期末复习之阅读理解20篇（南京专用）-2025-2026学年九年级英语上学期期末复习（译林版2012）

期末复习之阅读理解20篇 （南京专用） 题号 难度 知识点 1 容易 应用文,时文/广告/布告 2 适中 应用文,时文/广告/布告,环境保护 3 适中 食物,应用文,时文/广告/布告 4 适中 竞技/比赛,应用文,时文/广告/布告 5 适中 景点/建筑,应用文,时文/广告/布告 6 适中 爱好,记叙文,哲理感悟 7 适中 记叙文,哲理感悟,旅行 8 适中 记叙文,其他著名人物 9 较易 记叙文,其他著名人物,传统工艺 10 适中 记叙文,教育 11 适中 说明文,友谊,最佳标题,篇章结构,细节理解 12 适中 说明文,文学家 13 适中 说明文,音乐与舞蹈,最佳标题,词句猜测,细节理解 14 适中 说明文,常见动物,人与动植物 15 适中 说明文,环境保护,词句猜测,细节理解 16 较易 科学技术,议论文 17 困难 议论文,哲理感悟 18 较难 议论文,哲理感悟 19 较难 议论文,环境保护,环境污染 20 较难 议论文,方法/策略 London Valley Local Directory Important “999” should only be used for emergency calls to the police, fire service or for an ambulance. When the phone is answered, please say “Police”, “Fire” or “Ambulance”. Beauty salons and supplies   Film Star Make-up                           555 4000   Ugly Duckling Hair and Skin Supplies           880 6988 Chain Stores   Betty’s Big Bakery                           862 9697   Little Flower Supermarket                     827 8668 Clothing Handsome Hats                             856 3113   Jerry’s Jeans                                575 4477 Restaurants Ken’s Hamburger House                      750 0170   Li’s Chinese Restaurant                       527 7177 1．What number might you call if you want to eat some Chinese food? A．555 4000 B．527 7177 C．862 9697 D．575 4477 2．You can call 999 if you want to say ________. A．“Do you sell make-up from the UK?” B．“Do you have any hats for babies?” C．“A chocolate cake, please. My address is...” D．“Ambulance” 3．What can’t you do in the valley according to this directory? A．Watch a film. B．Have a haircut. C．Buy some flowers. D．Have a nice dinner. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．A 【导语】本文是London Valley这一地区实用信息查询目录，上面有紧急服务查询指引和生活服务联系方式。 1．细节理解题。根据餐馆栏“Li’s Chinese Restaurant”和对应的“527 7177”可知，中餐厅的电话是“527 7177”，选项B符合题意。故选B。 2．细节理解题。根据“When the phone is answered, please say...or “Ambulance”.”可知，接通999后能说“救护车”，选项D的“Ambulance”符合题意。故选D。 3．推理判断题。通读目录可知，有理发店、花店和餐馆等的联络电话，没有电影院的联系方式，选项A的“看电影”不符合题意。故选A。 Save The EarthArt Competition Organized by the Green Club We are living on planet Earth and it is our only home, so it is up to us to take care of it! Let’s recycle and keep our Earth green ! *Create a picture using recycled materials. *The theme is “Save the Earth”. *Attractive prizes to be won. *Each winner will also receive a trophy for his or her class. *Winning entries (作品) will be put up for exhibition in the school hall. Rules *Entries must be sent to Katerina, the teacher-in-charge, no later than May 31*. *Your picture must be original (原创的), and you have to use recycled materials for your creation. More information about the rules and regulations is available at www. artcompetition. com If you hove any questions, please contact Winnie at 86478027.Prizes provided by the Parents’ Support Group 1．Where can people enjoy the winning entries? A．On the website. B．In the school hall. C．In the classroom. D．At Winnie’s home. 2．Why are exclamation marks(“！”) used in the poster? A．To surprise the readers. B．To express the writer’s happiness. C．To make the poster easier to read. D．To show the writer’s strong feelings 3．What is the main purpose of this poster? A．To invite parents to support the event B．To attract students to the Art Competition. C．To introduce a new form of art to students D．To teach students how to recycle materials 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．B 【导语】这是一则由绿色俱乐部组织的“拯救地球”艺术比赛海报，呼吁学生使用回收材料创作主题作品，强调地球是唯一的家园，需共同呵护。海报还介绍了比赛规则、奖品设置及联系方式等信息。 1．细节理解题。根据海报中“Winning entries will be put up for exhibition in the school hall.”可知，获奖作品将在学校大厅展出。故选B。 2．推理判断题。海报中“so it is up to us to take care of it!”、“Let’s recycle and keep our Earth green!” 等句子使用感叹号，结合“地球是唯一家园”的主题，可知是为了表达作者对环保的强烈情感，呼吁人们行动。故选D。 3．主旨大意题。海报围绕“艺术比赛”展开，提及创作要求、奖品、展览等，核心是吸引学生参与比赛。故选B。 BBQ Power Beef, chicken, sausages and bacon, all on a creamy cheese sauce. Sounds great? You’ve got to taste it on your own! Veggie PartyCabbage, mushrooms and onions, topped with low-fat cheese. If you want to stay fit while satisfying yourself, order it! Aquatic Dream Fresh prawns and fish on a rich garlic sauce base. This is the perfect choice for seafood lovers. Feeling like having pizzas on other days? No worries. We also offer great prices during the rest of the week. Get 40% off full price pizza when ordering on our app. *For more information, follow us on social media to get the latest offers. 1．When can customers buy 1 pizza and get 1 free? A．Monday. B．Tuesday. C．Friday. D．Saturday. 2．What is a person who prefers seafood most likely to order? A．Snacks and desserts. B．BBQ Power. C．Veggie Party. D．Aquatic Dream. 3．What is the main purpose of the material? A．To introduce the prices of different pizzas. B．To teach readers how to make a pizza. C．To attract more customers to order pizzas. D．To call on people to download the app. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．C 【导语】本文主要介绍不同种类的披萨和优惠活动。 1．细节理解题。根据图片“TWO FOR TUES | BUY 1 PIZZA GET 1 FREE”可知，周二有“买一送一”的优惠活动。故选B。 2．细节理解题。根据“Aquatic Dream | This is the perfect choice for seafood lovers.”可知，Aquatic Dream对喜爱海鲜的人来说最合适。故选D。 3．推理判断题。文章主要介绍不同种类的披萨和优惠活动，其目的在于吸引更多顾客订购。故选C。 Glorious! Labor!If you like cooking, if you can cook delicious food, here’s your chance! Come and join in the “Glorious! Labor!” (July 1st, 2024)! All you have to do is to create your own dishes in 40 minutes. Please pay attention to the following things: Think about what to cook before the competition. Give a special name to your dish. Buy all the food ingredients yourselves before the competition. Come to the People’s Square and cook the delicious food with other competitors. After finishing cooking, introduce your food to all the experts. The competition is only open to students who live in Dongguan. Get an entry form (参赛表格) from www. dongguanlife. org/cfcw. Send the entry form before 25th June, 2024. We will invite another ten parents to try your food. They will have the chance to vote (投票) for their favorite dish. Names of winners will also be posted on www, dongguanlife. org/cfcw. on July 6th, 2024. 1st place 2,000 yuan and 5 bags of rice 2nd place 2,000 yuan and 2 boxes of milk 3rd place 1,000 yuan and 1 bottle of cooking oil For more information, please contact us! Tel:(0769)92136116 E-mail: dongguanlife@qq. com Mail: Dongguanlife, Box 520, Dongzhong Road 103 1．What’s Linda’s place if she gets 2,000 yuan and 2 boxes of milk? A．1st place. B．2nd place. C．3rd to 6th places. D．7th places. 2．According to the passage, everyone can know the result ________. A．within half a week B．within a week C．the next day D．the next month 3．What’s the purpose of the passage? A．To ask students to take cooking class. B．To ask people to vote for their favorite dish. C．To encourage students to take part in the cooking competition. D．To ask parents to let children cook at home. 【答案】1．B 2．B 3．C 【导语】本文是一则活动通知，主要介绍了2024年7月1日举办的“Glorious! Labor!”烹饪比赛的相关信息，包括参赛要求、流程、奖项设置及结果公布方式等。 1．细节理解题。根据文章奖项表格中“2nd place”对应的奖励内容“2,000 yuan and 2 boxes of milk”可知，Linda获得的奖励与第二名完全匹配。故选B。 2．细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段“Names of winners will also be posted on www.dongguanlife.org/cfcw on July 6th, 2024”可知，比赛结果将在7月6日公布，而比赛日期是7月1日，间隔时间为5天（一周内）。原文中“within a week”与此吻合。故选B。 3．主旨大意题。全文通过介绍比赛时间、规则、奖励和参与方式，核心目的是鼓励学生参与烹饪比赛。故选C。 Home Organization Visit Exhibitions Education Services News Collections Tuesday-Sunday 8:00 (Opening)—16:00 (Admission Stopped)—17:00 (Closed)                             Bus 5, 34, 36, 55, 59 to Zhongshanmen Station Subway Line 2 Minggugong Station, 300 Meters East From Exit 1 * It is open all day on national public holidays on Mondays, but closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Day. * Regarding to opening time of the Theater during nights, please check Nanjing Museum’s official website. Chinese calligraphy and painting are the symbols of China’s brilliant civilization. Sculpture is the first kind of art. The Sculpture Hall in the Arts Gallery also displays a lot of artworks reflecting great wisdom. The Digital Gallery presents the visitors with a sense of time flying through the virtual (虚拟的) “time tunnel”. You are not only a visitor, but also a participant (参与者). You can deeply experience human wisdom here. 1．When can people visit the Nanjing Museum? A．Every Monday. B．On Lunar New Year’s Eve. C．On Lunar New Year’s Day. D．At the Dragon Boat Festival. 2．If Olivia is interested in Chinese sculptures, which icon should she click on? A．B． C． D． 3．What can we learn from this website? A．The theater is not open to the public during nights. B．Visitors are able to take the No.34 bus to the museum. C．Buying the tickets after arriving at the museum is a must. D．Visitors can go through the “time tunnel” in the Arts Gallery. 【答案】1．D 2．D 3．B 【导语】本文是一篇关于南京博物馆的说明文，主要介绍了博物馆的开放时间、交通方式以及部分展览内容。 1．细节理解题。根据“It is open all day on national public holidays on Mondays, but closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Day.”可知，国家法定假日星期一全天开放，除夕和大年初一闭馆。选项中，D选项“端午节”是法定假日，因此可以在当天参观。故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据“The Sculpture Hall in the Arts Gallery also displays a lot of artworks reflecting great wisdom.”可知，雕塑馆位于艺术画廊中，展示了许多反映伟大智慧的艺术品。因此，如果Olivia对雕塑感兴趣，她应该点击与艺术画廊相关的图标。根据选项中的图片描述，D选项的图标最可能与艺术画廊相关。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据“Bus 5, 34, 36, 55, 59 to Zhongshanmen Station”可知，游客可以乘坐34路公交车到达博物馆。因此，B选项“游客可以乘坐34路公交车到达博物馆”是正确的。故选B。 Horace was walking through the music store with his mother. She wanted him to join the school band and play an instrument. As they passed the flute and trumpet (长笛和小号) section, Horace frowned. He didn’t like their high, bright sounds. He also worried that joining the band might make other kids think he was a “band geek” and not cool. Then he saw the electric guitars. That’s more like it, he thought. A guitar looked cool and strong, not soft like a violin. Excited, he picked one up, put the strap over his shoulder, and tried to play a chord. But when he strummed the strings, all that came out was a messy, twanging (刺耳的) noise. He had no idea what he was doing. His excitement disappeared, replaced by embarrassment. “I’m awful at this,” he muttered, putting the guitar down. His mother, trying not to show her disappointment, gently led him to the last section of the store. There, an old man was sitting on a stool, playing a large, wooden instrument—a cello (大提琴). The man moved a long bow across the strings, and a deep, rich, beautiful sound filled the air. Horace stopped. The melody was sad but beautiful, and it felt completely different from the sharp sounds of the flutes or the noisy guitar. The old man saw Horace watching and smiled. He showed Horace how to hold the cello and how to pull the bow gently across one string. With a little help, Horace managed to produce a single clear, vibrating (振动的) note. It wasn’t a messy noise, it was a real musical sound. A feeling of surprise and happiness washed over him, “Mom,” he said, looking up with shining eyes, “This is it. I want to learn this. (Picture ________★________)” His mother agreed happily. For the next hour, while she talked to the store clerk about prices and lessons, Horace didn’t listen. He just watched the old man play and tried to make a few more notes himself. He had found his instrument not by looking for what seemed cool, but by listening for what truly spoke to him. 1．What does Horace mean when he thinks, “That’s more like it,” about the electric guitar? A．It is what the school band needs. B．It is the instrument his mother likes most. C．It looks cool and feels right for him. D．It is easier to play than other instruments. 2．Which of the following pictures can be put into ________★________? A．B． C． D． 3．Which shows the correct order of what Horace does in the story? ① Decide to learn the cello. ② Try the electric guitar and fail. ③ Get lost in practicing the cello. ④ Visit the music store with mother. ⑤ Hear the cello played by an old man. ⑥ Dislike the trumpet and flute sounds. A．④⑥②⑤③① B．④②⑥⑤③① C．④⑥②⑤①③ D．④②⑤⑥③① 4．What does the story mainly tell us? A．Insist on your first choice. B．Cool-looking things are best. C．Parents always know what is best. D．Choose what truly touches your heart. 【答案】1．C 2．B 3．C 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇记叙文，Horace在妈妈陪同下选乐器，因电吉他难学受挫，后被大提琴声音打动，决定学习，领悟到应选触动内心的事物。 1．细节理解题。根据“A guitar looked cool and strong, not soft like a violin.”可知，Horace认为电吉他看起来酷且符合他的感觉，故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据“He showed Horace how to hold the cello and how to pull the bow gently across one string...looking up with shining eyes”可知，此处应填能体现Horace拿着大提琴、神情兴奋的图片。图片B符合场景，故选B。 3．细节理解题。结合全文，故事顺序为：④和妈妈逛乐器店→⑥不喜欢长笛和小号→②尝试电吉他失败→⑤听到老人拉大提琴→①决定学大提琴→③沉浸练习大提琴，故选C。 4．主旨大意题。根据“He had found his instrument not by looking for what seemed cool, but by listening for what truly spoke to him.”可知，故事告诉我们要选择真正触动内心的事物，故选D。 Every time I saw my coupled friends share their vacations on social media while I went home to visit my family, I thought, “I’ll be happy when I finally find someone who will go to Iceland with me.” Iceland was a symbol of a lot of things for me. It was also a thing I believed I needed to do with a partner. Years passing by, I realized this habit of saying “I’ll be happy when…” is far more damaging than it seems on the surface. In our pursuit (追求) of happiness, we end up postponing joy. We put off trips until we have the right partner to go with. But then as we scroll through our social media feed, it feels like everyone else is living life while we’re just sitting on the sidelines. I decided to stop waiting for happiness. In 2019, I booked a New Year’s trip to Iceland — by myself. What do you think happened when I finally took that trip to Iceland after nearly 10 years of thinking about it? I found joy! I watched the fireworks explode over Reykjavik with three generations of Icelanders. I ate fish and chips and scribbled (草草地写) in my journal. I booked a trip to Snaefellsnes, which ended with hot chocolate and singing carols (颂) with a crowd of farmers in a hotel. And the highlight of this trip was seeing the Northern Lights, which were more magical than I had imagined. What I’ve learned about leaning into the present rather than waiting for the future is that something unexpected always happens. Sometimes it’s adventure, and then you’re left with memories you never would’ve had if you’d just waited for happiness to find you. Other times, you find new friends, new opportunities, new inspiration — things that may actually help you get to the happiness you’re seeking faster or help you uncover a new definition of happiness. Now, when I catch myself saying some version of “I’ll be happy when…” I try to imagine myself in the future, looking back on right now and asking myself: what are you waiting for? 1．What was the author like at first? A．She hated to travel by herself. B．She desired to have an ideal partner. C．She valued her family above her friends. D．She disliked sharing her vacations online. 2．What does the underlined word “postponing” in paragraph 2 mean? A．Creating. B．Destroying. C．Waiting. D．Putting off. 3．What did the author think was most impressive during her trip to Iceland? A．Seeing the Northern Lights. B．Trying various kinds of local cuisine. C．Celebrating New Year with Icelanders D．Spending lime in a hotel in Snaefellsnes. 4．What did the author learn from her Iceland trip? A．A joy that’s shared is a joy made double. B．Happiness doesn’t depend on what happens. C．Don’t wait for happiness to come; just live life in the present. D．Don’t rely on others for your happiness; create it on your own. 5．How does the author now handle thoughts of “I’ll be happy when…”? A．They immediately book another international trip. B．They imagine their future self regretting present inaction. C．They post on social media to seek travel companions. D．They lower their expectations to avoid disappointment. 【答案】1．B 2．D 3．A 4．C 5．B 【导语】本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了作者最初总想着“等有了伴侣再去冰岛就能幸福”，后来意识到这种“等……才幸福”的想法会推迟快乐，于是独自前往冰岛旅行并收获了喜悦与成长，最终领悟到要活在当下而非等待未来，并学会以想象未来的自己反思当下的方式避免再陷入“等待幸福”的思维。 1．细节理解题。根据“I’ll be happy when I finally find someone who will go to Iceland with me. It was also a thing I believed I needed to do with a partner.”可知，作者起初渴望有一个理想的伴侣。故选B。 2．词句猜测题。根据“We put off trips until we have the right partner to go with.”可知，“postponing”的意思是“推迟”，与“putting off”同义。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据“And the highlight of this trip was seeing the Northern Lights, which were more magical than I had imagined.”可知，作者认为冰岛之旅中最令人印象深刻的是看到北极光。故选A。 4．细节理解题。根据“What I’ve learned about leaning into the present rather than waiting for the future is that something unexpected always happens.”可知，作者从冰岛之旅中学到不要等待幸福降临，要活在当下。故选C。 5．细节理解题。根据“Now, when I catch myself saying some version of “I’ll be happy when...” I try to imagine myself in the future, looking back on right now and asking myself: what are you waiting for?”可知，作者现在会想象未来的自己后悔当下的不作为。故选B。 British scientist Jane Goodall, known for her pioneering studies of chimpanzees (黑猩猩), passed away on Oct 1 at the age of 91. A post on the Jane Goodall Institute’s Instagram page said she died of natural causes while on a speaking tour in the US. Born in England in 1934, Goodall had a natural love for wild animals and dreamed of working with them in Africa. However, her poor family couldn’t help her reach this goal, so she worked several small jobs to save every bit of money she earned for her trip. In July 1960, at 26, Goodall finally traveled to Tanzania. With little more than a notebook, binoculars and her love for wildlife, she entered the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. Over the next 60 years, Goodall’s research changed how people understand human relationships with chimpanzees and introduced a new way to study wildlife. Goodall’s research was pioneering because she lived closely with wild chimpanzee groups to learn about their social lives. She gave names to each chimp and formed close relationships with them, learning how similar they were to us. She saw that chimpanzees have complex social lives and different personalities, such as being shy or outgoing. Two of Goodall’s most important discoveries came in 1960. That year she saw a group of chimpanzees eating red meat, challenging the old idea that chimps only ate plants. She also saw something even more surprising: a male chimpanzee making and using tools. This finding changed the long-held idea that humans are the only animals that use tools. Since then, scientists have found evidence of tool use in many parts of the animal world. Besides her research, Goodall traveled the world to speak about the dangers facing chimpanzees and the environmental crises facing Earth, encouraging people to take action for all living things and the planet we share. “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Goodall told National Geographic magazine. 1．How did Jane Goodall manage to go to Tanzania to study chimps? A．She was helped by her rich family. B．She was invited by a research team. C．She saved money by working different jobs. D．She got local support for wildlife research. 2．What made Goodall’s research on chimps groundbreaking? A．Her use of simple equipment. B．Her long stay in Africa. C．Her close interaction with them. D．Her focus on their eating habits 3．What can be inferred about Goodall from her words in the last sentence? A．She hoped to study more animal species. B．She wanted to speak about social issues. C．She thought her research was not enough. D．She felt a responsibility to protect wildlife. 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．D 【导语】本文是一篇记叙文，讲了英国黑猩猩研究先驱简·古道尔，靠打工攒钱赴坦桑尼亚研究黑猩猩，以密切互动的方式取得开创性发现，还呼吁保护野生动物，91岁时在美演讲途中自然离世。   1．细节理解题。根据“However, her poor family couldn’t help her reach this goal, so she worked several small jobs to save every bit of money she earned for her trip.”可知，她通过做不同的工作攒钱，才得以去坦桑尼亚研究黑猩猩。故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据“Goodall’s research was pioneering because she lived closely with wild chimpanzee groups to learn about their social lives.”可知，她与黑猩猩的密切互动让她的研究具有开创性。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据“The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves”可知，她觉得自己有责任为无法发声的野生动物（黑猩猩）发声，即有保护野生动物的责任感。故选D。 Katerina Marchenko is a young artist in Russia. She pours her creativity into Chinese embroidery (刺绣) and turns her feelings into art. Katerina was born in Moscow, but studied and grew up in a little town in Ukraine. The town holds Katerina’s many sweet memories. Katerina lived a peaceful and free life there. She likes to show these kinds of feelings in her works. Katerina’s creations are mainly about nature, including fish, birds and insects. She is also very good at painting people with embroidery. As embroidery isn’t a job that can be done quickly, the great artist likes to work on 2-3 pieces at the same time, so she doesn’t get tired of one piece. When Katerina isn’t embroidering, she finds time to offer online courses for those who are interested in learning embroidery. She believes it is a meaningful thing to do. “Embroidery is a joyful and fun process. I know that embroidery helps many people to become much more emotionally stable (情绪稳定). So the students cannot only learn something new, but also be healed (治愈) by its progress as well,” she says. Embroidery has helped Katerina achieve wealth and success. She really thanks that she can have a career (职业) out of her hobby. For her, embroidery is a relaxing form of art. It gives her a feeling that she controls something. It helps her see the world in a special and creative way, and it also has an influence on everything she does. It excites her! 1．What kind of feelings do Katerina’s works show? A．Joyful and fun. B．Excited and confident. C．Peaceful and free. D．Friendly and honest. 2．Put the events about Katerina Marchenko in the correct time order. a. She became good at embroidering portraits. b. She lived in a little town in Ukraine. c. She achieved success by embroidery. d. She offered online courses for students. A．c-a-b-d B．c-b-d-a C．b-a-d-c D．b-d-a-c 3．What can we know about Katerina’s personality according to the passage? A．Helpful, clever and outgoing. B．Proud, humorous and kind. C．Polite, honest and powerful. D．Creative, quiet and thankful. 4．Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? A．B． C． D． 5．What would be the best title for the passage? A．A Person Who Loves Art More Than Others. B．Katerina Embroiders Her Way to Success. C．A Joyful and Fun Way to Relax. D．Embroidery Helps You Succeed in Art. 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．D 4．D 5．B 【导语】本文是一篇记叙文，讲述了俄罗斯年轻艺术家Katerina Marchenko将创造力融入中国刺绣，并通过刺绣作品表达情感、取得成功的故事，同时介绍了她的创作主题、教学方式以及刺绣对她生活的影响。 1．细节理解题。根据文章第二段“Katerina lived a peaceful and free life there. She likes to show these kinds of feelings in her works.”可知，Katerina的作品表现了宁静和自由的感觉。故选C。 2．推理判断题。根据文章第二段“Katerina was born in Moscow, but studied and grew up in a little town in Ukraine.”可知，b“她住在乌克兰的一个小镇上”排在第一位；根据文章第三段“She is also very good at painting people with embroidery.”可知，a“她擅长刺绣肖像”排在第二位；根据文章第四段“When Katerina isn’t embroidering, she finds time to offer online courses for those who are interested in learning embroidery.”可知，d“她为学生提供在线课程”排在第三位；根据文章第五段“Embroidery has helped Katerina achieve wealth and success.”可知，c“她通过刺绣取得了成功”排在第四位。因此，正确的时间顺序是b-a-d-c。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据文章第一段“She pours her creativity into Chinese embroidery (刺绣) and turns her feelings into art.”可知，Katerina具有创造力；根据文章第五段“For her, embroidery is a relaxing form of art.”可推测，Katerina性格安静；根据文章第五段“She really thanks that she can have a career (职业) out of her hobby.”可知，Katerina心怀感恩。故选D。 4．篇章结构题。根据文章内容可知，第①段总体介绍了Katerina Marchenko是一位将创造力融入中国刺绣的年轻艺术家；第②③④段分别介绍了她的成长经历、创作主题、教学方式；第⑤段总结了刺绣对她生活的影响以及她对刺绣的热爱。因此，文章结构为①/②③④/⑤。故选D。 5．最佳标题题。根据文章内容可知，本文主要讲述了Katerina Marchenko通过刺绣取得成功的故事，选项B“Katerina Embroiders Her Way to Success.”（Katerina用刺绣铺就成功之路）最符合文章主旨。故选B。 When Wilbur and Orville Wright finished their flight at Kitty Hawk, Americans celebrated the brotherly bond. The brothers had grown up playing together, they had been in the newspaper business together, and they had built an airplane together. They even said they “thought together”. However, when the Wright brothers said they thought together, what they really meant was that they argued together. “After long arguments, we often found ourselves in the position of each having been pulled to the other’s side,” Orville thought back. “I don’t think they really got mad,” their mechanic (机械师) remembered, “but they got awfully hot.” The skill to get hot without getting mad is important in life. But it’s one that few parents teach to their kids. We want to give kids a warm home, so we stop brothers and sisters from quarrelling and we have our own arguments behind closed doors. Yet if kids never face disagreement directly, we’ll end up limiting their creativity. As the psychologist Robert Albert put it, the creative person-to-be comes from a family that is one with a “wobble (摇晃)”. Wilbur and Orville Wright came from a wobbly family. The brothers often watched their father Milton Wright fight with school teachers who weren’t fond of his decision to let his kids miss a half-day of school from time to time to learn on their own. The Wright brothers were not alone. The Beatles fought over instruments. Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak argued constantly while designing the first Apple computer. Brainstorming groups get 16 percent more ideas when the members are encouraged to criticize one another. The most creative ideas in Chinese technology companies come from teams that have real disagreement early on. Children need to learn the value of thoughtful disagreement. We should teach kids that silence is bad manners. It disrespects the value of your own view point and your own voice. It’s a sign of respect to care enough about someone’s opinion that you’re willing to challenge it. Good arguments are wobbly: a team or family might rock back and forth but it never tips over. If kids don’t learn to wobble, they never learn to walk; they end up standing still. 1．What’s the writer’s purpose in writing Paragraph 3? A．To summarize the paragraphs above. B．To add some background information. C．To introduce a new topic for discussion. D．To provide more examples to support his idea. 2．What does the writer say about the Wright brothers? A．They always took advice from their mechanic. B．They knew little about the newspaper business. C．They often held opposite opinions. D．They kept a very bad relationship. 3．What kind of father was Milton Wright? A．Rude B．Generous C．Hard-working D．Unusual 4．What’s the best title for the text? A．Conversation matter in a family kids. B．Uncomfortable silence does harm to kids. C．Kids, would you please start fighting? D．Parents, would you please stop arguing? 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．D 4．C 【导语】本文以莱特兄弟等为例，阐述有建设性的分歧对创造力等的积极意义，强调要教孩子认识其价值。 1．推理判断题。根据第三段列举“The Beatles fought over instruments. Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak argued constantly ... The most creative ideas in Chinese technology companies come from teams that have real disagreement early on.”等内容，是为了提供更多例子支撑前文关于“有建设性分歧有价值”的观点，可知是为提供更多例子支持论点。故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据第一段“However, when the Wright brothers said they thought together, what they really meant was that they argued together. ‘After long arguments, we often found ourselves in the position of each having been pulled to the other’s side’”，可知他们经常有相反观点并争论，即常持有对立意见。故选C。 3．推理判断题。根据第二段“The brothers often watched their father Milton Wright fight with school teachers who weren’t fond of his decision to let his kids miss a half-day of school from time to time to learn on their own.”可知，米尔顿·莱特让孩子偶尔缺半天课自学，这与常规做法不同，可推知他是不寻常的父亲。故选D。 4．最佳标题题。文章围绕“有建设性的分歧对个人、团队等有积极意义，要让孩子学会面对分歧”展开，C选项“孩子们，请开始争吵吧？”契合文意。故选C。 As we walk the “path of life”, we may sometimes wish to be alone with our own thoughts, for quiet moments of reflection (反省) can lead to personal improvement. However, when we want to be alone, we must be careful that we do not always jump into our own world. Social life is also important to all of us. As we live in social groups, there are many benefits of friendship that we can enjoy. Generally speaking, close friendships have three “fruits”: they may comfort the heart, advise the head and help us achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Through friendship, we can become happier, wiser and more satisfied humans. The first fruit of friendship is the peace that comes from sharing with friends our joy, sadness, success and failure. Here, friendship has a double advantage—happiness takes on a greater meaning and a trouble shared becomes a trouble halved! Naturally, this kind of openness results from a close friendship. We know that our friends will both respect our feelings and treasure these moments of closeness. The second fruit of friendship is the better understanding and judgement (评判) that may be achieved through conversations with well-meaning and wise friends. We often find it easier to recognize other people’s weaknesses than our own. As a result, if we are guided only by our own feelings, our judgement might be one-sided. On the other hand, our friends are better able to offer advice on important decisions that we all have to make. This helps make our thoughts clearer and brings us a more thorough (彻底的) understanding of our problems. The third fruit of friendship is the help that a friend may offer in many different ways. Sometimes a friend is even known as our “second self”. There are so many things in life that can only be achieved with the help of friends. Friends may have many different ideas and skills. Finally, it should be pointed out that enjoying the company of a crowd is not the same as being with friends. Friends should be carefully chosen and relationships carefully developed. In this way, we can better walk the “path of life” with the comfort, advice and help from our trusted friends. 1．According to the passage, close friendships have a lot of “fruits” EXCEPT ________. A．making our hearts peaceful B．achieving our goals with friends’ help C．guiding our own feelings easily D．understanding our problems better 2．We can achieve better understanding by talking with wise friends because ________. A．it is more difficult to realize other people’s weaknesses than our own B．our judgement won’t be one-sided if we are guided only by our feelings C．our friends are able to offer better advice on our important decisions D．it gives us a chance to completely understand our friends’ problems 3．Which shows the best structure of the passage? A． B． C． D． 4．What is the best title for the passage? A．Ways of Judging Friends B．Understanding of Friendship C．Advice on Making Friends D．Improvements of Social Life 【答案】1．C 2．C 3．D 4．B 【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述了亲密朋友给我们带来的三种“果实”。 1．细节理解题。根据第二段中“Generally speaking, close friendships have three ‘fruits’: they may comfort the heart, advise the head and help us achieve the goals we set for ourselves.”以及后文对三种“果实”的具体描述可知，亲密友谊的“果实”包括使内心平静、在朋友的帮助下实现目标以及更好地理解我们的问题，并不包括“轻易引导我们自己的情感”。故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据第四段中的“On the other hand, our friends are better able to offer advice on important decisions that we all have to make.”可知，我们可以通过与明智的朋友交谈来增进理解，因为我们的朋友能够为我们的重要决策提供更好的建议。故选C。 3．篇章结构题。通读全文可知，第一段提到“人生之路”，指出社交生活对我们也很重要；第二段指出由于我们生活在社会群体中，我们可以享受到友谊的许多好处，一般来说，亲密的友谊有三个“果实”；第三段、第四段和第五段具体说明了友谊的“三个果实”是什么；第六段重申友情的重要性，总结全文，所以D项符合篇章结构。故选D。 4．最佳标题题。通读全文可知，本文主要探讨了友谊的益处，详细阐述了亲密友谊所带来的三种“果实”，并强调了谨慎选择朋友和培养关系的重要性，因此本文是对友谊的一种理解。所以B项最适合做文章标题。故选B。 When Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a story about a detective named Sherlock Holmes, he didn’t know he was creating one of the most popular characters in books. Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied medicine and became a doctor in a small English town called Portsmouth. He started writing stories. His first published story was A Study in Scarlet in 1887. It was a detective story, and its main character was the detective Sherlock Holmes. The first Holmes stories sold quite well. But Holmes became a huge success in 1891 when many short stories about him came out in a popular magazine called The Strand. Conan Doyle got hundreds of letters for Holmes because many readers thought he was a real person. Even today, fans from all over the world send letters to “221B Baker Street”—Holmes’ fictional address. Conan Doyle wanted to be known as a serious writer. He also wrote history books and plays. He felt that Holmes was taking too much of his time. So in 1893, in a story called The Final Problem, he “killed” Holmes. In the story, Holmes and his greatest enemy, Professor Moriarty, fell down into a deep river. Readers were very upset. About 20,000 people stopped buying The Strand magazine. Conan Doyle received many angry letters. Because of this, he later brought Holmes back. First, he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901, but that story happened before Holmes’ “death”. Finally, in 1903, in The Empty House, he explained that Holmes did not really die but had been hiding from his enemies. Why is Holmes so popular?     A new kind of hero: He was one of the first great detectives in fiction.     Fair play: Conan Doyle believed in giving readers all the clues to solve the mystery.     Science: Holmes was one of the first detectives in stories to use scientific methods like studying fingerprints.     Great mind: People love how he can notice small details and find the truth.     Friendship: His strong and loyal friendship with his friend and helper, Dr. Watson, is very touching. Watson tells their stories. He is not as clever as Holmes, but he is a very good friend. 1．Why did readers write to “221B Baker Street”? A．The post office made a mistake. B．Conan Doyle actually lived there. C．Holmes answered every letter he received. D．Many readers believed Holmes was a real person. 2．What did Conan Doyle think of different book types? A．He considered being a doctor was more important than writing. B．He believed detective stories were the most difficult to write. C．He thought history books more “serious” than detective stories. D．He enjoyed writing plays more than reading letters from fans. 3．Why did Conan Doyle bring Sherlock Holmes back in 1903? A．He needed more money from writing. B．He found a new enemy for Holmes to fight. C．He missed writing exciting detective stories. D．Readers’ angry actions made him change his mind. 4．What is the main purpose of the section “Why is Holmes so popular?” A．To encourage readers to buy more books. B．To compare Holmes with other detectives. C．To explain how Conan Doyle wrote the stories. D．To give the reasons for Holmes’ lasting success. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．D 4．D 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，主要讲述了作家阿瑟·柯南·道尔创造侦探夏洛克·福尔摩斯的过程，以及福尔摩斯这一角色大受欢迎的原因。 1．细节理解题。根据第三段的“Conan Doyle got hundreds of letters for Holmes because many readers thought he was a real person.”可知，柯南·道尔收到数百封寄给福尔摩斯的信，是因为许多读者认为福尔摩斯是真实存在的人。故选D。 2．推理判断题。根据第四段的“Conan Doyle wanted to be known as a serious writer. He also wrote history books and plays. He felt that Holmes was taking too much of his time.”可知，柯南·道尔希望被视为严肃作家，他还写过历史书和剧本，并觉得福尔摩斯占用了太多时间。由此可推知，他认为历史书等比侦探小说更“严肃”。故选C。 3．细节理解题。根据第五段的“Readers were very upset. About 20,000 people stopped buying The Strand magazine. Conan Doyle received many angry letters. Because of this, he later brought Holmes back.”可知，读者愤怒的反应（停止购买杂志、寄出愤怒信件）使得柯南·道尔改变了主意，让福尔摩斯“复活”。故选D。 4．推理判断题。文章最后部分列出了问题“Why is Holmes so popular?”，并分别从“新型英雄”、“公平游戏”、“科学”、“伟大头脑”和“友谊”等方面阐述了福尔摩斯受欢迎的原因。该部分的主要目的是解释福尔摩斯持久成功的原因。故选D。 CLASSICAL ERA The term “classical” is often used to tell the difference between serious music and popular music. The symphony (交响乐) developed in this period. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there were two most famous composers (作曲家). Mozart was a talented composer and performed all over Europe at six. He wrote the famous opera The Magic Flute. The German composer Beethoven was completely deaf for the last 10 years of his life but continued to compose some of the greatest music in the world. Symphony No. 5 is one of them. His late works moved toward the Romantic movement. ROMANTIC MOVEMENT From about 1820, composers started using new harmonies (和声) and forms to create music full of different emotions (情绪). Composers cared more about creating dramas, painting pictures in sound, or telling stories. The Russian composer Tchaikovsky was unhappy in his personal life, which brought great emotional depth to his music. He wrote many well-known works, including the famous 1812 Overture. MODERN MUSIC In the 20th century, there were great changes in serious music. The music composed by Stravinsky was difficult for people to understand. Stravinsky’s The Firebird caused a sensation at its first performance in Paris in 1910. It was a big success. The music was so different and powerful that it made the young composer famous across Europe. The German Stockhausen challenged listeners’ ideas about music. In Zyklus, for example, he let the drummer start playing from any page of the music, and then play it in their own order. COMPUTER COMPOSITION Computers can help composers write music. The composer can use an electronic instrument (电子乐器) to enter the melodies into the computer, where they can be stored, changed, and printed out. 1．According to the passage, what information can be put on the timeline? A．The Firebird; Mozart B．Symphony No. 9; Stravinsky C．The Magic Flute; Chopin D．Symphony No. 5; Stockhausen 2．What do you know about Tchaikovsky and his music? A．His music is always happy and joyful. B．He composed worse when he was sad. C．His personal feelings influenced his music. D．He only composed music about his own life. 3．What may “caused a sensation” mean according to the text? A．It was forgotten at once. B．It was a piece of modern music. C．Everyone found it easy to understand. D．It created great excitement and surprise. 4．What is the best title for the passage? A．The Great Composers B．Composers’ Role in Music C．A Brief History of Musical Styles D．How Composers Create Music 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．D 4．C 【导语】本文是一篇说明文，文章主要按时间顺序介绍了古典时期、浪漫主义时期、现代音乐时期及电脑作曲阶段的音乐风格、代表作曲家和作品。 1．细节理解题。根据“The German composer Beethoven was completely deaf for the last 10 years of his life but continued to compose some of the greatest music in the world. Symphony No. 5 is one of them.”可知，《第五交响曲》是贝多芬的作品；根据“The German Stockhausen challenged listeners’ ideas about music. In Zyklus, for example,”可知，《Zyklus》是Stockhausen的作品。故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据“The Russian composer Tchaikovsky was unhappy in his personal life, which brought great emotional depth to his music.”可知，俄罗斯作曲家柴可夫斯基个人生活并不幸福，这为他的音乐增添了深厚的情感，即他的个人情绪影响了音乐创作。故选C。 3．词句猜测题。根据“It was a big success. The music was so different and powerful that it made the young composer famous across Europe.”可知，它大获成功。这首音乐如此独特且有感染力，以至于让这位年轻的作曲家闻名全欧洲，故可推测出“caused a sensation”意为“引起极大的兴奋和惊喜”。故选D。 4．最佳标题题。通读全文可知，文章依次介绍了古典时期、浪漫主义时期、现代音乐时期及电脑作曲的音乐风格，核心是“音乐风格的简要历史”。故选C。 Ugly dogs and other less attractive pets may not be the prettiest, but they still pull at our heartstrings. What’s going on? Every June in Petaluma, California, judges examine a lineup of funny faces, crooked teeth, big eyes and messy whiskers (胡须) to decide the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. The dogs competing for this questionable title often melt the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. Funny-looking pets are also common in viral internet content. So why do we find odd-looking animals so appealing? Evolution plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, human attraction to baby-like features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for their offspring, guaranteeing the survival of their species. These features were coined “baby schema” by Lorenz in 1943. Animals such as blobfish, pugs (哈巴狗), and bulldogs all share these baby-like features that cause a caring response from humans. They trigger a natural instinct to nurture and protect. There are other reasons we like “ugly-cute” animals. Some, like the blobfish or naked mole rat, live in extreme environments. Scientists study these animals to understand if their biology might provide insights that could lead to treatments for human health issues like cancer and heart disease. But there are concerns with this trend. Vets urge people not to choose flat-faced dogs because they have serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs are bred to have short noses and often experience trouble breathing, skin infections and eye issues. Many pugs make snoring and wheezing noises due to their blocked airways. So while silly features such as big eyes and wrinkly faces may make us smile, we might want to rethink our love of “ugly-cute” pets. 1．What do we know about “baby schema”? A．It refers to baby animals’ behavior. B．It ensures that humans care for pets. C．It causes humans’ desire to protect. D．It helps adults recognize their babies. 2．Why do scientists study animals like the blobfish or naked mole rat? A．To explore potential human health treatments. B．To prove evolutionary influence. C．To cure their serious health problems. D．To train them for extreme environments. 3．Why do vets warn people against choosing flat-faced dogs? A．They require special care. B．They are costly to care for. C．They have severe physical limits. D．They have short lifespans. 4．Which of the following is the most suitable title for the text? A．Why we love ugly-cute animals B．How ugly-cute animals can help us C．How to train ugly-cute animals D．What ugly-cute animals have in common 【答案】1．C 2．A 3．C 4．A 【导语】本文主要讲述了人们喜欢“丑萌”的宠物的原因。 1．细节理解题。根据“According to Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, human attraction to baby-like features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for their offspring, guaranteeing the survival of their species.”可知，“婴儿图式”指的是婴儿般的特征（如大眼、大头、柔软身体），这些特征会触发人类的保护和养育本能。故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据“Scientists study these animals to understand if their biology might provide insights that could lead to treatments for human health issues like cancer and heart disease.”可知，科学家们对这些动物进行研究，旨在探究它们的生理特性是否能为人类的健康问题（如癌症和心脏病）提供有价值的见解，从而找到相应的治疗方法。故选A。 3．细节理解题。根据“Vets urge people not to choose flat-faced dogs because they have serious health problems.”可知，扁脸犬存在严重的健康问题，即存在严重的身体限制。故选C。 4．最佳标题题。通读全文可知，文章一开头提出人们为什么觉得长相奇特的动物如此吸引人，随后又从进化中的“婴儿图式”、科学家研究这些动物的潜在健康价值、兽医对某些“丑萌”宠物健康问题的经过等方面展开分析，最后建议重新考虑对“丑萌”动物的喜爱。所以核心就是围绕人们喜欢“丑萌”动物的原因。故选A。 A visit to a supermarket offers you choices from a wide range of products, not only vegetables of all sorts but also berries and other fruit. You can decide whether to go for strawberries or apples. However, it’s not so easy for farmers. They have to decide what to grow while worrying about getting their crops enough water and wondering if they’ll make money. “Many aspects of farming are difficult,” says mathematician Estelle Basor. Farmers face a lot of unknowns, including weather, pests and an idea in economics called supply and need. Farmers may, for example, grow more strawberries than their customers are ready to buy (or demand). So, to use up the supply, they end up selling their strawberries at lower prices. If prices fall too low, farmers don’t make enough to cover the cost of growing crops. Basor works with other mathematicians to came up with methods to help farmers make decisions about what to grow, and especially how to reduce water use. Farms in California, including those in the Pajaro Valley, produce about 80 percent of the fresh strawberries you can buy in American supermarkets. In most recent years, however, California has suffered a drought. The Pajaro Valley and other areas of the state are feeling the effects of the shortage of rainfall. Pajaro Valley farmers draw their water from an underground aquifer. The trouble is that they have been pumping water out of the aquifer faster than it can be replaced by rainfall, and the drought has made things even worse. Many farmers are wondering whether they can switch to crops that use less water but that people will still buy. The mathematicians started by collecting information on water use, crop prices, and other variables. They then programmed computers to, in fact, play a game. The goal was to find the combination of crops that would produce the highest profit using the least amount of water—all while meeting customer demand. This approach is an example of a mathematical strategy called optimization. The first version modeled a 100-acre farm, planted with various combinations of five different crop types. On this virtual farm, raspberries, which use less water, proved to be more profitable than strawberries. The researchers have been checking with farmers to see whether their model offers reasonable results, and so far the response is encouraging. They hope that their model will eventually help farmers all across the country, whether they are growing corn in Iowa or soybeans in South Carolina. 1．What is the writer trying to express in the first paragraph? A．Farmers fail to provide enough products. B．Supermarkets can satisfy customers’ needs. C．Customers are free to choose what they like. D．Farmers face the challenge of choosing crops. 2．What does the underlined word “supply” in Paragraph 2 mean? A．The cost of growing strawberries. B．The unknown problems to farmers. C．The price of the strawberries. D．The number of the strawberries for sale. 3．What problem do farmers in the Pajaro Valley face? A．There isn’t enough rainfall. B．The quality of crops goes down. C．They fail to draw water from rivers. D．The production of strawberries isn’t enough. 4．What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．The aquifer they draw water from. B．The rainfall that falls into the aquifer. C．The trouble farmers in Pajara Valley face. D．The water the farmers have been pumping. 5．How do mathematicians help with the farming in the Pajaro Valley? A．By teaching farmers how to use computers. B．By finding the best crops to grow with less water. C．By developing new types of crops that need less water. D．By helping farmers sell their crops at better prices. 【答案】1．D 2．D 3．A 4．A 5．B 【导语】本文主要讲述了农民在种植作物时面临的挑战，尤其是水资源短缺问题，以及数学家如何通过优化模型帮助农民选择需水量更少且利润更高的作物。 1．细节理解题。根据“However, it’s not so easy for farmers. They have to decide what to grow while worrying about getting their crops enough water and wondering if they’ll make money.”可知，作者想要表达农民面临选择作物的挑战。故选D。 2．词句猜测题。根据“Farmers may, for example, grow more strawberries than their customers are ready to buy (or demand). So, to use up the supply, they end up selling their strawberries at lower prices.”可知，农民种植草莓的数量可能超过顾客的需求，所以为了消耗供应量，他们最终以更低的价格出售草莓。所以supply是指“可供销售的草莓数量”。故选D。 3．细节理解题。根据“The Pajaro Valley and other areas of the state are feeling the effects of the shortage of rainfall.”可知，该地区的农民面临着雨水短缺问题。故选A。 4．词句猜测题。根据“Pajaro Valley farmers draw their water from an underground aquifer. The trouble is that they have been pumping water out of the aquifer faster than it can be replaced by rainfall, and the drought has made things even worse.”可知，农民从地下含水层取水，问题是他们抽水的速度超过了含水层通过降雨补充的速度。因此it指代“农民取水的含水层”。故选A。 5．细节理解题。根据“The goal was to find the combination of crops that would produce the highest profit using the least amount of water—all while meeting customer demand.”可知，数学家通过优化模型帮助农民选择需水量少且利润高的作物。故选B。 There’s much excitement and argument about Artificial Intelligence (AI 人工智能). One heated debate (争论) is whether robots will replace (替换) teachers in classrooms. Some think it’ll happen in the next ten years, while others believe a good teacher’s value, like building a child’s confidence and creativity, can’t be easily replaced. AI is not new for us and is already being used in many fields, such as medicine, science and so on. So what does this mean for our future? In my view, AI will help kids to think more freely and creatively. Can AI possibly cut down the teaching work in the future, too? Of course. Our teachers are always busy preparing materials for their lessons. Just imagine how happy they would be if they don’t have to copy hundreds of pages, but instead, have this task or others done by machines. However, most importantly, I believe AI will not be able to copy the human mental condition (精神状态) completely, especially emotional intelligence (情商). What makes learning unforgettable is shared experience, human interaction (互相作用), and long-lasting positive relationships. For example, experienced teachers can comfort (安慰) a student if he has suffered a serious loss. But robots may not do this well. I also believe we need to continue to celebrate our kids’ personality and their ability not only to decide something on their own but also decide what they need wisely. These are skills that they can get as they get more life experience and are given the space to experiment. In short, AI in education has both advantages and disadvantages. It’s a useful tool. It helps students learn better and reduces teachers’ workload. But it can never replace teachers. Teachers understand students’ feelings, guide them, and help with their overall (全面的) development. The future of education needs to mix the good points of AI with teachers’ special abilities. This way, we can create a nice and efficient learning environment. 1．How does the writer start the passage? A．By showing examples. B．By comparing views. C．By telling stories. D．By giving suggestions. 2．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about? A．Why teachers can be replaced in classrooms. B．There is an argument over Artificial Intelligence. C．How helpful AI can be to both students and teachers. D．AI is being used in all kinds of fields. 3．About the use of AI in education, the writer probably agrees that ________. A．AI is as important as teachers. B．AI will replace teachers in the future. C．Sometimes AI is able to make the students in sad moods cheer up. D．AI can help teachers create a better learning environment. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．D 【导语】本文主要讨论了人工智能在教育领域的应用及其影响，探讨了AI是否会取代教师的问题，并提出了AI与教师优势结合的观点。 1．细节理解题。根据There’s much excitement and argument about Artificial Intelligence (AI 人工智能). One heated debate (争论) is whether robots will replace (替换) teachers in classrooms.可知，作者通过对比不同观点来开始文章。故选B。 2．主旨大意题。根据第二段AI is not new for us and is already being used in many fields…Just imagine how happy they would be if they don’t have to copy hundreds of pages, but instead, have this task or others done by machines.可知，本段主要讲述AI对学生和教师的帮助。故选C。 3．观点态度题。根据最后一段In short, AI in education has both advantages and disadvantages…The future of education needs to mix the good points of AI with teachers’ special abilities.可知，作者认为AI可以帮助教师创造更好的学习环境。故选D。 Philosophers have a bad reputation for expressing themselves in a dry and boring way. The ideals for most philosophical writing are precision, clarity, and the sort of conceptual analysis that leaves no hair un-split. There is nothing wrong with clarity, precision, and the like—but this isn’t the only way to do philosophy. Outside academic journals, abstract philosophical ideas are often expressed through literature, cinema, and song. There’s nothing that grabs attention like a good story, and there are some great philosophical stories that delight and engage, rather than putting the reader to sleep. One of the great things about this is that, unlike formal philosophy, which tries to be very clear, stories don’t wear their meanings on their sleeve—they require interpretation, and often express conflicting ideas for the reader to wrestle with. Consider what philosophers call the metaphysics (形而上学) of race—an area of philosophy that explores the question of whether or not race is real. There are three main positions that you can take on these questions. You might think that a person’s race is written in their genes (a position known as “biological realism”). Or you might think of race as socially real, like days of the week or currencies (“social constructionism”). Finally, you might think that races are unreal—that they’re more like leprechauns (一种魔法精灵) than they are like Thursdays or dollars (“anti-realism”). A great example of a story with social constructionist taking on race is George Schuyler’s novel Black No More. In the book, a Black scientist named Crookman invents a procedure that makes Black people visually indistinguishable from Whites. Thousands of African Americans flock to Crookman’s Black No More clinics and pay him their hard-earned cash to undergo the procedure. White racists can no longer distinguish those people who are “really” White from those who merely appear to be White. In a final episode, Crookman discovers that new Whites are actually a whiter shade of pale than those who were born that way, which kicks off a trend of sunbathing to darken one’s skin-darkening it so as to look more While. Philosophically rich stories like this bring more technical works to life. They are stories to think with. 1．What does the author think of philosophical stories? A．The meaning behind is very obvious. B．They are extremely precise and formal. C．They often cause conflicts among readers. D．They are engaging and inspire critical thinking. 2．Which category might “Christmas” fall into according to paragraph 4? A．Social constructionism. B．Anti-realism. C．Biological realism. D．Literary realism. 3．What is Black No More in paragraph 5 mainly about? A．Racial issues caused by skin colors. B．A society view on race and self-image.. C．Black people accepted by the white society. D．The origin of sun bathing among white people. 4．What is the best title of the text? A．Stories Made Easy B．Stories to Think with C．Positions in Philosophy D．Nature of Philosophical Writing 【答案】1．D 2．A 3．B 4．B 【导语】本文是议论文。主要探讨了哲学表达的不同方式，指出除了学术期刊中枯燥严谨的论述外，文学、电影等载体中的哲学故事更具吸引力，能引发读者思考，并以小说《Black No More》为例进行了说明。 1．观点态度题。根据“There’s nothing that grabs attention like a good story, and there are some great philosophical stories that delight and engage, rather than putting the reader to sleep”以及“stories don’t wear their meanings on their sleeve—they require interpretation, and often express conflicting ideas for the reader to wrestle with”可知，作者认为哲学故事具有吸引力，且能促使读者进行解读和思考，即能激发批判性思维。故选D。 2．推理判断题。根据“you might think of race as socially real, like days of the week or currencies (“social constructionism”)”可知，“社会建构主义”视角下的事物是“社会层面真实存在”的，如星期几、货币。“圣诞节”是人类社会约定俗成的节日，属于社会建构的产物，与“星期几”“货币”的属性一致。故选A。 3．细节理解题。根据“A great example of a story with social constructionist taking on race is George Schuyler’s novel Black No More. In the book, a Black scientist named Crookman invents a procedure that makes Black people visually indistinguishable from Whites.”可知，《Black No More》主要是关于社会对种族和自我形象的看法。故选B。 4．最佳标题题。文章开篇指出哲学并非只有枯燥严谨的学术表达，还可通过故事呈现；中间以《Black No More》为例，说明哲学故事能引发思考；结尾总结“Philosophically rich stories like this bring more technical works to life. They are stories to think with”。“Stories to Think with”既点明了文章核心对象“哲学故事”，又体现了其“引发思考”的作用，符合主旨。故选B。 Learning from Failure: A Step to Growth    Everyone experiences failure at some point in life. Maybe you failed a test, lost a competition, or didn’t get the job you wanted. It’s easy to feel sad or even give up when this happens. But failure is not the end—it’s actually a valuable part of personal growth.     First, failure teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses. When you fail at something, you learn what you’re good at and what you need to improve. For example, if you fail a math exam because you struggled with geometry, you’ll know to spend more time practicing geometry problems. This self-awareness helps you make better plans for the future and focus on areas that need more work.     Second, failure builds resilience. Resilience is the ability to get back up after facing difficulties. Every time you overcome a failure, you become stronger and more confident. Think about a child learning to ride a bike—they fall many times, but each fall teaches them how to balance better. Eventually, they master riding a bike because they didn’t give up after failing. The same is true for adults: the more failures you overcome, the more resilient you become.     Failure also helps you develop a growth mindset. People with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can improve with effort. They don’t see failure as a sign that they’re “not good enough”—instead, they see it as a chance to learn and grow. For example, a student who fails a speech competition might think, “I need to practice my public speaking more” instead of “I’m bad at speaking in front of people.” This mindset makes you more willing to try new things and take risks, which are essential for personal growth.     Of course, it’s not easy to stay positive after failure. But there are ways to make the most of it. You can start by analyzing why you failed—was it because you didn’t prepare enough, or because you chose the wrong method? Then, make a plan to improve. You can also talk to friends, family, or teachers for advice—they might have helpful ideas you haven’t thought of. Most importantly, be kind to yourself: don’t blame yourself too much for failing, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.     In the end, failure is not something to fear. It’s a teacher that helps you become a better person. Every successful person—whether a scientist, an artist, or an athlete—has failed many times before achieving their goals. So the next time you fail, remember: it’s just a step on the path to growth. 1．What does failure teach you about yourself? A．Only your strengths. B．Only your weaknesses. C．Both your strengths and weaknesses. D．Nothing about yourself. 2．What is “resilience” according to the passage? A．The ability to give up after failure. B．The ability to get back up after difficulties. C．The ability to avoid failure. D．The ability to blame yourself for failure. 3．How does failure help develop a growth mindset? A．It makes you believe abilities can’t change. B．It makes you think you’re “not good enough.” C．It makes you afraid to try new things. D．It makes you see failure as a chance to learn. 4．What can you do to make the most of failure? A．Analyze the reason for failure and make a plan. B．Ignore the failure and forget about it. C．Blame others for your failure. D．Stop trying new things to avoid more failure. 5．What is the main message of the passage? A．Failure is terrible and should be avoided. B．Failure is a valuable part of personal growth. C．Successful people never experience failure. D．Failure means you’re not good at something. 【答案】1．C 2．B 3．D 4．A 5．B 【导语】本文是一篇议论文。文章主要讲述了失败并非坏事，它是个人成长中有价值的一部分，能帮助人们认识自我、培养韧性、形成成长型思维，助力人们变得更好。 1．细节理解题。根据“First, failure teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses.”可知，失败能让你了解自己的优点和缺点。故选C。 2．细节理解题。根据“Resilience is the ability to get back up after facing difficulties.”可知，韧性是在面对困难后重新振作的能力。故选B。 3． 细节理解题。根据“People with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can improve with effort. They don’t see failure as a sign that they’re ‘not good enough’—instead, they see it as a chance to learn and grow.”可知，失败能帮助人们把失败看作是学习的机会，从而培养成长型思维。故选D。 4．细节理解题。根据“You can start by analyzing why you failed—was it because you didn’t prepare enough, or because you chose the wrong method? Then, make a plan to improve.”可知，为了充分利用失败，可以分析失败的原因并制定计划。故选A。 5．主旨大意题。根据“But failure is not the end—it’s actually a valuable part of personal growth.”以及全文内容可知，文章主要传达的是失败是个人成长中有价值的一部分这一信息。故选B。 Twelve years ago, oceanographer Captain Charlie Moore was leading his yacht the Alguita in the North Pacific. He sailed into a mass of floating plastic rubbish which took him a week to cross. This floating rubbish is now called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (太平洋垃圾带) and doubles the size of the USA． The United Nations says there are now 18,000 pieces of plastic in every square kilometre of sea everywhere in the world. A walk along any beach will give you some idea of the seriousness of plastic pollution. The trouble is, when we throw out plastic with the waste, the plastic doesn’t go away. Plastic does not biodegrade. It photo degrades (光降解) into smaller and smaller particles which then enter the food chain (食物链). Plastics include cancer-causing chemicals which travel along the food chain in increasing concentrations and end up in our fish and chips. Scientists try to tell us that we are killing ourselves as well as other animals. Many species are being killed by plastic. Whales, dolphins, turtles and albatross confuse floating plastic, especially shopping bags and six pack rings (六环圈塑料包装), with jellyfish. A dead Minke whale, washed up on a Normandy beach, was found to have eaten plastic bags from supermarkets and had died a dreadful death. Some countries have rebelled and banned plastic bags. And the first was brave Bangladesh. Then China took the same decision. Botswana, Canada, Israel, Kenya, Rwanda, Singapore and South Africa have also banned plastic bags. Notice how many of the world’s richest countries are not on this list. It’s an absolute shame! If we can’t use plastic bags, how do we carry home the shopping? Take a back pack or a folding shopping trolley (购物车). Change supermarket to one that provides biodegradable bags. Personally speaking, what I need to find now, is a supermarket that sells biodegradable rubbish bags, otherwise I still end up using plastic. I recently spent a week in New Zealand on and saw that everyone was using special paper rubbish bags. I wish we did something similar here. Think globally, act locally. A small Australian town is now one step ahead of the rest of the world. Local people of Bundanoon in New South Wales have banned plastic bottles from the town. We need to follow their example and stop plastic from our lives, take care of the earth and vote for people we think will do the same. 1．How can we get an idea of how much plastic rubbish there is in the oceans? A．By looking at the sea. B．By sailing across the Pacific. C．By travelling across the world. D．By taking a walk along any beach. 2．How does the writer prove (证明) that many species are being killed by plastic in Paragraph 3? A．By telling stories. B．By comparing facts. C．By giving examples. D．By listing numbers. 3．Why is the writer angry in Paragraph 4? A．Great Pacific Garbage Patch doubles the size of the USA． B．Not many countries have rebelled and banned plastic bags. C．Many of the world’s richest countries haven’t banned plastic bags. D．Plastics including cancer-causing chemicals can enter the food chain. 4．Which country is not mentioned as a good example of banning plastic? A．China. B．Australia. C．New Zealand. D．America. 5．What is the purpose of the passage? A．To help readers realize that animals are suffering from plastic. B．To make readers believe that the plastic pollution is quite serious. C．To call on readers to take action to stop plastic and protect the earth. D．To show readers how seriously plastic waste influence the food chain. 【答案】1．D 2．C 3．C 4．D 5．C 【导语】本文是一篇议论文，本文通过数据、案例和批判性论述，揭示塑料污染的严重性，最终呼吁读者参与环保行动。 1．细节理解题。根据“A walk along any beach will give you some idea of the seriousness of plastic pollution.”可知，沿着任何海滩走一走就能了解塑料污染的严重程度，故选D。 2．细节理解题。根据“Many species are being killed by plastic. Whales, dolphins, turtles and albatross confuse floating plastic, especially shopping bags and six pack rings (六环圈塑料包装), with jellyfish. A dead Minke whale, washed up on a Normandy beach, was found to have eaten plastic bags from supermarkets and had died a dreadful death.”可知，通过列举鲸鱼、海龟等动物误食塑料而死亡的例子，如米克鲸吞食塑料袋致死。作者使用“举例”的方法，故选C。 3．细节理解题。根据“Notice how many of the world’s richest countries are not on this list. It’s an absolute shame!”可知，许多最富裕的国家未禁用塑料袋，作者对此表示愤怒并称之为耻辱。故选C。 4．细节理解题。文中明确提到中国、澳大利亚、新西兰为例子，但未提及美国，故选D。 5．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Think globally, act locally...We need to follow their example and stop plastic from our lives, take care of the earth and vote for people we think will do the same.”文章结尾呼吁读者采取行动，如减少塑料使用、支持环保政策，可知目的是号召保护地球，选项C“呼吁读者行动，停止使用塑料。”符合文章的写作目的。故选C。 To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. Advancements(进步) are made when thinkers start to question. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist whose ideas explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them! Brilliant minds can make up and coming thinkers believe they are not as good as the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current ideas instead of questioning them. I like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I was certain that my parents, my teachers were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn’t question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind’s independence was first developed in the classroom. Astem, a 65-year-old science teacher, once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that. One day, however, I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made of particles(粒子). I started to question my beliefs. I went to the library, read about Einstein’s discovery that puzzles the world’s greatest thinkers—Light behaves as both a particle and a wave. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth. Each new year brought more new facts, and I found myself in the library after school trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are good tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. That’s how I developed my independent mind. Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years — maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery, which is the key to making progress for human beings! 1．In this passage, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ________. A．he is the greatest and respected scientist of all B．huge influence of great thinkers may stop human thought from developing C．advancements are made when thinkers start to question D．great thinkers make mistakes and then correct them 2．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 has an adverbial clause which expresses ________. A．reason B．purpose C．result D．time 3．Which of the following best shows the structure of this passage? A． B． C． D． 4．What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A．The author is not quite sure about his future. B．We human beings are afraid of dreaming about the future. C．The things about black holes will change in two years. D．Questioning is necessary to intellectual advancement. 【答案】1．B 2．C 3．B 4．D 【导语】本文主要讲述了学会思考就是学会质疑，不质疑就不会真正地思考。 1．推理判断题。根据第一段“Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought.”可知第一段以亚里上多德为例，就是为了说明这个观点（伟大思想家的巨大影响可能会阻碍人类思想的发展），故选B。 2．推理判断题。根据第二段“He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them!”可知在他去世后，人们依然没有纠正错误，可推知句子中的状语从句表明了结果，故选C。 3．篇章结构题。根据第一段“To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. Advancements are made when thinkers start to question.”可知第一段提出学会思考就是学会质疑的观点。第二段以亚里士多德的例子说明观点，第三段以作者自己为例，进一步论证了质疑的作用，而第四段和第五段详细介绍了作者培养独立思考的过程，而最后一段在总结质疑是通往知识和真理的道路。结合选项，只有选项B符合题意，故选B。 4．推理判断题。根据最后一段“Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning.”可知，最后一段说明了质疑是促进进步的必要条件，故选D。 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $ 期末复习之阅读理解20篇 （南京专用） 题号 难度 知识点 1 容易 应用文,时文/广告/布告 2 适中 应用文,时文/广告/布告,环境保护 3 适中 食物,应用文,时文/广告/布告 4 适中 竞技/比赛,应用文,时文/广告/布告 5 适中 景点/建筑,应用文,时文/广告/布告 6 适中 爱好,记叙文,哲理感悟 7 适中 记叙文,哲理感悟,旅行 8 适中 记叙文,其他著名人物 9 较易 记叙文,其他著名人物,传统工艺 10 适中 记叙文,教育 11 适中 说明文,友谊,最佳标题,篇章结构,细节理解 12 适中 说明文,文学家 13 适中 说明文,音乐与舞蹈,最佳标题,词句猜测,细节理解 14 适中 说明文,常见动物,人与动植物 15 适中 说明文,环境保护,词句猜测,细节理解 16 较易 科学技术,议论文 17 困难 议论文,哲理感悟 18 较难 议论文,哲理感悟 19 较难 议论文,环境保护,环境污染 20 较难 议论文,方法/策略 London Valley Local Directory Important “999” should only be used for emergency calls to the police, fire service or for an ambulance. When the phone is answered, please say “Police”, “Fire” or “Ambulance”. Beauty salons and supplies   Film Star Make-up                           555 4000   Ugly Duckling Hair and Skin Supplies           880 6988 Chain Stores   Betty’s Big Bakery                           862 9697   Little Flower Supermarket                     827 8668 Clothing Handsome Hats                             856 3113   Jerry’s Jeans                                575 4477 Restaurants Ken’s Hamburger House                      750 0170   Li’s Chinese Restaurant                       527 7177 1．What number might you call if you want to eat some Chinese food? A．555 4000 B．527 7177 C．862 9697 D．575 4477 2．You can call 999 if you want to say ________. A．“Do you sell make-up from the UK?” B．“Do you have any hats for babies?” C．“A chocolate cake, please. My address is...” D．“Ambulance” 3．What can’t you do in the valley according to this directory? A．Watch a film. B．Have a haircut. C．Buy some flowers. D．Have a nice dinner. Save The EarthArt Competition Organized by the Green Club We are living on planet Earth and it is our only home, so it is up to us to take care of it! Let’s recycle and keep our Earth green ! *Create a picture using recycled materials. *The theme is “Save the Earth”. *Attractive prizes to be won. *Each winner will also receive a trophy for his or her class. *Winning entries (作品) will be put up for exhibition in the school hall. Rules *Entries must be sent to Katerina, the teacher-in-charge, no later than May 31*. *Your picture must be original (原创的), and you have to use recycled materials for your creation. More information about the rules and regulations is available at www. artcompetition. com If you hove any questions, please contact Winnie at 86478027.Prizes provided by the Parents’ Support Group 1．Where can people enjoy the winning entries? A．On the website. B．In the school hall. C．In the classroom. D．At Winnie’s home. 2．Why are exclamation marks(“！”) used in the poster? A．To surprise the readers. B．To express the writer’s happiness. C．To make the poster easier to read. D．To show the writer’s strong feelings 3．What is the main purpose of this poster? A．To invite parents to support the event B．To attract students to the Art Competition. C．To introduce a new form of art to students D．To teach students how to recycle materials BBQ Power Beef, chicken, sausages and bacon, all on a creamy cheese sauce. Sounds great? You’ve got to taste it on your own! Veggie PartyCabbage, mushrooms and onions, topped with low-fat cheese. If you want to stay fit while satisfying yourself, order it! Aquatic Dream Fresh prawns and fish on a rich garlic sauce base. This is the perfect choice for seafood lovers. Feeling like having pizzas on other days? No worries. We also offer great prices during the rest of the week. Get 40% off full price pizza when ordering on our app. *For more information, follow us on social media to get the latest offers. 1．When can customers buy 1 pizza and get 1 free? A．Monday. B．Tuesday. C．Friday. D．Saturday. 2．What is a person who prefers seafood most likely to order? A．Snacks and desserts. B．BBQ Power. C．Veggie Party. D．Aquatic Dream. 3．What is the main purpose of the material? A．To introduce the prices of different pizzas. B．To teach readers how to make a pizza. C．To attract more customers to order pizzas. D．To call on people to download the app. Glorious! Labor!If you like cooking, if you can cook delicious food, here’s your chance! Come and join in the “Glorious! Labor!” (July 1st, 2024)! All you have to do is to create your own dishes in 40 minutes. Please pay attention to the following things: Think about what to cook before the competition. Give a special name to your dish. Buy all the food ingredients yourselves before the competition. Come to the People’s Square and cook the delicious food with other competitors. After finishing cooking, introduce your food to all the experts. The competition is only open to students who live in Dongguan. Get an entry form (参赛表格) from www. dongguanlife. org/cfcw. Send the entry form before 25th June, 2024. We will invite another ten parents to try your food. They will have the chance to vote (投票) for their favorite dish. Names of winners will also be posted on www, dongguanlife. org/cfcw. on July 6th, 2024. 1st place 2,000 yuan and 5 bags of rice 2nd place 2,000 yuan and 2 boxes of milk 3rd place 1,000 yuan and 1 bottle of cooking oil For more information, please contact us! Tel:(0769)92136116 E-mail: dongguanlife@qq. com Mail: Dongguanlife, Box 520, Dongzhong Road 103 1．What’s Linda’s place if she gets 2,000 yuan and 2 boxes of milk? A．1st place. B．2nd place. C．3rd to 6th places. D．7th places. 2．According to the passage, everyone can know the result ________. A．within half a week B．within a week C．the next day D．the next month 3．What’s the purpose of the passage? A．To ask students to take cooking class. B．To ask people to vote for their favorite dish. C．To encourage students to take part in the cooking competition. D．To ask parents to let children cook at home. Home Organization Visit Exhibitions Education Services News Collections Tuesday-Sunday 8:00 (Opening)—16:00 (Admission Stopped)—17:00 (Closed)                             Bus 5, 34, 36, 55, 59 to Zhongshanmen Station Subway Line 2 Minggugong Station, 300 Meters East From Exit 1 * It is open all day on national public holidays on Mondays, but closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and Lunar New Year’s Day. * Regarding to opening time of the Theater during nights, please check Nanjing Museum’s official website. Chinese calligraphy and painting are the symbols of China’s brilliant civilization. Sculpture is the first kind of art. The Sculpture Hall in the Arts Gallery also displays a lot of artworks reflecting great wisdom. The Digital Gallery presents the visitors with a sense of time flying through the virtual (虚拟的) “time tunnel”. You are not only a visitor, but also a participant (参与者). You can deeply experience human wisdom here. 1．When can people visit the Nanjing Museum? A．Every Monday. B．On Lunar New Year’s Eve. C．On Lunar New Year’s Day. D．At the Dragon Boat Festival. 2．If Olivia is interested in Chinese sculptures, which icon should she click on? A．B． C． D． 3．What can we learn from this website? A．The theater is not open to the public during nights. B．Visitors are able to take the No.34 bus to the museum. C．Buying the tickets after arriving at the museum is a must. D．Visitors can go through the “time tunnel” in the Arts Gallery. Horace was walking through the music store with his mother. She wanted him to join the school band and play an instrument. As they passed the flute and trumpet (长笛和小号) section, Horace frowned. He didn’t like their high, bright sounds. He also worried that joining the band might make other kids think he was a “band geek” and not cool. Then he saw the electric guitars. That’s more like it, he thought. A guitar looked cool and strong, not soft like a violin. Excited, he picked one up, put the strap over his shoulder, and tried to play a chord. But when he strummed the strings, all that came out was a messy, twanging (刺耳的) noise. He had no idea what he was doing. His excitement disappeared, replaced by embarrassment. “I’m awful at this,” he muttered, putting the guitar down. His mother, trying not to show her disappointment, gently led him to the last section of the store. There, an old man was sitting on a stool, playing a large, wooden instrument—a cello (大提琴). The man moved a long bow across the strings, and a deep, rich, beautiful sound filled the air. Horace stopped. The melody was sad but beautiful, and it felt completely different from the sharp sounds of the flutes or the noisy guitar. The old man saw Horace watching and smiled. He showed Horace how to hold the cello and how to pull the bow gently across one string. With a little help, Horace managed to produce a single clear, vibrating (振动的) note. It wasn’t a messy noise, it was a real musical sound. A feeling of surprise and happiness washed over him, “Mom,” he said, looking up with shining eyes, “This is it. I want to learn this. (Picture ________★________)” His mother agreed happily. For the next hour, while she talked to the store clerk about prices and lessons, Horace didn’t listen. He just watched the old man play and tried to make a few more notes himself. He had found his instrument not by looking for what seemed cool, but by listening for what truly spoke to him. 1．What does Horace mean when he thinks, “That’s more like it,” about the electric guitar? A．It is what the school band needs. B．It is the instrument his mother likes most. C．It looks cool and feels right for him. D．It is easier to play than other instruments. 2．Which of the following pictures can be put into ________★________? A．B． C． D． 3．Which shows the correct order of what Horace does in the story? ① Decide to learn the cello. ② Try the electric guitar and fail. ③ Get lost in practicing the cello. ④ Visit the music store with mother. ⑤ Hear the cello played by an old man. ⑥ Dislike the trumpet and flute sounds. A．④⑥②⑤③① B．④②⑥⑤③① C．④⑥②⑤①③ D．④②⑤⑥③① 4．What does the story mainly tell us? A．Insist on your first choice. B．Cool-looking things are best. C．Parents always know what is best. D．Choose what truly touches your heart. Every time I saw my coupled friends share their vacations on social media while I went home to visit my family, I thought, “I’ll be happy when I finally find someone who will go to Iceland with me.” Iceland was a symbol of a lot of things for me. It was also a thing I believed I needed to do with a partner. Years passing by, I realized this habit of saying “I’ll be happy when…” is far more damaging than it seems on the surface. In our pursuit (追求) of happiness, we end up postponing joy. We put off trips until we have the right partner to go with. But then as we scroll through our social media feed, it feels like everyone else is living life while we’re just sitting on the sidelines. I decided to stop waiting for happiness. In 2019, I booked a New Year’s trip to Iceland — by myself. What do you think happened when I finally took that trip to Iceland after nearly 10 years of thinking about it? I found joy! I watched the fireworks explode over Reykjavik with three generations of Icelanders. I ate fish and chips and scribbled (草草地写) in my journal. I booked a trip to Snaefellsnes, which ended with hot chocolate and singing carols (颂) with a crowd of farmers in a hotel. And the highlight of this trip was seeing the Northern Lights, which were more magical than I had imagined. What I’ve learned about leaning into the present rather than waiting for the future is that something unexpected always happens. Sometimes it’s adventure, and then you’re left with memories you never would’ve had if you’d just waited for happiness to find you. Other times, you find new friends, new opportunities, new inspiration — things that may actually help you get to the happiness you’re seeking faster or help you uncover a new definition of happiness. Now, when I catch myself saying some version of “I’ll be happy when…” I try to imagine myself in the future, looking back on right now and asking myself: what are you waiting for? 1．What was the author like at first? A．She hated to travel by herself. B．She desired to have an ideal partner. C．She valued her family above her friends. D．She disliked sharing her vacations online. 2．What does the underlined word “postponing” in paragraph 2 mean? A．Creating. B．Destroying. C．Waiting. D．Putting off. 3．What did the author think was most impressive during her trip to Iceland? A．Seeing the Northern Lights. B．Trying various kinds of local cuisine. C．Celebrating New Year with Icelanders D．Spending lime in a hotel in Snaefellsnes. 4．What did the author learn from her Iceland trip? A．A joy that’s shared is a joy made double. B．Happiness doesn’t depend on what happens. C．Don’t wait for happiness to come; just live life in the present. D．Don’t rely on others for your happiness; create it on your own. 5．How does the author now handle thoughts of “I’ll be happy when…”? A．They immediately book another international trip. B．They imagine their future self regretting present inaction. C．They post on social media to seek travel companions. D．They lower their expectations to avoid disappointment. British scientist Jane Goodall, known for her pioneering studies of chimpanzees (黑猩猩), passed away on Oct 1 at the age of 91. A post on the Jane Goodall Institute’s Instagram page said she died of natural causes while on a speaking tour in the US. Born in England in 1934, Goodall had a natural love for wild animals and dreamed of working with them in Africa. However, her poor family couldn’t help her reach this goal, so she worked several small jobs to save every bit of money she earned for her trip. In July 1960, at 26, Goodall finally traveled to Tanzania. With little more than a notebook, binoculars and her love for wildlife, she entered the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. Over the next 60 years, Goodall’s research changed how people understand human relationships with chimpanzees and introduced a new way to study wildlife. Goodall’s research was pioneering because she lived closely with wild chimpanzee groups to learn about their social lives. She gave names to each chimp and formed close relationships with them, learning how similar they were to us. She saw that chimpanzees have complex social lives and different personalities, such as being shy or outgoing. Two of Goodall’s most important discoveries came in 1960. That year she saw a group of chimpanzees eating red meat, challenging the old idea that chimps only ate plants. She also saw something even more surprising: a male chimpanzee making and using tools. This finding changed the long-held idea that humans are the only animals that use tools. Since then, scientists have found evidence of tool use in many parts of the animal world. Besides her research, Goodall traveled the world to speak about the dangers facing chimpanzees and the environmental crises facing Earth, encouraging people to take action for all living things and the planet we share. “The least I can do is speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves,” Goodall told National Geographic magazine. 1．How did Jane Goodall manage to go to Tanzania to study chimps? A．She was helped by her rich family. B．She was invited by a research team. C．She saved money by working different jobs. D．She got local support for wildlife research. 2．What made Goodall’s research on chimps groundbreaking? A．Her use of simple equipment. B．Her long stay in Africa. C．Her close interaction with them. D．Her focus on their eating habits 3．What can be inferred about Goodall from her words in the last sentence? A．She hoped to study more animal species. B．She wanted to speak about social issues. C．She thought her research was not enough. D．She felt a responsibility to protect wildlife. Katerina Marchenko is a young artist in Russia. She pours her creativity into Chinese embroidery (刺绣) and turns her feelings into art. Katerina was born in Moscow, but studied and grew up in a little town in Ukraine. The town holds Katerina’s many sweet memories. Katerina lived a peaceful and free life there. She likes to show these kinds of feelings in her works. Katerina’s creations are mainly about nature, including fish, birds and insects. She is also very good at painting people with embroidery. As embroidery isn’t a job that can be done quickly, the great artist likes to work on 2-3 pieces at the same time, so she doesn’t get tired of one piece. When Katerina isn’t embroidering, she finds time to offer online courses for those who are interested in learning embroidery. She believes it is a meaningful thing to do. “Embroidery is a joyful and fun process. I know that embroidery helps many people to become much more emotionally stable (情绪稳定). So the students cannot only learn something new, but also be healed (治愈) by its progress as well,” she says. Embroidery has helped Katerina achieve wealth and success. She really thanks that she can have a career (职业) out of her hobby. For her, embroidery is a relaxing form of art. It gives her a feeling that she controls something. It helps her see the world in a special and creative way, and it also has an influence on everything she does. It excites her! 1．What kind of feelings do Katerina’s works show? A．Joyful and fun. B．Excited and confident. C．Peaceful and free. D．Friendly and honest. 2．Put the events about Katerina Marchenko in the correct time order. a. She became good at embroidering portraits. b. She lived in a little town in Ukraine. c. She achieved success by embroidery. d. She offered online courses for students. A．c-a-b-d B．c-b-d-a C．b-a-d-c D．b-d-a-c 3．What can we know about Katerina’s personality according to the passage? A．Helpful, clever and outgoing. B．Proud, humorous and kind. C．Polite, honest and powerful. D．Creative, quiet and thankful. 4．Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? A．B． C． D． 5．What would be the best title for the passage? A．A Person Who Loves Art More Than Others. B．Katerina Embroiders Her Way to Success. C．A Joyful and Fun Way to Relax. D．Embroidery Helps You Succeed in Art. When Wilbur and Orville Wright finished their flight at Kitty Hawk, Americans celebrated the brotherly bond. The brothers had grown up playing together, they had been in the newspaper business together, and they had built an airplane together. They even said they “thought together”. However, when the Wright brothers said they thought together, what they really meant was that they argued together. “After long arguments, we often found ourselves in the position of each having been pulled to the other’s side,” Orville thought back. “I don’t think they really got mad,” their mechanic (机械师) remembered, “but they got awfully hot.” The skill to get hot without getting mad is important in life. But it’s one that few parents teach to their kids. We want to give kids a warm home, so we stop brothers and sisters from quarrelling and we have our own arguments behind closed doors. Yet if kids never face disagreement directly, we’ll end up limiting their creativity. As the psychologist Robert Albert put it, the creative person-to-be comes from a family that is one with a “wobble (摇晃)”. Wilbur and Orville Wright came from a wobbly family. The brothers often watched their father Milton Wright fight with school teachers who weren’t fond of his decision to let his kids miss a half-day of school from time to time to learn on their own. The Wright brothers were not alone. The Beatles fought over instruments. Steven Jobs and Steve Wozniak argued constantly while designing the first Apple computer. Brainstorming groups get 16 percent more ideas when the members are encouraged to criticize one another. The most creative ideas in Chinese technology companies come from teams that have real disagreement early on. Children need to learn the value of thoughtful disagreement. We should teach kids that silence is bad manners. It disrespects the value of your own view point and your own voice. It’s a sign of respect to care enough about someone’s opinion that you’re willing to challenge it. Good arguments are wobbly: a team or family might rock back and forth but it never tips over. If kids don’t learn to wobble, they never learn to walk; they end up standing still. 1．What’s the writer’s purpose in writing Paragraph 3? A．To summarize the paragraphs above. B．To add some background information. C．To introduce a new topic for discussion. D．To provide more examples to support his idea. 2．What does the writer say about the Wright brothers? A．They always took advice from their mechanic. B．They knew little about the newspaper business. C．They often held opposite opinions. D．They kept a very bad relationship. 3．What kind of father was Milton Wright? A．Rude B．Generous C．Hard-working D．Unusual 4．What’s the best title for the text? A．Conversation matter in a family kids. B．Uncomfortable silence does harm to kids. C．Kids, would you please start fighting? D．Parents, would you please stop arguing? As we walk the “path of life”, we may sometimes wish to be alone with our own thoughts, for quiet moments of reflection (反省) can lead to personal improvement. However, when we want to be alone, we must be careful that we do not always jump into our own world. Social life is also important to all of us. As we live in social groups, there are many benefits of friendship that we can enjoy. Generally speaking, close friendships have three “fruits”: they may comfort the heart, advise the head and help us achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Through friendship, we can become happier, wiser and more satisfied humans. The first fruit of friendship is the peace that comes from sharing with friends our joy, sadness, success and failure. Here, friendship has a double advantage—happiness takes on a greater meaning and a trouble shared becomes a trouble halved! Naturally, this kind of openness results from a close friendship. We know that our friends will both respect our feelings and treasure these moments of closeness. The second fruit of friendship is the better understanding and judgement (评判) that may be achieved through conversations with well-meaning and wise friends. We often find it easier to recognize other people’s weaknesses than our own. As a result, if we are guided only by our own feelings, our judgement might be one-sided. On the other hand, our friends are better able to offer advice on important decisions that we all have to make. This helps make our thoughts clearer and brings us a more thorough (彻底的) understanding of our problems. The third fruit of friendship is the help that a friend may offer in many different ways. Sometimes a friend is even known as our “second self”. There are so many things in life that can only be achieved with the help of friends. Friends may have many different ideas and skills. Finally, it should be pointed out that enjoying the company of a crowd is not the same as being with friends. Friends should be carefully chosen and relationships carefully developed. In this way, we can better walk the “path of life” with the comfort, advice and help from our trusted friends. 1．According to the passage, close friendships have a lot of “fruits” EXCEPT ________. A．making our hearts peaceful B．achieving our goals with friends’ help C．guiding our own feelings easily D．understanding our problems better 2．We can achieve better understanding by talking with wise friends because ________. A．it is more difficult to realize other people’s weaknesses than our own B．our judgement won’t be one-sided if we are guided only by our feelings C．our friends are able to offer better advice on our important decisions D．it gives us a chance to completely understand our friends’ problems 3．Which shows the best structure of the passage? A． B． C． D． 4．What is the best title for the passage? A．Ways of Judging Friends B．Understanding of Friendship C．Advice on Making Friends D．Improvements of Social Life When Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a story about a detective named Sherlock Holmes, he didn’t know he was creating one of the most popular characters in books. Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. He studied medicine and became a doctor in a small English town called Portsmouth. He started writing stories. His first published story was A Study in Scarlet in 1887. It was a detective story, and its main character was the detective Sherlock Holmes. The first Holmes stories sold quite well. But Holmes became a huge success in 1891 when many short stories about him came out in a popular magazine called The Strand. Conan Doyle got hundreds of letters for Holmes because many readers thought he was a real person. Even today, fans from all over the world send letters to “221B Baker Street”—Holmes’ fictional address. Conan Doyle wanted to be known as a serious writer. He also wrote history books and plays. He felt that Holmes was taking too much of his time. So in 1893, in a story called The Final Problem, he “killed” Holmes. In the story, Holmes and his greatest enemy, Professor Moriarty, fell down into a deep river. Readers were very upset. About 20,000 people stopped buying The Strand magazine. Conan Doyle received many angry letters. Because of this, he later brought Holmes back. First, he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles in 1901, but that story happened before Holmes’ “death”. Finally, in 1903, in The Empty House, he explained that Holmes did not really die but had been hiding from his enemies. Why is Holmes so popular?     A new kind of hero: He was one of the first great detectives in fiction.     Fair play: Conan Doyle believed in giving readers all the clues to solve the mystery.     Science: Holmes was one of the first detectives in stories to use scientific methods like studying fingerprints.     Great mind: People love how he can notice small details and find the truth.     Friendship: His strong and loyal friendship with his friend and helper, Dr. Watson, is very touching. Watson tells their stories. He is not as clever as Holmes, but he is a very good friend. 1．Why did readers write to “221B Baker Street”? A．The post office made a mistake. B．Conan Doyle actually lived there. C．Holmes answered every letter he received. D．Many readers believed Holmes was a real person. 2．What did Conan Doyle think of different book types? A．He considered being a doctor was more important than writing. B．He believed detective stories were the most difficult to write. C．He thought history books more “serious” than detective stories. D．He enjoyed writing plays more than reading letters from fans. 3．Why did Conan Doyle bring Sherlock Holmes back in 1903? A．He needed more money from writing. B．He found a new enemy for Holmes to fight. C．He missed writing exciting detective stories. D．Readers’ angry actions made him change his mind. 4．What is the main purpose of the section “Why is Holmes so popular?” A．To encourage readers to buy more books. B．To compare Holmes with other detectives. C．To explain how Conan Doyle wrote the stories. D．To give the reasons for Holmes’ lasting success. CLASSICAL ERA The term “classical” is often used to tell the difference between serious music and popular music. The symphony (交响乐) developed in this period. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there were two most famous composers (作曲家). Mozart was a talented composer and performed all over Europe at six. He wrote the famous opera The Magic Flute. The German composer Beethoven was completely deaf for the last 10 years of his life but continued to compose some of the greatest music in the world. Symphony No. 5 is one of them. His late works moved toward the Romantic movement. ROMANTIC MOVEMENT From about 1820, composers started using new harmonies (和声) and forms to create music full of different emotions (情绪). Composers cared more about creating dramas, painting pictures in sound, or telling stories. The Russian composer Tchaikovsky was unhappy in his personal life, which brought great emotional depth to his music. He wrote many well-known works, including the famous 1812 Overture. MODERN MUSIC In the 20th century, there were great changes in serious music. The music composed by Stravinsky was difficult for people to understand. Stravinsky’s The Firebird caused a sensation at its first performance in Paris in 1910. It was a big success. The music was so different and powerful that it made the young composer famous across Europe. The German Stockhausen challenged listeners’ ideas about music. In Zyklus, for example, he let the drummer start playing from any page of the music, and then play it in their own order. COMPUTER COMPOSITION Computers can help composers write music. The composer can use an electronic instrument (电子乐器) to enter the melodies into the computer, where they can be stored, changed, and printed out. 1．According to the passage, what information can be put on the timeline? A．The Firebird; Mozart B．Symphony No. 9; Stravinsky C．The Magic Flute; Chopin D．Symphony No. 5; Stockhausen 2．What do you know about Tchaikovsky and his music? A．His music is always happy and joyful. B．He composed worse when he was sad. C．His personal feelings influenced his music. D．He only composed music about his own life. 3．What may “caused a sensation” mean according to the text? A．It was forgotten at once. B．It was a piece of modern music. C．Everyone found it easy to understand. D．It created great excitement and surprise. 4．What is the best title for the passage? A．The Great Composers B．Composers’ Role in Music C．A Brief History of Musical Styles D．How Composers Create Music Ugly dogs and other less attractive pets may not be the prettiest, but they still pull at our heartstrings. What’s going on? Every June in Petaluma, California, judges examine a lineup of funny faces, crooked teeth, big eyes and messy whiskers (胡须) to decide the winner of the World’s Ugliest Dog contest. The dogs competing for this questionable title often melt the hearts of animal lovers everywhere. Funny-looking pets are also common in viral internet content. So why do we find odd-looking animals so appealing? Evolution plays a role. According to Austrian zoologist Konrad Lorenz, human attraction to baby-like features, such as big eyes, large heads and soft bodies, is an evolutionary adaptation that helps ensure that adults care for their offspring, guaranteeing the survival of their species. These features were coined “baby schema” by Lorenz in 1943. Animals such as blobfish, pugs (哈巴狗), and bulldogs all share these baby-like features that cause a caring response from humans. They trigger a natural instinct to nurture and protect. There are other reasons we like “ugly-cute” animals. Some, like the blobfish or naked mole rat, live in extreme environments. Scientists study these animals to understand if their biology might provide insights that could lead to treatments for human health issues like cancer and heart disease. But there are concerns with this trend. Vets urge people not to choose flat-faced dogs because they have serious health problems. Pugs and French bulldogs are bred to have short noses and often experience trouble breathing, skin infections and eye issues. Many pugs make snoring and wheezing noises due to their blocked airways. So while silly features such as big eyes and wrinkly faces may make us smile, we might want to rethink our love of “ugly-cute” pets. 1．What do we know about “baby schema”? A．It refers to baby animals’ behavior. B．It ensures that humans care for pets. C．It causes humans’ desire to protect. D．It helps adults recognize their babies. 2．Why do scientists study animals like the blobfish or naked mole rat? A．To explore potential human health treatments. B．To prove evolutionary influence. C．To cure their serious health problems. D．To train them for extreme environments. 3．Why do vets warn people against choosing flat-faced dogs? A．They require special care. B．They are costly to care for. C．They have severe physical limits. D．They have short lifespans. 4．Which of the following is the most suitable title for the text? A．Why we love ugly-cute animals B．How ugly-cute animals can help us C．How to train ugly-cute animals D．What ugly-cute animals have in common A visit to a supermarket offers you choices from a wide range of products, not only vegetables of all sorts but also berries and other fruit. You can decide whether to go for strawberries or apples. However, it’s not so easy for farmers. They have to decide what to grow while worrying about getting their crops enough water and wondering if they’ll make money. “Many aspects of farming are difficult,” says mathematician Estelle Basor. Farmers face a lot of unknowns, including weather, pests and an idea in economics called supply and need. Farmers may, for example, grow more strawberries than their customers are ready to buy (or demand). So, to use up the supply, they end up selling their strawberries at lower prices. If prices fall too low, farmers don’t make enough to cover the cost of growing crops. Basor works with other mathematicians to came up with methods to help farmers make decisions about what to grow, and especially how to reduce water use. Farms in California, including those in the Pajaro Valley, produce about 80 percent of the fresh strawberries you can buy in American supermarkets. In most recent years, however, California has suffered a drought. The Pajaro Valley and other areas of the state are feeling the effects of the shortage of rainfall. Pajaro Valley farmers draw their water from an underground aquifer. The trouble is that they have been pumping water out of the aquifer faster than it can be replaced by rainfall, and the drought has made things even worse. Many farmers are wondering whether they can switch to crops that use less water but that people will still buy. The mathematicians started by collecting information on water use, crop prices, and other variables. They then programmed computers to, in fact, play a game. The goal was to find the combination of crops that would produce the highest profit using the least amount of water—all while meeting customer demand. This approach is an example of a mathematical strategy called optimization. The first version modeled a 100-acre farm, planted with various combinations of five different crop types. On this virtual farm, raspberries, which use less water, proved to be more profitable than strawberries. The researchers have been checking with farmers to see whether their model offers reasonable results, and so far the response is encouraging. They hope that their model will eventually help farmers all across the country, whether they are growing corn in Iowa or soybeans in South Carolina. 1．What is the writer trying to express in the first paragraph? A．Farmers fail to provide enough products. B．Supermarkets can satisfy customers’ needs. C．Customers are free to choose what they like. D．Farmers face the challenge of choosing crops. 2．What does the underlined word “supply” in Paragraph 2 mean? A．The cost of growing strawberries. B．The unknown problems to farmers. C．The price of the strawberries. D．The number of the strawberries for sale. 3．What problem do farmers in the Pajaro Valley face? A．There isn’t enough rainfall. B．The quality of crops goes down. C．They fail to draw water from rivers. D．The production of strawberries isn’t enough. 4．What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to? A．The aquifer they draw water from. B．The rainfall that falls into the aquifer. C．The trouble farmers in Pajara Valley face. D．The water the farmers have been pumping. 5．How do mathematicians help with the farming in the Pajaro Valley? A．By teaching farmers how to use computers. B．By finding the best crops to grow with less water. C．By developing new types of crops that need less water. D．By helping farmers sell their crops at better prices. There’s much excitement and argument about Artificial Intelligence (AI 人工智能). One heated debate (争论) is whether robots will replace (替换) teachers in classrooms. Some think it’ll happen in the next ten years, while others believe a good teacher’s value, like building a child’s confidence and creativity, can’t be easily replaced. AI is not new for us and is already being used in many fields, such as medicine, science and so on. So what does this mean for our future? In my view, AI will help kids to think more freely and creatively. Can AI possibly cut down the teaching work in the future, too? Of course. Our teachers are always busy preparing materials for their lessons. Just imagine how happy they would be if they don’t have to copy hundreds of pages, but instead, have this task or others done by machines. However, most importantly, I believe AI will not be able to copy the human mental condition (精神状态) completely, especially emotional intelligence (情商). What makes learning unforgettable is shared experience, human interaction (互相作用), and long-lasting positive relationships. For example, experienced teachers can comfort (安慰) a student if he has suffered a serious loss. But robots may not do this well. I also believe we need to continue to celebrate our kids’ personality and their ability not only to decide something on their own but also decide what they need wisely. These are skills that they can get as they get more life experience and are given the space to experiment. In short, AI in education has both advantages and disadvantages. It’s a useful tool. It helps students learn better and reduces teachers’ workload. But it can never replace teachers. Teachers understand students’ feelings, guide them, and help with their overall (全面的) development. The future of education needs to mix the good points of AI with teachers’ special abilities. This way, we can create a nice and efficient learning environment. 1．How does the writer start the passage? A．By showing examples. B．By comparing views. C．By telling stories. D．By giving suggestions. 2．What is Paragraph 2 mainly about? A．Why teachers can be replaced in classrooms. B．There is an argument over Artificial Intelligence. C．How helpful AI can be to both students and teachers. D．AI is being used in all kinds of fields. 3．About the use of AI in education, the writer probably agrees that ________. A．AI is as important as teachers. B．AI will replace teachers in the future. C．Sometimes AI is able to make the students in sad moods cheer up. D．AI can help teachers create a better learning environment. Philosophers have a bad reputation for expressing themselves in a dry and boring way. The ideals for most philosophical writing are precision, clarity, and the sort of conceptual analysis that leaves no hair un-split. There is nothing wrong with clarity, precision, and the like—but this isn’t the only way to do philosophy. Outside academic journals, abstract philosophical ideas are often expressed through literature, cinema, and song. There’s nothing that grabs attention like a good story, and there are some great philosophical stories that delight and engage, rather than putting the reader to sleep. One of the great things about this is that, unlike formal philosophy, which tries to be very clear, stories don’t wear their meanings on their sleeve—they require interpretation, and often express conflicting ideas for the reader to wrestle with. Consider what philosophers call the metaphysics (形而上学) of race—an area of philosophy that explores the question of whether or not race is real. There are three main positions that you can take on these questions. You might think that a person’s race is written in their genes (a position known as “biological realism”). Or you might think of race as socially real, like days of the week or currencies (“social constructionism”). Finally, you might think that races are unreal—that they’re more like leprechauns (一种魔法精灵) than they are like Thursdays or dollars (“anti-realism”). A great example of a story with social constructionist taking on race is George Schuyler’s novel Black No More. In the book, a Black scientist named Crookman invents a procedure that makes Black people visually indistinguishable from Whites. Thousands of African Americans flock to Crookman’s Black No More clinics and pay him their hard-earned cash to undergo the procedure. White racists can no longer distinguish those people who are “really” White from those who merely appear to be White. In a final episode, Crookman discovers that new Whites are actually a whiter shade of pale than those who were born that way, which kicks off a trend of sunbathing to darken one’s skin-darkening it so as to look more While. Philosophically rich stories like this bring more technical works to life. They are stories to think with. 1．What does the author think of philosophical stories? A．The meaning behind is very obvious. B．They are extremely precise and formal. C．They often cause conflicts among readers. D．They are engaging and inspire critical thinking. 2．Which category might “Christmas” fall into according to paragraph 4? A．Social constructionism. B．Anti-realism. C．Biological realism. D．Literary realism. 3．What is Black No More in paragraph 5 mainly about? A．Racial issues caused by skin colors. B．A society view on race and self-image.. C．Black people accepted by the white society. D．The origin of sun bathing among white people. 4．What is the best title of the text? A．Stories Made Easy B．Stories to Think with C．Positions in Philosophy D．Nature of Philosophical Writing Learning from Failure: A Step to Growth    Everyone experiences failure at some point in life. Maybe you failed a test, lost a competition, or didn’t get the job you wanted. It’s easy to feel sad or even give up when this happens. But failure is not the end—it’s actually a valuable part of personal growth.     First, failure teaches you about your strengths and weaknesses. When you fail at something, you learn what you’re good at and what you need to improve. For example, if you fail a math exam because you struggled with geometry, you’ll know to spend more time practicing geometry problems. This self-awareness helps you make better plans for the future and focus on areas that need more work.     Second, failure builds resilience. Resilience is the ability to get back up after facing difficulties. Every time you overcome a failure, you become stronger and more confident. Think about a child learning to ride a bike—they fall many times, but each fall teaches them how to balance better. Eventually, they master riding a bike because they didn’t give up after failing. The same is true for adults: the more failures you overcome, the more resilient you become.     Failure also helps you develop a growth mindset. People with a growth mindset believe that their abilities can improve with effort. They don’t see failure as a sign that they’re “not good enough”—instead, they see it as a chance to learn and grow. For example, a student who fails a speech competition might think, “I need to practice my public speaking more” instead of “I’m bad at speaking in front of people.” This mindset makes you more willing to try new things and take risks, which are essential for personal growth.     Of course, it’s not easy to stay positive after failure. But there are ways to make the most of it. You can start by analyzing why you failed—was it because you didn’t prepare enough, or because you chose the wrong method? Then, make a plan to improve. You can also talk to friends, family, or teachers for advice—they might have helpful ideas you haven’t thought of. Most importantly, be kind to yourself: don’t blame yourself too much for failing, and remember that everyone makes mistakes.     In the end, failure is not something to fear. It’s a teacher that helps you become a better person. Every successful person—whether a scientist, an artist, or an athlete—has failed many times before achieving their goals. So the next time you fail, remember: it’s just a step on the path to growth. 1．What does failure teach you about yourself? A．Only your strengths. B．Only your weaknesses. C．Both your strengths and weaknesses. D．Nothing about yourself. 2．What is “resilience” according to the passage? A．The ability to give up after failure. B．The ability to get back up after difficulties. C．The ability to avoid failure. D．The ability to blame yourself for failure. 3．How does failure help develop a growth mindset? A．It makes you believe abilities can’t change. B．It makes you think you’re “not good enough.” C．It makes you afraid to try new things. D．It makes you see failure as a chance to learn. 4．What can you do to make the most of failure? A．Analyze the reason for failure and make a plan. B．Ignore the failure and forget about it. C．Blame others for your failure. D．Stop trying new things to avoid more failure. 5．What is the main message of the passage? A．Failure is terrible and should be avoided. B．Failure is a valuable part of personal growth. C．Successful people never experience failure. D．Failure means you’re not good at something. Twelve years ago, oceanographer Captain Charlie Moore was leading his yacht the Alguita in the North Pacific. He sailed into a mass of floating plastic rubbish which took him a week to cross. This floating rubbish is now called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (太平洋垃圾带) and doubles the size of the USA． The United Nations says there are now 18,000 pieces of plastic in every square kilometre of sea everywhere in the world. A walk along any beach will give you some idea of the seriousness of plastic pollution. The trouble is, when we throw out plastic with the waste, the plastic doesn’t go away. Plastic does not biodegrade. It photo degrades (光降解) into smaller and smaller particles which then enter the food chain (食物链). Plastics include cancer-causing chemicals which travel along the food chain in increasing concentrations and end up in our fish and chips. Scientists try to tell us that we are killing ourselves as well as other animals. Many species are being killed by plastic. Whales, dolphins, turtles and albatross confuse floating plastic, especially shopping bags and six pack rings (六环圈塑料包装), with jellyfish. A dead Minke whale, washed up on a Normandy beach, was found to have eaten plastic bags from supermarkets and had died a dreadful death. Some countries have rebelled and banned plastic bags. And the first was brave Bangladesh. Then China took the same decision. Botswana, Canada, Israel, Kenya, Rwanda, Singapore and South Africa have also banned plastic bags. Notice how many of the world’s richest countries are not on this list. It’s an absolute shame! If we can’t use plastic bags, how do we carry home the shopping? Take a back pack or a folding shopping trolley (购物车). Change supermarket to one that provides biodegradable bags. Personally speaking, what I need to find now, is a supermarket that sells biodegradable rubbish bags, otherwise I still end up using plastic. I recently spent a week in New Zealand on and saw that everyone was using special paper rubbish bags. I wish we did something similar here. Think globally, act locally. A small Australian town is now one step ahead of the rest of the world. Local people of Bundanoon in New South Wales have banned plastic bottles from the town. We need to follow their example and stop plastic from our lives, take care of the earth and vote for people we think will do the same. 1．How can we get an idea of how much plastic rubbish there is in the oceans? A．By looking at the sea. B．By sailing across the Pacific. C．By travelling across the world. D．By taking a walk along any beach. 2．How does the writer prove (证明) that many species are being killed by plastic in Paragraph 3? A．By telling stories. B．By comparing facts. C．By giving examples. D．By listing numbers. 3．Why is the writer angry in Paragraph 4? A．Great Pacific Garbage Patch doubles the size of the USA． B．Not many countries have rebelled and banned plastic bags. C．Many of the world’s richest countries haven’t banned plastic bags. D．Plastics including cancer-causing chemicals can enter the food chain. 4．Which country is not mentioned as a good example of banning plastic? A．China. B．Australia. C．New Zealand. D．America. 5．What is the purpose of the passage? A．To help readers realize that animals are suffering from plastic. B．To make readers believe that the plastic pollution is quite serious. C．To call on readers to take action to stop plastic and protect the earth. D．To show readers how seriously plastic waste influence the food chain. To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. Advancements(进步) are made when thinkers start to question. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist whose ideas explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200 years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them! Brilliant minds can make up and coming thinkers believe they are not as good as the minds of giants such as Aristotle, leading many to accept current ideas instead of questioning them. I like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I was certain that my parents, my teachers were always right. They were like a textbook to me; I didn’t question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind’s independence was first developed in the classroom. Astem, a 65-year-old science teacher, once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently went through years of school believing that. One day, however, I heard the German exchange student mention that light could be made of particles(粒子). I started to question my beliefs. I went to the library, read about Einstein’s discovery that puzzles the world’s greatest thinkers—Light behaves as both a particle and a wave. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth. Each new year brought more new facts, and I found myself in the library after school trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. I discovered that my parents and teachers are good tools in my quest for knowledge, but they are never the final word. That’s how I developed my independent mind. Questions are said to be the path to knowledge and truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? At this moment, I know that our sun will burn for another five billion years, and I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge, however, may change in the next 20 years — maybe even in the next two. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery, which is the key to making progress for human beings! 1．In this passage, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that ________. A．he is the greatest and respected scientist of all B．huge influence of great thinkers may stop human thought from developing C．advancements are made when thinkers start to question D．great thinkers make mistakes and then correct them 2．The underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 has an adverbial clause which expresses ________. A．reason B．purpose C．result D．time 3．Which of the following best shows the structure of this passage? A． B． C． D． 4．What can be inferred from the last paragraph? A．The author is not quite sure about his future. B．We human beings are afraid of dreaming about the future. C．The things about black holes will change in two years. D．Questioning is necessary to intellectual advancement. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $