1 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023.
Already a superstar before 2023, Swift’s career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3.5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about $900 million (about 6.4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour’s movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250
million globally.As she was declare a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the US. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.
Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scoot er Braun. The sale meant that she didn’t have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor’s Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”
Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”
1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?A.She broke a new record on her tour. | B.She toured South America before 2023. |
C.Her achievements received great recognition. | D.Her performance began with the Apple Music. |
A.She proved herself to be an artist. | B.She learned to make some products. |
C.She had influence on music culture. | D.She sold her master tapes to a company. |
A.She will end her music career. | B.She will continue her Eras Tour. |
C.She will reach her top in Japan. | D.She will make a record in Australia. |
A.Admirable. | B.Uncaring. | C.Doubtful. | D.Critical. |
2 . It was 1:20 a.m. I had just gone to bed, a bit
I was awakened by the
Shaking in darkness, I
I took
In the end, I think the experience made me
A.relieved | B.excited | C.drunk | D.content |
A.stones | B.sandbags | C.wood | D.boxes |
A.in case | B.in advance | C.in turn | D.in doubt |
A.thundering | B.snowing | C.pouring | D.blowing |
A.roar | B.taste | C.rhythm | D.smell |
A.appearing | B.spreading | C.freezing | D.rising |
A.charged | B.grabbed | C.dropped | D.studied |
A.see | B.guess | C.realize | D.check |
A.extremely | B.narrowly | C.violently | D.deadly |
A.give out | B.check out | C.slow down | D.get out |
A.brave | B.immediate | C.determined | D.calculated |
A.fear | B.shock | C.stress | D.morality |
A.active | B.grateful | C.proud | D.modest |
A.ask | B.assess | C.follow | D.analyze |
A.loved | B.gained | C.graduated | D.survived |
Peking Opera is
Peking Opera comes
Speech, song, dance and combat
No China trip is complete without
In recent years, food
The spicy hot pot has aroused people’s interest in Tianshui, a thousand-year-old city. Besides the spicy hot pot, as an ancient city
5 . When Param Jaggi was five years old, he had a passion to take things apart to see what was inside. He started with toys and even broke a computer, which made his parents not too pleased. As he got older, he shifted from breaking things to building things, which greatly comforted his parents. In middle school, he started working on projects in his kitchen laboratory, and his first project was making biofuels.
Although Jaggi’s parents initially thought his experiments were just a boyhood fancy, he remained determined to make a difference to the environment. Eventually, his parents came around and started supporting his dreams. Jaggi’s interest continued as he grew up, but he focused more on solving real problems, especially those related to the environment.
At 17, Jaggi went beyond his school projects and co-founded Ecoviate, a company that uses technology to solve everyday energy and environmental problems. He planned to transform people’s idea that going green is expensive, by making available a series of affordable products that are easy to use. Through Ecoviate, he designed products that could contribute to a greener future. One of his notable inventions was the “CO2ube”, a device that could reduce carbon emissions, and it’s available to many people at low prices.
Young Jaggi, now a third-grade college student studying engineering and economics, has become a famous eco-innovator and his company is developing promisingly. However, Jaggi’s vision to save the environment goes beyond creating products. He plans to launch an online platform through Ecoviate, which will encourage young students interested in science and technology to get actively involved in innovation and invention. Students can submit a science project online, and talk about the help that they need to make the project a reality.
1. What can we learn about Jaggi?A.He dreamed to be an engineer. | B.He was curious by nature. |
C.He always annoyed his parents. | D.He was addicted to playing toys. |
A.They were fed up with Jaggi. |
B.They were satisfied with Jaggi’s experiments at the beginning. |
C.They change their mind and were in favor of Jaggi’s experiments at last. |
D.They thought Jaggi’s experiments were fantastic . |
A.His love for greener devices. | B.His pursuit of academic career. |
C.His hope to boost green industry. | D.His desire to make a difference in ecosystem. |
A.To empower young inventors. | B.To promote smart products. |
C.To provide eco-themed courses. | D.To offer environmentalists funds. |
6 . Nanjing Yunjin brocade is traditional Chinese silk art with a history of about 1,600 years. Its complex weaving (编织)techniques, various colors and patterns, and its particular choices of materials make it valuable and ancient people said, “An inch of brocade, an inch of gold.” Today, the traditional characteristics and unique skills of yunjin remain to be an award-winning art treasure. Its techniques are passed down from generation to generation by artisans.
Zhou Shuangxi, a national-level inheritor (继承人) of yunjin weaving techniques, is one of them. Back in 1973, he graduated from a mining school and was selected to become a student at the NanjingYunjin Research Institute along with five other students, just because he was “in good shape”. There were only several masters in their 70s and not even a loom (织布机) to use. “The old masters finally remembered a loom was stored somewhere. When I opened the door, I saw what seemed like a pile of wood,” Zhou recalled.
“Weaving was difficult, but different from mining. Mining requires heavy physical labor, but working with the soft and thin silk requires studying and practicing in front of a loom for decades until you master the technique. My hands became quite awkward due to mining, so I used to put my hands in warm water whenever I could. In this way, they could become softer and weave the silk more easily,” he said.
Out of the six or so students, Zhou is the only one who has insisted on the trade to this day. Having devoted the past five decades to yunjin production despite all the sweat and struggles, he has developed his techniques to the point where he can weave the antique dragon robes in all their small details. He also made various artworks that not only show China's intangible cultural heritage but also serve as Zhou Shuangxi's artistic creations.
“I am lucky to be in such a good era and I have the honor of being a representative inheritor,” Zhou said.
1. What was Zhou’s original impression of yunjin weaving techniques as a student?A.They faced an uncertain future. | B.They were popular among the public. |
C.They required much physical strength. | D.They were closely related to his schooling. |
A.To relieve the pain of mining. | B.To make them much more suitable for weaving. |
C.To gain an attractive appearance. | D.To rest his hands and draw inspiration. |
A.Determined and creative. | B.Awkward and hesitant. |
C.Encouraging and honest. | D.Adventurous and sociable. |
A.The ups and downs of yunjin. |
B.People’s appreciation of a traditional art treasure. |
C.Artisans’ struggle to pass down traditional techniques. |
D.A national-level inheritor of yunjin weaving techniques. |
This summer, have you been surprised by women wearing hanfu, or Han-style clothing, at subway stations, shopping malls or
In 2018, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China set the
Generally, Hanfu refers
Hanfu appears elegant and beautiful,
Hanfu
All over the world millions of people take part in different
9 . Nowadays, a lot of students are under great stress. Generally speaking, finding something you enjoy doing can improve the quality of your life and reduce your stress levels.
Research the hobby or activity you would like to get involved in. Find out how much time and money you will need to devote to starting and continuing the activity. For example, some sports-related interests might require special equipment.
Talk with other people who are involved in some of the activities you are interested in.
A.Take a chance on a hobby and see if you enjoy it. |
B.You can get first-hand knowledge by interviewing someone about a particular hobby. |
C.A hobby can connect you with other people. |
D.Think about how much free time you can devote to a hobby. |
E.It is easy to decide whether a particular hobby is right for you. |
F.Think about how a hobby benefits you. |
G.You can find information about hobbies and interests on Find My Hobby’s website. |
Many people while they are at home alone imagine having the opportunity