1 . A huge fire broke out on 2 September 1666 in London. The fire, known as the Great Fire of London, was the worst fire in the history of London. It burned down more than three quarters of the old city.
The fire started in the very early hours of Sunday morning in the house of the king’s baker. A strong wind blew the fire from the baker’s house into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.
At that time, most of the buildings in London were made of wood, so it was easy for the fire to spread quickly. By eight o’clock, three hundred houses were on fire. By Monday, nearly a kilometre of the city was burning along the Thames River. On Tuesday, which was considered the worst day, the fire destroyed many well-known buildings, including the old St Paul’s Cathedral.
The fire burned until finally hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire were destroyed to create a firebreak. The fire then died out eventually with nothing left to burn.
1. Why is the fire of 1666 called the Great Fire of London?| A．The fire broke out in the capital of England. |
| B．The fire was the worst fire in the history of London. |
| C．People in England will never forget the fire. |
| D．The fire spread fast into Thames Street. |
| A．In the house of the king’s baker. |
| B．In Thames Street. |
| C．In the house of the baker’s neighbour. |
| D．In St Paul’s Cathedral. |
| A．It started in a baker’s house. |
| B．It broke out on a Sunday morning. |
| C．A hotel was next to the baker’s house. |
| D．Most of the buildings in London were wooden. |
| A．The old St Paul’s Cathedral. |
| B．Hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. |
| C．Hundreds of wooden houses. |
| D．All of the above. |
2 . While English is getting more important in our schools, Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. But Chinese can be more difficult to learn. At least 16-year-old Piao Chenglong thinks so. “English is easier for me. Chinese characters (汉字) have too many strokes (笔画),” said Piao. “But I want to learn it. I want to study at Beijing University when I grow up.” Piao is from Korea. He came to China in 2008.
In Korea, there are more than 300, 000 Chinese learners like Piao. Some Korean students begin to learn to write the language on their first day at school. To help students learn Chinese, Korea holds speaking competitions for high school students every year.
Chinese isn’t just popular in Korea. People from all the world want to learn it. The Ministry of Education of China says that nearly 130 million people from 85 countries are learning Chinese. This number will be increasing to 800 million in the coming years.
In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. Some American middle schools have Chinese classes. Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots (中国结). Some even try to write and draw in the Chinese way!
People want to learn Chinese because China is becoming such an important country. Foreign countries want to understand China better to help them with business. The Chinese government is also helping the world learn Chinese. It has sent more than 200 Chinese teachers to more than 60 countries in the world. Many more Confucius Institutes (孔子学院) will be set up in the world. These institutes will teach Chinese to foreign students.
1. Which of the following is the topic sentence for the text?| A．Chinese has become popular among foreign kids. |
| B．Chinese can be more difficult to learn. |
| C．In America, Chinese is the second most popular foreign language after Spanish. |
| D．Students learn to make jiaozi and tie Chinese knots. |
| A．China. | B．America. | C．Korea. | D．Spain. |
| A．making jiaozi |
| B．writing and drawing in the Chinese way |
| C．tying Chinese knots |
| D．singing Chinese songs |
| A．Because Chinese is getting more important in their schools. |
| B．Because Chinese characters have too many strokes. |
| C．Because the number of people learning Chinese will be 800 million. |
| D．Because China is becoming more and more important in the world. |
Joseph is a teacher in New York. He gives lessons to
Unlike many other children, Joseph went to school. And
4 . You come home on a hot summer day, hoping to have a cool bath, but find there is no water. Then you see how important water is in your daily life. While sometimes you have the idea in many parts of the world, water is not just about one’s everyday needs.
In countries like Tanzania, water is hard to get, and the job of collecting water falls on women’s shoulders. Girls often have to leave school to collect water, while their brothers stay at school studying. The girls spend more time collecting water. That means they have less time for learning.
For these girls, “Knowledge is Power” is not just words; it’s a sad fact in real life. As they spend less time at school, they have fewer chances of getting good jobs, and they often have no choices on important matters, like who to marry. These girls are often married into poor families. They have little money or knowledge to take care of their children. For the baby girls who are lucky enough to survive(生存), their life may be still around “water”, just like their mothers’.
1. What do the underlined words “the idea” mean?| A．Water is important in one’s everyday life. |
| B．Water is not just about one’s everyday needs. |
| C．It's nice to have a cool bath on a hot summer day. |
| A．men’s | B．women’s | C．boys’ |
| A．not just words | B．a sad fact in real life | C．both A and B |
| A．The girls have a hard life in countries like Tanzania. |
| B．Why it’s important to save water. |
| C．How water may give a country power. |
5 . Magical box
In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there’s a famous saying, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.” The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside uniform packaging (统一的包装)and cannot be seen from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
Blind boxes have caught on since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall (天猫)report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box, designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55,000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for these magical mystery (神秘)boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to the report, blind box toys are popular partly because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figurines (小塑像)conic in very small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere. There is another main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another. “Fear of the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process,” said Miss Cao, 24, who loves buying blind boxes. Speaking to Sina News, she said, “Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside.”
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our boring daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainly is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone remakes the film Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, “Life is like a blind box ...”
1. What can we learn about blind boxes?| A．People buy blind boxes when they feel bored. |
| B．The toys in blind boxes come from pop culture. |
| C．Blind boxes are designed by a Hong Kong artist. |
| D．All of blind boxes were sold out on Nov. 11, 2019. |
| A．Small size. | B．Uniform packaging. |
| C．Professional design。 | D．Mystery and uncertainty. |
| A．The history of blind boxes. | B．The problems of blind boxes. |
| C．The popularity of blind boxes. | D．The cultural effects of blind boxes. |
6 . When I was a college student, I did a lot of traveling abroad. That was because a professor
Since I started to work for a
Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were
Today there are people who
| A．promised | B．allowed | C．hurried | D．encouraged |
| A．build up | B．use | C．practise | D．exchange |
| A．agreed with | B．learned from | C．followed | D．obeyed |
| A．computer | B．food | C．clothing | D．machine |
| A．life | B．rivers | C．sights | D．houses |
| A．plans | B．bargain | C．progress | D．trips |
| A．information | B．taste | C．cooks | D．feelings |
| A．even more | B．no longer | C．much | D．actually |
| A．people | B．drink | C．atmosphere | D．environment |
| A．shoes | B．dishes | C．customers | D．situations |
| A．friends’ | B．parents’ | C．professor’s | D．boss’s |
| A．produces | B．advertises | C．forms | D．advances |
| A．news | B．pleasures | C．troubles | D．places |
| A．avoid | B．keep | C．lose | D．enjoy |
| A．meeting | B．talking | C．playing | D．traveling |
| A．stopped | B．met | C．surrounded | D．hurt |
| A．look at | B．employ | C．travel | D．meet |
| A．communication | B．study | C．work | D．action |
| A．spare | B．increase | C．reduce | D．make use of |
| A．wisely | B．correctly | C．or less | D．slowly |
Mr. Smith used to be in prison for three years, which may make you think he is not a good man. But as
As a result, Mr. Smith received the punishment. He was arrested（逮捕）and
8 . My grandfather is an eighty-year-old man. He always complains about how things have changed, and he says that life used to be better.
Families aren't families the way (they used to be). A lot of families have broken down. If husband and wife are having problems with their marriage, they no longer stay together. And mothers used to stay at home and take care of their children, but now not any more. Everyone's working. No one has time to look after their children anymore.
And the cars! No one walks anymore; everyone drives. They used to walk five miles to school every day, even in winter. And in school, the children don't have to think anymore. In math class, for example, they used to add, subtract (减) , multiply( 乘), and divide (除) in their heads. Kids don't use their heads anymore; instead, they use calculators(计算器).
Most families have computers now. In their day, they didn't have computers. They didn't even have electricity. His mother used to spend all day cooking in the kitchen. Nobody eats home-cooked food anymore.
And people don't talk to each other anymore, they are too busy to talk, too busy to eat, too busy to think ... Life used to be simple, but it isn't anymore. It's complicated.
1. What does my grandfather think of the life now?| A．He thinks life now is the same as it used to be. |
| B．He thinks life now is worse than it used to be. |
| C．He thinks life now is better than it used to be. |
| D．He thinks life now is very good. |
| A．生活 | B．工作 | C．婚姻 | D．家庭 |
| A．The students don't have to think anymore in school |
| B．The students use calculators in math class. |
| C．The students used to walk to school,but now they don't. |
| D．All above. |
①There is electricity at home.
②People like to eat home-cooked food.
③Lots of families have computers.
④Lots of couples live apart because of unhappy problems.
| A．①②④ | B．②③④ | C．①②③ | D．①③④ |
9 . Luis was born in Lima, Peru. He lived there with his parents. But one day his life changed completely. His parents got divorced(离婚). And his mother moved to the United States. So Luis went with her.
This move was a big change for Luis. He tried to fit into his new life. He had to go to a new school, learn a new language and make new friends. But Luis felt different from the other children. He felt that he did not belong. He wanted to return to South America. Some years later he had his chance. He was so happy to return to his original culture! But to his surprise, he did not feel at home.
Luis felt troubled. He did not know which country he was from. Luis is not the only young person to have these feelings. More and more young people are moving around the world with their parents. Their parents' work may cause the move. Families may choose to move. They hope for a better life. Such families have new experiences.They learn about other cultures. They have interesting lives. But there can also be a big problem. A lot of people do not understand how moving will affect their children. Parents may not understand their children's struggles. And they often think it will be easy for their children to return to their home country. They may expect their children to be the same as them, to have the same ideas, and to have the same beliefs.
There is a name for these children who grow up in more than one country-"third culture kids". Third culture kids are not completely part of their parents' culture. They are not completely part of the other culture they live in. Instead, they are a mix of cultures. This mixed culture is their own culture-a third culture.
1. What happened to Luis when he moved to America?| A．He couldn't fit in. | B．He liked American culture at once. |
| C．He had problem with the new language. | D．He couldn't make friends. |
| A．To look for his father. | B．To learn about the culture of Peru. |
| C．To seek a sense of belonging. | D．To compare different cultures. |
| A．Cultural Shock | B．Children's Problems |
| C．Third Culture Kids | D．Missing Home |
10 . Take a class at Dulangkou School, and you’ll see lots of things different from other schools. You can see the desks are not in rows and students sit in groups. They put their desks together so they’re facing each other. How can they see the blackboard? There are three blackboards on the three walls of the classroom!
The school calls the new way of learning “Tuantuanzuo”, meaning sitting in groups. Wei Liying, a Junior 3 teacher, said it was to give students more chance to communicate.
Each group has five or six students, according to Wei, and they play different roles (角色). There is a team leader who takes care of the whole group. There is a “study leader” who makes sure that everyone finishes their homework. And there is a discipline (纪律) leader who makes sure that nobody chats in class.
Wang Lin is a team leader. The 15-year-old said that having to deal with so many things was tiring.
“I just looked after my own business before,” said Wang. “But now I have to think about my five group members.”
But Wang has got used to it and can see the benefits (好处) now.
“ I used to speak too little. But being a team leader means you have to talk a lot. You could even call me an excellent speaker today.”
Zhang Qi, 16, was weak in English. She used to get about 70 in English tests. But in a recent test, Zhang got a grade of more than 80.
“I rarely (很少) asked others when I had problems with my English. But now I can ask the team leader or study leader. They are really helpful.”
1. What makes Dulangkou School different from others?| A．The students’ desks are in rows. |
| B．Students sit and study in groups. |
| C．There are three blackboards in the classroom. |
| D．Both B and C. |
| A．take care of the whole group |
| B．make sure that everybody finishes homework |
| C．make sure that nobody chats in class |
| D．collect all the homework and hand it in to teachers |
| A．chat with each other | B．listen to the teachers |
| C．make friends | D．communicate |
| A．get benefits from | B．are tired of |
| C．cannot get used to | D．hate |
