1. What was the woman doing when she saw the dolphins?
| A．Swimming. | B．Diving. | C．Sailing. |
| A．The weather was bad. | B．She felt quite tired. | C．She got frightened. |
| A．Hiking in the rainforest. |
| B．Exploring the old caves. |
| C．Climbing the mountains. |
| A．He ran into a bicycle. | B．He ran into a tree. | C．He drove too slowly. |
Language is the best approach to
The beauty of Chinese language lies in its form, structure and rhythm. Every sound, stroke, word and sentence have their own stories. In the process of learning Chinese，I hope you will learn to appreciate the Chinese language and its profound cultural heritage. Some foreign friends say that Chinese is difficult
Only after learning Chinese will you know the meaning
There are many
Seventy-one-year-old retired judge, Leon,
Two weeks after the incident, the two met for lunch. Leon told Powell about his different
Music is one of the most
I believe music has the power
I believe music affects people in many ways. To me, music is
6 . There are many traditions around the world that are interesting and fun, but there are also those that are bizarre (奇异的) and even a little cruel.
In Sweden it's common for parents to leave their babies outside to nap (小睡) even when the temperatures are below zero. Many of us would find this custom dangerous, but many Swedes actually consider it good for their babies. They believe that by exposing their young ones to their country's cold temperature they can help their babies to grow up healthily and protect them from diseases. They also believe doing so will help them sleep longer and better.
In Bali, Indonesia, babies are forbidden to touch the ground for three months. The reason is that during the baby's first months its connection to the “spirit” is still unbroken and clean and letting it touch the ground would defile it. For three months, the baby is constantly held in someone's arms―the father, mother, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and even neighbours. After 105 days, a special ceremony called the Nyabutan is held where the baby touches Mother Earth for the first time.
In Guatemala, it's common to see babies being bathed with cold water. Maya mothers commonly practise this bizarre ritual (仪式) with the belief that it's beneficial to the baby's health. Bathing their babies with cold water is also an effective means to eliminate heat rashes, and this custom helps babies sleep better.
Some Indians allow their babies to be thrown from temple roofs as high as 50 feet. This strange custom started 500 years ago and continues to this day, though there's a movement to ban it for obvious reasons. However, Hindus believe that performing this ritual brings good luck and health to their babies. Below the roof is a bed sheet that's held tightly by several men. The baby lands safely on the sheet. The tradition's practitioners and believers strongly prove that it's safe, saying no babies have ever been injured.
1. What does the author think of the baby custom in Sweden?| A．It is interesting and fun. | B．It is unique and thoughtful. |
| C．It is dangerous and a little cruel. | D．It is beneficial and practical. |
| A．Make the best use of. | B．Make something dirty or no longer pure. |
| C．Leave or break away from. | D．Achieve or realise completely. |
| A．to get rid of their heat rashes and make them sleep better |
| B．to prevent them from feeling hot during summer |
| C．in order to stop them from getting all kinds of illnesses |
| D．in order to bring good luck and health to those babies |
| A．It is a new custom and many people hate it. |
| B．They think the custom leads to babies' injuries. |
| C．They have no religious belief. |
| D．Lots of babies have been seen injured in the past years. |
7 . In the dictionary of Jessica Cox, a woman aged 36 from Tucson, Arizona, there seems to be no such words——can’t or impossible. How does that
Jessica was born without
She has lived with her
Now Jessica and her husband are working together touring the world as Jessica gives encouraging speeches. “I wanted to
So, next time you are
| A．take down | B．take place | C．take apart | D．take up |
| A．arms | B．legs | C．feet | D．ears |
| A．kept | B．confirmed | C．enlarged | D．stopped |
| A．dressed | B．equipped | C．wore | D．chewed |
| A．perform | B．operate | C．direct | D．lead |
| A．reduce | B．remind | C．replace | D．react |
| A．complaint | B．condition | C．comment | D．combination |
| A．with | B．in | C．by | D．without |
| A．regard | B．refer | C．skim | D．watch |
| A．anything | B．nothing | C．none | D．neither |
| A．overcoming | B．ensuring | C．achieving | D．entertaining |
| A．disappointment | B．regret | C．relief | D．amazement |
| A．expressed | B．impressed | C．explored | D．influenced |
| A．pilot | B．physicist | C．director | D．driver |
| A．exporting | B．exploring | C．earning | D．electing |
| A．intend | B．support | C．surround | D．inspire |
| A．in a way | B．by the way | C．on the way | D．in the way |
| A．willing | B．ready | C．confused | D．content |
| A．outgoing | B．wealthy | C．excellent | D．thoughtful |
| A．book | B．dictionary | C．notebook | D．argument |
8 . Have you ever looked at a fashionable item of clothing and felt confused? If so, your confusion may have made sense.
Several months ago, high fashion brand Balenciaga released a “T-shirt shirt”, which is a shirt sewn on the front of a T-shirt. The unusual design has certainly confused a lot of people.
But the “double shirt” isn’t fighting alone on the frontier of strange fashion. Ever since US shoe manufacturer Crocs released its famous hole-filled foam shoes, the so-called “ugly fashion” hasn’t showed any signs of slowing down, the Business of Fashion website noted.
British designer Paul Surridge believes that the rise of ugly fashion is a sign that people are bored with looking perfect all the time. “Fashion thrives(蓬勃发展) on novelty”, he told the Financial Times.
Indeed, fashion is all about changes. Something that’s considered uncool one minute can then turn out to be the latest must-have fashion item the next.
And in the eyes of US fashion writer Megan Collins, ugly doesn’t necessarily mean the design of the item is ugly. After all, ugly is something subjective. “Ugly fashion means ‘not the mainstream’——it is not what everyone’s wearing; it is not what the general population considers as ‘in’ right now,” she told style news site Fashionista.
But throughout the history of fashion, when any new trend appears, most people tend to hate it, before it eventually becomes loved. As Italian designer Miuccia Prada told The New York Times, “Maybe because it is newer, ugly is attractive. Ugly is exciting.”
Meanwhile, popular social media fashion bloggers also help people to pick up new ugly fashion trends. These bloggers express themselves through their clothes, showing their unique personalities and making comments on their clothing choices. However, as Clever-ish Magazine noted, just being comfortable in your own skin could actually be “the best look”.
“I personally love having a unique expression because without ugly fashion and diversity, we’d all look the same,” Australian fashion influencer(网红) and model Zanita Whittington told Fashionista. “I appreciate anything that’s out of the norm(规范).”
1. How does the author lead to the topic of the passage?| A．By telling a funny story. |
| B．By asking and answering questions. |
| C．By asking questions and giving examples. |
| D．By giving different comments from different people. |
| A．ugly | B．fashionable |
| C．affordable | D．expensive |
| A．They will dress themselves to look perfect. |
| B．They will try some new and exciting clothes. |
| C．They will make comments on others’ clothes choices. |
| D．They will express themselves by wearing ugly clothes. |
| A．She is fond of ugly fashion trends. |
| B．She doesn’t care about fashion at all. |
| C．She hopes to be the same as others. |
| D．She wants to look ugly as a model. |
9 . Did you know that creating a product that fails terribly could get you featured in a museum? Hundreds of failed products and inventions are getting attention and appreciation in the Museum of Failure in Hollywood.
It is the brainchild of Samuel West, a Swedish psychologist who created it to change the way people think about failure. “Failure is necessary for any kind of progress,” West said. It had a traveling exhibition in Shanghai in 2019 with over 100 “failed” products from big-name companies such as Nokia, Apple and Coca-Cola. “I really hope you see that these well-known brands that everybody respects screw up too,” West told the New York Times.
West's opinion isn't new. The famed physicist Albert Einstein once said, “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” This idea has even been embraced by big companies in Silicon Valley. A common slogan is “Fail fast, fail often.” “The best companies are those that encourage failure, embrace out-of-the-box thinking, and allow employees to make mistakes and see what happens,” wrote Simon Custo of Forbes.
But some people are skeptical of this so-called “culture of failure”. They are worried that if failure becomes “a badge (徽章) of honor”, it may even be seen as “uncool” when someone tries to reduce the risk of failure. This may lead to carelessness and lack of effort. “Sometimes people hide behind failure, when they could have prevented,” wrote Anna Issac of The Telegraph.
So it's important that people set apart the 2 kinds of failure: the kind that shows laziness or incompetence and the kind that takes you forward. The key is whether you've learned something from your mistakes.
1. Why did Samuel West found the Museum of Failure?| A．To get himself famous all over the world. |
| B．To practice Albert Einstein's view on mistakes. |
| C．To draw people's attention to the value of failure. |
| D．To exhibit the failed products from big companies. |
| A．Make a mess. |
| B．Bring much damage. |
| C．Contribute little. |
| D．Break the rules. |
| A．Acknowledgement of failure is glorious. |
| B．Carelessness and laziness lead to failure. |
| C．Learning from mistakes is the key to progress. |
| D．Risk of failure should be reduced with efforts. |
| A．Failure is a badge of honor. |
| B．Don't come home as a failure. |
| C．Face failure and find the reasons. |
| D．Better to fail early than to fail late. |
1. Why did Kara go to the Wild Elephant Valley?
| A．To see wildlife. | B．To have an interview. | C．To go for training. |
| A．Tropical rainforest. | B．Hot weather. | C．Poisonous insects. |
| A．Set up tracks. | B．Remove roadblocks. | C．Observe wild elephants. |
| A．Observers. | B．Guides. | C．Care givers. |
