1. What is Isabel’s?
A.A restaurant. | B.A clothes shop. | C.A toyshop. |
A.Wendy. | B.Cindy. | C.Mrs Miles. |
A.Have lunch. | B.Go to a party. | C.Go to a gas station. |
1. Why did the girl leave the basketball team?
A.She was not welcome. |
B.She was bad at basketball. |
C.She was the only female member. |
A.Football. | B.Badminton. | C.Tennis. |
Ever wonder
The majority of the volunteers said they enjoyed the experience of total isolation. Two-thirds expressed a desire to remain underground a while
4 . A seven-word sentence was discovered on a 3,700-year-old comb (梳子),which is likely the oldest known sentence written in letters,according to a new study. The sentence is in Canaanite (迦南语),which is the source (来源) of later letter systems in European languages.
The comb was first discovered in 2016 in Israeli. However,it wasn’t until 2021 that a researcher from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem first noticed the words when checking the photo of the comb. The researchers were not able to directly date the comb. They believed it dated from around 1700 BC based on comparison of the letters with those on pottery (陶器) with a known age.
Garfinkel,a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem,said,“The Canaanites invented the letters. Nowadays every person in the world can read and write using the letter system. This is really one of the most important achievements of humankind. When you are writing in English,you’re really using Canaanite.”
Small groups of Canaanite letters discovered on broken pieces of pottery before did not leave much room for further research on the lives of the Canaanites. But this find of a sentence written in the first letter-based language opens up the debate about the history during the ancient time period.
Garfinkel said,“The sentence was found on an ivory comb in the ancient city’s palace and temple area,which could suggest that only wealthy men were able to read and write.” The earliest writing system started around 5,000 years ago,which relied on hundreds of pictographs (象形文字) to represent words,ideas and sounds. Canaanites were the first to use letters in their writing system. “It shows that even in the most ancient times there were full sentences,which further suggests that Canaanites stood out among the early civilizations in their use of the written word.”
1. What do we know about Canaanite?A.It has a history of 3,700 years. | B.It is the oldest known language. |
C.Its sentences are in many languages. | D.Its letters are still in use at present. |
A.It was discovered on some pottery. | B.It was identified on a comb in 2016. |
C.It was recognized when dating the comb. | D.It was recognized on a photo of the comb. |
A.The influence of Canaanite letters. |
B.The rules of using Canaanite letters. |
C.The problem in identifying the Canaanite sentence. |
D.The explanation of the discovered Canaanite sentence. |
A.Useless. | B.Meaningful. | C.Confusing. | D.Unacceptable. |
5 . We have been taught from a young age that red means stop and green means go. So why were these colors chosen for traffic lights? And what’s the history behind the colors?
To trace the connection between the colors and traffic lights,we have to travel back in time to the earliest railroad signals (信号灯) developed in the 1830s. Those first railroad signals were the forerunner of our modern stoplights. Like modern traffic controls,they contained three lights:one for stop,one for caution (警告),and one for go. The original color system was different from our modern system,though. Red meant stop,green meant caution,and white meant go.
The choice of red for stop was fairly obvious,since red — the color of blood — has been associated with danger for thousands of years, long before cars were even around. Scientifically speaking,red is the color with the longest wavelength which means that as it travels,it gets spread less in different directions than other colors,so it can be seen from a greater distance.
Why green and white were chosen for the other signals remains a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that the two colors were chosen because how they contrasted (反差) with red. This system of color-coded signals remained in place (仍然有效) for several decades until it became clear that using white for go could cause serious problems. Around 1914,a train signal’s red lights broke down,causing it to appear white. As a train approached the signal,it was supposed to stop,but the driver believed the white meant go. The result was a terrible train crash. After that,the color for go was eventually changed to green.
To provide the most contrast between red and green,yellow was then chosen as the new color for caution,because it can be seen well at all times of the day. After cars were invented and went into mass production,a similar signaling system was needed to control the flow of traffic. When traffic lights were put up,it became standard for them as well.
1. How does the author describe the original traffic lights?A.By listing an example. | B.By offering a suggestion. |
C.By making a comparison. | D.By showing the importance. |
A.It is the easiest to recognize all day long. |
B.It reminds people of accidents and danger. |
C.It spreads fastest in all directions in the air. |
D.It has proved the least harmless to our eyes. |
A.The driver’s tiredness. | B.The train’s high speed. |
C.The travel system’s shortcoming. | D.The white light’s failing to work. |
A.How did the present traffic lights form? |
B.Why was the first traffic system invented? |
C.Why did white disappear from the traffic lights? |
D.How did an accident change the traffic systems? |
6 . Mack Rutherford,born on June 21, 2005, has become the youngest person to fly around the world alone in a small plane after taking off on March 23, 2022. Five months later, he touched down in the Bulgaria (保加利亚),where his journey began, according to Rutherford’s website. He turned 17 years old during the trip.
Rutherford’s route extended 52 countries on a specially prepared plane, according to his website. His journey was tracked on his website, which showed he set off for the Mediterranean (地中海) then through the Sahara, onwards through the Middle East and then East Asia. He broke two world records, previously held by his older sister Zara Rutherford, as the youngest person to fly around the world alone and also the youngest person to do so in such a small plane. He entered his last leg through the United States, Canada and Mexico before flying back through Europe.
The teenager was just 15 years old when he received his first pilot’s license (许可证), becoming the youngest pilot in the world. “Having flown hundreds of hours with my dad, who is a professional pilot, I have known for certain I wanted to fly. I think there’s something I can actually try to struggle for and achieve,” he said. “I also want to use the opportunity to meet young people on my route who do amazing things or make a difference to their communities or even to the world,” he wrote before flying off.
There were several “hairy” moments during his journey, he said, but he never gave up. His journey even took him to a deserted island in the North Pacific after strong head winds forced him to land during a flight from Japan to the United States. “I was forced to face it on my own — but that was definitely an amazing experience,” he said.
1. What do we know about Mack Rutherford?A.He started his journey at the age of 16. |
B.He was forced to fly around the world. |
C.He visited every country of five continents. |
D.He is the first to fly around the world alone. |
A.Losing control. | B.The final period of his trip. |
C.Injuring his leg. | D.A dangerous situation. |
A.Intelligent and warm-hearted. | B.Generous and hardworking. |
C.Determined and humorous. | D.Ambitious and adventurous. |
A.A survey report. | B.A travel guideline. |
C.A news report. | D.A book review. |
7 . Apart from London’s centre, there are plenty of great attractions and places of interest on the suburbs of the city. Here are some of them.
Hounslow Urban Farm
Built over twenty years ago, the farm is a great place to take young children to get close to the animals. Cows, pigs, sheep and rabbits are among the residents on the farm, which is open throughout the week. There are fun activities every day, such as hunting, and horse riding. What we may not know is that the animals here can be adopted (领养).
Twickenham Stadium
This is the ground where the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final was played. Built in 1908, Twickenham Stadium is also the place for England to test its international team and the Six Nations. On non-match days,many people visit Twickenham Stadium to explore the World Rugby Museum inside. As well as being used for sporting events,many singers have held concerts here.
Legoland Windsor
Built in 1996 as a family theme park, the park is themed around the popular Lego (乐高) toy system. The park holds tiny views of famous British landmarks, including Big Ben, the London Eye, the Guildhall and the River Thames, all built with Lego blocks, making it Britain’s one of the most popular theme parks. Given the pricey admission, this is typically a good choice for those who are financially prepared.
Ham House
Ham House, an amazing ancient building, is a Grade I listed building which lies just to the south of Richmond beside the River Thames. Completed in 1610, it is surrounded by several parks and gardens, which can be explored by members of the public. The house contains plenty of period masterpieces, including furniture and artworks.
1. What can visitors do on Hounslow Urban Farm?A.Apply for raising animals. | B.Watch some rare wildlife. |
C.Join in some sports events. | D.Appreciate classic artworks. |
A.It doesn’t open until weekends. | B.Its ticket may be a bit expensive. |
C.Its visitors are mostly sports lovers. | D.It is near famous British landmarks. |
A.Hounslow Urban Farm. | B.Twickenham Stadium. |
C.Legoland Windsor. | D.Ham House. |
8 . Sulphur-crested cockatoos (葵花凤头鹦鹉) are common in western Australia, where they normally live in wooded areas. But as forests have been cut down, cockatoos have gotten used to living near people. Scientists report that people in Sydney, Australia are in a battle with these birds.
Last year, scientists at the Max Planck Institute reported that the cockatoos had learned how to open the covers of trash bins. That’s not an easy job. The cockatoos must lift the heavy cover with their beaks (喙) and then walk along, pushing the cover up until it falls over.
When scientists first began studying the cockatoos in 2018, only three areas near Sydney had cover-opening cockatoos. A year and a half later, cockatoos in 44 different areas knew the trick. This time the scientists weren’t just studying cockatoos. They were also studying humans.
The scientists spent weeks studying more than 3,200 trash bins in four different areas of Sydney. They wanted to see how many bins were protected and what methods were used.
In one area, over half the bins were protected. The most common way of protecting the bins was to put a brick or some other heavy objects on the cover. Some people put things like rubber snakes on the top of their bins. The scientists discovered that the humans were teaching each other tricks, too. In most neighborhoods, many people used the same cockatoo-stopping methods as their neighbors.
The researchers say it’s like a race between humans and cockatoos to learn new ways of doing things. Now many cockatoos have learned how to push heavy items off the bins. As a result, humans have figured out ways to attach the items to the top of their bins. The scientists describe the situation as a “human-wildlife conflict”. They expect these conflicts will become more common as humans take over more areas that used to be wild.
1. What can we infer about the cockatoos from the text?A.They like copying humans’ behavior. |
B.They are newly found in Australia. |
C.They don’t like living with people. |
D.They are very clever birds. |
A.How the cockatoos learned the trick. |
B.Why the birds in more areas did the trick. |
C.How humans responded to the birds’ trick. |
D.Why humans taught the birds to do the trick. |
A.They wanted their habitat back. |
B.They intended to make humans angry. |
C.They could adopt new ways to open bins. |
D.They disliked looking for food themselves. |
A.A battle over trash bins between cockatoos and humans |
B.A human-wildlife conflict all over Australia |
C.A problem caused by cockatoos to humans |
D.A big problem of “homeless” cockatoos |
9 . As you walk around the UK in March, you might notice that some people are wearing a daffodil(水仙花) on their coats. The British wear these yellow flowers to show they support one of this country’s best-known charities: the Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The Marie Curie Cancer Care tries to ensure everyone diagnosed with cancer is cared for in the best possible way. It also helps fund research into possible cures through other organizations. Founded in 1948, it has been continuing with its goal ever since.
The charity was named after Marie Curie, a renowned scientist. She experimented with newly-discovered elements to create the theory of radioactivity. Unfortunately, over-exposure to the radioactive elements made her develop a disease and die in 1934. Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in two different fields. Because of her pioneering work which led to chemotherapy (化学疗法), the charity shared the name of Marie Curie.
The daffodil is one of the first plants to flower during spring in the UK, which marks the return of flowering plants to the ecosystem after winter. Because of this, the charity uses the daffodil as a metaphor for bringing life to other people through charitable giving.
Everyone you see wearing a daffodil has donated money to the charity, but each daffodil is worth only what you want to pay for it. The charity does ask that you stick to a minimum amount of £1.
The charity encourages people to start wearing their daffodils at the start of March, when the “Great Daffodil Appeal” kicks off. But that doesn’t mean you can only wear them in March. People are sometimes seen walking around with daffodils on their clothes all year round.
1. What does it mean when the British wear a daffodil on their coats?A.They support a charity. | B.They are recovering from cancer. |
C.They’ve been helped by a charity. | D.They’ve been diagnosed with cancer. |
A.Beautiful. | B.Modest. | C.Famous. | D.Humorous. |
A.Because patients required that. | B.Because it was launched by her. |
C.Because she greatly supported it. | D.Because it could show respect for her. |
A.It can be used as medicine. | B.It’s thought to stand for hope. |
C.It’s widely worn worldwide. | D.It’s sold to the wearers at a high price. |
10 . When the TV station reported a coming cold storm in southeast Idaho, farmers immediately took
Realizing his
Dozens of members of the
Larson witnessed (见证) all this and said, “It was just kind of neat to see everyone help. It was pretty
A.action | B.effect | C.part | D.charge |
A.rising | B.rushing | C.quitting | D.falling |
A.lucky | B.unable | C.easy | D.slow |
A.fortune | B.mind | C.trouble | D.question |
A.buy | B.plant | C.sell | D.save |
A.overtired | B.terrified | C.confident | D.satisfied |
A.on end | B.in need | C.at times | D.at all |
A.community | B.company | C.station | D.school |
A.points | B.areas | C.degrees | D.squares |
A.escape | B.focus | C.watch | D.assist |
A.promised | B.said | C.proved | D.admitted |
A.size | B.quantity | C.worth | D.quality |
A.cool | B.hard | C.clever | D.shy |
A.only | B.mostly | C.mildly | D.really |
A.goes off | B.goes on | C.passes away | D.fades away |