1 . Dragons, a famous imaginary beast born from fantasy, are often present in stories in the west and east. In both cultures, dragons are generally recognized as massive creatures capable of flight. They have great power and are often associated with magical abilities. However, due to their different cultural roots and images, there exist significant differences in the way dragons are regarded in the west and east, particularly in China.
Chinese dragons most resemble snakes, and have four claws and no wings. They often have features of other animals, including carp, tigers, and eagles. In the contrast, Western dragons look like huge lizards with big claws and large bat-like wings, and are often shown with spines or rough scales.
In traditional Chinese culture, a dragon is a symbol of luck, power and high status. They can cause weather changes and bring rainfall to the fields to ensure rich harvests. They are considered divine (神圣的) creatures, which hold an important position as the head of the four spirits. Therefore, to symbolize their power, ancient Chinese emperors decorated their clothes with dragon patterns. These clothes are known as dragon robes. Many Chinese view the dragon as a national symbol, proudly referring to themselves as “descendants of the dragon”. In the west, however, a dragon symbolizes an evil creature that spreads violence and terror throughout the land. They are believed to be transformed by the devil, with the ability to breathe fire or spit poison. Many western tales show dragons being defeated and killed to protect people from danger.
Today, dragons continue to evolve, exceeding traditional boundaries and finding new significance in global culture. They are no longer associated with evil or good, but rather as complex characters with their own unique personalities and motivations. For example, Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon begins as a dangerous dragon but evolves into a misunderstood being with love and compassion. This challenges the idea of dragons as naturally evil, presenting them as complex beings with emotions and motivations.
1. What do western dragons and eastern dragons have in common?| A．They have rough skin. | B．They are huge and powerful. |
| C．They are in the shape of snakes. | D．They have big claws and wings. |
| A．Western dragons are a symbol of authority. |
| B．Dragons in China can protect people from danger. |
| C．Chinese dragons can control rainfall and breathe fire. |
| D．Dragons are believed to cause chaos in western culture. |
| A．They are regarded as adventurous creatures. |
| B．They are closely associated with evil or good. |
| C．They have more diverse emotions and personalities. |
| D．They tend to represent human spirits facing challenges. |
| A．The Dragon Elements in Global Culture |
| B．The Origin of Dragons in Chinese History |
| C．The Magical Animals in Different Countries |
| D．The Images of Dragons in Western Traditions |
2 . 假如你是李华，准备邀请你的英国朋友 Peter 来中国参加元宵节庆祝活动，并提前告知他元宵节的相关情况。要点如下：
1.时间及起源；
2.活动内容；
3.意义。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
3.文章开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Hua
1.推荐读物的名称及内容;
2.推荐理由;
3.邀请他来中国体验文化。
注意：
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At the opening session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Oct 16, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee,
Close attention was focused
The government has also taken a number of measures targeting youth employment, including encouragement and subsidies (补助) for
Meanwhile, under the innovation-driven development strategy and open
5 . The International Consumer Electronics Show CES is known as the place where many companies across the globe show their latest technology offerings. Here is a look at some of the top products presented at CES 2023.
AirSelfie camera
Electronics maker AirSelfie launched its latest self-flying camera designed to take “selfie” pictures. The new device, called Air Pix, is a small, light camera that flies through the air and takes high-quality photographs and videos. A video on the company’s website explains that Air Pix can fly, frame and take pictures all by itself before landing back on the user’s hand.
Labrador’s assistive robot
Robot maker Labrador announced the launch of its Retriever robot. The small, self-driving machine is designed to hold things and, as its name suggests, also retrieve (取回) things. The robot can be controlled by voice commands or from an app on a phone. It can also be programmed based on an exact map of a user’s home. The company says the Retriever is designed “to serve as an extra pair of hands and lighten the load of everyday tasks in the home.”
Self-driving tractor
American-based farm equipment producer John Deere presented a fully self-driving tractor. The company says the vehicle is equipped with six different cameras and a series of sensors to guide the tractor through the fields. Farmers can control the vehicle and see the tractor’s progress in real time through a mobile device. John Deere says the concept is to help farmers do more work with fewer tools and other people.
1. Who are most likely to be interested in Labrador’s assistive robot?| A．Photographers. | B．Cleaners. | C．Housewives. | D．Farmers. |
| A．They both have voice control. | B．They both are really very smart. |
| C．They both help with housework. | D．They come from the same producer. |
| A．To show the wide popularity of CES. |
| B．To advertise some famous technology companies. |
| C．To predict some future electronic products. |
| D．To introduce some technology products from CES. |
6 . Few 17-year-old girls know how to weld (焊接) two metal pipes together. I have learned this skill in the past five years as an assistant for my father’s personal plumbing (管道装置) business. This summer job often needs to deal with the mess that causes physical and mental
Every morning, I had to put on a pair of men’s jeans. Most of my peers are
When my peers were part-time babysitters or lifeguards, I was
Honestly speaking, I felt powerless, discouraged and unable to think hard. Pipe work is a tough job, and I sometimes hate it. I asked myself why I had to tolerate these dust and sweat. I can even find another job, a
My dad and I not only create chaos, we also create
| A．misfortune | B．pleasure | C．injury | D．discomfort |
| A．recovers | B．reflects | C．requires | D．reviews |
| A．determined | B．insisted | C．rejected | D．hesitated |
| A．keen | B．unwilling | C．willing | D．impatient |
| A．carefully | B．eventually | C．hurriedly | D．normally |
| A．spacecraft | B．agency | C．vehicle | D．rocket |
| A．assisting | B．teaching | C．protecting | D．preventing |
| A．ugly | B．sufficient | C．crucial | D．flexible |
| A．renewable | B．regular | C．realistic | D．responsible |
| A．However | B．Therefore | C．Otherwise | D．Instead |
| A．warning | B．surprising | C．touching | D．disturbing |
| A．controlling | B．attempting | C．judging | D．accepting |
| A．excuse | B．puzzle | C．description | D．exception |
| A．order | B．fortune | C．memory | D．wealth |
| A．ready | B．grateful | C．thirsty | D．sorry |
7 . Innovative Ideas by Students
Oxygen / carbon dioxide level indicator
S R-Valava, Aftab English Higher Secondary School
The system can detect levels of oxygen / carbon dioxide in the closed car and open windows when the oxygen level drops or carbon dioxide level rises, thereby preventing accidental deaths of children or pets locked inside the car.
New serving tray (托盘)
Alok Singh, Shah Faiz Public School
This serving tray has a release mechanism that can put cups / glasses on the table along with a coaster (玻璃杯垫) without touching it. Once while serving tea to a guest, Alok spilled (洒出) hot tea over him resulting in some burns to his hands. After this incident he came up with this idea to make serving easy and “stylish”.
Posture (姿势) correcting chair
Kulsoom Rizavi, La Martiniere Girls’ College
With sensors at appropriate places, the chair alarms the user when their sitting posture is wrong. Kulsoom dreamed up this idea after being regularly criticized by her mother for her bad posture. She thought that while it may not be possible to be reminded again and again by someone for sitting wrongly, this task can be done by the chair itself.
Sudden fall detector
Soumya Ranjan Behera, BTTS Upper Primary School.
The wearable device alarms others when the user falls suddenly. It is useful for old people and those suffering from fits, epilepsy (癫痫), etc. It will help keep an electronic eye on one’s loved ones. The idea struck Soumya Ranjan when his grandma suffered an epileptic attack and fell down. He wondered, what if she wasn't around?
1. Where does the student designing the system available for cars come from?| A．Shah Faiz Public School. | B．La Martiniere Girls College. |
| C．BTTS Upper Primary School. | D．Aftab English Higher Secondary School. |
| A．Warn users against sitting improperly. | B．Correct users’ poor standing posture. |
| C．Make users sit still more comfortably. | D．Alarm users about falling off a chair. |
| A．New serving tray. | B．Sudden fall detector. |
| C．Posture correcting chair. | D．Oxygen / carbon dioxide level indicator. |
Weiqi, which originated before the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), has a history of more than 4,000 years. The original chessboard is comprised
Weiqi reached
Today Weiqi is even
9 . First impressions can set a lasting tone, but there is often something doubtful. Psychologists have documented a phenomenon known as the liking gap, by which two people meeting for the first time routinely underestimate how much their counterparts (对应方) like them. A new study finds that the liking gap occurs in group settings too and hinders how well groups function.
In one experiment, the researchers divided 159 participants into groups of three and asked them to have a conversation. They then surveyed the participants individually about how much they liked each of their partners, how much they thought each partner liked them, and how much they thought their partners liked each other. On average, people liked their partners more than they believed their partners liked them, and thought themselves to be the least liked in the group.
In a subsequent experiment, the researchers asked similar questions of engineering students who had worked together in design competitions for varying lengths of time. Here, too, people tended to underestimate the degree to which they were liked, regardless of how long they had known their teammates — and their dim views of their own likability reduced their willingness to ask others for help, give honest feedback, and work together in the future.
A final experiment involving a broad sample of workers showed that the misperceptions (误解) were strongest among teammates and that they decreased team effectiveness and job satisfaction. It also found a possible explanation for the liking gap: People tend to focus on positive thoughts when reflecting on how much they like someone else (“I’m happy that she got a promotion”) but fall victim to more negative ones when considering how others view them (“I got a promotion, so she might be green with envy”).
Managers should think carefully not just about how teammates regard one another but about how team members think they themselves are regarded, the researchers say; correcting misperceptions could boost team satisfaction and performance. “If only people knew how positively their teammates actually felt about them, they might communicate better, feel more included on their teams, and be happier overall with their jobs,” they write.
1. What does the liking gap refer to?| A．Misjudging others’ opinions on us. |
| B．Approval among different age groups. |
| C．A type of common social anxiety disorder. |
| D．Preventing others’ evaluations of us. |
| A．People were shy to give honest comments. |
| B．People tended to think little of their partners. |
| C．People were quite demanding towards others. |
| D．People were not very confident about themselves. |
| A．Employees’ viewpoints on themselves. |
| B．The relationship between team members. |
| C．Employee performance and job satisfaction. |
| D．Communication between leaders and members. |
| A．How Much Counterparts Like Us |
| B．Why First Impressions Can Last Long |
| C．What Perceptions Teammates Correct |
| D．How the “Liking Gap” Affects Group Work |
| A．Vienna. | B．Rome. | C．Paris. |
