YoumayknowthesongHappyBirthday-优题课

Wukong, Tiangong, Tianwen… Do you know where the names of Chinese space programs come from?

Wukong, the Dark Matter Particle Explorer satellite (暗物质粒子探测卫星), is named after Chinese superhero Monkey King. According to Journey to the West, Monkey King has a pair of sharp eyes which can tell the difference between good and evil. The Wukong satellite is just as sharp-eyed as Monkey King to help scientists search for dark matter in space.

The name of the space station, Tiangong, means “Heavenly Palace”. In Chinese myths, this is the home of Tian Di. Now Tiangong Space Station is a home for Chinese astronauts in space. And China welcomes foreign astronauts to Tiangong so that they can work together.

Tianwen, China’s Mars missions (任务), gets its name from the poem Tianwen by Qu Yuan. Qu Yuan is a well-known poet from ancient China. In Tianwen, he had the questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the real world, showing his hunger for truth. Perhaps the Tianwen missions will end up answering some of Qu Yuan’s questions.

If you look into more names of Chinese space programs, you will find that they all have beautiful meanings. We, the Chinese people, have a long-cherished (珍藏已久的) space dream. So the naming of Chinese space programs is taken very seriously.

（1）What is the Wukong satellite used for?

A．	Answering some of Qu Yuan’s questions.
B．	Finding the difference between good and evil.
C．	Helping scientists search for dark matter in space.
D．	Welcoming foreign astronauts to the space station.

（2）The underlined word “myths” in Paragraph 3 means “________” in Chinese.

A．

诗歌

B．

神话

C．

谚语

D．

传记

（3）The name of China’s Mars missions is from ________.

A．	Qu Yuan’s poem Tianwen	B．	an ancient novel
C．	ancient Chinese myths	D．	Journey to the West

（4）Why do we take the naming of Chinese space programs seriously?

A．	We want to land on Mars.	B．	We want to protect the Earth.
C．	We have the hunger for truth.	D．	We have a dream for space.

（5）Which can be the best title for the passage?

A．	What Beautiful Names	B．	What a Cherished Star
C．	What Excellent Poems	D．	What a Long Journey

We know many musical instruments well, such as pianos, violins, drums and so on. What about the erhu? The erhu is a traditional Chinese instrument. It is the most popular of the huqin family, and it has a long history.

The modern erhu developed from the xiqin, which was played by many ethnic minorities (少数民族) during the Tang Dynasty. In the Song Dynasty, musicians began to use the erhu to perform different kinds of music, and it became quite a popular instrument. With the rise of some forms of folk art, the art of the erhu developed quickly during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It became an important accompanying (伴奏) instrument in different folk music. At present, it is used in both traditional and modern music, such as in pop, rock and jazz. It has even become a solo (独奏) instrument. One of the most famous musical pieces played on the erhu is ErquanYingyue.

As the erhu was mainly played by common people and the playing skills were passed down orally (口头地), there are few written records about the erhu that can be found. To study the history and the development of the erhu, historians (历史学者) usually turn to ancient paintings. The earliest pictures of this instrument were found in Yulin Caves and Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves in Gansu Province, where five erhu pictures were discovered on murals (壁画).

（1）When did the erhu become a popular instrument?

A．	In the Tang Dynasty.	B．	In the Song Dynasty.
C．	In the Ming Dynasty.	D．	In recent years.

（2）To study the history of the erhu, historians usually ________.

A．	play the most famous erhu pieces	B．	listen to different kinds of folk music
C．	get help from ancient paintings	D．	read some books about ethnic minorities

（3）Which is TRUE according to the passage?

A．	The huqin belongs to the erhu family.
B．	Folk art stops the development of the erhu.
C．	People can find plenty of written records about the erhu.
D．	The erhu is used in both traditional and modern music now.

（4）You may read the passage in the ________ section of a newspaper.

A．

culture

B．

business

C．

health

D．

nature

（5）The passage mainly talks about ________.

A．	the forms of folk music	B．	the history of the erhu
C．	the rise of different dynasties	D．	the development of Chinese instruments

Hearing that Erin was coming for the silver wedding party, Mr. Joe and his wife got worried.

“Erin the thief!” said Mr. Joe to his wife. “Anything smaller than a table, and more expensive than paper, would finally be found in his bag.”

“He’s sure to come for the presents we’ve received,” added Mrs. Joe. “We can’t hide them all. How can we deal with him?”

“We must keep an eye on him,” said Mr. Joe.

As soon as Erin arrived, the couple started to keep a sharp lookout. After dinner, the three talked nervously from one boring topic to another in the living room.

Suddenly, Erin asked, “You’ve got so many presents. Can I take a look at those pretty silk scarves?”

“Only it’s annoying to have seven of them,” Mr. Joe blurted.

Erin studied the scarves carefully, lost in thought. The couple got more anxious.

After Erin went for sleep, Mrs. Joe counted the presents immediately. “I’m not sure if we’ve lost anything,” she doubted.

“He must have taken something,” claimed Mr. Joe angrily. “The awful pig hasn’t brought us a present. How dare he take anything from us?”

“Let’s go through his bag late at night,” Mrs. Joe suggested.

The search was a short one. They found a silk scarf carefully placed in the bag. Mrs. Joe quickly picked it up and put it into her pocket.

The next morning, Erin was late for breakfast. “Something’s been taken out of my bag,” he said. “It was a present I had prepared for your silver wedding, only it happened to be a scarf. You seemed annoyed at having so many, so I thought I’d get it changed, but now it’s gone.”

The couple turned deadly pale. Mrs. Joe ran to the living room and surprisingly, she found their seven scarves were still there, ▲ .

Mrs. Joe returned with Erin’s scarf. “This one is yours,” she went on. “It’s an unpleasant thing to say… Actually, we took it last night. It all started because there were some unkind words about you. It’s really shameful to go through your bag without asking.”

Erin’s eyes widened as he was listening. Mrs. Joe handed the scarf to Erin.

“Please take your scarf back. It’s unfair to you. Really hope you can forgive us for everything we did,” Mr. Joe said.

Erin refused the scarf with a smile. “It has always been for you. Please keep it. Just want you to know that people change.”

（1）What did Mr. and Mrs. Joe do before Erin arrived?

A．	They hid all their presents.	B．	They told Erin to come the next week.
C．	They changed the date for the party.	D．	They talked about how to deal with Erin.

（2）What can we know from the story?

A．	Erin had prepared a present for the couple.
B．	The couple had a nice talk with Erin after dinner.
C．	The couple spent a lot of time checking Erin’s bag.
D．	Erin thought the couple was happy to have many scarves.

（3）Which of the following can be put into ▲ in Paragraph 14?

A．	She put one of the scarves into her pocket
B．	She placed all the seven scarves in the bag
C．	She was quite sure that Erin had lied to them
D．	She realised the scarf in her pocket wasn’t theirs

（4）How might Mr. and Mrs. Joe feel at the end of the story? Why? （请用约40词回答）

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

Scientists are looking for ways that we can effectively use the light and heat from the sun. One idea that has caught their imagination is solar roads. They are expected to produce clean and renewable energy.

With solar panels on the surfaces, solar roads cost more than traditional roads. However, besides the functions of traditional roods, they have the panels to receive sunlight and change it into the energy to supply power to homes, factories and street lighting. There are four layers in a solar panel:

•Base layer: It is made of insulation material and forms a good grip with the road below this layer.

•Middle layer: This is the most important layer. It holds all kinds of power lines connecting all the solar parts in the panel, like LED lights and the heating system.

•Top layer: This layer is super-strong glass. It allows the panel to hold the weight of the heaviest vehicles.

•Capping: This is the topmost layer used to offer extra protection to the solar parts in the panel. The layer must be rough enough to provide the traction for the safety of vehicles.

With the smart design, solar roads can successfully charge the vehicles on them. And the roads have inbuilt LED lights to replace the traditional rood signs and lines, which are usually painted and harmful to humans. What’s more, the heating systems in the solar roads can take care of the snow and ice on the roads for drivers.

Test solar roads have been built in several countries (France, China, USA, etc.) since 2014. The first word solar road project, Metrics of Watt Way in France, was set up by a French company called Construction Colas. It was an example of low effectiveness. In the first year, it had been expected to produce around 767 kWh of energy a day, but it only produced 409 kWh. Even so, the production could increase with design improvements. Of course, more time is needed before this technology is put into use.

Solar roads may not be widely used in the near future, but they are indeed great for an environment-friendly and energy-saving world.

（1）Solar roads ＿＿＿＿＿.

A．	offer power to homes	B．	get energy from factories
C．	keep the sunlight away	D．	cost less than traditional roods

（2）Which of the following about the layers of a solar panel is TRUE according to the passage?

A．	The base layer is the most important layer.
B．	There are many power lines in the middle layer.
C．	The top layer lies on the top of the solar panel.
D．	The capping should be smooth enough for drivers.

（3）The first world solar road project ＿＿＿＿＿.

A．	was set up in China in 2014	B．	showed high effectiveness as expected
C．	was started by a US company	D．	could get better with design improvements

（4）What is the best title for the passage?

A．	Solar Roads: A Widely Used Invention
B．	Solar Roads: A Safety Guard for Drivers
C．	Solar Roads: A New Idea for Clean Energy
D．	Solar Roads: A Way to Produce LED Lights

“Motasharefon bema’ refatek!” is often heard in Arabs’ daily talks. This greeting in the language Arabic means “Nice to meet you!” You may find Arabic difficult to understand, but the following facts can offer you some basics.

Arabic is s language of over twenty countries across the Middle East and North Africa, It’s also one of the six official languages of the UN. Now about 400 million people worldwide speak Arabic.

Arabic has different varieties. One of them is Modern Standard Arabic. It is taught at schools in all Arabic-speaking countries and used formally over media. Colloquial Arabic is another variety which people in the Arab world usually use in their everyday life.

Arabic is written from right to left in a beautiful and flowing script. Written Arabic is formed from eighteen different curves with dots () above or below. The curve () with one dot below is pronounced /b/, two on top is /t/, and three on top is /th/, while the curve () with two dots below is pronounced /y/.

A main feature of Arable is the throe letter root system. Almost every Arabic word is based on a root of three letters. If you take a root and add other letters to it, you can create many words related to the meaning of that root. For example, “k-t-b” is a common root in Arabic. Some words from that root are kitaab (“book”) and maktaba (“library”).

There are more facts about Arabic for you to explore. You’ll find that learning about it helps open up door to a different culture and provides a new way of thinking about the world.

（1）How many varieties of Arabic are mentioned in the passage?

A．

Two.

B．

Three.

C．

Four.

D．

Five.

（2）According to the passage, which of the following is pronounced /b/ in Arabic?

A．

B．

C．

D．

（3）What does the underlined root “k-t-b” in Paragraph 5 most probably mean?

A．

Cooking.

B．

Singing.

C．

Writing.

D．

Swimming.

（4）Why does the author write this passage?

A．	To introduce the language Arabic.
B．	To tell stories from Arab countries.
C．	To encourage people to visit Arab countries.
D．	To advise people to protect the language Arabic.

A．her friend	B．a little child
C． herself	D．her family