7 . Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas. Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age, for example the ability to recognise fake news.

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. In nature, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously (严厉地) question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is to decide what you are aiming to achieve and then make a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have clarified that aim for yourself you should use it as the starting point in all future situations requiring thought and, possibly, further decision making. Where needed, make your workmates, family or those around you aware of your intention to pursue this goal. You must then discipline yourself to keep on track until changing circumstances mean you have to revisit the start of the decision-making process.

However, there are things that get in the way of simple decision making. We all carry with us a range of likes and dislikes, learnt behaviours and personal preferences developed throughout our lives; they are the hallmarks of being human. A major contribution to ensuring we think critically is to be aware of these personal characteristics, preferences and biases (偏见) and make allowance for them when considering possible next steps.

The more clearly, we are aware of ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the more likely our critical thinking will be productive.

1. What will you be by using critical thinking?

A．A creative philosopher.	B．A passive recipient of information.
C．An independent organizer.	D．An active learner.

2. Which of the followings belongs to critical thinking?

A．Setting up direct targets.	B．Coming up with imaginative ideas.
C．Analysing original reasons.	D．Making various possible decisions.

3. What can we infer from paragraph 6?

A．Personal preferences will change critical thinking.

B．Individual behaviours will stop you pursuing the goal.

C．Tastes and preferences vary from individual to individual.

D．Critical thinking gets in the way of simple decision making.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．What is Critical Thinking?

B．How does Critical Thinking work?

C．How is Critical Thinking Productive?

D．What effect does Critical Thinking cause?

8 . Science labs are a place of great excitement and learning, but it is important to stay safe and alert at all times.     1    Listening to your teacher and following their instructions is an essential part of behavior in your school lab.

Know about all safety procedures.     2    All safety and emergency procedures should be discussed at the beginning of the school year. In addition, relevant safety measures should be reviewed before each experiment.

Report all spills (溢出), injuries, or broken equipment to your teacher. Immediately after a spill or breakage occurs, it must be reported to your teacher. Never try to clean up a chemical spill without consulting your teacher first.

Dress for lab work. Do not wear bulky (笨重的) clothing as this will be difficult to manage and may come into contact with a flame or chemicals.     3    Wear shoes that are closed-toe, low heeled, and cover your entire foot.

    4    When working in a science lab, you must always wear a lab coat, gloves, and protective eyewear. The lab coat will protect you from chemical spills and gloves will protect your hands when handling chemicals or bacteria.

Know where to find safety equipment. Familiarize yourself with the location of any and all safety equipment which may be available, including the fire extinguisher (灭火器), first aid kit, and the eyewash station.     5    

A．There are many dangers in a lab.

B．Wear proper protective equipment.

C．Listen carefully to your teacher at all times.

D．Roll up your sleeves and keep long hair tied back.

E．Listen to all instructions before beginning any experiments.

F．If an emergency does occur, you must know the correct way to act.

G．If you have access to an emergency shower, know where this is located.

9 . Butterflies are the adult stage of an insect belonging to a group called Lepidoptera, which is a Greek word meaning “scaly wings.” The term is appropriate, as the wings of these insects have thousands of overlapping (重叠的) tiny scales. They give the butterfly its super appearance as the scales are set in colorful patterns unique to their species.Butterflies have the typical body of insects: head, thorax, abdomen, and six legs. They also have an exoskeleton (外骨骼) and two feelers.

The first stage of butterfly life is the egg. These shells are tiny and can be roundor oval. Females attach eggs to plant stems or leaves, which serve as food when the larvae (幼虫) hatch.

At the second stage, the larva/caterpillar hatches. The new animal may have a number of legs. Several pairs will be true legs but some will be false legs. The caterpillar has a greedy appetite and spends most of its life eating. It grows a lot during this phase, only the outer skin doesn’t grow along with the rest of its body. Outgrowing its skin, the caterpillar molts, ridding one exoskeleton and replacing it with another. Caterpillars may go through up to five molts.

The third stage is the chrysalis (虫茧). Caterpillars find a spray and make it home. (They may use a wall or other support.) The exoskeleton splits and reveals the chrysalis. The chrysalis shell hangs like a big bag. Inside the shell, the caterpillar breaks down. It rearranges its structure, growing a new body, legs, and wings. Unlike the caterpillar, the chrysalis doesn’t eat. It survives on energy from food eaten during the larval stage. This third step can last from several days to twelve months.

The final stage is the birth of the adult butterfly. The chrysalis splits, and the butterfly emerges.

Most adult butterflies live a week or two. Some species live as long as 18 months.

1. How does the author feel about Lepidoptera?

A．Significant.

B．Typical.

C．Adequate.

D．Specific.

2. What does the underlined word “molts” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Changes the old chrysalis into a new one.

B．Replaces the original skin with a new one.

C．Controls the false legs with the true ones.

D．Replaces the old exoskeleton with a new one.

3. Where does the food of the chrysalis come from?

A．The first stage of butterfly life.	B．The second stage of butterfly life.
C．The third stage of butterfly life.	D．The fourth stage of butterfly life.

4. How is the text mainly developed?

A．By process.

B．By example.

C．By comparison.

D．By classification.