house, they tell a white lie. They are trying to be kind. They feel that being polite is sometimes more important. A doctor tells white lie in order to make a patient feel that his health is not so worse and then the patient may become optimistic.
From what is said above, we may draw a conclusion that we should not treat white lies as obstacles in life, and that sometimes telling a lie should not be associated with the issue of being dishonest. Some white lies can encourage you to be better.
1. What purpose does the first paragraph serve?| A．To emphasize the beauty of newly born babies. |
| B．To show parents’ selfless devotion to their children. |
| C．To introduce the topic of a special kind of lie. |
| D．To use examples to prove lies are common in daily life. |
| A．impatient | B．tired | C．delighted | D．careless |
| A．kind | B．impolite | C．the white color | D．angry |
| A．You tell a parent that the newly-born baby is ugly. |
| B．Your friend’s bag isn’t beautiful but you say it is. |
| C．You broke the window but you say you didn’t. |
| D．You tell your friend that her new haircut is terrible. |
