1 . If you’re searching for a present for a tech-interested friend, here are cool tech gifts for everyone.
▶Roku Streaming Stick
Roku Streaming Stick is easy to carry, which lets you play TV, music, movies, and other content in a smooth system with better quality pictures. It’s small enough to stick behind the TV or take with you when you are traveling. Just turn it on, connect to the Internet, and start enjoying yourself.
The top feature:
·The free Roku mobile app lets you listen to whatever you’ re watching on TV through headphones connected to your phone.
Price: $ 4,999
▶Jackery Bolt Charger
This charger has built-in power cords (电源线) for many iOS and Android devices, as well as an additional USB port (端口) for other devices. It’s tiny, making it perfect for travel.
The top feature:
·Enable devices and the battery pack itself to be charged at the same time.
Price: $ 99
▶Rocketbook Core
Rocketbook notebooks are like pen and paper netbooks, but without pen and paper. These digital notebooks are very reusable. The Rocketbook Core comes in a choice of letter size (8.5 inches x 11 inches with 32 pages) or smart size (6 inches x 8.8 inches with 36 pages).
The top feature:
·Notes can be saved and sent in PDF and other forms.
Price: $34
▶Amazon Kindle Oasis
The Kindle Oasis has all the same features as older versions, such as built-in Wi-Fi and access to millions of books, newspapers, and audiobooks. It also has many new features, such as the latest electric-ink technology for fast page turns. Have a friend or family member? This is the best gift for those who love reading.
The top feature:
·Being waterproof (防水的), it can be read by the pool.
Price: $249
1. What do Roku Streaming Stick and Jackery Bolt Charger have in common?| A．They are water proof. |
| B．They are small but expensive. |
| C．They are convenient for travelers. |
| D．They are accessible through the Internet. |
| A．They can be reused. | B．They have three different sizes. |
| C．They only show PDF formed notes. | D．They come with actual pens and paper. |
| A．Being energy-saving. | B．Having built-in Wi-Fi. |
| C．Accessing the latest newspapers. | D．Enabling fast page turning. |
2 . Traditional tea processing techniques and social practices in China were added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List (非物质文化遗产名录) on November 29. China now ranks first in the world with 43 items on the list.
In China, there are 44 registered items of national intangible cultural heritage related to tea. More than 40 vocational (职业的) colleges and 80 universities in China offer majors in tea science or tea culture.
Tea is everywhere in Chinese people’s daily life. You can find it at home, work, tea houses, restaurants, temples and even at social events like weddings or ceremonies.
Tea has delighted and fascinated the world for many thousands of years. It is a shared cultural treasure of mankind.
| A．It’s a big part of Chinese culture. |
| B．The techniques are related to many ways. |
| C．Tea was eventually spread to the west and beyond. |
| D．Most tea grows between 18°—37° N and 94°—122°. |
| E．E. Tea- related customs reflect Chinese people’s values. |
| F．Experts explored the long history of this universal drink. |
| G．Every year over 3,000 graduates enter tea production and art. |
3 . A fourth-grade star athlete has made headlines for keeping up with high schoolers. However, it’s not for the honor. The selfless student is a guide runner for a blind autistic (患自闭症的) teen who needs a helping hand on the cross-country track.
Rebel Hays, 11, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, stepped up as a guide runner for a ninth-grader, Paul Scot, when West Fork High School put out a call for volunteers. Paul, their student, wanted to compete.
As they ran together, the pair became good friends. “Paul and Rebel’s story is so much more than running,” said Rebel’s mother, Lou Ann. “Paul doesn’t have many friends, so Rebel doesn’t just guide him a traces. They also spend time together,” she said, telling jokes. “Paul is grateful for his young guide’s direction.” “Rebel directs me whether there’s a ditch (沟)or there are hills, who encourages me to run faster.” Paul said.
In honor of their partnership, West Fork High School wrote a post on Facebook. Posting on Oct.6, 2021, after a 5K race at Chile Pepper where the boys achieved a personal record of 21 minutes, school representatives explained, “Rebel Hays has been helping Paul all season long. He is a promising runner, but more importantly, he has a huge heart! Thank you, Rebel! Thank you a lot!”
According to Mile Split Arkansas, Paul said that his goal this year was to break 21 minutes; however, they missed it at Chile Pepper but achieved it at Yan Buren Pointer Classic, finishing with a time of 20:59:44. With the help and direction from Rebel, Paul finished 59th out of 135 runners in the 3A boys race at the state Meet in Hot Springs in early November. Paul still has one more year of eligibility (资格) for cross-country and has now set a new goal of under 20 minutes.
1. What did Rebel do as a guide runner to help Paul?| A．He competed with Paul to break records. |
| B．He inspired Paul to make many headlines. |
| C．He directed Paul at different races. |
| D．He volunteered to tell jokes to Paul. |
| A．Creative. | B．Confident. | C．Ambitious. | D．Enthusiastic. |
| A．To claim Rebel to be promising. |
| B．To express appreciation to Rebel. |
| C．To draw public attention to Rebel. |
| D．To introduce Rebel’s achievements. |
| A．Taking part in a 5K race at Chile Pepper. |
| B．Directing others to finish the 3A boys race. |
| C．Breaking the record of twenty minutes. |
| D．Getting the qualification for cross-country. |
4 . As a child, Robin Stevens loved reading murder mystery stories. She
This series is set in the Second World War (1939—45) and tells the story of May Wong,
Stevens tries to write 2,000 words every day when she’s first
“If you want to write, you have to
| A．forced | B．limited | C．permitted | D．absorbed |
| A．ensure | B．inspire | C．reflect | D．describe |
| A．pile | B．plan | C．series | D．album |
| A．who | B．that | C．when | D．which |
| A．defend | B．uncover | C．identify | D．investigate |
| A．joined to | B．provided with | C．separated into | D．made up of |
| A．define | B．admire | C．ignore | D．memorize |
| A．working on | B．handing on | C．impacting on | D．looking on |
| A．horrible | B．puzzling | C．embarrassing | D．fascinating |
| A．clicks | B．replans | C．rewrites | D．illustrates |
| A．absolutely | B．immediately | C．gradually | D．unusually |
| A．alarmed | B．energetic | C．effective | D．depressed |
| A．try | B．read | C．check | D．copy |
| A．stir up | B．take out | C．figure out | D．take in |
| A．annoying | B．flexible | C．fictional | D．risky |
5 . The biggest risk I’ve ever taken was quitting my job and biking alone across western China.
One of the best parts of the whole experience was the people. I met people from across China and once got to attend a Tibetan wedding-something I never thought I would do.
The people were some of the best parts of the trip, but mostly each day, I was alone with nature. Throughout the rolling hills and the flowing streams, western China is home to some of the most amazing scenery in the world.
It was indeed an experience I will never forget. If anyone has an interest in traveling, I would highly recommend going by bicycle!
| A．It simply took my breath away. |
| B．My family were shocked and tried to talk me out of it. |
| C．The food was definitely another highlight of my journey. |
| D．I had never biked for more than two hours in one day before. |
| E．It really inspired me to push myself and go farther every day. |
| F．Traveling by bicycle was actually much cheaper than I thought. |
| G．The whole event was extraordinary, full of dancing, laughter and fun. |
6 . It is quite a challenge to get close to an animal in the wild, so much of our
Wildlife photographers depend not only on their photographic skills but also on their knowledge of wildlife. To get good pictures, they sometimes have to
Once they have become
| A．protection | B．fear | C．knowledge | D．respect |
| A．skilled | B．strong | C．young | D．curious |
| A．stand | B．admit | C．expect | D．enjoy |
| A．game | B．danger | C．plan | D．idea |
| A．bored | B．careful | C．familiar | D．excited |
| A．paid | B．anxious | C．satisfied | D．close |
| A．sleep | B．hide | C．rest | D．live |
| A．adapt | B．cover | C．face | D．sense |
| A．otherwise | B．moreover | C．however | D．therefore |
| A．sight | B．hearing | C．touch | D．smell |
| A．refuse | B．avoid | C．make | D．adopt |
| A．view | B．trap | C．action | D．attack |
| A．leave | B．take | C．lose | D．remove |
| A．animals | B．approaches | C．lines | D．cameras |
| A．common | B．boring | C．frightening | D．amazing |
7 . For millions of people sitting in a traffic jam or standing on a crowded train, the daily commute (通勤) probably isn’t the best part of their day. But cars and trains aren’t the only travel options.
Electric vehicles
For those who have a short commute, you could consider getting an electric bike or scooter. An electric scooter has the advantage of being highly portable (轻便的): small and light enough to carry to your office. You’ll just need to check if it is allowed to be used in your area.
Take RYNO for example. It’s a single-wheel electric scooter, whose highest speed is about that of a bicycle. And like other electric vehicles, it can be charged anywhere.
WalkCar
If you want transportation for short distances, the WalkCar might be perfect for you.
The WalkCar looks like a laptop and only weighs three kilograms. It’s also incredibly easy to use — stand on it and it will start to move; move your weight to one side and it will change its direction. The WalkCar will take you at a speed of up to 10 kilometers per hour and can travel 12 kilometers on one charge.
Jetpacks
Weighing around 200 kilograms, jetpacks aren’t exactly portable, but they’re sure to have a lot of fun and attract a lot of attention. Running on petrol, the jet engines allow the users to lift off from the ground and fly in the air.
The world’s first jetpack is the Martin Jetpack. Once you’ve attached this tiny personal jet plane onto your back, you’ll be able to travel up to 50 kilometers at a height of 1,000 meters. With a price tag of about $150,000, this is probably the most expensive option, but it will almost certainly be the coolest!
1. What do Electric vehicles and WalkCar have in common?①Being portable. ②Being rechargeable.
③Being widely used. ④Being suitable for short distances.
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．The price. | B．The appearance. | C．The weight. | D．The flight performance. |
| A．Education. | B．Art. | C．Entertainment. | D．Transport. |
8 . There was once a boy called Mario who loved to have lots of friends at school. However, he wasn’t sure whether or not his classmates were his true friends, so he asked his grandpa. The old man answered, “I have just exactly what you need; it’s in the attic (阁楼). Wait here for a minute.”
Grandpa left, soon returning as though carrying something in his hand, but Mario could see nothing there. “Take it. It’s a very special chair. Because it’s invisible (无形的) it’s rather difficult to sit on, but if you take it to school and you manage to sit on it, you’ll be able to tell who your true friends are.”
Mario took the strange invisible chair and went to school. At break time he asked everyone to form a circle, and he put himself in the middle, with his chair. “Nobody move. You’re about to see something amazing,” Mario said.
Then Mario tried sitting on the chair. He missed and fell straight onto his backside. Everyone had a pretty good laugh. Mario wouldn’t be beaten. He kept trying to sit on the magic chair, and kept falling to the ground... until, suddenly, he tried again and didn’t fall. This time he sat, hovering (悬停) in mid-air.
Looking around, Mario saw George, Lucas, and Diana — three of his best friends — holding him up, so he wouldn’t fall. At the same time, many others he had thought of as friends were doing nothing but make fun of him, enjoying each and every fall.
Leaving with his three friends, Mario explained to them how his grandpa had so cleverly thought of such a good idea. Now he knows that those who take joy in our misfortunes (不幸) when we are in difficulty are not our true friends.
1. What did Mario’s grandpa take from the attic?| A．An invisible chair. | B．An old chair. |
| C．A real chair. | D．Nothing. |
| A．To see whether Mario could sit on it. |
| B．To test who were Mario’s true friends. |
| C．To let Mario have fun with his classmates. |
| D．To test whether Mario was popular at school. |
| A．He saw the invisible chair suddenly. |
| B．He managed to sit on the chair finally. |
| C．His friends held him up with their hands. |
| D．His classmates gave him a chair to sit on. |
| A．Never laugh at our friends. |
| B．True friends can help us do magic. |
| C．True friends are those who care for us. |
| D．Having too many good friends isn’t a good thing. |
9 . In the world of digital health, Silicon Valley-based Mindstrong stands out. It has a remarkable team and tens of millions of funding. It also has a fascinating idea-its app, based on mental functioning research, can help detect troubling mental health patterns by collecting data on person’s smartphone usage-how quickly they type, for instance.
The company’s app collects information about how people are typing and runs it through a machine learning algorithm (计算程序) to determine which data can predict their emotional state. The idea is to use that data to establish a “normal” pattern-so it can be compared with someone’s typing habits on any given day. If the habits change, slower or more anxious than normal, the app can warn a health care provider.
The promise of this technology has made Mindstrong incredibly popular since it was launched last year; already more than a dozen counties in California have agreed to apply the company’s app to patients. Does the app live up to its promise? There’s no way to tell. Almost no one outside the company has any idea whether it works, leading some experts to wonder if the technology is ready for the real world. “I wouldn’t waste all that time and money in the wild until they get sure that some of those things are as specific as they hope they are,” said Rosalind Picard, a researcher at MIT Media Lab, who is familiar with Mindstrongs work.
“It has passed the gold-standard clinical tests for depression and anxiety,” said Dr. Paul Dagum, the company’s founder. “We’re confident, and we’re already seeing some really exciting results.” Mindstrong officials said that among their most encouraging results is that its app can even predict how a person will feel next week, kind of like a weather app for your mood. “For a clinician(临床医生) or someone looking after a patient, they know that it could be very, very powerful,” Dagum said.
1. What can Mindstrong’s app do?| A．Improve its users’ mental health. | B．Get its users to type more quickly. |
| C．Discover its users’ mental state. | D．Work out the causes of its users’ trouble. |
| A．The ways of collecting data. | B．The app’s working principle. |
| C．The analysis of typing habits. | D．The development of the app. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Defensive. |
| A．The app has a powerful effect on anxiety. |
| B．The app can also predict weather conditions. |
| C．Care providers could be supporters of the app. |
| D．Doctors benefit more from the app than their patients. |
10 . Thousands of people online are involved in efforts to help an 8-year-old, cancer-stricken (患癌症的) boy from the United States to realize his dream. Dorian Murray of Westerly, Rhode Island, has been receiving
Dorian has been
Dorian then told his father that before going to heaven, he wanted to be
Some responded with
Dorian’s mother wrote that she was
| A．responses | B．letters | C．gifts | D．invitations |
| A．avoiding | B．attacking | C．treating | D．fighting |
| A．When | B．Although | C．Once | D．Since |
| A．painful | B．disappointing | C．perfect | D．simple |
| A．climbed | B．risen | C．spread | D．rushed |
| A．receive | B．change | C．stop | D．check |
| A．excellent | B．successful | C．brave | D．famous |
| A．conversation | B．relationship | C．quarrel | D．difference |
| A．questioned | B．shared | C．copied | D．enjoyed |
| A．books | B．notes | C．photos | D．newspapers |
| A．happiness | B．kindness | C．encouragement | D．agreement |
| A．finish | B．leave | C．return | D．recover |
| A．amazed | B．upset | C．confused | D．speechless |
| A．performance | B．disease | C．imagination | D．request |
| A．satisfied with | B．proud of | C．interested in | D．confident about |
