1 . Simple steps for a screen-free childhood

Creating a screen-free childhood for your children sounds like an impossible task in this day and age. Taking a few steps, though, can help create an environment that will ensure your child is satisfied without having to set his or her eyes on a screen or device.

Plan your day.

This may sound too simple, but having a plan of action, especially for those in-between moments, can make a difference in making the day screen-free for your child.     1     It helps them know what to expect and how much time they have.

Don’t be afraid to be the boss.

    2     When they are older, it will be harder to have a positive influence on how much time they spend on their devices. Once you’ve set boundaries, stick to them!

Take them outside.

Ensure they get involved in the wonders of outdoor life by scheduling some time out of the house and neighborhood.     3    Write choices on separate pieces of paper and pick one out of a hat — hikes, biking adventures, picnics, visits to the local visitor-friendly farm.

Check out your local newspaper or community magazine for ideas on fun outdoor activities for your child.

Provide attractive choices.

Put magazines, books, toys and board games in your child’s area so they have some attractive options for quieter moments in the day.     4    

    5    

Whether it’s playing guitar, painting, or learning dance moves, take the time to just be with your child in a new, fun way.

A．Take up a new activity with your child.

B．Let your child know the plan for that day.

C．Make the selection of activity fun in itself.

D．Let your child play with screen-free tech toys for kids.

E．Choose safe indoor and outdoor activities for your child.

F．Take charge of your child’s time while you still have a say in their day.

G．Remember, the idea is to surround them with attractive alternatives to screens!

2 . Chinese scientists are mounting efforts to establish a weather monitoring station at an altitude of 8,800 meters on Mount Qomolangma, the world’s highest peak, on the China-Nepal border.

If the station is established successfully, it will replace the one at an altitude of 8,430 meters set up by UK and US scientists on the south side of the mountain in 2019, to be the world’s highest of its kind, according to the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (ITP), Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS).

Equipment weighing some 50 kg will be dismantled and distributed to mountaineers, each of whom will carry no more than 7 kg up onto the mountain for the establishment, said Zhao Huabiao, a researcher with the ITP.

Currently, the engineers in charge of establishing the station are still waiting for the perfect weather for mountaineering.

Including the highest, eight elevation gradient (高程梯度) weather stations will be set up on Mount Qomolangma, one of the main tasks in China’s new comprehensive scientific expedition on the world’s highest peak at the height of 8,848.86 meters.

Three meteorological (气象的) stations were established at sea levels of 7,028 meters, 7,790 meters and 8,300 meters, respectively, earlier this year on the north side of the mountain, bringing the total number of operational weather stations between the altitudes between 5,200 meters and 8,300 meters to seven. Last year, four stations at sea levels of 6,500 meters, 5,800 meters, 5,400 meters and 5,200 meters were set up.

The eight stations will collect the wind speed and wind direction data, as well as relative humidity (湿度) on the north side of Qomolangma, and the elevation gradient weather station system is of great significance for monitoring the melting glaciers (冰川) and mountain snow at the high altitudes, said Zhao.

The expedition team will also set up glacier radar and measure the thickness of snow and ice at the summit of the mountain, he said.

1. What do we know about the new weather monitoring station?

A．It will collect weather data on the south side of Qomolangma.

B．It will become the highest of its kind at an altitude of 8,800 meters.

C．It will make great contributions to the scientific research on Qomolangma.

D．It will be the only weather station set up above the altitude of 8,000 meters.

2. What does the underlined word “dismantled ” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Taken apart.

B．Taken over.

C．Set down.

D．Set aside.

3. How many weather monitoring stations has China set up on Mount Qomolangma?

A．6.

B．7.

C．8.

D．9.

4. Which of the following data can NOT be collected by the weather station?

A．Wind speed.	B．Wind direction.
C．Relative humidity.	D．The thickness of snow.

3 . Wayne Boone knew he should be dead. His cab(驾驶室)had crashed into the guardrail on the far right edge, destroying the metal barrier that protected his truck from dropping into the water below, almost flying through the air. It all happened so fast. How was he still alive? Somehow, the back of his cab had got stuck on the bridge’s edge before it could complete its falling. His empty trailer(拖车), meanwhile, leaned to the left, sliding sideways at a 90-degree angle to the cab.

Whatever the force was that held the cab on the edge, Boone knew it couldn’t last. He was injured, but his body had yet to fully noticed the pain. He forced himself to focus. If he had any chance of escaping the cab and surviving, he had to get free from his seat belt. The cracked windshield(挡风玻璃)beneath him exposed the dark waters below. If he put any weight on the glass, he risked bursting through and falling the rest of the way. Under the howl of the wind, he heard voices from above. “It’s about to go!”   

Got to get free. Releasing his seat belt, Boone tried to hold on to the seat, but he immediately slid into the windshield. The glass shifted in its frame. He climbed upward, aware that he was getting cut along the way. He slipped again. And again. Each time his feet met the windshield, the glass gave a little more. The next time could be the last. Gathering all his strength, he pulled himself between the seats and threw himself back as far as he could behind the driver’s seat.

Minutes passed—to Boone, it felt like hours—before he heard the approaching whistle. To his ears, the harsh sound could have been angels singing. Hearing people shout with joy when they saw a firefighter deliver him to safety, Boone felt his heart full of gratitude. He was rushed to the hospital.

1. Where did the accident happened?

A．In the street.

B．In the river.

C．On the bridge.

D．In the hospital.

2. Which of the following is true according to the text?

A．The trailer was flying through the air.

B．Boone was badly injured during the crash.

C．A certain force could stop the cab falling finally.

D．Boone released his seat belt to jump into the river.

3. Why did Boone threw himself back to the seat behind the driver’s?

A．To say hello to the people above.

B．To stop the cab falling into the river.

C．To avoid falling through the windshield.

D．To protect the windshield from being broken.

4. What did Boone feel when he heard the approaching whistle?

A．Disappointed.

B．Scared.

C．Worried.

D．Hopeful.

4 . Speaking of celebration, festivals have a lot to offer. Here we uncover some festivals across the globe.

Holi Festival — India — February — March

A rainbow of colour and Hindu traditions combine to create this celebration of love, springtime fun and the victory of good over evil. Kicking off with a night-time bonfire where people gather, sing and dance, the next day is a carnival of colors where everyone has fun throwing color powder, squirting water guns and coloured water-filled balloons. A great number of people are infected by its playful and childlike atmosphere.

La Tomatina — Buñol, Spain — August

Tomato fiends get their fill on the last Wednesday of August as over 100,000 kg of tomatoes are thrown and squished in the town square. It’s the highlight of a week-long celebration of Buñol’s patron saint, which leaves the town in a bright red like a horror film scene. We don’t envy whoever has to clean up that mess!

Dia De Los Muertos — Mexico — October — November

Translated to “Day of the Dead”, this seemingly scary festival is a day to celebrate and remember those who have passed away with parades, costumes and paper decorations. It is believed that the spirits of the dead visit their families on October 31 and leave on November 2, so many spend this time visiting cemeteries — where there is often music and dances to honour the spirits.

1. Which of the words best describe Holi and La Tomatina?

A．Playful but risky	B．Messy but exciting
C．Religious and legendary	D．Global and meaningful

2. Which of the Chinese festivals is similar to Dia De Los Muertos in purpose?

A．Lantern Festival	B．Qingming Festival
C．Dragon Boat Festival	D．Mid-Autumn Festival

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a history book.	B．In a novel.
C．In a biography.	D．In travel magazine.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How does the speaker describe the teachers?

A．Young.

B．Strict.

C．Qualified.

2. What activity is arranged during the trip to Canada?

A．Going to the green jungle.

B．Visiting famous museums.

C．Learning about some architecture.

3. How long does the trip to Italy last?

A．7 days.

B．10 days.

C．20 days.

4. What is the aim of the English Summer Camps?

A．To speak English perfectly.

B．To avoid making mistakes.

C．To learn English happily.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

Jesse and Vern used to be totally strangers living in two towns hundreds of miles apart. Their friendship started with an orange shirt in a bottle 22 years ago, when computers and Internet were not available.

8-year-old Jesse lived a simple and happy life in a small town with his parents. School was starting next week. The family would get Jesse a new set of clothing. Jesse was not so passionate for new clothes. After his father’s persuasion, Jesse finally agreed to the shopping. Jesse tried on a pair of new pants, new shoes, and an orange shirt. He didn’t like the pants and shoes much. But he did like the orange shirt.

School started, and Jesse put on his new orange shirt. All the other kids had new clothes too, but his orange shirt, in Jesse’s mind, was the most handsome of all. He wore it almost every day. Even when it was dirty, he would insist that it be washed and ready, so he could wear it the next day.

Time passed quickly and Jesse had grown over two inches. But his orange shirt was not growing with him. One day, his mother asked him to go to the grocery store to pick up some things for supper and reminded him not to wear that small orange shirt any more, which looked funny on Jesse.

Jesse ignored what his mother told him. In the store two little girls laughed at his tight orange shirt. Feeling embarrassed, Jesse picked up his groceries and hurried home. Getting home, he told his mother that he wouldn’t wear that shirt any more. His mother said, “Jesse, since the lovely shirt is too small on you, maybe someone else needs it.” “I really hope it goes to a lovely boy. But who can it be?” said Jesse. The next morning, Jesse’s father told Jesse that he had a good idea, saying he would take Jesse to the river.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

When they got to the riverbank, Jesse’s father took out a large plastic bottle together with the orange shirt.

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Little Vern was fishing with his father in a small boat down the river.

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7 . 假定你是李华，一些新西兰中学生下月将到你校访问并参观校史馆。现需要两名英语讲解员(docent)。请你写一则招聘启事，内容包括：
1. 工作内容；
2. 应聘条件；
3. 招聘步骤。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 开头已给出，不计入总词数。

Docents Wanted

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8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

“Bike buses” Catch on as a Cool Way to Travel to School

“Bike buses”—adult-led group bike rides to school—are taking over neighborhoods. Many families are giving up cars and turning to     1     sweatier morning ride with friends, biking miles in organized crowds led by adult     2     (volunteer). The effort is a call to deal with climate change, encourage exercise and reduce school drop-off traffic. And, parents and kids both say that it just makes the children     3     (happy) than before. Minneapolis’ dad Devin Olson organized a bike bus for his local school zone last week. Olson is the co-founder of Minneapolis Bike Parks, a grassroots organization that makes parks more bike-friendly. Olson partnered with Minneapolis Public Schools to lead a 2-mile bike bus,     4     dropped off students at two elementary schools. So far, Olson has led 11 semi-annual bike buses that have grown from about 60 participants to     5     (near) 150.

Bike buses are also popular     6     people in other countries, like Spain and Canada. Tom Barnes and Rebecca Mudge, educators in Canada, joined a bike bus     7     (transport) their daughters Clara, 6, and Lily, 4, to school in London, Ontario. Their children are     8     (enthusiasm) about their bike bus experience. Last month, a weekly bike bus     9     (launch) for the school community,     10     (attract) 75 riders.

This year, those rides have continued with anywhere from 150 to 190 people.

9 . It is no secret that technology is fast taking up education in almost every part of the world. Most educators will agree that learning is taking a considerable turn-around to welcome digital teaching both in and out of the class.     1     So there is a need to assess these materials to identify suitable and satisfactory ways. That is why, when adopting digital textbooks as an educator or school, you must consider several factors below.

Content Interaction

Is the content in the digital textbook interactive enough? It is a crucial question that needs to get looked into as educators begin fully on digital teaching. As an educational participant, ensure that the 3D images, sounds, videos, and diagrams in the digital content can keep learners engaged for an extended period.     2    

Reliability of Educational Apps

Importantly, if you are an aggressive educator, you will always want the best for your students. Ensure that you choose reliable educational applications that won’t let you down as a teacher.     3     Pedagogue is an application with everything you need to conduct a virtual digital classroom using e-textbooks. It is a fantastic app that would help you master excellent ways to integrate e-textbooks into your classrooms.

Affordability and Accessibility

    4     Besides, easy access to the Internet in educational institutions is a significant aspect to consider when using digital books in schools. Moreover, education apps with digital textbooks should have updated learning content easily downloadable in students’ tablets and smartphones. This way, teaching will get easier leading to comfortable learning by a variety of students.

Modern educators are tasked with ensuring that content delivery is an excellent and fun activity.     5     That is why it is critical to make sure that the digital textbooks we adopt and choose for our students are the best and can motivate critical thinking in our students’ minds.

A．It’s believed that learning is a laboring process.

B．Digital content should become cheaper than print textbooks.

C．E-textbooks should help learners with content understanding.

D．You should have apps on your phones with well-researched content.

E．They ought to ensure education is meaningful and productive for the learners.

F．Hence, this would make their learning not only interactive but also enjoyable.

G．Similarly, students’ preference for digital learning materials continues to expand.

10 . Food waste is both a problem for the industry and public health. Mori is considered as an “anti-waste company” and its mission is to make healthy food more accessible by keeping it fresher and longer. It is pioneering a natural, extremely-thin water-based coating that is applied to food to slow the exchange of gases that cause the food to go bad. About the thickness of two red blood cells, the coating is tasteless and unseeable, giving food a longer shelf life. The coating also enables less or alternative packaging.

Professors Fiorenzo Omenetto and Benedetto Marelli were investigating the power of silk to stabilize drugs when Marelli had the idea to stabilize something significantly larger: a strawberry. He coated the fruit with a silk solution and waited. Days later the strawberry still looked fresh—the coating worked.

When one compares a bunch of uncoated cabbage with those coated by the startup, the differences are striking. The uncoated cabbage is brown, dry, and uneatable. The coated foods look fresh and untouched.

What appears to be magic is thanks to the power of silk. Not silk threads like those used in the textile (纺织) industry, but a water-based solution made with silk molecules (分子). The startup’s core technology makes silk unseeable, but maintains its key molecular properties. Being a solution, the patent coating can be applied quickly and easily to any shape or size.

The technology Mori has developed works. But to make any progress in the global food waste problem, it must be able to come out in a massive way. Thankfully, silk is plentiful. The startup can use any grade of the natural material, including those rejected by the textile industry. As Marelli notes, “We could coat every apple in the U. S. today for only a small amount of the silk used in textile industry.” That’s a lot of apples.

1. Where did Marelli get the idea of coating fruits?

A．From the experiment of fruits.	B．From the focus on food waste.
C．From the research of medicine.	D．From the concern on environment.

2. What can be known about the application of the patent for coating?

A．It is easy-to-use.	B．It is time-consuming.
C．It is water-saving.	D．It is inefficient.

3. What does Marelli mean in the last paragraph?

A．America has too many apples.

B．There is enough silk for coating.

C．Too much silk is used for clothes.

D．All apples in America will be coated.

4. What is the suitable title of the text?

A．Coated Vegetables Are More Suitable for Eating

B．Measures Have Been Taken to Handle Food Waste

C．Professors Have Developed New Medicine from Vegetables

D．A Natural Coating Reduces Food and Packaging Waste