1 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.
Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.
There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”
Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.
A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.
1. When can children play games according to the new rules?| A．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday. | B．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday. |
| C．Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday. | D．Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday. |
| A．the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media |
| B．companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules |
| C．the new rules will help prevent children playing online games |
| D．parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games |
| A．Design an advanced program. | B．Use facial recognition systems. |
| C．Set up real-name registration systems. | D．Borrow accounts of their older relatives. |
| A．Rules Limiting Short-video alps | B．Rules Limiting Video Game Time |
| C．Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture | D．Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media |
2 . According to a survey in the UK market, British families are throwing away 1.4 million bananas that are perfectly good to eat every day.
Supermarket Sainsbury’s has found that one in three British people throw away bananas if there is a single bruise (擦伤) or mark on the skin. More than one in ten customers also admit throwing away the fruit if there is any green on the skin. The supermarket is making efforts to reduce food waste. It’s pushing British shoppers to make bread and desserts (甜点) out of bruised and blackened bananas.
Starting from this week, Sainsbury’s will launch hundreds of “banana rescue” stations to encourage shoppers to give bruised bananas a chance. The stations will provide tips and ideas on how to bake with bananas or use them in drinks, and the stations are already set up in 500 stores nationwide.
The supermarket’s boss, Paul Crewe, said Sainsbury’s wants to encourage customers to use the fruit in different ways. “We are determined to help shoppers reduce the number of bananas going to waste at home too,” he said. “61% of Britons admit they never use the bruised bananas in baking, so we also want to encourage customers to use their fruit in different ways,” he added.
1. What ’s the percentage of the British people throwing away bruised bananas according to the Supermarket Sainsbury’s?| A．About 20%. | B．About 33%. | C．About 66%. | D．About 90%. |
| A．Send. | B．Sell. | C．Start. | D．Release. |
| A．British people don’t like eating bananas. |
| B．Bruised bananas can be stored in the supermarkets. |
| C．Paul wants to sell more bruised bananas to his customers. |
| D．There is no need to throw away the bruised bananas anymore. |
| A．Banana Rescue | B．Banana Harvest | C．How to Cook Bananas | D．How to Sell Bananas |
3 . The sun is shinning. I get on No. 151 bus. I’m heading for my office. The sight on the bus is striking: People sit so close together, using those thin sheets of newspapers to keep their distance.
As the bus approaches the National Park, a voice suddenly rings out, “Attention! Attention! This is your driver speaking.”
No one speaks. We look at the back of the driver’s head. His voice carries authority. “Put your papers down. All of you.” The newspapers come down and they are placed on our laps.
“Now, turn and face the person next to you. Go ahead.” Amazingly, we all do it. Still, no one smiles. Just follow the order.
I face an old woman, her head wrapped tightly in a red scarf. I see her nearly everyday. Our eyes meet. We wait for the next order from the driver. We smile to each other. There is a feeling of relief. The barrier (隔阂) has been broken. We cannot help saying, “Good morning, neighbor.”
It is not so hard after all. Some of us repeat it. Others shake hands. Many laugh. The bus driver says nothing more. Slowly, I hear laughter, a warm sound I have never heard before on the bus.
When we reach my stop, I say good-bye to my seatmate, and then jump from the doorstep. As No. 151 bus drives away, I smile as I watch the happy faces of the passengers. This day is starting off better than most.
1. Where does the story take place according to the passage?| A．On a street. | B．On a bus. | C．In a park. | D．In an office. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．To stress the effect of reading on people. | B．To introduce the ways of communicating. |
| C．To ask people to use more public transport. | D．To encourage people to break the barriers. |
4 . Every festival has its own meaning. Labor Day, for example, celebrates the value of hard work. Thanksgiving is about showing thanks to people around you. And Valentines’ Day is a time when you express love to your loved ones. But somehow it now seems that all festivals we just care about one thing — shopping. And that can be a big problem.
“In a way, over-consumption (过度消费) is the mother of all our environmental problems,” Kalle Lasn once told CNN. Lasn is the organizer of Buy Nothing Day, a day set up in Canada in 1992 to fight against unhealthy spending habits, and has now become an international event. It’s held on the day, which is known as Black Friday — a famous shopping day in the US and Canada.
You can see the irony (讽刺) here.
Even though the idea of Buy Nothing Day was brought up 26 years ago, we seem to need it now more than ever. It’s just as Lasn said, all the different kinds of pollution in our lives today — bad air quality, the reduction of forest area, endangered animal species, and plastic bags found in the ocean — seem to be the same cause: over-consumption.
The latest example is the Singles’ Day shopping craze of Nov 11, which saw a new sales record. But as Nie Li, a campaigner at Greenpeace, told Reuters, “Record-setting over-consumption means record-setting waste.” And it was reported that last year the Singles’ Day packages left more than 160,000 tons of waste, including plastic and cardboard. The Collins Dictionary has also just named “single-use” its Word of the Year, pointing out the problem that there’re too many things we tow out after only using them once.
So, Buy Nothing Day might only be here for one day a year, but it’s not just to remind us to the a break from shopping on that day, but to change our lifestyle completely, focusing on fun “with people we care about” rather than wasting money on useless things.
1. What’s the authors purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To express the people’s love for all festivals. |
| B．To talk about the meaning of the festivals. |
| C．To appreciate the value of the festivals. |
| D．To bring out the topic of the passage. |
| A．To help people save money. | B．To cut the cost for daily life. |
| C．To prevent over-consumption. | D．To set up a new sales record. |
| A．Opposed (反对的). | B．Supportive. |
| C．Unknown. | D．Neutral (中立的). |
| A．Creating a New Lifestyle | B．Buy Nothing Day |
| C．Festivals Around the World | D．A Change in People’s Life |
5 . I live in Xizhou in Yunnan Province, on the historic Tea Horse Road. I have to admit that when I first heard that Paul Salopek was going to walk the entire globe on his own two feet, I was blown away. I couldn’t imagine that there could be such an unusual person in the world.
Last May, I met Paul. He told me that it was his first time in China. He talked to me with great excitement about the history, migrations, and discoveries in my region of China. He spoke of the Shu-Yandu Dao (the Southern Silk Road), the travels of the 17th-century Chinese explorer Xu Xiake, the Tea Horse Road and the early 20th-century American botanist Joseph Rock. He also talked of Xuanzang. Paul considered many of them heroes and in a sense Chinese pioneers of slow journalism.
I decided to accompany Paul on his walk toward Yunnan. On September 28, 2021, we set out. Our days were simple: walk, eat, sleep, and repeat. We woke up at sunrise, set off in high spirits, and rested at sunset, dragging ourselves into exhausted sleep.
We met many people on the road. Some were curious, surrounding us and watching us; some gave us directions; some invited us into their home to take a rest; some spoke of the charm of their hometown. We met many beautiful souls, simple souls and warm souls. We were walking with our minds.
Together, we were impressed by the biodiversity of the Gaoligong Mountains. As I walked on ancient paths through mountains, I seemed to hear the antique voices of past travelers urging me to be careful on the road.
Looking back on the more than 200 miles I walked with Paul, I came to a realization. Walking for its own sake, while healthy and admirable, is only a small part of the benefit of moving with our feet. A deeper reward is rediscovering the world around us, shortening the distance between each other, and sharing each other’s cultures.
1. How did the writer first respond to Paul’s travel plan?| A．Scared. | B．Puzzled. |
| C．Disappointed. | D．Surprised. |
| A．He was a western journalist. | B．He had a knowledge of China. |
| C．He came to China several times. | D．He was Joseph Rock’s acquaintance. |
| A．They honored the ancestors. | B．They set off in high spirits. |
| C．They satisfied the locals’ curiosity. | D．They built bonds with people. |
| A．To share and reflect on a journey. | B．To suggest a new way of travel. |
| C．To advocate protection of biodiversity. | D．To introduce and promote Chinese culture. |
6 . Apart from decoration purposes, the paint symbols were mainly used during wars to express secret messages to the other members of the tribe(部落). Native Indians believed that the designs that they painted had certain magical power that would protect them. The symbols were a reflection of the happenings and events during a war. Given below are the different symbols with their meanings.
Eye of a Medicine Man Symbol
It was a very powerful symbol that represented the medicine man. The outer(外部的) lines indicated the four directions. The inner lines showed the spirit world and the dot (圆点) in the center meant the eye of the medicine man and his spiritual vision. |
Lightning Symbol
It was a common symbol that was seen painted on the face or across the forehead(额头) of almost all the soldiers. It was believed that it brought power and speed to the wearer. A lightning symbol also symbolized the thunderbird, which brought lightning. |
Four Ages of Man Symbol
It indicated four stages of a man's life. They were childhood, youth and adolescence, maturity in middle age, and wisdom in old age. |
Indian Camp Symbol
It indicated an Indian village that consisted of tent-like houses made of wood and animal skins. It was easy to build and dismantle (拆卸）quickly. |
Homecoming Symbol
It indicated the return of soldiers and ceremonies were held to welcome the brave soldiers. |
So, these were a few war paint symbols along with their meanings. These were some of the widespread symbols. Each and every tribe had different symbols and colors, which indicated different things. They were not only used during wars, but also for hunting and decorations.
1. The native Indians may disagree that the paint symbols can be used to| A．share secret messages among tribe members | B．protect tribe members with magical power |
| C．reflect the events happening during wars | D．prevent tribe members from being attacked by insects(昆虫） |
| A．gain strength and speed | B．show his courage and bravery |
| C．celebrate his narrow escape | D．show off his victory（胜利）over enemies |
| A．Homecoming Symbol. | B．Lightning Symbol |
| C．Four Ages of Man Symbol. | D．Indian Camp Symbol |
7 . I am afraid of heights but two summers ago L climbed to a high place. Most of our high school students had come along on a day trip to a beautiful beach village in Peru. After eating our lunches, many of us wanted to make the climb to an area around the village.
Do I turn back? “Yes!” Will I regret it later? I really want to get to the top, but... At last, I decided at least to have a try.
My friend Tom was in front of me. Then, suddenly, he slipped (滑倒) and was about 10 feet back! My heart was beating faster until he stopped himself. Knowing that my friend Seth would be right behind me, I began the climb. I was soon past the first challenge safely, but not feeling much better about the rest of the climb. Looking down, I saw rocks everywhere. My breathing sped up, and my heart beat even faster, growing loud in my ears. My friends kept climbing. But they did not forget me. Someone was always behind me to help hold my feet when necessary, and someone else was always in front to offer a hand up. With friends helping me by words and actions, I slowly gained ground.
Then we came to the worst part. The climb looked very close to vertical (垂直的). To me, the wise choice was to go back down. Melody encouraged me to go on and she made it safely first. I stopped, unsure of my footing. “You can do it, Jean! I’m right here.” Melody called. She waited patiently, not asking me to hurry. I took a few deep breaths and kept climbing.
With no more mistakes, we came to the top finally. I was dirty and tired. But it didn’t matter. I was at the top! I had never felt so alive.
1. According to the text, the climb .| A．was done by all of the high school students | B．happened on a morning two summers ago |
| C．was near a beautiful beach village | D．lasted for about two days |
| A．felt excited about it | B．turned back to the village |
| C．regretted going out with them | D．wasn’t sure whether to join them |
| A．lost heart | B．moved forward |
| C．climbed to the top | D．accepted the friends |
| A．Melody gave Jean words of encouragement. | B．Jean waited patiently for Seth to catch up. |
| C．It was dirty and dangerous | D．Jean had the first try. |
8 . On January 27, in order to win the new pneumonia Resistance War (抗击新型肺炎战)，the Ministry of Education issued (公布) a notice on putting off the start time of school in spring 2020. It was said that school should not start before February 17. The exact start time of school will depend on situations and further notices.
However, many parents are very worried that putting off the start of school may affect children’s studies. If they have such a long winter vacation, children will not learn any knowledge, read books or study at all. They may forget what they have learned before. Staying at home for a long time will make them keep eating, sleeping and playing, which seriously affect their physical and mental health.
In short, the close of school influences learning and develops bad habits, so how should we avoid these problems? Local education departments have also issued a notice, that is, to organize online teaching and create a network platform (平台) where necessary courses will be shown every day, and online teaching will be given by excellent teachers of the subject, and students can learn at home through computer or mobile network.
It should be said that such a method is very good. It can not only keep students indoors and not worry about the infection (感染) of the disease, but also make them study at home, improve their learning ability, and truly achieve “no suspension of classes”. Both the platform itself and the recorded lesson resources are more useful, and are welcomed by parents and teachers.
Of course, except for learning at home, it is also necessary to teach children about health knowledge, especially how to keep away from touching virus and other knowledge popularization; at the same time, it is also necessary for children to do some physical exercises or some games, which is good for physical health at home.
1. Parents worried about putting off the start time of school because________.| A．children may be infected by virus | B．they don’t like the idea of online learning |
| C．children’s study may be affected | D．parents have no time to look after children |
| A．plan | B．stop | C．growth | D．change |
| A．Students would rather go to school. | B．The date of going to school is decided. |
| C．Online teaching will help student’s study. | D．Parents believe children can teach themselves. |
| A．A Special Way to Learn at Home | B．A New War with a New Chance |
| C．A Way to Keep Mentally Healthy | D．A Method to Make Parents Worried |
9 . With the cold weather drawing nearer, few people will choose swimming as a daily or usual activity.
Good for your brain.
Swimming is one of the best activities you can do all year round, which benefits your body and your mind. Swimming has been found to increase blood flow to the brain, which leads to more oxygen.
Work your muscles.
Every time you swim, it is like doing a mini-resistance workout. Each kicks and pull works your muscles more than you could imagine, especially your arms, shoulders and gluteus — the muscles that are inactive all day when you’re sitting at your desk.
Lift your spirits.
While swimming is an individual sport, it is also very social. You can meet people from all walks of life when swimming. Have a chat in the lap pool, join a swimming club or get involved in social water sports to get to know people in your community. Besides, the great thing about swimming is that you can do it — rain or shine. Although your backyard pool, the river or beach cools down over winter, most inside swimming pools run heated pools year round, so you’ve got no excuse to stop swimming.
| A．Benefit your body. |
| B．Meet new people. |
| C．These chemicals can control your thought and action. |
| D．Swimming also works your abs (腹肌) and will reduce your waist line. |
| E．Exercise gives off chemicals in your body called endorphins (内啡肽). |
| F．And that means you’re experiencing better memory and sharp mind. |
| G．However, swimming in winter is of great benefit in cold days. |
10 . Australians are pretty bold (大胆的) when it comes to humour. Not afraid of saying something insulting (冒犯的) in the name of a good laugh, they generally don’t hold back. This is always done in fun, however.
You get yourself a haircut before going to meet your new Aussie friend. You’re expecting to be praised, but what you hear is, “Did ya have a fight with a lawnmower (割草机)?” You might take this as an insult, but it’s just your friend’s way of saying that you’ve had a haircut.
Your friend comes knocking at your bedroom door one morning to tell you’re late for class. You were up studying late the night before and you look a mess. Your friend thinks you need to put a brush through your hair before leaving, but instead of just saying so he says, “Wow. Your hair looks like a bush pig’s arse.” He’s trying to be nice.
Australia is one of the cultures on this planet where making fun of someone is a sign of friendship. If you find yourself being made fun of lots, it could be that you’ve scored yourself a whole lot of new friends. Consider yourself lucky — these insults are all part of building a relationship.
Australians also use a lot of sarcasm (讽刺). You foolishly say something that’s obvious. For example, “A six pack of beer is named after the number of beers you get in the pack, the number being six.” A normal answer would be, “That is the most obvious statement I’ve ever heard”, but an Australian would say, “Really? You’re so clever.”
Now let’s say your teacher tells you that there will be a test the following day. Australians might say, “Great. I can’t wait to add preparing for a test to my already long to-do list. Thank you for this gift.”
1. What does the author advise you to do when you are laughed at by an Australian?| A．Accept it readily. |
| B．Fight back bravely. |
| C．Mind your behaviour. |
| D．End the relationship. |
| A．Dislike. | B．Worry. |
| C．Gladness. | D．Thankfulness. |
| A．By telling stories. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By providing examples. |
| D．By examining differences. |
| A．by telling funny jokes |
| B．by making fun of friends |
| C．by laughing at themselves |
| D．by showing unfriendliness |
