1 . You accidentally step into quicksand(流沙). You begin to sink. Can you drown? Quicksand is sand with so much water between its particles (颗粒) that is soupy. Quicksand can no longer support weight. So does this mean one can drown in quicksand?
The truth is that it is very rare to drown in quicksand. This is because of two things. The first reason is that most quicksand pools are not deep. Usually, a person will sink only a few inches before hitting solid ground. If it is a deep pool, an adult will usually hit solid ground after sinking only to his or her waist. Deeper pools are rare, but even then, there is a reason why people are not swallowed(吞没)up after accidentally stepping into quicksand.
The reason is that quicksand is dense(稠密). When something is dense, its particles are crowded close together. Quicksand is denser than the human body. This means that humans will naturally float in quicksand! The upward push of quicksand is greater than the downward push of the human body.
Usually you will sink to your chest before you begin to float. Your lungs, acting like giant balloons, help you float. You will only sink further if you are loaded down, perhaps with a heavy pack. Take off your pack, and you cannot drown. You cannot be swallowed.
One man escaped from quicksand after he sank up to his chest. How did he do it? He swam. People can swim in quicksand if they move slowly enough. The man slowly made swimming motions with his arms and legs. He swam slowly and carefully for an hour. He did not stop making the swimming motions once. Finally, he reached the edge of the quicksand pool. He did not drown. He climbed out unharmed.
1. According to the text, quicksand is sand_________.A.with high temperature | B.mixed with a lot of water |
C.that we see on the beach | D.that can pull everything into it |
A.People often drown in quicksand. |
B.Most quicksand pools are very deep. |
C.Only fat people can be trapped in quicksand. |
D.People won’t be swallowed up even in deep quicksand pools. |
A.Quicksand pools are usually not deep. |
B.Quicksand can support heavy weight. |
C.Quicksand is denser than the human body. |
D.The downward push of quicksand is greater. |
A.quicksand pools. |
B.the safety of quicksand. |
C.the dangers of quicksand. |
D.ways to escape from quicksand. |
1.由学生会组织。
2.一部分人愿意乘公交车;另一部分人喜欢步行;最后大家被说服骑自行车。
3.美丽的风景让人难以忘怀。
4.感受:这次旅游增进了友谊,提高了关心自然环境的意识。
注意:1.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
2.开头和结尾已给出,不计入总词数。
Dear Tom,
How happy I am to receive your letter.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Best wishes.
Yours,
Li Hua
3 . A British friend told me he couldn't understand why Chinese people love eating sunflower seeds (葵花子) as a snack so much. “I’ve met a lot of older Chinese and many have a crack in their front teeth; I believe that's from cracking the seeds,” he said.
I had never noticed the habit, but once he mentioned it, I suddenly became more aware. I realized that whenever I’m watching TV or typing a report, I always start mindlessly cracking sunflower seeds. My friend doesn't like sunflower seeds, and, to him, it seems unnecessary to work so hard just to get one small seed.
When we were young, the whole family would usually get together for Chinese New Year. Then, we all lived close to one another, usually in a small city, and sometimes even neighbors would go doortodoor on Chinese New Year’s Eve to check out what every household was making.
I remember my parents would be in the kitchen cooking. In the living room, a large table would already be laid out, complete with a fancy tablecloth, readymade dumpling fillings, and dishes full of candy, fruits and sunflower seeds.
Some of the dishes were to be offered to our ancestors later, while others were for neighbors and children to eat before the evening feast. I must have learned how to crack sunflower seeds back then.
I don’t think it’s right to criticize one’s choice in food or eating habits, no matter how strange they may seem.
It’s not only in China. When I went abroad, I found people had all sorts of strange habits when it came to food. In Denmark, they put salted red fish on bread and eat it for dinner, no matter how much it ruins their breath. They think it’s a delicacy, and it’s connected with their culture. I think it’s a wonderful tradition.
1. What lesson can we learn from the passage?A.One kind of food doesn’t necessarily suit everyone. |
B.Eating habits come from a certain culture. |
C.It is good to form healthy eating habits. |
D.Changing your eating habits will change your life. |
A.She had ever typed a report about seeds. |
B.She ate various snacks while watching TV. |
C.She has a habit of cracking sunflower seeds. |
D.She damaged her teeth by eating sunflower seeds. |
A.The traditions of celebrating it disappear. |
B.Children can eat delicious food on that day. |
C.The families would get together for it. |
D.Eating sunflower seeds is related to it. |
A.acceptable | B.critical |
C.neutral | D.doubtful |
4 . Every day around the world, thousands of people with little or no scholarly training in art history walk into museums. They may or may not read notice boards that share relevant information of the artworks or artists. Imagine, before being permitted to direct their eyeballs to the art on the walls, museum visitors were required to read a 15- or - 20-page introduction to each piece or each artist. How many people would go to museums if that were the case?
Yet this seems to be the expectation when it comes to reading classic literature. Classic novels typically come with 15- or -20-page introductions, which often include spoilers, assuming that readers do not come to classic books to discover, be absorbed in, and be surprised by the story world. Also, apparently, we mustn’t read classics alone, without experts guiding our experiences.
However, classic literature is in a unique position to show us that we’re not alone in our pains and joys. By taking us out of our time, classic books free us to see beyond the set of beliefs we stick to and to connect human experiences that remain alive across time and place. Our personal engagement is the first step of a longer journey of discovery that deepens our knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our world. We may, for example, feel for Hester Prynne from Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter though we despair of the world she lived in.
While we’re letting go of things, let’s stop worrying about understanding everything we can’t.It will be fun if we embrace curiosity, the pleasure of working out a mystery, and our common relationships as humans.
1. Most museum goers ________.A.enjoy reading notice boards | B.understand the artworks well |
C.lack professional art knowledge | D.share common interest in artworks |
A.Story writers. | B.Readers expectations. |
C.Guiding experts. | D.Plots given away in advance. |
A.Showing curiosity about the writers. | B.Letting go of things. |
C.Trying to understanding everything. | D.Working out mysteries. |
A.We should find more fun from classics. |
B.Reading classics is a personal exploration. |
C.Experts need to give readers better guidance. |
D.Classic literature benefits readers a great deal. |
5 . Technology is likely to play a big part in reaching its climate goals in the future.
Fusion is the process that fires the sun. But some experts say it could someday power our homes. Fusion happens when the nuclei (核) of two atoms are subjected to extreme heat. This leads to the formation of a new larger atom and large amounts of energy. One problem is the process itself requires a large amount of energy. Developers of the technology haven’t yet performed a fusion reaction that releases more energy than it requires. In addition, running an electric power plant of fusion would require the resulting heat to be contained in an economical way.
Advanced nuclear plants would be smaller than today’s massive nuclear reactors. Experts say they could be used in rural areas and could take over for wind and solar power when the sun goes down or the wind dies. But advanced nuclear reactors are difficult and costly to build. Critics say they would also create more waste. And they would run on uranium (铀), which could make some advanced reactors more appealing to militants (激进分子) seeking materials to make weapons.
Currently, there are 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide, getting CO directly from the air and puts the gas underground. The costs are currently high. But supporters say those costs will fall as the technology improves. They also say tax breaks for businesses could help the technology. But critics say offering large credits could actually lead to more plants continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Hydrogen (氢) can be mixed with natural gas to make a cleaner-burning fuel. This could power a fuel cell vehicle. Such a vehicle would release environmentally friendly water vapors.
So-called clean hydrogen can be produced using energy methods such as wind and solar. But those methods are more costly than “grey hydrogen”, which is made with fossil fuels. Geothermal power plants capture heat up to 370 degrees Celsius far below the earth’s surface. The heat creates steam that can turn turbines (涡轮机) to produce electricity. But the technology would need to greatly expand to become a major alternative to fossil fuels.
1. How does the author develop the passage?A.By analyzing the cost. |
B.By introducing the values. |
C.By weighing the positive and negative. |
D.By following the order of great importance. |
A.Carbon Capture is in the theoretical stage. |
B.Nuclear fusion has been widely used in families. |
C.Grey hydrogen belongs to environmental protection energy |
D.The advanced nuclear plants have hidden dangers of making weapons. |
A.Geothermal power. | B.Carbon Capture. |
C.Advanced Nuclear. | D.Fusion and Hydrogen. |
A.New Issues Facing Climate Goals |
B.Develop New Energy According to Local Conditions |
C.What Are the Future Development Goals of Clean Energy? |
D.Which Technologies Could Help the World Reach Its Climate Goals? |
6 . A fresh and gentle wind on your face, soft sand under your feet and blue waters as far as the eye can see. Is there any other Olympic sport that is played in such pleasant conditions as beach volleyball?
“I’ve gone to a lot of beautiful places, and met a lot of beautiful people. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been playing another sport.” said Randy Stoklos, America’s most famous beach volleyball player.
The sport began as a four-a-side game on beaches in Southern California in the 1920s. The first recorded two-man game took place there in 1930, and the first tournament (锦标赛) was held in Los Angeles 18 years later. The winners were awarded a case of Pepsi. In the 1950s, women started playing and the sport soon spread to Europe and South America. Yet at that time, beach volleyball was more an entertainment show than a sport, with beauty contests included. The Association of Volleyball Professionals was founded in 1983 and beach volleyball developed into a fast, athletic sport. Its world-wide popularity won beach volleyball a place at the 1996 Olympics in Atalanta, where 24 male teams and 16 female teams took part. At present, the US and Brazil are the best in the world at beach volleyball.
The game came to China in the early 1990s and there have been national tournaments since 1994. It became an official event at the Eighth National Games in 1997. China’s You Wenhui and Wang Lu finished ninth in the women’s beach volleyball world championships in Brazil.
1. The passage is mainly about ______.A.the history of beach volleyball |
B.how to play beach volleyball |
C.the importance of beach volleyball |
D.women’s beach volleyball in China |
A.Beach volleyball was first played like other Olympic: sports. |
B.Beach volleyball has always been an entertainment show rather than a sport. |
C.Beach volleyball began on beaches in Souther California. |
D.Women started playing beach volleyball in South America in 1945. |
A.In 1948, | B.In 1996. | C.In 1950. | D.In 1997. |
A.in 1996, beach volleyball became an official event in China |
B.China’s beach volleyball team is the best in the world |
C.China’s beach volleyball players won the first place in Brazil |
D.beach volleyball came to China in the early 1990s |
7 . Kids and science seem to be made for each other!
The basic science is a combination of thought and experiment called the scientific method. It’s where you start with an idea, create a way to prove or disprove your idea, and show what you learned based on facts. Learning to follow this process helps you think logically and carefully. These important thinking skills can be used in many areas of study. To give a child practice with these thinking skills is like giving vitamins to a developing mind.
One of the greatest things we can teach our children is to love learning. Learning science is a great way to do so. Children are easy to be interested in science. Because much of science is hands-on, it attracts most children. Nothing makes a child sit up and take notice like the “WOW!” of a great science showing.
Science opens doors to many subjects at school. Building love for science can be helpful in other areas of study. For example, one cannot love science for very long without becoming good at its language-math! So science encourages children to study math. An interest in science is an interest in how things were once understood compared to how they are understood now. Thus studying science lends itself easily to studying history. And after you do an experiment, you need to write a lab report. Therefore, writing becomes an important part of science.
Science is the basic thing for much of our life. The science of farming shows how our food is produced; biomedical science keeps us healthy; even our beds these days are designed according to scientific facts. We almost eat, sleep and breathe with the help of science! When we prepare the next generation of voters, creators and policy makers, it is important to make sure they are not only comfortable but also good at science.
1. According to Paragraph 2, what does learning the scientific method mean to kids?A.Learning to do experiments. | B.Learning many areas of study. |
C.Helping them develop thinking skills. | D.Refusing any ideas that are not logical. |
A.Science is too difficult for children. | B.Children usually consider science boring. |
C.Science can arouse children's interest in learning. | D.Children who are careless shouldn't learn science. |
A.He usually has no time for other subjects. | B.He usually loses interest in other activities. |
C.He is usually bad at such subjects like history. | D.He is likely to learn many other subjects well. |
A.Why Kids Should Learn Science | B.Why Science Is Important |
C.How Kids Can Make Use of Science | D.What Kids Should Learn at School |
8 . When Deborah hiked cycling to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in New York last November, she
She was certain that the bird needed
Her best choice was the rehab center,
On the subway, no one seemed particularly disturbed by the
Deborah called the rehab center on the way, and Tristan Higginbotham, an animal-care manager,
The staff got the swan back up on her webbed feet (蹼足). The swan even made a
It’s a(n)
A.spotted | B.founded | C.witnessed | D.observed |
A.attacked | B.stoned | C.hugged | D.approached |
A.emotional | B.psychological | C.medical | D.mental |
A.hurriedly | B.cautiously | C.curiously | D.instantly |
A.knocked | B.arrived | C.occurred | D.struck |
A.while | B.but | C.as | D.for |
A.transfer | B.transform | C.transmit | D.transport |
A.tour | B.trip | C.lift | D.elevator |
A.ordinary | B.feathered | C.poisoned | D.fierce |
A.phone | B.way | C.screen | D.seat |
A.picked | B.looked | C.put | D.called |
A.passenger | B.driver | C.swan | D.rescuer |
A.smelling | B.digesting | C.swallowing | D.absorbing |
A.pair | B.couple | C.boyfriend | D.girlfriend |
A.Sadly | B.Apparently | C.Accidentally | D.Fortunately |
A.until | B.since | C.before | D.after |
A.disappointing | B.disturbing | C.inspiring | D.bothering |
A.how long | B.how far | C.how often | D.how much |
A.bike | B.car | C.bus | D.tube |
A.assumption | B.conclusion | C.summary | D.combination |
9 . Artificial intelligence is one of the most concentrated industries in the world, which influences education, criminal justice, hiring and welfare, But so far the industry has escapedregulation (管理), despite affecting the lives of billions of people, even when its products are potentially harmful.
The COVID-19 pandemic has sped this up. Many Al companies are now promoting emotion recognition tools (ERTs) for monitoring remote workers. These systems map the “micro-expressions”in people’s faces from their video cameras. Then they predict internal emotional states drawn from a list of supposedly universal categories: happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise and fear. However, there is scientific doubt whether emotional states are accurately detected at all. “It is not possible to confidently infer happiness from a smile, or sadness from a frown,” a 2019 review stated.
Resistance to this highly controversial (有争议的) technology is growing; the influential.
Brookings Institute suggested ERTs be banned completely from use by law. The European Union becomes the first to attempt a proposal to regulate AI, but the draft AI act has its problems. It would ban most “real-time” biometric ID (生物识别) systems — but fails to define what exactly real-time means.
Clearly, we need far stronger protections and controls that address such harmful effects on society. However, too many policymakers fall into the trap of “enchanted determinism”: the belief that AI systems are magical and superhuman — beyond what we can understand or regulate, yet decisive and reliable enough to make predictions about life-changing decisions. This effect drives a kind of techno-optimism that can directly endanger people’s lives. For example, a review in the British Medical Journal looked at 232 machine-learning algorithms (算法) for predicting outcomes for COVID-19 patients. It found that none of them were fit for clinical use. “I fear that they may have harmed patients,” said one of the authors.
Many countries have strict regulations and thorough testing when developing medicines and vaccines. The same should be true for AI systems, especially those having a direct impact on people’s lives.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 2?A.The COVTD-19 pandemic has sped up the regulation of AI. |
B.The internal emotional states are only limited to six basic categories. |
C.There is no reliable link between facial expressions and true feelings. |
D.People’s micro-expressions accurately reveal their internal emotions. |
A.To show EU’s resistance to AI technology. |
B.To show the difficulty in regulating AI. |
C.To prove AI technology should be banned. |
D.To prove the act is completely ineffective. |
A.It shakes people’s confidence in technology. |
B.It enables people to correctly predict future. |
C.It misleads policymakers in making decisions. |
D.It helps predict outcomes for COVID-19 patients. |
A.AI: Products in Demand |
B.AI: Strict Rules in Place |
C.AI: Tight Control in Need |
D.AI: Technology in Danger |
10 . A family visited the public elementary school where I taught students with a listening defect(缺点,缺陷). They said they would
After a few weeks with Katherine, I found her a very
One day Katherine got off the bus and stood in front of the school
That day Katherine discovered the
A.look into | B.refer to | C.move to | D.travel around |
A.thankful | B.upset | C.afraid | D.pleased |
A.opinions | B.values | C.worries | D.hopes |
A.sound | B.wish | C.face | D.speech |
A.dull | B.naughty | C.rude | D.bright |
A.success | B.struggle | C.hobby | D.reason |
A.introduce | B.command | C.interest | D.amaze |
A.sweets | B.towels | C.pencils | D.toys |
A.refuse | B.expect | C.manage | D.decide |
A.hearing | B.waiting | C.reading | D.crying |
A.common sense | B.sign language | C.oral English | D.science knowledge |
A.street | B.bus | C.office | D.house |
A.read | B.wrote | C.shouted | D.learned |
A.Strangely | B.Unexpectedly | C.Immediately | D.Unluckily |
A.power | B.future | C.nature | D.style |