1 . Many people love to listen to music while driving. Thanks to the world’s musical roads, drivers now don’t need to turn the radio on.     1    

A musical road can create music when a car tires go over grooves (凹槽) on the road. To produce beautiful music, drivers must pass over the grooves at a certain speed. Signs often tell drivers the right speed.

    2    . Since the mid-1990, musical rads have appeared in many different countries.     3    . To warn drivers to the incoming music, all the roads are marked by colored musical notes that are painted on these roads. Drivers can decide whether to go over the grooves or not because they are set on the side of the road.

In Hungary, there is a musical road in honor of one of the country’s most popular musical performers — Laszlo Bodi. Bodi was the lead singer for the band Republic.     4    . Sadly, Bodi passed away in 2013. But people still remember him as there’s a road where drivers can hear 30 seconds of the Republic song “Road 67”.

    5    . In Indonesia, a road plays the first six notes of “Happy Birthday”. The fifth note is a little out of tune, though. This “mistake” keeps drivers awake and aware, and it has reduced the number of traffic accidents. Such is the power of music and musical roads.

A．Musical roads are also keeping drivers safe.

B．There is not any music road in Eastern countries.

C．Musical roads help improve the road safety greatly.

D．But they can also enjoy music while taking road trips.

E．Formed in 1990, the group is one of Hungary’s biggest acts and is still active today.

F．The first musical road was created in Gylling, Denmark, in 1995.

G．For example, in Japan, there are many musical roads throughout the country.

2 . Mexico is a very colorful country, which is located in the south of North America. It combines a relaxing beach holiday, unusual mysterious excursions and an energetic nightlife. If you happen to visit Mexico, be sure to visit at least some of its attractions.

CHICHEN-ITZA

This is a sacred village located on the Yucatan Peninsula, in which the ancient Mayan people lived. The combination of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico make Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan civilization in Yucatán. Chichen Itza is considered the best preserved Mayan city, so it is highly popular. The most famous structure of the city is the temple of the god Kukulkan, a 30-meter-high pyramid.

PALACE OF FINE ARTS

The Palace of Fine Arts, which is considered a symbol of Mexico city, is one of the most spectacular buildings in the heart of the city. Situated at one end of the Alameda garden, it offers visitors endless architectural, artistic and historical facts, inside and out. On the top floor, you’ll find the National Museum of Architecture, which showcases the work and lives of famous Mexican architects, and multiple art museums and galleries.

PARK SHKARET

This is a natural amusement park with a zoo and a botanical garden, waterfalls and underground rivers, caves, bright evening shows (for example, dance and horse shows, and other performances). The territory of the unique park is huge, so it is unreal to bypass it in one day. Here you can also visit the buffet restaurant, which is included in the ticket price.

HIERVE EL AGUA

Hierve el Agua is an unforgettable destination in the mountains of Oaxaca. It is a set of stunning travertine rock formations that appear like a frozen waterfall from a distance. The hot springs on the top, as with many other mineral-rich springs around the world, have a reputation for supposed healing qualities. Swimming here, at the same time enjoying the mountain scenery around, is an absolute pleasure and, besides, the recovery of the body.

1. Why is Chichen Itza so popular?

A．It is the most sacred village.	B．It is a well-preserved Mayan site.
C．It is famous for god Kukulkan.	D．It is a symbol of Mexico City.

2. Where would you prefer to go if you want to know the history of Mexican architecture?

A．PALACE OF FINE ARTS.	B．CHICHEN-ITZA.
C．PARK SHKARET.	D．HIERVE EL AGUA.

3. What is special about HIERVE EL AGUA?

A．There are many waterfalls.	B．Visitors can enjoy horse shows here.
C．It is rich in rare mineral resources.	D．Its spring water has health benefits.

3 . When did the woman come to the US?

A．In 1973.

B．In 1975.

C．In 1977.

4 . New research from the University of Portsmouth has shown a marked increase in shipping in the North East Atlantic. Scientists now warn that more monitoring is required to help protect sea life.

Researchers at the University of Ponsmouth have discovered that rates (率) of shipping in the North East Atlantic area rose by 34 per cent in a five-year period. The research is the first detailed survey of shipping activity in the North East Atlantic. Researchers used data from over 530 million vessel (船) positions recorded by Automatic Identification System(AIS). They looked at the change in shipping between 2013 and 2017 across ten different vessel types. In total the study area covered 1.1 million km², including waters off Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,Iceland, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal. Spain, and the UK.

Lead author, James Robbins said: “This change is likely to put more pressure on the marine (海洋的) environment, and may influence the protection of at-risk species. Renewed monitoring effort is needed to make sure that protective measures are enough to save species under threat in a changing environment.”

Some of the greatest shipping increases were found in areas close to the Spanish coast. The Espacio Marino de la Costa da Morte saw a rise of 413 percent in vessel activity. It is an area used to protect seabirds.

Dr. Sarah Marley, Visiting Researcher at the University of Portsmouth, said: “Shipping is the most widespread human activity in our oceans, carrying a set of threats-from unnoticeable effects like underwater noise pollution to serious results when ships hit whales.”

Professor Alex Ford. from the University’s Institute of Marine Sciences, said: “Given the well-documented effects that shipping can have on the marine environment, it is necessary that this situation continues to be monitored-particularly in areas used to protect vulnerable (脆弱的) species which may already be under pressure.”

1. What can we say about the new research?

A．It started in 2013.	B．It is the first of its kind.
C．It was carried out by AIS.	D．It covers the whole Atlantic.

2. What do the underlined words “This change” in paragraph 3 refer to ?

A．Rapid population growth.

B．Rising global temperatures.

C．The huge increase in shipping.

D．The disappearance of marine life.

3. What does Dr. Sarah Marley want to tell us in paragraph 5?

A．Shipping plays an important role in the local economy.

B．Shipping can be a danger to the marine environment.

C．Noise pollution is closely related to human activity.

D．Marine areas should be monitored more carefully.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．New waterways across the Atlantic

B．The shipping industry in the North East Atlantic

C．New research opens windows into life under the water

D．Sea life needs better protection from an increase in shipping

5 . I finally climbed into bed at 1: 20 in the morning. My friends had helped me celebrate my 31st birthday in the basement apartment, where I lived.

Earlier in the day I had prepared for the unlikely event of a flood. We are about a third of a mile from the banks of the Ahr River. It had been raining buckets that week and the government had sent out a flood warning, though not for where I was. Still, I’d placed sandbags on the floor outside my garden door and put electronics on tables. “Silly bro!” My friends laughed at me for doing that, but I thought, why take a chance?

As I drifted off to sleep, I was awakened by the sound of rushing water, as if I were lying beside a waterfall. When I got off the bed, I was shocked that cold water was rising fast. In darkness, I grabbed my cellphone and turned on the flashlight. When I stepped out of the bedroom, I saw water shooting through the gaps of the door.

I began to panic. I knew I had to get out—fast! In bare feet, I started to make my way to the only escape: the door that led upstairs to the main floor. Finally I made it to the door and tried several times to-pull it open even just a little bit, but the rushing water shut it again. I looked around for anything I could use to keep it open. There in the corner was a coat rack (架子). I took it and, once again, opened the door, throwing the coat rack between the door and the frame (门框) to keep the door from shutting. Finally, I managed to make a gap just wide enough to squeeze (挤) through and make it into the hallway.

I leaped on to the stairs and ran outside. I stood there in the darkness, wet through. What was once a lovely street was now a waterscape, with floating ruins instead of people and cars. The river had drowned (淹没) the neighborhood!

1. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2imply?

A．Better safe than sorry.

B．It never rains but it pours.

C．A lost chance never returns.

D．A friend in need is a friend indeed.

2. What was the author doing when water flooded in?

A．Celebrating his birthday.

B．Sleeping in the basement.

C．Placing sandbags by the door.

D．Playing with electronic devices.

3. Which of the following might be the most difficult for the author during the escape?

A．Making his way to the door.

B．Finding a coat rack.

C．Keeping the door from shutting.

D．Squeezing through the gap.

4. How did the author feel when standing on the street?

A．Sad and shocked.

B．Annoyed and anxious.

C．Surprised and disappointed.

D．Puzzled and awkward.

6 . We believe you will really make use of our list of the best jobs for students with no experience.

Tutor

Pay per hour: $17.28

This is a great job for all the great minds out there who have some knowledge they can share. You don’t even have to leave the house, as many students ask for tutors online. If you are good at math or English, for example, consider getting cash for your knowledge.

Lifeguard

Pay per hour: $9.18

And now something for those who like swimming, and don’t mind a huge responsibility. Even though you don’t have to have work experience as a lifeguard, you must have a lifeguard training. It is a serious job, but also fun, as you get to enjoy all day in the sun, and next to the pool or beach.

Catering staff

Pay per hour: $12.04

If you enjoy being around delicious food, you can look for a job among catering staff. It offers a reliable pay, and it is not too tough. It is interesting, as you get to serve various types of people at various events.

Front desk receptionist

Pay per hour: $11.89

Another position for those who have good communication and organization skills, and those who don’t mind office jobs. There are many places where you can work, including fitness and spa centers. And working in a spa center may have its benefits in the form of discounts for employees.

1. How much can you earn by working four hours a day as a tutor?

A．About $67.

B．About $69.

C．About $72.

D．About $74.

2. Which of the following belongs to catering staff’s routine work?

A．Cooking a dinner for guests.

B．Tasting all kinds of delicious foods.

C．Giving performances at a gathering.

D．Providing food and drinks at different events.

3. Being a front desk receptionist of a spa center,you may______.

A．get some extra tips

B．spend all day in the sun

C．take on a huge responsibility

D．enjoy body care at a low price

7 . Who says only adults can influence the world? Teenagers can too. A good _________ is Canadian singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes.

Medes was once on Time magazine’s list of the most influential teens of the year. He is _________ as a role model who always shares _________ ideas on social media.

Indeed, unlike others, Mendes _________ social media in a good way. In 2012, he was still a high school student. One day, he put a clip (片段) of _________ singing Justin Bieber’s song As Long As You Love Me on Vine, a video-sharing app. In only six seconds, he _________ to show his sweet voice and cute smile. By the next morning, he had 10,000 likes.

From there, he became a _________. His first album (唱片集) Handwritten topped the Billboard 200 chart in 2015. He’s been the youngest artist to do so _________ Bieber who topped the chart in 2010.

Mendes _________ tries to be himself. “There are lots of people __________ say ‘act this way’ and ‘talk this way’ on social media (媒体), but what __________ for me was just being myself,” he told Seventeen, a US magazine for teens.

He does so in life as well. During his first __________ in Toronto, he asked for the house lights to be __________ and he sang without a microphone. “So I can see their faces, and see there are real people, that it’s not just a __________, ” he told The Telegraph.

“I’m not the __________ singer in the world. I’m just good at picking up what I want to sound like,” he added.

1.

A．news

B．choice

C．example

D．boy

2.

A．seen

B．cared

C．prepared

D．caught

3.

A．best

B．strange

C．traditional

D．positive

4.

A．introduces

B．uses

C．makes

D．buys

5.

A．myself

B．herself

C．himself

D．themselves

6.

A．used

B．succeeded

C．paid

D．managed

7.

A．singer

B．dancer

C．actor

D．writer

8.

A．until

B．since

C．before

D．beside

9.

A．never

B．seldom

C．always

D．hardly

10.

A．what

B．which

C．who

D．whom

11.

A．worked

B．used

C．acted

D．played

12.

A．visit

B．concert

C．year

D．speech

13.

A．turned off

B．turned on

C．turned up

D．turned down

14.

A．name

B．stage

C．room

D．crowd

15.

A．last

B．least

C．latest

D．best

8 .

Four novels to read this winter
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee	This classic novel explores racism in the American South through the eyes of a young girl named Scout Finch and her father, Atticus Finch, a just and sympathetic lawyer. To Kill a Mockingbird earned the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 and was made into an Academy Award-winning film in 1962, giving the story and its characters further life and influence over the American social sphere. For more, click here
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez	This novel tells the story of the Buendía family over seven generations in the town of Macondo, combining magic realism with the portrayal of Latin American culture and history. The novel won many awards for Márquez, leading the way to his eventual honor of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 for his entire body of work, of which One Hundred Years of Solitude is often lauded as his most triumphant. For more, click here
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison	This groundbreaking novel delves into the expression of identity for African American males, with the unnamed narrator facing adversity and discrimination as he moves from the South to New York City. The novel is renowned for its surreal and experimental style of writing that explores the symbolism surrounding African American identity and culture. Invisible Man won the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1953. For more, click here
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf	This novel describes one day in the life of a British socialite named Clarissa Dalloway, using a stream-of-consciousness style to provide a deeply personal look into the characters’ minds, focusing on their regrets, struggles with mental illness, and the impact of social pressures. The novel’s unique style, subject, and time setting make it one of the most respected and regarded works of all time. For more, click here

1. Which novel won the U. S. National Book Award for Fiction?

A．Invisible Man.	B．Mrs. Dalloway.
C．To Kill a Mockingbird.	D．One Hundred Years of Solitude.

2. What can we learn about One Hundred Years of Solitude?

A．The author won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1982.

B．The author tells his true family story in this novel.

C．The author uses a writing style called magic realism.

D．The author explores the symbolism on African culture.

3. Where can we most probably find the passage?

A．In a magazine.	B．In a science report.
C．On a movie poster.	D．On the Internet.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why is Charles so tired?

A．He has been playing games.

B．He has been doing housework.

C．He has been surfing the Internet.

2. How did Charles feel about the chat room?

A．It was so unexpected.

B．It was very instructive.

C．It was truly interesting.

10 . For primary and middle school students, being able to cook has become a must. They will also need to learn how to plant vegetables, raise chickens or ducks and fix computers or fridges under new requirements for labor education. The MOE(教育部) brought out a new standard for labor education in schools last year. Starting from the 2022 fall term, students in primary and middle schools have to take courses on labor skills at least once a week.

Labor education helps students value hard work. The new standard includes three types of labor tasks: housework, school labor and community volunteer services.

Schools in China have traditionally placed more focus on studying, and many have seen housework as a waste of children’s time. But according to the MOE, labor education must be built up to help students improve social values and develop an interest in labor.

Liu Fang, am other of 6-year-old twins in Beijing, strongly supports labor education. For the past year, she has trained her daughters to do housework and make simple dishes for the family.

“The main idea is to let them share duty as family members and become independent as they can,” said Liu. “Through doing housework, their hand-eye coordination(手眼协调), time management and organization skills can be trained and it’s also good to help them relax.”

Through such education, Liu said her twins have found fun in doing housework and are more independent.

1. What CAN’T a middle school student learn through labor education?

A．How to plant vegetables.

B．How to be more careful in class.

C．How to fix computers or fridges.

D．How to raise chickens or ducks.

2. What can we know about the new labor education standard?

A．It started in the fall term of 2022.

B．It is for students from primary school to college.

C．Students have to take labor courses twice a week.

D．It includes two types of labor tasks.

3. Schools in China ________ before labor education.

A．pay more attention to students’ study	B．let students study to cook
C．pay more attention to students’ health	D．let students do housework

4. What does Liu Fang think of labor education?

A．It’s too simple for students.	B．It helps students develop different skills.
C．It is boring for students.	D．It is a waste of students’ time.