1 . The Science of Comfort Food

Certain foods always give us much pleasure.     1     However, much of the happiness we get from our favorite foods comes from the memories they bring to us and the people we’re with while we enjoy them.

    2     That’s why our brains reward us for eating anything at all by releasing a chemical that enhances mood. But as anyone who’s ever eaten apple pie knows, sweets can make us feel especially nice. One study found that people who are especially sensitive to sweetness have stronger brain-reward responses to sugary foods than less sweet-sensitive people do.

Some foods are especially emotionally satisfying for reasons that have little to do with their taste or nutritional content, though.     3     And many favorite American comfort foods—chili, say—are not particularly sweet or high in carbohydrates (碳水化合物). Often we love food because we have fond memories associated with it. One dish I cannot live without at a New Year party is my mom’s Snowy Mashed Potatoes, which remind me of holiday joy and past reunions with extended family.

    4     Sometimes you might feel sad when you eat foods that remind you of loved ones you miss. We may also avoid foods that we associate with bad experiences. I haven’t eaten cottage cheese since I was 8 years old, because it was the last thing I ate before rolling off the bed with a terrible stomachache.

In addition to past memories, the context in which we eat foods matters, too.     5     And our gustatory (味觉的) experiences can be heightened by “a sense of community, a sense of warmth and enjoying it together”. I appreciate my mum’s potatoes even more today when I eat them with my husband and two children.

A．Food is essential for our survival.

B．These associations can go the other way, too.

C．We desire comfort foods when we feel lonely.

D．It shapes how much we enjoy them in the moment.

E．Their taste and nutritional content affect how we feel.

F．Our memory for smell can be long-lasting and precise.

G．After all, different cultures have different comfort foods.

2 . Jiqing Street in Wuhan is a good place to try local food and experience the everyday life of local people. Since Wuhan was unlocked on April 8^th, there have been many people lining up at snack shops there.

In the evening, hundreds of street-side stalls (摊位) come out on the street and provide popular snacks and local food at low prices. Travelers can enjoy hot dry noodles, tasty chicken soup and Chinese dumplings... Don’t miss Jiujiu duck necks. Chi Li, a popular writer, tells a love story of a beautiful lady who sells duck necks in this street in her novel Life Show. Thousands of people come to search for the scene (场景) in the novel.

Local people like to order several best-known dishes and some bottles of beer and spend their evening time with friends there. For traveler, another exciting thing is the folk music performed by folk musicians at your table. You can enjoy delicious food when listening to music.

With the street becoming busy, the city began to breathe again.

1. Jiping Street is a good place to ________.

A．study English	B．try local food
C．Tell love stories	D．go skating

2. According to the passage, Chi Li mentions ________ in her novel Life Show.

A．Chinese dumplings	B．hot dry noodles
C．Chicken soup	D．duck necks

3. How do you understand the underlined part “the city began to breathe again” in the last paragraph?

A．The air becomes fresh again.	B．The water gets clearer.
C．The city becomes lively again.	D．The food gets nicer.

4. The material is probably from ________.

A．a travel website	B．a history book
C．a science magazine	D．a dictionary

3 . What kind of music do you like? How do you feel when you listen to your favorite music? Do you think music can make people feel better or help them to learn?

Jen Morgan is a music therapist (治疗师).     1     Jen uses music to help her patients learn new skills. She can also help patients with their speaking and their memory.

Jen uses different activities with her patients. She gets them to listen to music and sing or play along.     2     Jen might get them to clap, jump or dance. Jen also asks her patients to try to remember songs they like.

Jen writes songs and uses them in her therapy work. She says, “    3     I write songs about everything: about getting dressed, about flowers, about my favorite food — you name it! Sometimes my patients help me write songs.”

Jen loves her job as a music therapist. She says, “    4     It’s wonderful to see how music therapy can help children with disabilities. Often children are shy when I first meet them.     5     Music makes people feel good!”

A．I’m very lucky to have this job.

B．She works with children with disabilities.

C．Jen plays with children to sing and dance.

D．I’ve probably written more than 200 songs.

E．Her patients also enjoy moving to the music.

F．But they soon start having fun and enjoying the music.

G．Music makes me very powerful.

4 . In America, if you see a group of students wearing crazy hats or summer T-shirts in the middle of winter, don’t be surprised. They may be celebrating their School Spirit Week (校园精神周).

The School Spirit Week is a time for students to show their pride in their school. This is not a break, but the festival. It can be held during any week of the year. The celebration works with students of all ages, from elementary to high School, as long as you keep the themes (主题) simple for the younger kids.

Spirit weeks often have a central theme that is followed throughout the week. During the week, students wear school colors and decorate the classrooms. Every day, there is a different theme. This is also students’ favorite part. They take part in different competitions and have fun together.

Spirit weeks often encourage students to wear fun and fashion clothes, with different outfits for each day of the week. Monday might be funny hat day, followed by Tuesday’s Hawaiian shirt day and Wednesday’s silly T-shirt day. Thursday could be pajama (睡衣) day, followed by Friday’s school color day.

There are also lots of other activities which the students can take part in on School Spirit Weeks. Do you like to have School Spirit Weeks?

1. Students ______ in their school by holding the School Spirit Week.

A．show their pride	B．hang out with parents
C．study hard	D．clean up the classrooms

2. The School Spirit Week is held ______.

A．in any week in winter	B．in any day in winter
C．in any week of the year	D．in any day of the year

3. Spirit weeks often have a central theme that is followed ______.

A．throughout the week	B．before the week
C．after the week	D．on the weekend

4. The underlined word “outfits” in paragraph 4 may mean ______.

A．parties

B．clothes

C．foods

D．glasses

5. Which is NOT true about the School Spirit Week in the passage?

A．There are different competitions for students.

B．There are lots of activities for students.

C．Students can wear crazy clothes.

D．Students can rest at home for a week.

5 . A man went to a fast-food restaurant to buy his lunch. “Hi,” a worker said. “May I help you?” “I'd like a hamburger, large chips, and a coke,” the man said.

“Anything else?” the worker as asked. “No,” the man answered, “That’s it.”

“Is that for here or to go?” The worker asked. “To go,” the man said.

The worker put the man's lunch in a bag. The man took out his money and paid for his lunch. “Thank you,” the worker said. “Have a nice day.”

The man took the bag and walked to a park. He sat down and opened the bag. He was surprised. There was no hamburger in the bag. There were no chips. There was no coke. There was only money in the bag — a lot of money! The man counted the money. Two thousand dollars! Why was the money in the bag? Where was the man's lunch?

The manager of the fast-food restaurant needed to go to the bank. He put two thousand dollars in an envelope (信封). He put the envelope in a bag and put the bag down. The worker gave the manager’s bag to the man by mistake. So the manager had a hamburger, chips and a coke, and the man had two thousand dollars.

What should the man do?
1. A man went to a fast-food restaurant to buy food and drink for his ______.

A．breakfast

B．lunch

C．family

D．manager

2. Why did the man feel surprised?

A．He save his money.	B．He got more food.
C．He found there were much money in the bag.	D．He got an envelope.

3. There was/ were ______in the bag after the man opened it.

A．a hamburger

B．some chips

C．a coke

D．lots of money

4. In fact the worker gave ______ bag to the man by mistake.

A．another worker's

B．the woman's

C．the manager's

D．the bank's

5. At last the man ______, and the worker in the shop thanked him very much.

A．returned the bag with 2000 dollars	B．returned the bag with food and drinks
C．took the money and bought lots of food	D．shared the money with his family

6 . A young woman was sitting next to her mother on the train; she was about 20 years old. Both of them looked tired but _________. The young woman was looking_________from the train’s window. Suddenly, she shouted, “Mom, look! The trees are behind us!” Her voice was so_________ that everybody on the train heard.

Mom smiled. But a young couple_________ nearby looked at the young woman’s behavior (行为) with pity. “Poor young woman. There must be something wrong with her_________ ,” they thought. About a quarter later, the young woman_________again, “Mom, look! The clouds are running with us!” Mom_________again. And she seemed very happy with the young woman’s words. _________ , the couple couldn’t help asking the old woman,   “Sorry if We offend (冒犯) you. But why don’t you _________your daughter to a good doctor?” The old woman smiled and said, “We have just come from a ____________.” “Then you should go to a(n)____________one. Because it seems that your daughter’s situation hasn’t____________,” said one of them. They felt so sorry for the old woman.“No, ____________ , I’m very happy with the treatment (治疗),” said the mother, “My daughter was blind from birth. Today, she is seeing the world for the____________ time.”

Every person has a story. Don’t judge people before you really know them, ____________you’ll be surprised at the truth.

1.

A．relaxed

B．excited

C．interested

D．pleased

2.

A．at

B．up

C．through

D．out

3.

A．loud

B．loudly

C．aloud

D．louder

4.

A．sitting

B．working

C．playing

D．walking

5.

A．voice

B．mouth

C．mind

D．eyes

6.

A．called

B．shouted

C．answered

D．spoke

7.

A．listened

B．laughed

C．shouted

D．smiled

8.

A．Finally

B．Exactly

C．Nearly

D．Possibly

9.

A．get

B．carry

C．bring

D．take

10.

A．school

B．hospital

C．park

D．station

11.

A．better

B．best

C．more

D．most

12.

A．started

B．gone

C．improved

D．refused

13.

A．in fact

B．at least

C．by the way

D．at first

14.

A．last

B．first

C．second

D．final

15.

A．and

B．but

C．so

D．or

7 . Hello, everyone! I have read over fifteen interesting stories in the past few weeks. And many of them tell me what to do with the problems in my daily life. Now I’m sharing some of them with you.

Story 1

A boy once found a jar (罐子) full of nuts in his mother’s kitchen and he put his hand in to help himself get as many as he could. When he tried to take his hand out of the jar, however, he found that the opening was too narrow (狭窄的) for his fist (拳头) to pass through.

“What shall I do?’’ he cried. “My hand will be stuck (卡住) in this jar.” Just then his mother came in. “Really,” she said, “there’s nothing to make such a fuss (大惊小怪) about. Try taking half as many nuts as you have in your hand, and you’ll find your hand will come out of the jar quite easily.”

Story 2

A woman walks up to a little old man, rocking (摇动) in a chair on his porch (走廊).

“I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look,” she says. “What’s your secret for a long, happy life?”

“I smoke three packs a day, drink a case of whiskey (威士忌) a week, and never exercise.”

“Wow, that’s amazing,” says the woman, “How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

1. What does the boy put his hand in the jar to do?

A．To break the jar.	B．To get as many nuts as he could for himself.
C．To help his mother get nuts.	D．To hide his hand for fun.

2. What does Story 1 tell us?

A．To leave the hand in the jar.	B．To make such a fuss when in trouble.
C．To give up a few things when necessary.	D．Not to get any nuts because of problems.

3. How many bad habits are mentioned according to the little old man in Story 2?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

4. How old did the woman think the man was at the beginning in Story 2?

A．15

B．50

C．26

D．30

5. In fact, what can help you live a long and happy life?

A．Smoking three packs a day.	B．Drinking a case of whiskey a week.
C．Eating fatty foods.	D．Exercising as often as possible.

8 . These days many students like to make friends on line. Most of them think it's interesting to know an unknown person through the Internet. So, many students like to use computers to talk with those friends. And they spend too much time on it. Some of them can not do well in their school work. Their parents often don’t think the children are as good as before. So many teachers and parents are worried about their children.

In fact, only very few of them can get real good friends in this way. Most of them were cheated by those unseen friends. And some of the students did wrong things on line. It’s terrible for students to use too much time to make friends and talk on line. So we should be careful of making friends on line and should not spend too much time on it. We’d better pay more attention to study. We will be happy when we do well in school and at home.

1. Many students like to make friends on line because                  .

A．they are interested in it	B．they can learn better in this way
C．they always get real friends in this way	D．they are friendly to each other

2. Many teachers and parents are        about their children who spend much time on line.

A．anxious

B．confident

C．careful

D．excited

3.          of the students can get real friends online.

A．All

B．Many

C．Some

D．Few

4. Most of them were cheated by those unseen friends. Here “cheated” means         .

A．聊天

B．欺骗

C．恩惠

D．鞭打

5. Which of the following is right?

A．We should never make friends on line.

B．It’s necessary for us to talk with our online friends every day.

C．It’s really happy that we students do well in school and at home.

D．Making online friends is more important than study.

9 . A young woman traveled and stayed in a hotel. All the rooms in the hotel were singles(单人间). So she lived in a single room.

Just when she was going to bed, there was a knock at the door. She had no friends in the city. So she was quite surprised but still opened the door.

The man who was standing at the door looked a little nervous. “Oh! I’m sorry. I thought this was my room,” the man said and walked away in a hurry. The woman called the police at once.

All the rooms in the hotel were singles. Who would knock at his own door if he was staying alone? Only a thief would do this. He wanted to see if anyone was inside before he broke into the room.

1. A young woman traveled and stayed         .

A．In a hotel

B．in a police office

C．in a park

D．in her friend’s home

2. The man looked a little         when the woman opened the door.

A．happy

B．nervous

C．mad

D．relaxed

3. The man knocked at the door to          .

A．find his friend in the city	B．stay alone
C．see if anyone was inside	D．call the police

4. Who would knock at his own door if he was staying alone?

A．A police

B．A hotel waiter

C．A thief

D．A friend

5. Why did the woman call the police at once?

A．Because she lost her luggage.	B．Because she thought the man was a bad man.
C．Because her room was broken room.	D．Because the man was caught.

10 . How do we make traditional Chinese culture alive and popular again among young people? Livestreaming (直播) has made it. It is not only fun, but has also provided a new stage for traditional culture artists.

On video websites and apps such as Douyin and Bilili, many traditional artists are trying livestreaming for the first time. Some of them sing Peking Opera, some show their hand-made art pieces, while others perform classical music.

Li, 59 years old, is a laosheng(old male role) Peking Opera performer who started livestreaming this year. Unlike performing on a formal (正式的) stage, Li uses everyday places as his stage, including his backyard, study room, and even a sofa. Besides singing, Li also teaches viewers about Peking Opera in a funny way. People can ask him questions and get answers directly. “Livestreaming has brought this great art down to earth,” one viewer said. “It allows young people to know this traditional art and learn more about it in an easier way.”

Other kinds of artists also see livestreaming as a new opportunity. On March 26, the third China Huafu Day, Bilibili livestreamed a fashion show. Performers showed beautiful clothes in traditional Chinese styles , including those from Wei, Tang and Ming dynasties. During the show, viewers enjoyed the clothes and watched how performers used ancient styles of make-up. For example, one blogger taught people how to draw the guiye eyebrow (桂叶眉), which was a typical make-up style during Tang Dynasty.

There is no doubt that livestreaming has created a new channel through which traditional culture can be kept alive.

1. We can guess from Paragraph 3 that Li, as a teacher, is ________.

A．Strict

B．lazy

C．humorous

D．scary

2. The writer talks about Li in order to ________.

A．help make Douyin and Bilibili more popular

B．teach where and how to perform Peking Opera

C．encourage young people to perform art at home

D．show traditional artists are using livestreaming

3. In history, the guiye eyebrow can be seen in ________ Dynasty.

A．Wei

B．Tang

C．Ming

D．Qing

4. According to the passage, livestreaming is ________.

A．a TV show to introduce traditional clothes from different dynasties

B．a way to bring traditional culture back to life by sharing online videos

C．a program to give students many traditional Chinese cultural lessons

D．a stage to give performers a chance to take photos of their everyday life