| Prepare (准备) breakfast Monday to Wednesday: Mrs. Smith Thursday and Friday: Mr. Smith Saturday: Sam & Bob Sunday: Linda | Help in the kitchen Mrs. Smith cooks dinners. Mr. Smith does the dishes. Sam sets the table. Bob clears the table. Linda cleans the kitchen. |
| Tidy the living room Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Mrs. Smith and Linda The other days: Mr. Smith and the boys. ●The kids clean their rooms every Thursday and Sunday. ●The kids take out the rubbish in turn (轮流). | |
1. When does Linda prepare breakfast?
| A．On Monday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. | D．On Sunday. |
| A．He cleans the kitchen. | B．He does the dishes. |
| C．He clears the table. | D．He cooks dinners. |
| A．Once a week. | B．Three times a week. |
| C．Twice a week. | D．Three times a month. |
2 . When my daughter Sara was in the fifth grade, she came to me with a problem. “Marcy hates me!” she cried. “Because Kathy is my friend, too. She wants me to be her friend and nobody else’s. You talk to Marcy. You tell her that I want to be her friend, but I can have other friends, too!”
Oh! I looked at her for a few moments, wondering how I got into this mess (困境), when suddenly an idea came to me.
Picking up two baskets from the living room, I explained, “When everyone is born, he or she has a little basket. This little one here is yours. The big one is mine. As you grow, so does the basket. You can see your little basket is inside mine because when you were born, there were too many things you couldn’t do for yourself. I did everything you couldn’t do on your own.”
She nodded.
“Well, as you grew older and began to do some things on your own, I began placing a few more things in your basket. When you learned to tie your shoes, that went in your basket.”
She said softly, “I can tie my own shoes.”
“Right. As you grow older, there will be more and more things you must do on your own.” As I spoke, I gradually took her basket out of mine and handed it to her. “You will finally carry your own basket with things only you can do.”
She looked up at me and said, “I understand. There are some things that I have to do for myself because they are in my basket.”
1. What was Sara’s problem?| A．She didn’t have a basket. | B．She didn’t want her own basket. |
| C．She couldn’t deal with her friendship. | D．Her mother was too hard on her. |
| A．Boring. | B．Exciting. | C．Moving. | D．Difficult. |
| A．would talk to Marcy herself | B．wouldn’t make friends with Kathy |
| C．was too young to deal with anything | D．managed to persuade her mother to help her |
| A．gifts given by God when everyone is born | B．something that people use to keep vegetables |
| C．growing abilities as you grow up | D．friendship that needs repairing |
3 . Having studied more than 400 groups of honeybees in Brazil for two years, a group of biologists led by Viviana Di Pietro report that, like humans, honeybees are capable of learning new traditions which are then handed down over generations.
“The most obvious example is that honeybees can build their homes according to different architectural traditions which are then handed down over generations,” they write. “We found that around 95% of the honeybees built their homes in a horizontal (与地面平行的) style, while 5% of them preferred a spiral (螺旋形的) structure. In each case, the tradition was passed down to the next generations.”
Since honeybees showed a strong preference for a horizontal structure, it was surprising that spiral structures occurred at all. “With the help of video cameras, we found that there was a noticeable difference in average building rate between the two styles.” the researchers add.
In order to rule out a genetic (遗传的) explanation for the different styles, the researchers took honeybees from the groups that built in spiral tradition close to the groups that built in horizontal tradition. The imported honeybees soon learned to build their homes in the local style, which was then passed down to their children as they eventually grew up. “It is very likely that the imported honeybees might have changed the style as a way of correcting the construction errors made by their ancestors.” the researchers suggest.
The findings have surprised observers of animal culture, as they suggest that honeybees can learn and hand down different building traditions over generations. This has changed the way of thinking about culture, which is often strictly defined as behaviour directly handed down from human parents to their children until it becomes a tradition in a group.
“Insect culture was thought impossible. Less than a century ago, culture was thought to be uniquely human,” says biologist Andrew Whiten of the University of St Andrews, who was not involved in the research. “But the new research has offered strong evidence pointing to the opposite.”
1. Why do most honeybees prefer a horizontal structure according to the research?| A．It is easier to be copied. | B．It is a bit stronger. |
| C．It is more comfortable. | D．It is faster to build. |
| A．Scientists. | B．Traditions. | C．Findings. | D．Parents. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Disapproving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Researchers Have Different Views on Animal Culture |
| B．Honeybees May Learn and Preserve Cultural Traditions |
| C．Honeybees Can Learn Building Skills From Their Neighbors |
| D．Researchers Have Misunderstood Honeybees for a Long Time |
4 . All students have bad times. What do they usually do when they get into trouble?
My mom is like my friend. I talk about everything to her. Whenever I have some trouble, I can get good advice from her. I have another good friend — my diary. It knows all my secrets. Talking with my two friends always makes me feel better.
—— Linda
Laughing helps me when I’m upset. I usually watch funny movies and TV shows. I also love spending my hard time with my best friend Dave. He is humorous and always makes me laugh.
—— Peter
Every time I feel bad, I go climbing alone. The study says exercising can help cheer one up (精神振奋). And the beautiful view at the top of the mountain makes me forget all my troubles. Sometimes I shout at the mountain top. It feels fantastic.
—— John
1. Linda’s ________ knows all her secrets.| A．sister | B．teacher | C．diary | D．computer |
| A．quiet | B．funny | C．careful | D．serious |
| A．goes climbing | B．watches movies |
| C．talks with his friends | D．reads books |
| A．Linda often asks her teacher for advice. |
| B．Dave often helps Peter with his homework. |
| C．John likes climbing mountains with his friends. |
| D．Exercising can help people feel good. |
5 . David Gill might be the richest man in Sebastopol, California. The semi-retired health care administrator is banking the most valuable currency in the world：Time. Gill currently has 480 hours in his savings account at the local time bank.
In brief, a time bank does with time what other banks do with money: It stores and trades it. “Time banking means that for every hour you give to your community, you receive an hour credit,” explains Krista Wyatt, executive director of the nonprofit TimeBanks.
In Sebastopol, 250 residents have time bank accounts where they save and withdraw hours as needed. For instance, Gill, who is also the main local time bank coordinator, likes to offer his expertise with computer programming, editing and financial planning. In return, he asks for help when he needs a ride to the airport or someone to transport heavy furniture. The time banks are building social capital (资金). “I’ve made wonderful friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise and we now invite each other to our garden parties,” says Gill. “It’s about making community and being a part of the community. You can’t put a price on that stuff.”
Some cities look to time banks as a model to support an aging population. In St. Gallen, Switzerland, only members over the age of 50 may join the local time bank Stiftung Zeitvorsorge. While Sebastopol’s time bank is more geared toward practical services to fill a gap other community services don’t address, members in St. Gallen regularly help seniors run errands, shop for groceries, take them to the doctor or simply keep them company. “Even if only five people were enabled to enter care homes a year later,” the foundation’s executive director Jurg Weibel recently told the German magazine Der Spiegel, “the investment would have already recovered itself.” “The reality is that grown-up kids live in other areas,” Weibel said. “Also, many seniors are consciously looking for a new purpose.”
1. Why does the author mention David Gill in paragraph 1?| A．To announce the news. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To show his richness. | D．To present his new job. |
| A．A manager who devotes his time to the company. |
| B．A teacher who spends time instructing his students. |
| C．A doctor who offers free advice to seniors in a community. |
| D．A police officer who bravely saves a kid in a fighting. |
| A．Positive. | B．Ambiguous. | C．Objective. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Anyone can join the local time bank Stiftung Zeitvorsorge. |
| B．Members in St. Gallen can offer mental support to seniors. |
| C．One can make a fortune through the investment in time banks. |
| D．Seniors in St. Gallen are unwilling to live with their children. |
6 . Samarkand in Uzbekistan hosted an important intergovernmental conference on how to stop the slow spread of degraded (退化) land. Between 2015 and 2019, the world lost at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land a year, according to an analysis for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Human activities—including destroying forests and agricultural practices — and climate change are among the main causes.
115 countries reported ahead of the meeting on three measures for restoring degraded land and soil: protecting the area used for agriculture or covered by forests or wetlands; increasing the ability of land to support and sustain life, retaining above-and below-ground stocks of carbon. Reaching the target of “land degradation neutrality (土地退化中性)” by 2030 means reversing a negative trend: the global share of land that is degraded increased from 14.7% in 2015 to 18. 9% in 2019.
Yet there are some important signs of hope amid a mostly bleak prospect. The analysis enables countries to understand land degradation at a more granular (细致的) level than before. And the UNCCD’s science teams helped to train researchers in some of the most-affected countries, so that local scientists and policymakers could do the work themselves. And some countries are moving in the right direction. In Ecuador, for example, the area of land classed as degraded went from 21.9% to 12.8% between 2015 and 2019.
Land degradation is not a priority on the world’s environmental agenda. Although the UNCCD has the same status as the UN conventions on climate change and biodiversity, unlike them it does not have an autonomous body that provides independent scientific advice. Restoration projects also receive much less international funding.
This funding gap illustrates just how little priority is given to restoring land and preventing further countries are providing data. These nations, especially high-income countries, should start reporting degradation. Yet the latest analysis shows what can be done even with limited resources. But not all their plans and actions, to raise the profile of land degradation.
1. Which of the measures is mentioned before the conference?| A．Developing more forests or wetlands. |
| B．Increasing industrial productivity. |
| C．Making people support their life. |
| D．Keeping the stocks of carbon. |
| A．Dark. | B．Interesting. | C．Wonderful. | D．Reasonable. |
| A．The land degradation is serious nowadays. |
| B．Land degradation isn’t sufficiently prioritized. |
| C．The biodiversity deserves more attention. |
| D．More funds are obtained for the restoration project. |
| A．Provide funding to support relevant projects. |
| B．Help other countries to collect and analyze data. |
| C．Start reporting their own schedules and actions. |
| D．Stop land degradation in their countries completely. |
7 . “Earth” has always been an odd choice of name for the third planet from the Sun. After all, if an alien examines it through a telescope, he would note that two-thirds of its surface is covered not by earth at all, but by oceans of water.
However, most of the oceans on Earth remain unexplored. For example, photographers are fond of pointing out that scientists have mapped nearly all the oceans’ surface, but less than a quarter of the seabed. Biologists think the oceans might host more than 2 million species of animals, of which they have so far identified perhaps a tenth.
A new project may change this. Launched in London on April 27th, 2023, Ocean Census aims to discover 100,000 new species of ocean animals over the coming decade. Its first ship, Kronprins Haakon, set sail on April 29 for the Barents Sea.
The project is launched for two reasons. One is that the longer scientists wait, the less there will be to study. “Top on our agenda are species thought to be in the greatest danger from climate change,” says Oliver Steeds, founder of the project. “Otherwise, the forest is burning down and we won’t know what was there before it is lost.”
The second reason is technological. Biologists find about 2,000 new species a year, a rate hardly changed since Darwin’s day. Ocean Census is betting that it can go faster. Fancy cameras on remote-operated vehicles, for instance, allow scientists to scan deep-sea creatures such as jellyfish without removing them from their habitat. Just as the huge pressures of the deep sea are deadly for humans, taking such a jellyfish to the surface for examination may reduce it to gooey slime (黏液).
Exactly what the new effort might turn up, of course, is impossible to predict. But history suggests it will be fruitful. Half a century ago, scientists discovered hot seabeds that were home to organisms living happily in conditions that, until then, had been thought harmful to life. These days, such hot seabeds are thought to be one possible candidate for the origin of all life on Earth.
1. What phenomenon is described in the second paragraph?| A．The oceans are home to most of the animals. | B．The oceans have not been studied in depth. |
| C．Scientists enjoy photographing the oceans. | D．“Earth” is not a proper name for our planet. |
| A．More efforts from scientists are necessary. | B．Animals in the forest should be rescued, too. |
| C．Climate change is endangering the forest. | D．The project should start with threatened species. |
| A．It is mature to study the oceans now. | B．Scientists should slow down their studies. |
| C．It is harmful to study deep-sea animals. | D．Researchers want more advanced equipment. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Creative. | C．Promising. | D．Unnecessary. |
8 . Self-Love: a Foundation for All Healthy Relationships
Why is self-love considered a transformative power in building healthy relationships? We are all engulfed (吞没) with the thought of having fulfilling relationships. One’s that will bring some meaning to our lives and make us happy. We are so overwhelmed with finding true happiness that we often forget that true happiness lies within us. We have heard in countless pep talks that self-love is the foundation of a happy life.
We have been taught to be selfless from the start of time. The minute we start thinking about ourselves, everyone around us makes it their personal mission to remind us of how selfish we are being.
At the very of self-love lies the care and value one has for oneself. Self-love, in its essence, is to truly accept who you are and what your worth is. It is the art of building a compassionate relationship with your own soul.
The expectation of waiting for someone else to care for you is impossible.
| A．Why do we still not love ourselves |
| B．What should we do to love ourselves |
| C．Only you can care for yourself the most |
| D．We are taught to care for everyone around us |
| E．Self-love is the root of all your healthy relationships |
| F．But there is nothing wrong with putting yourself first |
| G．You know what you’re willing to accept in a relationship |
Fun Cooking Children aged 6 to 10 can learn to make healthy hamburgers. And children aged 10 to 12 can learn to make delicious cakes. Price: $35 Time: every Wednesday (2:00 p.m — 5:00 p.m) in August Place: Little Cook School | |
Clay Craft This two-hour course teaches children to make gifts by using clay. It is really interesting. For children aged 6 to 12. Price: $20 Time: every Friday (l:00 p.m. — 3:00 p.m.) in July Place: Art Center | Wonder Dancing Children can learn different kinds of dances, such as jazz or ballet from great teachers. For children aged 10 to 12. Price: $60 for four lessons Time: every Thursday (3:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m) in July Place: Emma Workshop (工作室) |
1. When does Little Cook School offer classes?
| A．Every Thursday in July. | B．Every Wednesday in August. |
| C．Every Friday in July. | D．Every Friday in August. |
| A．At Little Cook School. | B．At Art Workshop. |
| C．At Emma Workshop. | D．At Art Center. |
| A．$15. | B．$20. | C．$60. | D．$240. |
10 . Safety problems greatly affect many parts of the world. In China, safety education is becoming more and more important now. The day of safety education for primary and middle school students falls on Monday in the last week of March each year. It helps students learn more about what they should do to keep themselves safe. What are the accidents at school? Let’s take a look.
A stampede always happens in crowded places. When students around you begin to push, just stand there and try to hold onto something. If you fall down in the crowd, move to one side and protect your head with your hands around.
When earthquakes happen, you can get under a desk quickly and hold on. It’ll protect you from falling things. If you are outdoors, find a place away from buildings, trees, and power lines.
When there’s a fire, leave the classroom quickly. It’s better to put something wet over your mouth and nose. In this way, you won’t breathe in smoke. Many people die in a fire, not because of the fire but smoke. It makes them cough and they can’t breathe. That’s very dangerous! So when you want to get out, you should make yourself close to the floor. Then you can breathe some fresh air. Remember, the most important thing is to stay calm in a fire.
Stampedes, earthquakes and fires are the main accidents at school. If you can remember safety knowledge and survival (生存) skills, you will live a safe and happy life.
1. When is the safety education day for students in 2024?| A．On Monday, March 4th. | B．On Monday, March 11th. |
| C．On Monday, March 18th. | D．On Monday, March 25th |
| A．欺凌 | B．窒息 | C．踩踏 | D．溺水 |
| A．Try to help others run away. |
| B．Get under a desk quickly and hold on. |
| C．Protect your stomach with your hands. |
| D．Stand and try to hold onto something. |
| A．Health care. | B．Cooking courses. |
| C．English learning. | D．Safety education. |
