1 . From woodworker to great artist—this was the course of Qi Baishi’s life. He achieved success by coupling talent with hard work. In 1953, he was honoured with the title “People’s Artist” by the Chinese government.

For most of the general public, his masterpieces are his paintings of shrimps. At the beginning, he painted these small animals by following ancient models. Later, he developed a personal style by using shades of black ink to show a shrimp’s body, giving it an almost real-life feel. Besides, his paintings of flowers and vegetables, indicating rich harvests (丰收), are famous as well. People love these nature-based paintings because the works remind them of the countryside and of their hometowns. The dove is another common image in Qi’s art during his later years, showing his wish for world peace.

Be it landscapes, birds, flowers or figures, Qi’s paintings are rich in expression and detail. Using heavy ink, bright colors and energetic strokes (运笔), he created works in a fresh and lively manner, expressing his love of nature and life. His art reflects an international trend (趋势) in modern art at the time, yet he expressed it in a typical Chinese way.

Qi was hard-working even in his 70s. He kept looking for higher goals, especially as he got older. While many other Chinese artists retire from public life at an old age, Qi actively took on more social responsibilities. He said: “I love my hometown, my country and all the lives there. In recent years, I have realized that what I run after is world peace.”

In 1956, he was awarded the International Peace Prize by the World Peace Council.

1. Why are Qi Baishi’s nature-based paintings popular?

A．They lift people’s spirits.	B．They touch people’s feelings.
C．They inspire people’s passions.	D．They reflect people’s wishes.

2. What does paragraph 3 focus on about Qi Baishi?

A．His masterpieces.	B．His influence.
C．His painting subjects.	D．His painting style.

3. Why was Qi Baishi still hard-working at an old age?

A．To popularize Chinese paintings.	B．To involve the youth in arts.
C．To shoulder more social responsibilities.	D．To earn international reputation.

4. Which of the following words can be used to best describe Qi?

A．Remarkable and admirable.	B．Passionate and confident.
C．Intelligent and generous.	D．Realistic and professional.

2 . Wendo Musaly was born in Congo (DRC) on November 21, 1996. Two months after he was born, the situation in Congo went into a state of war causing unrest across the country. To keep their children, Wendo and his elder sister, safe, Wendo’s parents decided to flee to Tanzania, where they had to live in refugee (难民) camps, dependent on others for the basic necessities of life.

At 11, Wendo and his friends formed a music group. Guitars and drums were the only instruments they had to practice their music. After some time, they gained confidence in themselves and began performing in the street and even at parties. This was when Wendo realized that he had a talent in him.

After Wendo was hit with the realization that he was great with music, he began taking it more seriously. In 2016, when his family finally moved to the States, Wendo could see a future for himself. Although late, his parents got him and his sister in a high school to complete their studies in 2016. Wendo went to Winooski High School and completed his high school studies in 2020. All this time, he did not abandon his passion for music. Instead, he tried his hand at songwriting.

Musaly got his first break in August 2018 when he cooperated with Mr. Oli on a song named Pourquoi. As a newcomer, it was surprising for him to receive a positive response to his work, and this was just the beginning of his career. He started working on various projects and made tons of works produced by working with others. Wendo then released a song, Give Me That Eh, featuring Mr. Oli & Q-Boi and Tú’úndané featuring Lumiere. He also worked on some singles, including Kiboko WE and Je T’Aime.

Music was truly his talent, as he succeeded in each step that he took. Life has mysterious ways of rewarding people, and this was how Wendo Musaly was rewarded for his good spirit, positive attitude and perseverance (坚持不懈).

1. What was Wendo’s life like in Tanzania?

A．Comfortable.

B．Dangerous.

C．Promising.

D．Tough.

2. Which of the following best describes Wendo?

A．He’s kind-hearted.	B．He’s very determined.
C．He thinks highly of himself.	D．He has a gift for songwriting.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about concerning Wendo?

A．His struggle for life.	B．His extraordinary gift.
C．His attempts at success.	D．His musical achievements.

4. What message does Wendo’s journey to success convey to us?

A．Parents are the best teachers.	B．Perseverance leads to success.
C．Opportunities favor the talented.	D．Suffering is the gateway to reputation

3 . “With the passing of Chinese scientist Yuan Longping, China and the world have lost one greatest agricultural scientists,” Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, said. Quinn, also vice chairman of the Yuan Longping International Rice Development Forum, shared his memory of the “father of hybrid rice” in an interview with Xinhua on Sunday.

Quinn first met Yuan in October 2004, when Yuan traveled to Des Moines in the U.S. state of Iowa to receive the World Food Prize. As they walked out of the airport , Quinn received a call and stepped aside to speak. When he turned back a minute or two later, he lost Yuan. “I had never before ‘lost’ a laureate(贵人),” he said. After a desperate search, he found Professor Yuan surrounded by a group of smiling graduate students from Iowa State University who so admired him that they wanted to take him off for a meal and conversation.

Quinn admired Yuan as a teacher. “He always had time to answer questions and speak with young scientists and students. The American high school students we sent to his research center each year always returned filled with knowledge and a deep desire to learn more.”

In Quinn’s eyes, Yuan was incredibly humble, never seeking fame, and focused only on hard work and results that could help lift people out of poverty. With a ‘down to earth’ attitude, Yuan greatly reduced hunger and provided farmers with surplus income through his discovery of hybrid rice.

Learning of Yuan’s passing away on Saturday, Quinn issued a statement to send his deepest sympathy to Yuan’s family and colleagues in China, as well as his admirers across the world. “Professor Yuan Longping, who was truly beloved in his country and by all of us who knew him, will be greatly missed. His legacy will provide inspiration to generations far into the future, in China and across the world,” Quinn said in the statement.

1. How did Kenneth Quinn feel when he found Yuan in a group of students?

A．Confused.

B．Amazed.

C．Annoyed.

D．Frightened.

2. How did Yuan Longping deal with young people ?

A．He cared about the development of the youth.

B．He sent young students abroad for further study.

C．He was too busy to answer the students’ question.

D．He was generous to help young people out of trouble.

3. What does the words “down to earth” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Realistic .

B．Stubborn

C．Flexible

D．Critical

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To introduce the “father of hybrid rice”.

B．To share the stories of Yuan Longping.

C．To remember Professor Yuan Longping

D．To inspire the young to become a pioneer.

4 . Zou Shengyu isn’t your average street photographer. She’s a breakout star on Chinese video platform Bilibili, _______ by influencers and fashion models.

The 6-year-old — known to her fans as Shengsheng — has become _______ on Chinese social media in recent months.

A vlog series showing her capturing (拍摄) fashionable _______ people has attracted over 3million views. In the videos, Shengsheng _______ approaches a well-dressed young woman on the street and asks: “Hi, miss! Can I take your photo?”   She then _______ to shoot away on her camera, directing her subjects — who often _______ over her — with surprising confidence. Fans have been won over by her precocity (早熟), but also the _______of her work.

Though she only picked up a camera in 2019, Shengsheng has already developed a signature_______. Her photos always have a warm orange tone. She _______ to capture her subjects in a relaxed pose, with broad smiles on their faces.

The ________ of Shengsheng’s success has been her father, Zou Yupeng. A commercial photographer by trade, he says his daughter was ________ to follow his passion.

Zou is a________ teacher. Even in the vlog videos, he can barely hide his anger when the little girl is unable to ________ his professional standards.

According to Zou, his daughter has already used up over 110 rolls of film taking photos. But the father insists he has no________ of pushing Shengsheng to become a professional photographer. He says he just wants to teach her to be ________.

1.

A．deserted

B．courted

C．affected

D．frightened

2.

A．famous

B．beautiful

C．mature

D．polite

3.

A．common

B．lucky

C．remarkable

D．young

4.

A．patiently

B．crazily

C．typically

D．cautiously

5.

A．hesitates

B．proceeds

C．affords

D．refuses

6.

A．pull

B．take

C．knock

D．tower

7.

A．quality

B．content

C．change

D．inspiration

8.

A．issue

B．design

C．style

D．look

9.

A．prefers

B．promises

C．hates

D．agrees

10.

A．introducer

B．architect

C．leader

D．manager

11.

A．inspired

B．ordered

C．allowed

D．warned

12.

A．gentle

B．skilled

C．strict

D．kind

13.

A．set

B．match

C．apply

D．improve

14.

A．hardship

B．pleasure

C．method

D．intention

15.

A．careful

B．gifted

C．generous

D．focused

5 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单同的正确形式。

Great scientists

1) Tu Youyou :The winner of Nobel Prize

Tu Youyou was    1    (award) Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine .Tu got the prize     2    discovering artemisinin (青蒿素), a vital part of the treatment for malaria (疟疾). After     3    (fail) more than 190 times, Tu Youyou and her team finally succeeded in 1977. They even insisted     4     testing the medicine on themselves to make sure that it was safe. This success proves the great value of     5    (tradition) Chinese medicine.

2) Qian Xuesen: Father of China’s aerospace

Perhaps no other scientist has had a     6    (great) impact on China's aerospace science than Qian Xuesen. Qian was an     7    (extreme) well-respected man, with great scientific thought and scientific spirit ,    8     was patriotic and served his homeland with effort, achievement ,and devotion. After overcoming difficulties in the US, Qian returned to China in 1955. At that time, China was     9     poor that its rocket science was undeveloped. Under Qian’s leadership, China developed the Dongfeng missiles,     10    (follow) by the first generation of Long March rockets.

6 . Susan had always loved making clothes, spending her teenage years fashioning Vogue Patterns to wear to parties. However, life got in the way of taking her fashion dreams any further.

Susan worked as any staff from a waitress to a cook in an old people’s home, before getting a job at a charity.

“For some reason, the charity had to reduce my days. I thought I’d use the opportunity to take up an A-level on my extra day off, and of course I chose textile,” she said. “At last, I knew what I wanted to do with myself; I wanted to be creative.”

At the age of 61, Susan quit her job to follow her passion. “I loved learning all the different techniques like quilting, batik (蜡染), pattern making,” she said. “I felt I was in my element, and getting my hands dirty with bleach (漂白剂) and dyes; I’d never felt happier.”

After an open day at the University of Northampton, she signed up to get a degree in fashion. Susan was a hit at university, and the teachers were impressed with her designs, which she described as female. Being picked for the Graduate Fashion Week show was the cherry on the cake. She said, “It was an unbelievable experience and I loved every minute of the show. It’s given me a taste of what I want to do next, and that’s to work in the fashion industry.”

To anyone else who has a dream they’ve never had the chance to complete, she has an important message. “I want to tell people to just have a go,” she said. “One step at a time, the journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step. Do what you can with what you’ve got and don’t let age be a barrier. I’m so glad I did the course—it’s given me a new lesson of life and shows you can really do anything.”

1. When Susan was young, she _______.

A．determined to become a designer	B．knew nothing about fashion
C．liked to design clothes very much	D．dreamed to work at a charity

2. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．I made a big decision in life.	B．I was used to the environment.
C．I made myself feel uncomfortable.	D．I did what I was good at.

3. What are Susan’s designs like?

A．They are connected with women.	B．They are different from those of others.
C．They reflect her attitude towards life.	D．They show the signs of natural beauty.

4. What can we learn from Susan?

A．Find your own dream.	B．Never give up your dream.
C．Start your life one step at a time.	D．A step is the beginning of a journey.