1 . A little over five months ago, on Nov 15, Abdusamat Keram completed a 280-day hiking journey covering more than 5,000 kilometers on foot. This expedition from Kashgar, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, to Beijing.
He used to believe that, being a child from a rural area and born into a farming family, he would not have the privilege to explore the outside world. However, through television and the internet, he observed numerous hikers and adventurers and believed as long as one has dreams and the determination to pursue them, one can definitely go out and explore.
In April 2022, he quit his job and got onto on the Taklimakan Desert trip with his brother, who is 10 years older than him. On Feb 7, 2023, Abdusamat set out on his solo journey. Well, not entirely alone — he was accompanied by his dog, Shunfeng, which means “downwind” in Chinese, and a two-wheeled cart he constructed to carry essential provisions on the road.
“The climate in Xinjiang and Gansu is very different from that in Shaanxi,” Abdusamat explained. “I can handle temperatures reaching 30 ℃ or even 40 ℃ in Xinjiang, but not in Shaanxi, where the humidity and stifling heat can easily overwhelm me.”
But these challenges also made him appreciate regional differences. Hiking from the far west of China to the east — traversing Xinjiang, Gansu, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, and finally Beijing — and experiencing winter, summer, and winter again, Abdusamat gained insights into the vastness, greatness, and exceptional beauty of the country. “As I covered the land of China inch by inch with my feet and was met with kindhearted people who offered me help in every place I went, it deeply impressed upon me the unity of our nation,” Abdusamat said. “I also have a firmer belief now — a belief that I can achieve anything as long as I put my mind to it.”
Returning from his journey, Abdusamat is actively promoting Xinjiang on his Douyin account, encouraging people from other parts of the country to visit his hometown, just like how he traveled to theirs.
1. What does the underline word in paragraph 1 mean?| A．prediction | B．exception | C．journey | D．expression |
| A．Shunfeng | B．his brother | C．no one | D．Taklimakan |
| A．to show the climate great changes of China in different regains |
| B．to tell the readers that global warming is terribly serious |
| C．to describe the challenges Abdusamat overcome on his way |
| D．to explain the terribly bad situation of people in Shaanxi |
| A．more people will visit his hometown | B．promoting his Douyin account |
| C．traveling to other parts of the country | D．having his own firm |
2 . Walking through his neighborhood supermarket in Australia, where packs of Chinese sauerkraut line the shelves, Huang Xiqing feels like he’s shopping in his hometown of Shenyang in Liaoning province.
Chinese sauerkraut, a pickle made of wombok, or Chinese cabbage, is a traditional specialty of the northeastern region and is now sold across the country and exported.
In the past, only a few fresh vegetables were available during the cold northeastern winters. Wombok, which was cheap and could be stored for a relatively long period of time, gained popularity with ordinary households.
In Shenyang, 70-year-old Wang Shuqing still maintains the habit of making Chinese sauerkraut every winter. After harvesting wombok from her garden, she puts the leaves into a big jar along with water and salt and two months later, it is ready to eat.
However, it is no longer the main course on her menu for Lunar New Year’s eve, which now includes braised prawn, fried beef and carp cooked with sweet-and-sour sauce. “Now that our livelihood has improved and the logistics have developed, we can find whatever we want to eat during the winter,” she says.
“Now people have more food to choose from, they don’t just want enough food to eat, but also to eat well,” says Zhang Sining, a research fellow from the Liaoning provincial academy of social sciences.
Chinese sauerkraut has become a signature northeastern dish, and restaurants there now serve sauerkraut burgers and sauerkraut pizzas to cater (满足…的需要) to the tastes of young people.
For Huang however, Chinese sauerkraut is largely about nostalgia (对往事的怀恋) and an enduring link to home.
“Now that I have tried delicacies (美味佳肴) from across the globe, Chinese sauerkraut is still one of my favorites, and reminds me of my hometown,” Huang says.
1. Where is Huang Xiqing at the moment?| A．His neighborhood supermarket in Australia. | B．Chinese sauerkraut supermarket in Liaoning. |
| C．Shenyang in Liaoning province. | D．Supermarket in his hometown. |
| A．It is a traditional specialty of the northeastern region. | B．It is fresh vegetables. |
| C．It is inexpensive and kept for a long time. | D．It is a better snow artwork. |
| A．When people have more food to choose from, they don’t want food to eat. |
| B．If people don’t want food to eat, they will eat well. |
| C．Chinese sauerkraut is no longer the main course on her menu for Lunar New Year’s eve. |
| D．People not only have enough food to eat, but want to eat healthy and good nowadays. |
| A．Nostalgia and an enduring link to home | B．Delicacies from across the globe |
| C．A signature northeastern dish | D．Sauerkraut burgers and sauerkraut pizzas |
1. How does the woman feel at first?
| A．Amused. | B．Curious. | C．Excited. |
| A．Flowers. | B．Trees. | C．Mushrooms. |
| A．Common. | B．Special. | C．Interesting. |
| A．On Thursday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. |
1. What did Peter learn from his grandfather?
| A．How to appreciate art works. |
| B．How to deal with artists. |
| C．How to run a museum. |
| A．He served in the army. |
| B．He studied at a college. |
| C．He worked in a gallery. |
| A．Rembrandt’s. | B．Botticelli’s. | C．Rubens’. |
1. Where will Maria go the day after tomorrow?
| A．The London Zoo. |
| B．The British Museum. |
| C．The Tower of London. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. |
| A．To do a study. | B．To meet a friend. | C．To see her sister. |
6 . What makes a good reader? You can find the answer in Readers Club. Today, we have some books for you. Come and join the fun!
The Old Man and the Sea won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1953. A year later, Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Old Man and the Sea is generally considered by many to be his greatest achievement. The leading character in this book is a person who can face difficulties and never give up.Hardback ￥21.70 Paperback ￥16.00
Heart, written by Edmondo De Amicis from Italy, is a diary of an Italian boy Eric. In his diary, he writes about the greatest love in the world: love for the nation, for the society, and also teachers’ love, classmates’ love, parents’ love, children’s love.
Hardback ￥27.20 Paperback ￥16.40
Peter Pan, created by Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie. Peter Pan is a young boy who can fly and never grows up. He spends his never-ending childhood having adventures (冒险) on the mythical island of Neverland as the leader of the Lost Boys, playing happily with children both inside and outside Neverland.
Hardback ￥22.70 Paperback ￥14.60
Club members will get a discount (折扣) of 10% for hardback books and 20% for paperback books.
If you buy any of the two hardback books, e-books will be free for you.
1. Who won the Nobel Prize for literature?| A．Hemingway. | B．Leo Tolstoy. | C．Edmondo De Amicis. | D．Eric |
| A．Love. | B．Success. | C．Adventure. | D．loss. |
| A．A boy who likes keeping diaries. |
| B．A boy who always misses his family. |
| C．A boy who enjoys his never-ending childhood. |
| D．A boy who loves his teachers and classmates. |
1. What does the speaker think is the benefit of learning new languages?
| A．It can make us healthy. |
| B．It can makes us more beautiful. |
| C．It makes us more employable. |
| A．More than 300 million. | B．More than 3 million. | C．More than30 million. |
| A．It is a virtual teacher. | B．It is a language teacher. | C．It is a language learning app. |
| A．Real classrooms may get students more involved. |
| B．People should use technology to teach themselves. |
| C．Different apps should meet different needs. |
8 . The best science books inspire a sense of wonder and make you amazed at the incredible world we live in. Here are four of them to feed your imagination.
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
How did it all begin? And how did we get here? Combining history and science, the book offers a comprehensive yet entertaining answer to these questions. Bill Bryson takes the reader on an impressive journey through the greatest scientific discoveries in history. It explains scientific topics in a vivid way, but it’s quite a long read.
Thing Explainer by Randall Munroe
How do helicopters work? Or cells? Randall Munroe explains how things work using illustrations and only the most common 1,000 words in English. It will shift your approach to explanation. So, next time explain how something works rather than merely call it by its name. However, additionally providing more technical terms might have enhanced the understanding and learning experience.
Ask an Astronaut by Tim Peake
What does it feel like to fly into space? How do you prepare for it? Astronaut Tim Peake answers all the questions you never knew about going into space. The book gives insights into the cutting-edge science, as well as the day-to-day life on board of the International Space Station. Its question and answer format makes it easy to quickly find answers, but it can become less appealing due to the lack of descriptive language.
Deep Time by Riley Black
Want to know the story of our planet? Riley Black takes us on a journey, in the order of time, through the geological (地质的) events that have shaped our planet. The fascinating high-quality images are supported by easily digestible explanations of key historical moments. It also expands on key concepts in geology, astronomy and biology. Yet, measuring the size of some objects on the photos is difficult due to the lack of a scale bar (比例尺).
1. Which book is organized in the format of question and answer?| A．A Short History of Nearly Everything. | B．Thing Explainer. |
| C．Ask an Astronaut. | D．Deep Time. |
| A．It is rather too long. | B．It is written in plain language. |
| C．It lacks technical terms. | D．It fails to include clear images. |
| A．They combine science and history. | B．They feature vivid illustrations. |
| C．They introduce astronauts’ daily life. | D．They entertain readers of all ages. |
1. What rooms do they have?
| A．Rooms with one bed. | B．Rooms with a sea view. | C．Rooms with a mountain view. |
| A．In the Thai restaurant. | B．In the American restaurant. | C．In the Chinese restaurant. |
| A．Water sports | B．Badminton. | C．Various sports |
1. What does Carol look like?
| A．She is tall and strong. | B．She wears brown hair. | C．She is not tall but slim. |
| A．Making coffee. | B．Dancing. | C．Watching movies. |
| A．They share several hobbies. |
| B．They like staying indoors. |
| C．They got together this morning. |
