Many of us wish we would have longer weekend， but for about 18，000 students in Colorado， that wish is coming true． A school district outside Denver has decided to shorten its week to four days﹣from Tuesday to Friday， and the first school year on this new timetable just started，CBS Denver reports． It began on Tuesday， August 14， because the day students get off is everyone's least favorite： Monday．
Although this may sound like a dream come true， it means students will have to sit though longer school days to work more for the hours they've lost， according to The Denver Post． So the timetable seems more crowded than ever．
The decision wasn't made just to give students more days off， though：it had practical purpose． The district says that it will save ＄ 1 million by not having buses on Mondays and spending less on things like electricity and water． That means a lot to the school． However， there are different voice． Parents may pick upsome the cost of this change， though， since many will now need to stay home with their kids． If they go to work， they have to find people to take care of their children．
This isn't the first district in the state to introduce a four﹣day week：55% of the state's schools do this， but most of them are in the countryside， according to The Denver Post． Several school in Oklahoma made the some move earlier this year， and some them told CBS News Reports that more teachers wanted to teach there after the change． Most of these teachers have a lot of teaching experience． About 560 districts in timetable influence students's performance．
（1）What happens to the students in Colorado？
| A． |
They have shorter summer holidays． |
| B． |
They go to school every day． |
| C． |
They have classes only on Monday． |
| D． |
They have longer weekend． |
（2）What does the underlined phrase "pick up" in Paragraph 3 mean？
| A． |
go for |
| B． |
pay for |
| C． |
look for |
| D． |
stand for |
（3）Why do more teachers want to come to Oklahoma？
| A． |
They would like to work here with four﹣day week． |
| B． |
They'll be given more money than those in other states． |
| C． |
Students are much more money creative in class in this place． |
| D． |
Students behave better because of longer weekends． |
（4）What can we infer from the last paragraph？
| A． |
Students need to study harder to make up for the time． |
| B． |
Parents may spend more time and money on their children． |
| C． |
People in Colorado speak with one voice when facing the decision． |
| D． |
It's not clear whether the new timetable is good for students or not． |
阅读下列内容，从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳答案。
Wetlands are any land that is flooded with shallow water all or most of the time. They are a natural water holding system.
There are many types of wetlands. Among them, bogs, marshes and swamps are the three main types. The different types of wetlands have different kinds of plants. Only mosses(苔藓)and a few other kinds of plants can grow in bogs. Grassy plants like cattails（香蒲）and reeds(芦苇)are the most common plants in a marsh. A swamp is a forest whose ground is underwater all or most of the time. Unlike bogs or marshes, a swamp is full of trees and bushes. It’s not a good idea to go exploring a swamp without a guide. There are hidden pools of water, thick mud, and sometimes big crocodiles(鳄鱼)looking for their next meal.
Hungry crocodiles aren’t the only animals that make the wetlands their home. Otters, turtles, frogs, snakes and many other animals do too. The water is home to many kinds of fish and crabs. Birds, including ducks, geese and cranes, use wetlands seasonally during their long migrations.
Wetlands are important because they provide habitats for plants and animals. A wetland system can also protect shorelines, make polluted waters clean, prevent floods, and restore underground water supplies.
According to WWF, more than half of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since the beginning of the 20th century. If this continues, countless plant and animal species will surely die out. Without wetlands, cities have to spend more money treating water. Don’t feel helpless. Try to do your part to protect them right now. Here are some ideas.
（1）According to Paragraph 2, what can you see in a swamp?
| A． |
Mosses. |
B． |
Cattails. |
C． |
Reeds. |
D． |
Trees. |
（2）According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A． |
Wetlands are a man-made water holding system. |
| B． |
There are three types of wetlands in the world. |
| C． |
People can not meet with big crocodiles in wetlands. |
| D． |
Wetlands can protect shorelines and prevent floods. |
（3）What is the writer probably going to talk about after Paragraph 5?
| A． |
What are the different types of wetlands? |
| B． |
What will happen if wetlands disappear? |
| C． |
What actions can people take to protect wetlands? |
| D． |
What other kinds of plants and animals live in wetlands? |
|
As Chinese, I’m sure you know something about Taichi. It’s a kind of sport and one of the symbols of Chinese culture.
Taichi is common in China. If you walk through a park, you might see people doing these slow and beautiful actions. They are doing Taichi, an ancient art called Wushu. Doing Taichi is good for our health. It can make us walk and move freely. During slow actions we can pay special attention to our hands and feet. We can control them better. Taichi also mixes slow actions and deep breaths perfectly. People will become healthier by practicing it.
But Taichi is more than a kind of sport. It shows how we see the world as well. The world is full of yin and yang, such as dark and light, soft and hard, full and empty etc. Taichi sets up good relationships between yin and yang, while they aren’t opposite. Just like the picture on the left, a white circle is in the black area and a black circle is in the white area. After a dark night, the sun will rise. Leaves fall in autumn but grow in spring. Everything keeps changing— that is how we should see the world. Yin and yang depend on each other and make differences to each other. That is why humans can get on well with nature and people can use softness to beat hardness. Taichi makes full of yin and yang. In China, Taichi has been practiced for about 600 years. At present, more people are encouraged to join in the Taichi and pass it on. Over 100 million people in more than 150 countries practice Taichi. It is getting more and more popular in the world. |
1. The actions of Taichi are ________.
| A． |
slow and beautiful |
B． |
quick and free |
C． |
quick and beautiful |
2. The underline word “them” refers to (指的是) ________.
| A． |
Wushu and sport |
B． |
walking and moving |
C． |
hands and feet |
3. What does Taichi show us?
| A． |
It shows us that yin and yang are opposite. |
| B． |
It shows us that nothing is changing. |
| C． |
It shows us the relationships between yin and yang. |
4. How long has Taichi been practiced in China?
| A． |
For about 600 years. |
| B． |
For about 100 years. |
| C． |
For about 150 years. |
5. We can most probably read this article in ________ in a newspaper.
| A． |
BUSINESS & DEVELOPMENT |
| B． |
SPORTS & CULTURE |
| C． |
TRAVEL & TRANSPORTATION |
Nowadays it seems that apps are for many things, and they have become a part of our life. Here are some useful and popular apps.
|
|
Food Trainer Junk food! Junk food! Junk food! We all know junk food is bad for our health, but we can’t stop eating it. Now, good news! Food Trainer is created to help eat less junk food and lose weight. |
|
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1 Second Everyday This isn’t a new app, but it’s good to use it at the start of the year. It’s a way to record one second of video every day, building up your own movie of the year. You can share it if you want to. Pay a little and you can use it. |
|
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Love Literacy More than 100,000 young people use Love Literacy to read e-books. Now it has added 200 more free e-books, including Chinese Cinderella. Chinese Cinderella shows a girl’s dream is to get a good education and live a life with a person who cares. To learn more, use the app right now. |
|
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Highbrow Dictionary This app is fantastic for helping you add new words to your vocabulary like experience, competition and many more. It can help you learn more English words, so if you have problems learning new words, use it! And good news! It’s free. |
1. Food Trainer is an app for ________.
| A． |
helping eat less junk food and lose weight |
| B． |
helping eat more junk food and lose weight |
| C． |
helping eat less healthy food to lose weight |
2. Tom wants to learn more new English words, he should choose ________.
| A． |
Food Trainer |
B． |
1 Second Everyday |
C． |
Highbrow Dictionary |
3. How many apps are mentioned in the passage?
| A． |
Three. |
B． |
Four. |
C． |
Five. |
4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A． |
1 Second Everyday is a new app for recording videos. |
| B． |
Chinese Cinderella is about a girl’s dream. |
| C． |
1 Second Everyday is free for all of us. |
5. What’s the best title for this passage?
| A． |
Some Apps for Making Movies |
| B． |
Some Apps for Learning English |
| C． |
Some Useful And Popular Apps |
On Dec.9，three Chinese astronauts gave a science lecture 400 kilometers above Earth!Zhai Zhigang，Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu who are working aboard the Tiangong space station，showed our students a glimpse of their life there.They also did some fun science experiments.Let's take a look at some of them.
Use it or lose it
The human body grows with the pull of Earth's gravity （重力）.But in space，our bones and muscles （肌肉） don't need to support our body's weight.This will cause bone and muscle loss.It's reported that astronauts can lose up to 20% of their muscles after just a couple of weeks.That is dangerous for astronauts because they will be too weak to work.
Astronauts have different ways to prevent this.During the lecture，Zhai introduced a special uniform Ye was wearing.It's called a "penguin suit".There are many elastic bands（弹力带）inside the suit.Wearing it，astronauts use their muscles to stretch（拉伸） the bands.This keeps their muscles strong.Wang also showed students how she walked on a treadmill （跑步机） and rode a bicycle.Astronauts exercise with these tools every day to prevent muscle loss.
Space water is different
Water in space acts differently from water on Earth in other ways.For example，water will not flow（流动） downward if you try to pour it into a cup.That's why astronauts usually drink water through straws（吸管）in sealed（密封的）bags.If astronauts cry，the tears will stay on their eyeballs instead of falling down.They have to wipe（擦拭）them away！
During another experiment，Wang made a water film （膜）.Then she added more water drops onto the film to make it a water ball.This can never happen on Earth.
（1）The astronauts gave a lecture 400 kilometers above Earth on Dec.9.
| A． |
science |
| B． |
Chinese |
| C． |
history |
| D． |
geography |
（2）The astronauts might become weak in the space because .
| A． |
their bodies will stop growing |
| B． |
they have to work for long hours |
| C． |
they might lose some of their muscles |
| D． |
their muscles have to support more weight |
（3）Zhai showed to the students during the lecture.
| A． |
Earth's gravity |
| B． |
a "penguin suit" |
| C． |
a treadmill |
| D． |
a bicycle |
（4）Which is NOT TRUE about water in space？
| A． |
If astronauts cry，the tears will stay on their eyeballs. |
| B． |
If astronauts pour the water into a cup，it will flow downward. |
| C． |
If astronauts add more water drops onto the film，it will become a water ball. |
| D． |
The astronauts usually drink water through straws in sealed bags. |
（5）The word " " can best describe the lecture in space.
| A． |
Boring |
| B． |
Careless |
| C． |
Dangerous |
| D． |
Eye﹣opening |
Hubei Provincial Museum is one of the most famous places in Wuhan.Standing by the beautiful East Lake，the museum was opened about 60 years ago.
The museum covers an area of 81，909 square meters. It collects，protects，and exhibits（展出）the cultural relics（文物）discovered in the province. Since 1953，the museum has collected over 260，000 cultural relics. Among them，nearly 1，000 are listed as first﹣class relics of China，and 16 are considered national treasures.
One of the most famous treasures is the Sword （剑） of Goujian. It is named after the King of Yue State. Although this bronze sword （青铜剑） has been under the ground for more than 2，500 years，its decorations are still clear.
Another treasure in the museum is the Zenghouyi Chime Bells （编钟）.It was found in 1978.It is the largest bronze musical instrument ever discovered. With a set of bells of different sizes，it can play many pieces of music，and it sounds quite beautiful. There are over 3，000 ancient Chinese characters （汉字） on the bells，describing the music and the owner of this instrument.
If you want to get a taste of the rich history in Hubei，be sure to pay a visit to the Provincial Museum when you are in Wuhan.
（1）How long has Hubei Provincial Museum been opened？
| A． |
For about sixty years. |
| B． |
For about forty years. |
| C． |
For about sixteen years. |
| D． |
For about seventy years. |
（2）What can we see in Hubei Provincial Museum？
| A． |
Gold. |
| B． |
Robots. |
| C． |
Stones. |
| D． |
Cultural relics. |
（3）Which period of history did the owner of the Sword of Goujian live？
| A． |
In Tang Dynasty. |
| B． |
In Han Dynasty. |
| C． |
In Qin Dynasty. |
| D． |
During the Spring and Autumn Period. |
（4）Which of the following is TRUE about the Zenghouyi Chime Bells？
| A． |
It was found in 1968. |
| B． |
There are many English words on it. |
| C． |
It is the largest bronze musical instrument ever discovered. |
| D． |
The Zenghouyi Chime Bells were made in the same size. |
（5）What can we know from the passage？
| A． |
There are 60 national treasures in the museum. |
| B． |
We can learn the rich history of Hubei in the museum. |
| C． |
The museum has collected over 260，000 cultural relics since 1978. |
| D． |
The Sword of Goujian has been under the ground for 1500 years. |
