1 . Mobile phones and iPads are now wonderful tools for learning and teaching English. With the help of the thousands of education and language apps available online, students can make effective use of them to learn in an interactive environment. Given below is a list of some of the best apps for learning and teaching English.
Grammar Up
Grammar is the heart of any language and, thus, the Grammar Up app is one of the most highly recommended apps for English learners. This app is specifically designed for people who want to improve their grammar, vocabulary and word selection. It consists of more than 1,800 multiple－choice questions grouped under twenty different grammar categories.
iFPoems
iFPoems is a fantastic app for poetry lovers. This app consists of a great collection of poems from famous poets around the world. It also allows users to save their favorites along with recording their own readings of the poems.
iBooks
iBooks is a complete book library for the iPad users. It includes the iBookstore and allows users to download and read books. The app features a beautiful bookshelf, on which you can browse various books or even add notes to your favorite paragraphs in the book. You can also create your own texts and upload them into the app.
SpeakingPal
Recommended as one of the best apps for English educators and learners, SpeakingPal allows you to record your speech and compare it with a native English speaker. This amazing app combines video with automatic speech recognition software that tests your English speaking skills. You just have to speak with a video character and get immediate response on how well you speak English.
1. What do these apps have in common?| A．They can be found online. |
| B．They are free of charge. |
| C．They improve users’ grammar. |
| D．They’re designed by teachers. |
| A．Download books for free. |
| B．Write notes on it with pens. |
| C．Save notes and texts. |
| D．Create a bookstore. |
| A．It offers video call service. |
| B．It evaluates users’ speech. |
| C．It offers talks with a native speaker. |
| D．It includes English speaking contests. |
2 . A new chapter opened in mankind’s exploration of the moon on Thursday morning as the first probe (探测仪) to land on the moon’s far side reached its destination after a 26-day journey. The Chang’e 4 lunar probe, representing China ’s latest step in lunar investigation, landed at 10: 26 am at the Von Karman crater (环形山) and then sent back three photos of the landing site shot by cameras on the probe’s lander (着陆器), marking the world’s first images taken on the surface of the far side.
One of the photos, published by the China National Space Administration, shows the place where Chang’e 4’s rover (巡视器), which was named Yutu 2 on Thursday night, will be heading to explore and survey. Thus began the first long journey to the side of the moon that faces away from the Earth. It is meant to fulfill scientist’s long-held desire to closely observe the lesser known region.
Tidal (潮汐的) forces on Earth slow the moon’s rotation (自转) to the point that the same ways faces Earth. The other side most of which is never visible from Earth, is the far side of the moon. While it has been photographed by spacecraft, starting with a Soviet probe in 1959, no probe had ever made a soft landing there, so scientists had not been able to conduct surface-level observations and surveys of the region.
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar program, said in Beijing on Thursday that the landing “was perfect”. He called the event “ an important milestone for China’s space exploration”, adding that it has made a good start for future lunar exploration efforts.
With its investigation of the far side, particularly the Von Karman crater, the Chang’e 4 mission will enable scientists to find out what they haven’t known about the moon and deepen their knowledge of its early history and of the solar system.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about ?| A．The basic data of the Chang’e 4 lunar probe. |
| B．The Chang’e 4’s world-first landing on moon’s far side. |
| C．The Chang’e 4’s 26-day visit to the far side of the moon. |
| D．The description of the photos taken on the surface of moon’s far side. |
| A．The lander. | B．The rover. |
| C．The far side of the moon. | D．The Chang’e 4 lunar probe. |
| A．It is only on the moon that people can explore the deep space. |
| B．The scientific information obtained by Chang’e 4 will be new to the world. |
| C．It is the first time for people to see the pictures of the far side of the moon. |
| D．Chinese space technology is more advanced than that of any other country’s. |
| A．Tourism. | B．Health Care. |
| C．Science and Technology . | D．Arts and Entertainment. |
3 . Movies not to miss
In 2018, to which was just said goodbye, we’ve seen some good films such as Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians and A Star Is Born. And there are more exciting movies in the works for 2019.
Spider-man: Far From Home, July 5, US
Tom Holland, the lead actor of 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, returns to play Peter Parker, a high school student who gains superpowers after being bitten by a spider. When we see him again in theaters, Spider-Man will have a new red-and-black suit. The movie will take the famous wall-crawler on a global adventure outside of the US. According to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, Spider-Man will try a return to his“normal”self; he will try to find his old powers on his new journey.
Directed By: Jon Watts
Runtime: 100 minutes
Studio: Columbia Pictures
The Lion King, July 19, US
This is a brand-new version of the classic children’s film. The story of wide-eyed young lion Simba still remains in hearts of world audiences even after 25 years. In this re-telling, Simba again begins the difficult journey to become the King of the Pride Lands, a vast Africa grassland. The favorite part of the story for many has always been the friendship between Simba Timon and Pumbaa, The last two sacrifice all they have to help Simba to his throne (王座). How will the new movie re-imagine their famous relationship?
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Runtime: 98 minutes
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Hobbs and Shaw, August 2, US
To most people the Fast and Furious series is all about crazy drivers racing in sports cars. But in its spin-off (外传), called Hobbs and Shaw, humor is added to the action-packed thrills. The new film will hit US theaters on August 2. Famous English action movie actor Jason Statham will star alongside Dwayne Johnson, “The Rock”, as Deckard Shaw and Luke Hobbs respectively, as in their previous appearances in Fast and Furious films.
Directed By: David Leitch
Runtime: 120 minutes
Studio: Universal Pictures
Arctic, September 1, US
In the movie Arctic, a man trapped in the Arctic is finally about to receive his long awaited rescue. However, after a tragic accident, his opportunity is lost. He must then decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his camp or to try his best to save himself.
Directed By: Joe Penna
Runtime: 95 minutes
Studio: Bleecker Street
1. Which movie was directed by Jon Watts?| A．Arctic. | B．The Lion King. |
| C．Hobbs and Shaw. | D．Spider-man, Far From Home. |
| A．It lasts 120 minutes. | B．It was shot in the Arctic. |
| C．suitable for children. | D．It has two famous action movie stars. |
| A．On July 5. | B．On August 2. | C．On July 19. | D．On September 1. |
4 . Every family goes through its ups and downs. Most often, the root cause of this situation is the lack of communication.
Lack of patience can be one of the biggest factors. If people are not patient with their parents or children or other members, the levels of closeness will be weakened. And it can be quite difficult for a bad-tempered child, or even a bad-tempered parent to deal with the problems.
Lack of time for family members is always a reason leading to the problems.
Lack of discipline is the worst problem in terms of children.
If the solutions to the problems are OK, all these problems can be easily solved. If lack of patience is one of the problems, obviously the solution is to develop the virtue of patience. You’d better hear out what the children have to say on a certain matter, or even consult them about their significant ideas.
It would be natural to see childish behavior of the younger members of a family but it is up to the elders to control the atmosphere and keep it calm.
The above are some of the most common problems that most families face. So it is important to maintain the best relations with your family, because family is the strongest support system for you.
| A．Everyone has a say in each family meeting |
| B．By doing this, you can avoid a coming quarrel |
| C．A badly behaved child can ruin the peace of a family |
| D．the elder should talk things out instead of keeping silent |
| E．Don’t discuss the family problems when you’re still feeling upset |
| F．With the development of society, all people face fierce challenge and competition |
| G．There are some common factors that lead to communication problems in the family |
5 . The effect of climate change extends beyond ruining Earth’s environment and our physical safety. A report published this week suggests that climate change has a negative effect on our mental health, too.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States(PNAS), links an increase in monthly temperatures to a rise in mental health issues. The experimental evidence stems from meteorological (气象的) data paired with information collected from nearly 2 million randomly sampled residents in the United States. The data was collected over the span (跨度) of a decade.
“We find that experiences with hotter temperatures and added rainfall each worsen mental health, that long-lasting warming associates with an increased popularity of mental health issues, and that exposure to tropical cyclones(热带气旋), likely to increase in frequency in the future, is linked to worsened mental health,” authors of the study stated. “These results provide added large-scale evidence to the growing link between climate change and mental health.”
The report specifically focused on mental health outcomes due to the effects of environmental stress - such as temperature, rainfall, and tropical cyclones - but other climate change-related issues are likely to affect mental health as well - specifically, the stress and anxiety of knowing natural disasters could be more frequent as temperatures rise.
1. From the newly-published report, we learn that the climate change may _________.| A．save a lot of people’s lives |
| B．cause unbelievable disasters |
| C．influence people’s mental health |
| D．greatly change people’s life styles |
| A．To stress the importance of the study. |
| B．To show that the study cost too much money. |
| C．To explain the difficulties and hardships of the study. |
| D．to indicate that the study is objective and believable. |
| A．In Paragraph 1 | B．In Paragraph 2 |
| C．In Paragraph 3 | D．In Paragraph 4 |
| A．The study has its limits. |
| B．The results of the study aren’t satisfactory. |
| C．The environmental problems can’t be solved. |
| D．Mental health is determined by climate change. |
6 . Share Your Culture Emoji (表情符号) Designers and Win Prizes
Which symbol best represents Chinese culture in your eyes? Is it the panda, kung fu, or the Great Wall? Here’s your chance to decide what emojis best represent Chinese culture! The China Daily Design Contest of Chinese Cultural Symbols is calling for entries from all over the world! No matter the style, share your creative ideas with us! All winning designs will be shared and promoted on the China Daily app, and winning designers will receive prizes! So let your creative juices flow!
● Theme
The emojis should be centered around the subject of Chinese culture, presenting classic or popular cultural images in the form of emojis.
● Who can participate?
Professional designers
Design enthusiasts
Anybody who loves emojis
All nationalities are welcomed
● Awards
First prize: 6,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Second prize: 3,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Third prize: 1,000 yuan, with certificate of honor
Most popular award: prize-winner voted by online user
● When to submit?
From now till Nov. 25
Online voting: Nov. 26 to Dec. 7
● Result announcement
End of December
● Requirements
1. Work should be submitted online with required personal information. Maximum of three works can be submitted by each applicant. Only one prize will be awarded to participant even if more than one work by the same designer is selected.
2. Submitted works must be a group, with 8 to 16 emojis in each group. Formats: jpg/png/gif/jpge. Size: 240 x240px. Each picture should not exceed (超过) 100K, and the size of each group should not exceed 1.6M.
3. Work title, designing ideas and cultural meaning should be submitted as required.
● Organizer
China Daily Website
1. Which prize is decided by Internet voting?| A．First prize | B．Second prize |
| C．Third prize | D．Most popular award |
| A．On Nov. 25 | B．On Nov. 26 |
| C．On Dec. 7 | D．at the end of December |
| A．only one work | B．two works at least |
| C．three works at most | D．as many works as he or she likes |
7 . Mention the terms Italian culture and Renaissance art and one is immediately reminded of the mysterious smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
The Renaissance had a deep effect on the development of European culture. Having its beginnings in Italy, by the 16th century, it had spread to the rest of Europe. Its influence was felt in different fields such as philosophy, literature, religion, science, politics, and, of course, art. The scholars of the Renaissance period applied the humanistic method to every field of study, and wanted to have human emotion and realism in art.
Renaissance scholars studied the ancient Latin and Greek texts, searching the libraries of Europe for works of ancient times that had become obscure, in their hunt for reforming and perfecting their worldly knowledge. However, that does not mean that they refused religion. In fact, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance period were devoted to it, with the church supporting a lot of the works of Renaissance art. However, there were slight changes in the manner in which the scholars began to treat religion, which affected the cultural life of society, which in turn influenced the artists of that period and therefore was reflected in their art.
In Raphael’s The School of Athens, for example, some well-known people were described as classical scholars with Leonardo da Vinci given as much importance as Plato in his time. Giotto di Bondone, 1266-1337, a Florentine, who is regarded as the greatest Italian painter just earlier than the Renaissance period, is thought to be the first artist who treated a painting as a window into space.
However, it was only after the writings of Filippo Brunelleschi, 1377-1446, who is considered the first great builder of the Italian Renaissance, that perspective (透视法) was formally accepted as an artistic technique.
1. What makes Italy stand out in a way in world history?| A．Its artists during the Renaissance were numerous. | B．It was the center of the European countries. |
| C．It had many famous inventors in different fields. | D．It was home to the Renaissance. |
| A．meaningless and hard to recognize | B．clear and meaningful to guiding people |
| C．unclear and difficult to understand or see | D．easy to understand but having little meaning |
| A．After the completion of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. |
| B．After Leonardo da Vinci’s being compared to Plato. |
| C．After Giotto di Bondone’s paintings were respected. |
| D．After Filippo Brunelleschi’s completing his writings. |
| A．Italy’s Renaissance art and artists | B．the famous artists in Italy’s history |
| C．Italy’s influence on the world in culture | D．the hardships during the Renaissance in Italy |
8 . In the United States，many teachers keep fish，hamsters(仓鼠)，and other animals in their classrooms.Teachers say students learn important lessons from the animals.More than 70 percent of teachers who have classroom pets say the animals help students learn responsibility.Research also shows that classroom pets can reduce stress.
“Pets can comfort kids who are having a bad day,”says Lisa Robbins，who works fora group called Pets in the Classroom.
But others think pets should be expelled from classrooms. In January，the Durango School District in Colorado began following a no-pet policy(政策).Now animals can be brought into Durango schools for certain lessons，but they can't stay.Officials were worried that animals might create problems for kids with allergies(过敏症).They were also concerned about the animals getting proper care.
Here's what two of our readers think.
Having classroom pets gives students a fun way to learn about animals. In my class last year，we had a class pet named Elliot.Our teacher also used him to teach us about different subjects.For example，in math，we calculated (计算)how much it costs to feed Elliot for a year.
Pets also help kids learn how to work as a team. My classmates and I took turns feeding Elliot and cleaning his tank,
If teachers are worried about students with allergies，they could get pets that don't have fur.
—D' Lasia Mays，Texas
Classroom pets can take away valuable class time.Some students might have a hard time focusing on the teacher when there are animals in the room.
Plus，having a classroom pet can cause safety problems. You never know how an animal will react to students.Even a cute little hamster might hurt a kid who sticks his or her hand in its cage.
—Patrick McKinney，Ohio
1. What does the underlined word " expelled”in Paragraph 3 probably mean?| A．Allowed. | B．Removed. |
| C．Protected. | D．Educated. |
| A．Classroom pets are not allowed at schools. |
| B．Animals are not allowed at schools. |
| C．Many teachers have pets without fur. |
| D．Many students are allergic to animals. |
| A．He needs special training. | B．He needs more proper care. |
| C．He has educational value for kids. | D．He is not only lovely but very smart. |
| A．The author. | B．Lisa Robbins. |
| C．Patrick McKinney. | D．D' Lasia Mays’ teacher. |
9 . Kids should learn when they should call 911 because sometimes accidents happen.I will never forget the day when I first called 911.
One day I was sitting on a rock watching my mom train a horse.Suddenly, the horse kicked (踢) and she fell off the horse.She landed on the ground, rolled over, got up on her knees, and held her face in her hands.The horse ran off.
I was in a bit of shock. I shouted to my mom and asked if she was all right. She didn’t answer. Instead, she ran into the house. I was scared, but I knew my mom would want me to make sure the horse was safe. I found the horse and led him back to the barn (畜棚).
After I put him in the barn, I ran into the house.My mom did not look OK.I called 911 and told the operator what had happened.Soon an ambulance came.It drove us a short distance to where a plane was waiting to take my mom to the hospital.In the ambulance, I called my mom’s friend, who came and took me to the hospital, too.
On the way to the hospital, I was scared and started to cry.Would my mom be OK? Luckily, after five days in the hospital, she got well and came home.She said I was a brave girl.I was so happy to have her back.She was riding and training horses again after about six weeks.
1. The second paragraph mainly tells us_______.| A．how the accident happened |
| B．how the writer's mother trained horses |
| C．how the writer felt when the accident happened |
| D．what the writer was doing when the accident happened |
| A．She called 911. | B．She stood there quietly. |
| C．She went to find the horse. | D．She followed her into the house. |
| A．never trained horses again | B．stayed in hospital for five days |
| C．sold the horse that made her fall | D．didn’t allow the writer to ride horses |
