With so much free time on our hands during lockdown， many of us have entertained the idea of knowing more about the world． Learning a foreign language is a good choice． Here are a few examples， in order of time it takes people to learn them．
Latin languages （about 600 hours）
The popular Latin languages ﹣ Italian， French， Spanish and Portuguese ﹣ require about 600 hours to learn． Of these， Spanish and Italian are the easiest for English speakers to learn． They are followed by Portuguese and finally French．
Latin languages share many words with English．However，those shared words look or sound similar， but have different meanings over time．
Greek （1，100 hours）
Modern Greek is maybe the easiest language to learn that uses a different alphabet（字母表）．It is also a language that has contributed many words to English． Indeed， the president of Greece once gave two speeches at an international meeting that included just Greek loan words（外来词） as well as the unavoidable basic English．
Japanese （2， 200 hours）
Counting objects in Japanese depends on whether they are long and thin （like "roads"）， small and round （like "apples"）， thin and flat （like "sheets of paper"）， and hundreds more examples．
What Japanese you speak also depends on your gender（性别）． There's a "rough" language for men and a more "ladylike" language for women， but you must understand both．
Chinese （2， 200 hours）
Each Chinese written word is hardly understandable when spoken between a Mandarin （普通话） speaker in Beijing and a Cantonese speaker in Guangdong． If you think that's strange， consider our number system： the symbol "2" is widely understood but it's pronounced "two" in English and "duex" in French．
（1）For an English speaker， which of the following is the easiest to learn？
A． Japanese．
B． French．
C． Greek．
D． Italian．
（2）What can we learn from the passage？
A． The same word in two languages always has the same meaning．
B． The English language and the Greek language use the same alphabet．
C． Objects are counted differently in Japanese according to their shapes．
D． A Mandarin speaker and a Cantonese speaker write Chinese differently．
（3）The purpose of this passage is to tell English speakers ．
A． how to learn some foreign languages
B． why they must learn a foreign language
C． some information on the difficulty of foreign languages
D． not to choose an Asian language to learn as it is too hard
New Technology Revolutionizes(变革) Learning
More and more people believe that technologies are great for learning. Today, such teaching tools as iPads are used in a lot of courses, including language, history and science.
Many teachers are supporters of using iPads in language learning. They say that students now have much more time for discussion in the classroom.Instead of spending valuable class time listening to texts or watching teaching videos, students can do this on their own and come to class prepared for discussion.
The teachers also say that iPads allow students to learn at their own pace. Some students might listen to a dialogue only once and understand it, so they can save time for doing other things. Other students, however, might need to listen to the same dialogue again and again to understand it. Using iPads is especially helpful to students who are learning a language at different paces.
The students who are using the new tool in some courses are also happy. They believe that using iPads is a more enjoyable way to learn (such as listening to stories and watching movies). The class has become much more interesting and creative.
There are other advantages for students. By using iPads, they can pay more attention to the material and learn more. Teaching notes are stored in their iPads and are easy to find .Some students spend more time studying now.“I can listen to my language material or watch teaching videos on the bus, instead of having to wait until I get home,” a student explained.
Many adults complain that technologies such as iPads are doing harm to students. They worry that students might use iPads to download teaching notes and use them to cheat during exams. Some believe that iPads may separate students from each other. If a student spends more time watching videos on an iPad, he will have fewer opportunities to have face-to-face communication with others.
However, technologies are already a part of most students’ day-to-day lives. As for cheating, teachers can ask students to hand in their iPads when they take exams. Education needs to make changes with the times as technology is playing an important part. We should look forward to a wonderful future when iPads and other technologies can add a lot to the classroom.
What does the expression“at their own pace” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．According to their own timetable. |
| B．Without their teachers’ help. |
| C．Because of their wonderful goals. |
| D．Against their parents’ hope. |
From the passage we can learn that____.
| A．students with iPads have less discussion in class |
| B．students get more fun from learning with iPads |
| C．iPads help students save time waiting for buses |
| D．iPads prevent students from cheating in exams |
The writer probably agrees that____.
| A．teachers can take control of students’ learning |
| B．exam results depend a lot on now technology |
| C．technology in education has a bright future |
| D．note-taking is as helpful as video-watching |
Do you enjoy visiting a museum? Did you ever make a plan before a visit? Every museum must have something that attracts you. And there are many possible ways to enjoy yourself in a museum.
If you follow these steps below, you'll know what is worth seeing and doing, so that you can make the most of your time at the museum.
Decide what museum you will visit. There are so many different kinds of museums and you first need to find one that you like. It's easy for you to choose one and start an enjoyable visit!
Do some research online. Every museum now has a website which allows you to look through the information about it. On the website, you may look for such things as:
•The exhibits(展品)–See what is on show at the museum at all times, and what special exhibitions are held for a short time.
•The history of the museum –There will often be very interesting stories about the exhibits and the benefactors(捐赠者). That can make your visit more interesting.
•Activities –See whether there are talks, tours our special activities on the day when you visit. Many museums hold some activities that meet the interests of all age groups.
•Cost,food or shortage–It's important how much the visit will cost. You have to decide whether or not you can eat there. You might also need to find out transportation needs, as well as storage for coats, bags etc.
Learn at least one thing on your visit. It is always good to take away something new from your visit.
Plan breaks into your visit. When you walk around, standing here and studying exhibits there, you may become very tired. So it is important to take breaks. A break is a good opportunity for you to think of what you have seen and what else you might want to do in museum.
Take a friend or two. Visiting museums is always a lot more fun when you are with someone else. You can talk over what you’re seeing. A friend also brings another way of thinking when you talk about the exhibit.
According to the passage, we should first ____.
| A．do some research online | B．make a plan for lunch |
| C．decide on a museum to visit | D．choose a friend to go with |
To make our visit more interesting, we can____.
| A．organize activities like special shows and talks |
| B．read the stories about exhibits and benefactors |
| C．learn about the interests of all age groups |
| D．walk around the museum without breaks |
If we visit a museum with friends, we can____.
| A．share the experience with them |
| B．come up with strange ideas |
| C．cut down the cost of the visit |
| D．discuss the next visit plan |
Bags of Love
Last year, I worked in a middle school near my mother’s house, and I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped her do some housework and buy some food.
After the first week, I noticed that the food was eaten up very quickly. Then I began keeping an eye on my mum. To my surprise, I found that she would put some of the food into a paper bag and go out with it at about nine every morning. And finally, I decided to follow her. I saw her taking the food to the street children. She would also spend a lot of time talking and playing with them.
One day, I talked to a neighbour and found out that my mum was well-known in the area. The children were very friendly with her and even thought of her as their own mother. Then it hit me – why wouldn’t she want to tell me about it? Was she worried that I would stop buying food if I found out?
When my mum got home, I gave her a big hug (拥抱).I told her she didn’t need to keep it a secret from me. And she told me something about the children. Some of them lived with an old lady in a small house. Others slept on the street. For years, she was helping the poor street children by giving them food. After she told me everything, I was so moved by how selfless (无私的) she was. She helped others in need. As her son, I was so proud of my mum.
I continued to buy food for my mum after that. But I always added one more bag for her other children.After the first week, the writer noticed that _____.
| A．the food was put into a big box |
| B．his mum followed the children |
| C．the food was eaten up quickly |
| D．his mum stopped buying food |
The street children thought of the writer’s mum as their _____.
| A．old grandma | B．own mother |
| C．new neighbour | D．dear teacher |
How did the writer feel about his mum after she told him everything?
| A．He was proud of her. |
| B．He was confident in her. |
| C．He was angry with her. |
| D．He was worried about her. |
The writer added one more bag of food to _____.
| A．make friends with the children |
| B．get a hug from his mother |
| C．become well-known in the area |
| D．help the poor street children |
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| My favourite season…. |
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 Matt/UK: |
My favourite season is spring, because everything is getting new and fresh again. I like having picnics and taking photos with my friends. I don’t like autumn, because I know that it’s going to be getting cold soon. |
 Anna/Germany: |
Autumn is my favourite season. I love the changing of leaves. I like the colours. I love the autumn wind that blows the leaves around. And I often take a walk in that autumn air with a warm cup of coffee. My least favourite season is summer, because it’s too hot. |
 Neil/Canada: |
I like summer best. It’s very cool in my hometown, and it’s nice to have a long and sunny summer. There are a lot of outdoor activities you can take part in, such as going camping. My least favourite is winter, because it’s pretty cold, and you don’t want to go outside. |
 Kat/US: |
My favourite season is winter, because there’s a lot of snow, and it’s very beautiful. When the countryside is covered with snow, it’s perfectly white. Also, I love building snowmen with my friends. So I like winter. |
Matt’s favourite season is _____
| A．spring | B．summer | C．autumn | D．winter |
Where is Anna from?
| A．The US. | B．Canada | C．The UK | D．Germany |
What’s the weather like in Neil’s hometown in summer?
| A．Wet | B．Cool | C．Windy | D．Cloudy |
In winter, Kat loves _____.
| A．going camping | B．taking a walk |
| C．building snowmen | D．having picnics |
Money management (管理) skill is very important for us , but many parents don’t take time to teach their children about the value of money , and unfortunately , many of those children grow up to be adults who struggles with money management skill.
What age should parents begin educating their children about money ? Financial (金融) experts agree that it’s never too early . The more children learn about money , the more they will be able to make wise financial decisions as they grow older . First , parents can begin teaching young children how to count money . It is very important for young child.
Next , you can teach the value of saving . Once they learn that saving is a good idea and that it is something they should always do , their financial future will be brighter . For example , your child wants a new bicycle . You can teach them to save part of their allowance (零用钱) for that bike , while still keeping money for ice cream, or for going to the movies with their friends. In this way they will begin to understand the value of both short-term saving and long-term saving .
It’s never too early , also , to teach your child different ways to make money . For example , they can sweep the floor, wash dishes and so on. Sit down with your children and talk with them in some ways they would like to earn money . You’ll be surprised and glad at the effort they will begin making.
Help your children chart their financial course in life, teach them basic money management skills, and their future will be brighter .
When should parents teach their children how to master (掌握) some money management
skills ?
| A．As children grow up. | B．As children are teenagers. |
| C．As early as possible. | D．When they go to school. |
When children are very young , in order to educate them about money , first , parents
may start with .
| A．teaching them to count money |
| B．teaching them to make money |
| C．teaching them to save money |
| D．teaching them to go shopping with money |
Which of the following is NOT true according to theunderlined sentences ?
| A．Buying a new bike needs a long –term saving. |
| B．Keeping some money for ice cream shows the value of a short-term saving . |
| C．Keeping some money for going to the movies with friends shows the value of long-term saving. |
| D．It shows us how we should teach children the value of saving . |
The best title of the passage can be .
| A．Parents and Children |
| B．Children Should Learn to Save Money |
| C．We Should Save Money |
| D．Teaching Children About Managing Money |
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