WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The United Kingdom, Great Britain, Britain, England-many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any? Getting to know a little bit about British history will help you solve this puzzle.
In the 16th century, the nearby country of Wales was joined to the Kingdom of England. Later, in the 18th century, the country Scotland was joined to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In the 19th century, the Kingdom of Ireland was added to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, in the 20th century, the southern part of Ireland broke away from the UK, which resulted in the full name we have today: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Most people just use the shortened name: “the United Kingdom” or “the UK”. People from the UK are called “British”, which means the UK is also often referred to as Britain or Great Britain.
The four countries that belong to the United Kingdom work together in some areas. They use the same flag, known as the Union Jack, as well as share the same currency and military defence. However, they also have some differences. For example, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes. And they even have their own football teams for competitions like the World Cup!
The United Kingdom has a long and interesting history to explore, which can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the UK, you will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the Romans, came in the first century. Some of their great achievements included building towns and roads. Next, the Anglo-Saxons arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the English language, and changed the way people built houses. The Vikings came in the eighth century, left behind lots of new vocabulary, and also the names of many locations across the UK. The last group were the Normans. They conquered England after the well-known Battle of Hastings in the 11th century. They had castles built all around England, and made changes to the legal system. The Normans were French, so many French words slowly entered into the English language.
There is so much more to learn about the interesting history and culture of the United Kingdom. Studying the history of the country will make your visit much more enjoyable. The capital city London is a great place to start, as it is an ancient port city that has a history dating all the way back to Roman times. There are countless historic sites to explore, and lots of museums with ancient relics from all over the UK. The UK is a fascinating mix of history and modern culture, with both new and old traditions. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past and its present.
1. Part 1(Paras.1—2):Part 2(Para.3):
Part 3(Paras.4—5):
2. What are the four countries of the United Kingdom?Which two were the first to be joined together?
3. What are two chief advantages of studying the history of a country?
| A. Chinese traditional B. classical C. country music D. hip-hop |
1.
2.
3.
4.
3 . Contribution And Sacrifice
Huang Danian, the renowned Chinese geophysicist, was born in 1958 in Guangxi, China. As a keen and able student, Huang went to the UK in 1993 to further his studies.
By the time Huang moved back to China in 2008, he had been living and working in the UK for 15 years. He had a good job and a life there, but he gave it all up to return to home, driven by the idea that he needed to contribute to his country. As one of the world’s leading experts in deep earth exploration technology, Huang was approached to participate in the “Thousand Talent” programme.
Huang was named lead scientist on China’s deep earth exploration programme, developing advanced cameras that can see through the Earth’s crust so that it can be analysed without having to dig into it.
Like the true scientist he was, Huang never gave up, but always tried to push forwards. Even from his hospital bed, he continued his work, writing letters of reference for his colleague and replying to questions from his students.
| A．Huang died in January 2017, aged just 58 |
| B．He took up a position at Jilin University, Changchun |
| C．He was born with enormous amount of drive and determination |
| D．He had great faith in the talent of the up-and-coming generation |
| E．Huang’s health also paid the price for his commitment to his work |
| F．He set up a state-of-the-art lab, sometimes paying for equipment with his own money |
| G．He is loved because of his devotion to his career and his influence on the young generation |
4 . Contribution And Sacrifice
Huang Danian, the renowned Chinese geophysicist, was born in 1958 in Guangxi, China. As a keen and able student, Huang went to the UK in 1993 to further his studies.
By the time Huang moved back to China in 2008, he had been living and working in the UK for 15 years. He had a good job and a life there, but he gave it all up to return to home, driven by the idea that he needed to contribute to his country. As one of the world’s leading experts in deep earth exploration technology, Huang was approached to participate in the “Thousand Talent” programme. He took up a position at Jilin University, Changchun.
Huang was named lead scientist on China’s deep earth exploration programme, developing advanced cameras that can see through the Earth’s crust so that it can be analysed without having to dig into it. He set up a state-of-the-art lab, sometimes paying for equipment with his own money. Some described him as a “lunatic” (a madman). but this passion and drive enabled Huang to propel China’s deep earth exploration technology into a world-leading position. Huang’s dedication contributed to China’s lunar probe Yutu being landed on the moon in 2013 and the launch of the spacecrafts Shenzhou-11 and Tiangong-2 in 2016.
Huang’s health also paid the price for his commitment to his word. He began having fainting fits in 2012, but paid them little attention, stating he did not have time to go to see a doctor – his work always came first. In November 2016, Huang collapsed and was taken to hospital, where he was diagnosed with cancer. The disease was so advanced that he had just a couple of months to live.
Like the true scientist he was, Huang never gave up, but always tried to push forwards. Even from his hospital bed, he continued his work, writing letters of reference for his colleague and replying to questions from his students. He had great faith in the talent of the up-and-coming generation, “Our country is in urgent need of talented people,” he said. “If we spend more time and pay more attention to the young, masters and even Nobel prize winners may rise among them.”
Huang died in January 2017, aged just 58. More than 800 people attended his funeral to celebrate a life that burned so bright, but was so short.
1. Huang moved back to China in 2008, because _________.| A．he would have a good job and a life in China |
| B．he took up a position at Jilin University, Changchun |
| C．he had the idea that he needed to contribute to China |
| D．he wanted to participate in the “Thousand Talent” programme |
| A．Huang’s education | B．Huang’s working experience |
| C．Huang’s influence on his colleagues | D．Huang’s achievements |
| A．Modest and outgoing. | B．Patriotic and committed. |
| C．Ambitious and disciplined | D．Passionate and considerate. |
5 . TikTok has pushed a new safety update to its app that allows parents to take more control of their teenager’s accounts, as social media companies come under increasing pressure to make their platforms safer for children.
The company said that its Family Pairing now enables parents to turn off comments on their children’s videos entirely or limit them to friends only. Parents whose accounts are linked to their kids will also be able to set their accounts to private ones, turn off the search function for content or users, and limit who can see which videos their children have liked.
The Family Pairing lets parents see how long their children are spending on TikTok each day and limit the content they can see.
TikTok allows children to register (注册) and create an account if they’re over the age of 13. All they need to do is provide their date of birth. However, because TikTok doesn’t require registrants (注册人) to prove their identities, some children under 13 have registered by lying about their age, according to U.K. regulator Ofcom (英国通信管理局)
Alexandra Evans, head of child safety public policy for TikTok in Europe, told CNBC that Family Pairing has “put itself in parents’ shoes”since it was launched. “If we’re thinking of it as a toolbox, we want to offer more tools,” she said on a video call ahead of the announcement.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The safety tips from TikTok. |
| B．The limits on Family Pairing. |
| C．New apps explored by TikTok. |
| D．The functions of Family Pairing. |
| A．The low age limit of users. |
| B．The demand for users’ birth dates. |
| C．TikTok’s failure to check identities. |
| D．The difficulty in opening an account. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Objective. | C．Disappointed. | D．Favorable. |
| A．TikTok’s Safety Update |
| B．New Guidelines for Safety |
| C．Family Pairing under Debate |
| D．Controlling Your Kids Online |
6 . Many people like to explore the Internet. Exploring the Internet is one of the most important activities of the day. The Internet brings the outside world closer to people’s homes. Some people say the world is smaller than before because of the Internet.
What’s going on in other countries? How do people live in faraway places? Is there a good sports game somewhere? What’s life like in the deepest part of the sea? If you want to answer all these questions, just come to the Internet. Of course, people can also learn through reading or listening to the radio. But with the Internet they can learn better and more easily. A lot of information can be collected at a great speed.
Can we go shopping without leaving home? Can we see a doctor without going to the hospital? Can we study without going to school? All these things seemed to be impossible, but now they have become true.
The Internet helps us to open our eyes. The Internet also helps to open our minds. The Internet often gives us new ideas. In a word, it helps us in many ways. Great changes have taken place in our life since the use of the Internet.
1. What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．We can learn only through reading or listening to the radio. |
| B．We can know nothing through the Internet. |
| C．A lot of information can be collected at a great speed through the Internet. |
| D．We can become wise because of the Internet. |
| A．go shopping without leaving home |
| B．see a doctor without going to the hospital |
| C．study without going to school |
| D．draw money without banks |
| A．we cannot think without the Internet |
| B．something is wrong with our minds because of the Internet |
| C．our minds can’t be opened unless we search the Internet |
| D．we can get some new ideas from the Internet |
7 . Use Phones Respectfully
You probably spend more time on your smartphone than any other possessions. You take it everywhere—to school, to meals, and even to the bathroom.
Use “do not disturb” instead of “vibrate (振动)”.
Loud vibrations in your trousers are disturbing. People can hear your phone vibrate or not, depending on how violently it vibrates.
Tell others what you’re doing.
Sometimes, you will be in a situation where you need to use your smartphone.
Respect others’ privacy such as text messages and e-mail senders by not letting what they type appear on the home screen of your phone when you receive a new message. While you’re at it, use a password to make sure the information stays between you.
Ask permission to swipe (滑动).
When people hand you their phone to look at a photo, this doesn’t mean you can look through all of their photo albums.
| A．They probably want you to see the one photo they hand to you, not every photo they have taken. |
| B．Just tell people what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. |
| C．It is difficult to ignore it and it distracts people from what they are doing. |
| D．Don’t use the feature of SMS Preview on your home screen. |
| E．You should use your smartphone secretly. |
| F．Of course, using the smartphone is a great way to keep in touch and share life events. |
| G．So it’s thrilling to look through all their photos. |
8 . Talking to solve friendship problems
Sometimes our friends’ behaviour can offend us; sometimes we can see changes they need to make — but how do we tell them?
It’s important to have solid evidence that there is indeed a problem. Evidence that can be agreed upon makes it easier for other people to recognise issues.
Staying calm is vital.
Be realistic. Complicated problems are unlikely to be solved with one conversation. Consider what is possible in one discussion, and that it may be harder than you initially thought.
| A．Plan ahead properly to make a better conversation. |
| B．Are there any ways to make difficult conversations easier? |
| C．Learn to listen to carefully instead of merely blaming others. |
| D．This will help you to set realistic goals for what you can achieve. |
| E．Becoming tense might lead you to react badly and cause an argument. |
| F．Once you have proof, it’s important to highlight how it impacts us and others. |
| G．Talking about the problems realistically is the best approach to resolving the conflict. |
9 . Minor Snow, or “Xiaoxue” in Chinese, is the 20th of the 24 traditional Chinese solar terms, and will last from November 22 to December 6 this year. It is the second solar term of winter, and indicates that snow is about to arrive. From this solar term onwards, people in South China will begin to feel the coming of winter.
Pickling vegetables.
In Nanjing, it’s customary to make pickle during the Minor Snow period, and then salted meat during Major Snow. During Minor Snow,
Eating glutinous (黏的) rice cakes
In many areas of Southern China, people eat glutinous rice cakes during Minor Snow. In these places, there’s a saying: “十月朝，糍粑碌碌烧.” In this saying, “碌 (lu)” means that people use their chopsticks to pick up a glutinous rice cake and roll it like a wheel in a bowl full of sesame and peanut sugar, and “烧 (shao)” indicates that the glutinous rice cakes are steaming hot.
Cooking meat dishes
During Minor Snow, people in many regions of China will kill pigs, while during Major Snow, they will kill sheep. No matter which household kills the animal, neighbors and friends will all come to help. After the animal has been slaughtered (屠宰),
Eating more porridge and soup
Eating more porridge and soup in winter is good for your health. For instance, wheat porridge can nourish the heart, while radish porridge can improve digestion and reduce phlegm that often arrives with the changing weather. Soups also help keep people healthy and can improve the immune system.
Drinking more water
We already know that drinking more water is beneficial for metabolism. During the winter months, it is highly recommended to drink a cup of warm water on an empty stomach in the early morning. In this way, blood viscosity can be reduced, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases can be prevented. During Minor Snow, honey water, white radish water and pear water are excellent choices, as honey water can moisten dryness and help detoxify, white radish water can clear heat, while pear can moisten the lungs and relieve stubborn coughs.
Staying warm
The weather is cold, but not yet too cold. Therefore, many people forget to put on their hats and scarves,
| A．With the weather becoming increasingly cold, people wait expectantly for the first snow. |
| B．We suggest you prepare several sets of winter clothes. |
| C．which leaves them more likely to catch a cold. |
| D．For instance, fish soup is said to invigorate the spleen, stimulate appetite, and relieve coughs and colds. |
| E．every household will begin to make pickled and dried vegetables. |
| F．From this solar term onwards, the northeast wind will blow more frequently. |
| G．the host will prepare dishes and hold a party, which symbolizes unity, harmony, peace and prosperity. |
10 . Fears over the disruption (干扰) to classrooms from pupils using smartphones have made the government decide to carry out research into the way technology affects behaviour in schools.
Children should not be allowed to use smartphones until they are 16, according to Tom Bennett, the school behaviour expert leading the research. “Children are using smartphones too young,” he said. People ask me, “When should I give my child a smartphone?” and I say “Whenever you’re comfortable with them viewing violence, because their curiosity (好奇心) will take them there.” According to him, teachers should not allow them unless necessary.
Mr. Bennett is already leading another study into how teachers are trained to deal with bad behaviour. He has now been asked to look at the wider challenges of managing modern classrooms. Although technology can improve learning, teachers have reported that the growing number of children bringing smartphones into class is leading to disruption, officials warn.
“We need to make sure the advice we give to schools, and the methods being used are fit for the 21st century when even primary school pupils may be bringing in phones. That is why we have taken the decision to widen Tom Bennett’s research to look at how teachers can deal with bad behaviour,” said Nick Gibb, Minister of State for Schools.
Most schools have some policies about smartphone use. However, the picture is far from uniform (统一的) — from complete bans (禁止) to partial bans. “I think smartphones in a classroom may be a temptation (诱惑) for students, but that isn’t to say that I would ban them. ”said Mr. Bennett. “My personal advice is that schools should think very carefully before allowing them. I think the basic rule should be not to allow them unless teachers invite them in for a certain reason.”
1. Why was the research started?| A．To find out the advantages of technology. |
| B．To learn about children’s behaviour in class. |
| C．To look at how smartphones affect kids at school. |
| D．To prevent children from using smartphones in class. |
| A．To look into students’ behaviour at home. |
| B．To change parents’ attitudes to smartphones. |
| C．To encourage children to attend modern classrooms. |
| D．To make sure that schools use proper methods to teach students. |
| A．Many pupils use smartphones for learning. |
| B．Schools have to try harder to ban smartphone use. |
| C．Students always have a good reason to use smartphones. |
| D．Different schools have different policies about smartphone use. |
| A．It is helpful in teaching. |
| B．Schools should take it seriously. |
| C．It should be banned completely. |
| D．There should be a uniform rule. |
