1 . The mom had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps (缝隙) of those ruins，the rescuers could see her last posture (姿势)．It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing (叩头)，but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure.
The rescuers confirmed her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again，knocked the bricks using various tools，but no reply inside.
Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back，calling “Come here.” He came to the body，put his hands under the woman，feeling and touching，then shouted loudly and gladly，“There is someone，a baby，still living.”
Through some efforts，rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby，who was covered by a small red quilt (棉被)．He was about 3 or 4 months’old. Since well protected by his mother’s body，he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out，and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor，along with the rescuing team，took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right，and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen; a written message was already there：“My dear baby if you could live，don’t forget how much I love you.” As a doctor，he experienced much of this type of separation; but at this moment，he cried. The mobile phone was passed，and every person who saw this message shed (流出) tears.
1. When the rescuers found the mom，she________.| A．was using her mobile phone to ask for help |
| B．begged the rescuers to save her baby first |
| C．was struggling with the pressure |
| D．didn’t have the normal shape |
| A．was smiling a lot | B．was fast asleep |
| C．was listening carefully | D．was frightened to death |
| A．pleased | B．excited |
| C．moved | D．tired |
| A．a story of saving a mother and her baby |
| B．the disaster of a terrible earthquake |
| C．the rescuers’ hard work after an earthquake |
| D．the great love of a mother in the earthquake |
1. 活动时间、地点；
2. 活动内容；
3. 期待回复。
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 参考词汇：the Lantern Festival元宵节；lunar month农历月。
The Kolahoi Green Heights is a hotel in the Himalayan mountains. With so much ice and snow around from December to March, last year, people at the Kolahoi hotel decided
This year, they rebuilt it and created
The Snoglu is separated
Next year, Mr. Shah plans to rebuild the cafe again. He also wants to create an igloo village, with
4 . My little brother and sister, Tex and Indi, are five-year-old twins. When it comes to being lovable, they’re the
My parents
Once I had my mom’s
“You can stay here and make cards. But remember, we don't say a single thing about the
Abuela was extremely
“No,” I said. “Not yet!” Right then, my mom rushed in and asked what was
“We won’t
“I was trying to give you and dad the perfect anniversary surprise,” I
“We don’t care if it’s a
| A．first | B．last | C．worst | D．best |
| A．silence | B．order | C．promises | D．secrets |
| A．managed | B．planned | C．refused | D．hesitated |
| A．photo | B．breath | C．holiday | D．chance |
| A．wait | B．start | C．pause | D．continue |
| A．proposal | B．idea | C．request | D．reason |
| A．permission | B．support | C．company | D．advice |
| A．buy | B．collect | C．decorate | D．make |
| A．take over | B．join in | C．turn up | D．move about |
| A．anniversary | B．celebration | C．cake | D．card |
| A．hopeful | B．careful | C．helpful | D．grateful |
| A．packed | B．hid | C．fixed | D．based |
| A．Anything | B．Something | C．Everything | D．Nothing |
| A．shouted | B．added | C．answered | D．joked |
| A．getting around | B．coming out | C．passing by | D．going on |
| A．ask | B．tell | C．interview | D．remind |
| A．commented | B．protested | C．explained | D．laughed |
| A．found | B．kept | C．abandoned | D．ruined |
| A．surprise | B．reward | C．pleasure | D．service |
| A．made our day | B．caught our eye | C．changed our mind | D．met our demand |
5 . Some words copy the sounds made by the things they describe, like “buzz” or “hiss”or “zip”. But what if the way a word sounds could suggest some other feature of an object like its shape?
A new study suggests not only that it can but that the same word can do so across many languages. Marcus Perlman,a lecturer at the University of Birmingham, says that, a century ago，linguists(语言学家)insisted the words used to refer to various objects and actions are arbitrary(随意的) and that words don't necessarily look or sound like the things they refer to. That makes sense because different languages have different words for the same thing. One person’s pup is another one’s perro. But there’s a lot of evidence now suggesting it is false.
To further explore this connection between words and their meanings, Perlman and his colleagues turned to something called the bouba/kiki effect. With the help of 22 volunteers, the researchers tested it in 25 different languages. Participants were told to look at two shapes-one looks like a cloud which is somewhat round, and the other one is more pointy, maybe looks more like a star-and then listen to the sound: either “bouba” or “kiki”,both of which are totally made up. Then they were asked,“Which one is bouba and which one is kiki?” Most participants said the rounder shape was bouba and the pointy one was kiki. This suggests there is some widely observed connection between the spoken words and the visual features of the shapes.
As to what that could mean about the evolution(演变)of language：imagine our ancestors when they started using spoken words to refer to things. “They couldn’t say ‘Listen, my friend, now we’re gonna call this new object a table.’” So to get the conversation off the ground, they probably tried to come up with sounds that somehow suggested the object at hand.
1. What does the author mean by saying “One person’s pup is another one’s perro”?| A．People have personal preferences for the words they use. |
| B．A word can mean the same thing across many languages. |
| C．Different languages have different words for the same thing. |
| D．The sound of a word reminds people of the shape of an object. |
| A．By making up new words. | B．By interviewing language learners.. |
| C．By conducting an experiment. | D．By comparing different languages. |
| A．It helps people understand language evolution. |
| B．It is a language research method created a century ago. |
| C．It makes little sense when it comes to written language. |
| D．It shows the differences between round and pointy objects. |
| A．What Is the Shape of a Word? | B．How Does Language Develop? |
| C．Nonsense Words Connected to Shapes | D．Language Features Little Known to Linguists |
6 . Are there any controversial blood sports in your country? In the UK, there’s fox hunting. Officially, it’s illegal but it’s still going on.
The goal of most fox hunts is simple: to track, catch up and, sometimes, kill a fox. A hunt begins when the hounds (猎犬) are “cast”. This is when the dogs are released and start searching in bushes for foxes. When the hounds pick up the smell, they track the fox. If they see it, the chase (追赶) is on and the dogs run after it. The hunt continues until either the fox escapes or is caught and then usually killed by the hounds.
Many people are against fox hunting. Animal rights activists argue that foxes suffer a cruel (残忍的) and violent death. They also say that fox hunting is an activity in which people seem to gain pleasure from cruelty. Others dislike it for being a mostly upper-class sport. Among them was Oscar Wilde, who once described it in 1893 as, “the unspeakable in full chase of the uneatable”.
Supporters of fox hunting say it’s a tradition that’s part of England’s cultural heritage. They also say it plays an important role in country life, and that many jobs depend on fox hunting. Finally, they point out that it’s an important form of pest control that protects the livelihood of farmers, and that the foxes are killed quickly and that it’s much less cruel than using traps or poisons.
But in 2005 everything changed. The Hunting Act came into force, and this effectively banned fox hunting. But it wasn’t easy passing the law. Thousands of people gathered outside the House of Parliament in protest. Now, it is officially illegal, but hunts still take place and more than 1804 hunt groups are still in existence. So, it seems that this England’s tradition just refuses to die.
1. What does the underlined word “controversial” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Large in quantity. | B．Divided in opinion. |
| C．Diverse in form. | D．Similar in nature. |
| A．It could bring a large number of jobs for farmers. |
| B．It was a blood sport where foxes were killed cruelly. |
| C．It could give people greater pleasure than expected. |
| D．It was a meaningless activity the upper class preferred. |
| A．The purpose in passing the law about fox hunting. |
| B．The difficulty in carrying out the ban on fox hunting. |
| C．The change of people’s attitudes towards fox hunting. |
| D．The importance of keeping the tradition of fox hunting. |
7 . It was Jennifer Williams’ mother who got her interested in books. A librarian, she read to her three children every day. “Until we went to college,” Williams told vadogwood.com, a local news site.
When Williams, now 54, became an elementary school teacher in Danville, Virginia, she wanted her students to fall in love with reading just as she had. But early on, she realized that some kids had limited access to books.
“It’s very obvious to teachers of young children which kids are read to and which are not,” she said. “It’s obvious at the end of the first day of school.” To Williams, the solution was simple: Give kids books. In 2017, as part of a city event called Engage Danville, she gave away 900 used children’s books over three days. Most people would be satisfied with that. Most.
“I was like, ‘Anybody could do that’,” she said. “I wanted to do something that’s going to stretch my faith, my work principle, my everything.”
So she raised the number considerably by setting a new goal for herself: Give away one million books. It sounds like an unreachable number, but as Williams posted on Facebook: Don’t complain in the bleachers (露天看台) if you aren’t willing to work hard out on the field.”
So she got to work, first by roping in friends to donate books or money to buy books. Before long, as news of Williams’ project spread, strangers started leaving collections of books on her doorway. As quickly as the books come in, Williams gives them to local schools—only 922,000 more to reach her goal! And she’s not slowing down. It’s too important for kids with few options.
“Reading can take you anywhere,” she told CNN. “You can travel in time and space. If you can read, you can learn almost anything.”
1. What made Jennifer Williams fall in love with reading?| A．Her teacher’s help. | B．Her mother’s influence. |
| C．Her desire for knowledge. | D．Her love for teaching. |
| A．To promote reading nationwide. |
| B．To inspire her students to work hard. |
| C．To draw public attention to the city event. |
| D．To make more kids have access to reading. |
| A．Intelligent and caring. | B．Creative and responsible. |
| C．Generous and determined. | D．Independent and confident. |
8 . Experts say over half of the world’s seven thousand languages are in danger of disappearing. Every two weeks one language disappears.
Sometimes a language disappears immediately when the last person speaking it dies. Or, a local language might disappear more slowly. This happens when an official language is used more often and children stop learning the local language of their parents. Official languages often represent a form of control over a group of people.
Throughout history, the language spoken by a powerful group spreads across a civilization. The more powerful culture rarely respects the language and culture of smaller groups. Smaller cultures lose their local language as the language of the culture in power has a stronger influence.
Experts say protecting languages is very important for many reasons. Languages contain the histories, ideas and knowledge of a culture. Languages also contain valuable information about local medicines, plants and animals.
Many endangered languages are spoken by native cultures in close contact with the natural world. Their ancient languages contain a great deal of information about environmental systems and species of plants and animals that are unknown to scientists. As the last speakers of a language die off, the valuable information carried within a language also disappears. Language is, in many ways, a window to the mind and the world.
Any hope for protecting languages can be found in children and their willingness to learn. It is these young people who can keep this form of culture alive for future generations.
1. Which of the following is true?| A．There have existed 7,000 languages in history. |
| B．No one can prevent languages from disappearing. |
| C．There will not be any local languages left some day. |
| D．Half of the world’s languages will possibly disappear. |
| A．it represents the working of the human minds |
| B．local languages are more closely related to culture |
| C．ancient languages can reveal ancient people’s thoughts |
| D．it contains information about both culture and nature |
| A．children are interested in learning it | B．people are forced to speak it |
| C．it is linked to a powerful culture | D．it keeps pace with the times |
| A．local languages | B．language protection |
| C．the power of language | D．language and culture |
9 . Useful tips for budget-conscious travelers
Traveling can be an experience of a lifetime. Being in the center of another culture is both exciting and eye-opening.
Don’t Travel During the Peak Season
Within most regions there are local airlines that provide inexpensive solutions to getting around. This is especially handy when you have multiple destinations in mind for your trip. All you have to do is look up Mango flight bookings and you’re on your way. Once you’re in a region, getting around gets much simpler and a whole lot cheaper.
Choose Economical Accommodations
Hotel chains and expensive options may be nice, but they’re the opposite of a budget-friendly experience.
Don’t Spend All Your Money on Food
One of the best things about travel is to enjoy all the wonderful food. Tasting the authentic versions of your favorite dishes is an absolute delight. But be careful. Having a few good meals out is to be expected, but having every meal at an expensive restaurant is a very quick way to drain your money.
| A．Use Flight Bookings |
| B．Use Regional Airlines |
| C．Every region has a peak season. |
| D．It also allows us to relax our busy heads. |
| E．Instead, try and find hostel options. |
| F．But traveling can seem too expensive. |
| G．So feel free to try the local snacks. |
10 . Computers have become amazingly exact at translating spoken words to text messages and searching a large supply of valuable information for answers to difficult questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or other world's main languages. But try talking to your phone in Yoruba, Igbo or any number of widely spoken African languages and you'll find difficulty in accessing information, trade and other benefits of the global tech economy.
American tech giants don't have a long history of making their language technology work well outside the wealthiest markets, a problem that has also made it harder for them to discover dangerous misinformation on their platforms. Google, for instance, upset members of the Yoruba community when its language app mistranslated a nice African god as a devil. Part of the reason is that there's just not enough online data in those languages for the Al systems to effectively learn how to get better at understanding them.
“We are getting to the point where if a machine doesn't understand your language, it will be like it never existed,” said Vukosi Marivate, who has devoted some of his Al research to the southern African languages of Xitsonga and Setswana. “Considering our history, some of the bias (偏见) is intentional. The history of the African continent and in general in colonized (殖民化的) countries, is that when language had to be translated, it was translated in a very narrow way,” Marivate added.
However, Google and Microsoft are among the companies that say they are trying to improve technology for so-called "low-resource" languages that Al systems don't have enough data for. Computer scientists at Meta announced a breakthrough on the path to a "universal translator" that could translate multiple languages at once and work better with lower-resourced languages. Meanwhile, Marivate and other researchers have founded a research project across Africa. Increasingly, people are joining hands to develop a variety of language approaches.
1. What can we learn from Paragraphs 1 and 2?| A．Yoruba and Igbo are widely spoken in the world. |
| B．English speakers fail to access online information. |
| C．The online data of African languages is limited. |
| D．Computers can translate all text messages exactly. |
| A．To make a prediction. | B．To draw a comparison. |
| C．To reach a conclusion. | D．To give an example. |
| A．Friendly. | B．Unconcerned. | C．Dissatisfied. | D．Proud. |
| A．Joint Efforts to Improve AI in African Languages | B．Computers Good at Translating Spoken Language |
| C．US Tech Giants Misunderstand African Languages | D．African Researchers Exchange Ideas with Tech Giants |
