Honey (蜂蜜) from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees’ nest (巢) and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper—a little bird called a honey guide.

The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees’ nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.

Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.

1.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees’ nest?

A.It’s small in size. B.It’s covered with wax.

C.It’s hidden in trees. D.It’s hard to recognize.

2.What do the underlined words “the follower” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.A honey seeker. B.A bird. C.A bee. D.A beekeeper.

3.The honey guide is special in the way ________.

A.it gets its food B.it goes to church

C.it sings in the forest D.it reaches into bees’ nests

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Wild Bees B.Wax and Honey

C.Beekeeping in Africa D.Honey-Lover’s Helper

Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.

In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”

“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”

Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.

1.Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?

A.She had seven brothers. B.She felt herself a nobody.

C.She was too shy to go to school. D.She did not have any good teachers.

2.The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.

A.work for a school magazine B.run away from her family

C.make a lot of friends D.develop her writing style

3.According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?

A.Her early years in college. B.Her training in the Workshop.

C.Her feeling of being different. D.Her childhood experience.

4.What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?

A.It is quite popular among students.

B.It is the only book ever written by Cisneros.

C.It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish.

D.It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine.

    Name: Off the Beaten Path

Cover price: $30.00

Our price: $l9.80

The best-selling Reader’s Digest travel book has 40% new content including over 200 new sites, over 200 new full-color photographs, and all-new, up-to-date maps. It spotlights over l, 000 of the United States’ most overlooked must-see destinations.

Name: Container Gardens by Number

Cover price: $l5.95

Our price: $9.49

A unique book contains 50 easy-to-follow container designs. Each design provides a simple numbered planting plan that shows exactly how to create each display, with an instruction of the finished planter and in-depth plant information. The plans are easy to follow and for any type of living space or garden.

Name: Best Weekend Projects

Cover price: $l7.95

Our price: $l3.96

Choose from 80 unique ideas to create an extraordinary living space. The projects are practical, as well as attractive, and will improve your home and yard and can be made in a weekend. These 80 well-designed projects are presented in a clear, easy-to-follow style that addresses readers in an accessible, user-friendly tone.

Name: l80l Home Remedies

Cover price: $40.00

Our price: $29.96

Plenty of health complaints can be handled at home. Each and every remedy will be tested by a doctor to make sure it is safe and sound. Dozens of conditions are covered, from headaches, sunburn, bad breath, and blisters to allergies, and hiccups.

1.How much money could you save if you want to buy a travel book?

A.$6.46. B.$l0. 20. C.$l3.96. D.$l9.80.

2.Which of the following could help you to deal with common diseases without a doctor?

A.Off the Beaten Path. B.Container Gardens by Number.

C.l80l Home Remedies. D.Best Weekend Projects.

3.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A.To share his opinion about the books with readers. B.To advise readers to read more in spare time.

C.To share the pleasure of reading with readers. D.To advise readers to buy their books.

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。 续写的词数应为150左右。

As a father, I was always seeking for opportunities to teach my son how to balance risk with freedom.

Last month, I bought four little chicks. I decided to make a beautiful coop (鸡笼) for them.

In the next few weeks, I, together with my son Gordon, spent all our spare time in the garage. Finally, the coop was finished.

While admiring his well-made handwork, Gordon suddenly raised his head and asked,

“Dad, shall we lock the chicks in the coop all the time? I am afraid they will be attacked by some fierce animals or become someone’s chicken soup?” Seeing his anxious look, I cracked a smile and asked, “Do you want to be trapped in a limited room or have the freedom to get around?” Hesitant for a while, he murmured, “Freedom, of course.” “Chicks will also think so.” Therefore, our chicks were often seen chasing around in the lawns (草坪), digging for bugs in the bushes and laying eggs in the yard.

Yesterday, we needed to go downtown to shop for food supply after lunch. Knowing that the chicks wouldn’t go very far, we left home with them running around the lawn. When we got back, the first thing Gordon did was to check on his chicks. There were only three chicks in the yard. Their feathers were no longer fair and smooth but dirty and tangled (乱糟糟的). Hearing our steps, they jumped to their feet and scattered in all directions, seeming to have just experienced a terrifying disaster. Worse still, Pecky, Gordon’s favourite chick was nowhere to be found.

We searched the yard inch by inch and found some feathers littering the yard. Seeing this, Gordon’s eyes got watery. I picked Gordon up and comforted him. As we began to accept the fact that we were now a three-chick family, we heard it---a soft clucking (咯咯声) sound under a bush.

Para 1: I put Gordon down and we looked under the bush.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Para 2: The next day Gordon offered to have a talk with me.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

为了丰富校园生活，给学生提供展示才艺的机会，你校英语社将于近日组织“校园好声音”云歌曲大赛。你受委托写一份通知，内容包括：

1. 主题：爱与和平；

2. 要求：上传视频到百度云(Baidu Cloud)；

3. 截止时间：7月20日下午4点。

注意：1. 词数80左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

NOTICE

The notice is to inform that the English Club is organizing its 2020 Best School Voice online competition.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 14th, 2020 the English Club

    My mother believed in magic. She believed things happened for a/an _______ . She was vocal about “happy accidents”.

“See this little box? It’s magic: inside _______ a bird that can sing.”

I carefully wound the tiny music box, and my sons were _______ attracted by the beautiful music, coming up and wondering what it was. Besides singing, the bird _______ flapped (拍打) its wings, and opened and closed its small beak (鸟喙).

“Please don’t touch it,” I _______. However, weeks later I noticed the bird no longer moved back fully. I was so angry that I _______ my sons.

“I pushed the lid down,” volunteered the 7-year-old cautiously. Obviously, he realized what a big mistake he had made. I was going to _______ him. However, another voice told me that I might find a skilled person to _______ the bird back to life first.

Unfortunately, I soon discovered that few people could _______ broken music boxes. It took me lots of ________ to find one. After lots of time and cost, I was delighted to witness the fragile bird sing once more. What I did not ________ was that the tiny bird would also spin (旋转).

“It spins!” I said, totally ________.

“It’s supposed to do that,” the man said with a heavy German accent. “I guess it is ________ that your son broke it, because now the bird does what it was ________ to do.”

A happy accident, ________.

1.A.excuse B.result C.reason D.goal

2.A.flies B.lives C.lays D.sees

3.A.instantly B.eventually C.gradually D.accidentally

4.A.merely B.still C.suddenly D.also

5.A.requested B.declared C.warned D.repeated

6.A.gathered B.seized C.dragged D.led

7.A.comfort B.believe C.ignore D.punish

8.A.carry B.take C.bring D.get

9.A.discover B.make C.own D.repair

10.A.fortune B.efforts C.chances D.risks

11.A.observe B.expect C.realize D.feel

12.A.sad B.moved C.satisfied D.amazed

13.A.wrong B.reasonable C.good D.obvious

14.A.trained B.asked C.allowed D.designed

15.A.indeed B.though C.either D.instead

    In 1972, UNESCO started a programme to protect the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Since then, more than 800 cultural sites that are thought to be of special importance to human history and culture have been added to the World Cultural Heritage Site List. 1..

The Taj Mahal, which was built between 1631 and 1648, is a masterpiece of architecture.

It took more than 20,000 workers and 1,000 elephants to complete the project, and the stones came from as far away as China.

2.. In the early 17th century, India was ruled by an emperor named Shah Jahan. The emperor loved his wife, Mumtaz, so much that he built the Taj Mahal in her memory. Shah Jahan was later buried next to Mumtaz, and the couple now rest together forever.

If the Taj Mahal is a celebration of the heart, then the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are a monument to the mind and spirit. 3..

What makes the Qing and Ming Tombs so unique among amazing global buildings?

4.. Built by several emperors, the Imperial Tombs represent Chinese architectural styles and historical values that have been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.

5.. The UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites programme attempts to protect and preserve the best of human history. Masterpieces such as the Taj Mahal and the Imperial Tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties remind us of what we can achieve at our finest, and inspire us to live up to our great past in the future.

A.Building the Taj Mahal was a labour of love.

B.There are many beautiful legends concerning it.

C.Two of the best-known examples are listed below.

D.The Imperial Tombs have been well-preserved ever since.

E.It’s the fact that they bring together architecture and philosophy.

F.Human life lasts only a short time but art and culture last forever.

G.Visitors can feel both the weight of history and a wonderful sense of peace.

    14 days. That’s the time Chinese scientists took to identify the full genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus (新冠病毒) since its outbreak. It was shared with the WHO immediately, and has now become an important foundation for global researchers in the fight against the COVID-19. But first, let us turn the clock back 17 years, when it took months to identify the SARS virus. From months to 14 days, what changed? It turns out AI played an important part.

The scientists first obtained bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (支气管扩张灌洗液) samples from patients, isolated (分离) the DNA and RNA, then sequenced the genetic material by comparing them. AI’s advantage is its ability to recognize patterns among a flood of data.

Let me put it in a simple way. Sequencing the coronavirus genome (基因组) is similar to looking for a needle in a haystack (干草堆)---looking for genotypes (基因型) with specific characteristics from a huge gene pool. That’s where search algorithm (算法), a branch of modern AI, comes in. Think of it as an efficient search engine, which can find the needle in the haystack. This search algorithm can shorten months-long genetic sequencing to weeks or even just a few days. Combined with macro-genomic sequencing and a virus library, this AI technology can also be used in tracking virus mutation (突变).

AI doesn’t just support scientists. It can also help patients by improving the efficiency of diagnosis (诊断). China launched a Genomics Service, which can run multiple virus gene comparisons and produce a detailed report within 60 seconds. This algorithm has been put into use in China and shared to the world for free.

1.AI’s advantage is that it can ________.

A.slow down the spread of coronavirus B.separate DNA from RNA

C.identify specific genotypes rapidly D.obtain samples from patients quickly

2.The search algorithm helps shorten the time of genetic sequencing by __________.

A.finding a needle in a haystack B.serving as a search engine

C.combining with a virus library D.tracing virus mutation

3.What do we know about the Genomics Service in the last paragraph?

A.It has been widely used in the world. B.It is mainly based on blood test.

C.It is for fast diagnosis of COVID-19. D.It is used to track COVID-19 patients.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.14 Days---China Made it! B.AI Assists in COVID-19 Fight

C.Search Algorithm, Best Choice D.China’s Genomics Service

    As a child, I never imagined that one day a man would walk on the moon. Yet this year we marked the 50th anniversary of the famous Apollo 11 mission. As those historic pictures were beamed (传递) back to Earth, millions of us sat transfixed (使…呆住) to our television screens, as we watched Neil Armstrong taking a small step for man and a giant leap for mankind---and, indeed, for womankind. It’s a reminder for us all that giant leaps often start with small steps.

This year we marked another important anniversary: D-Day. On 6th June 1944, some 156,000 British, Canadian and American forces landed in northern France. It was the largest ever seabourne invasion and was delayed due to bad weather. I well remember the look of concern on my father’s face. He knew the secret D-Day plans but could of course share that burden with no one.

For the 75th anniversary of that decisive battle, in a true spirit of reconciliation (和解), those who had formally been sworn enemies came together in friendly commemorations (纪念) either side of the Channel, putting past differences behind them. Such reconciliation seldom happens overnight. It takes patience and time to rebuild trust, and progress often comes through small steps.

Since the end of the Second World War, many charities, groups and organisations have worked to promote peace and unity around the world, bringing together those who have been on opposing sides. By being willing to put past differences behind us and move forward together, we honour the freedom and democracy (民主) once won for us at so great a cost.

The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference. And, as we all look forward to the start of a new decade, it’s worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.

And so, I wish you all a very happy Christmas.

1.Who does the “I” in the passage probably refer to?

A.Neil Armstrong. B.Winston Churchill.

C.Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ. D.Donald Trump.

2.What does the underlined word “bumpy” mean in the fifth paragraph?

A.Smooth. B.Rough. C.Flat. D.Straight.

3.The passage might be a speech on _______.

A.Christmas Day B.New Year’s Eve

C.the anniversary of D-Day landing D.Victory in Europe Day

4.What is the purpose of the passage?

A.To honour the achievements of moon-landing.

B.To remember the victory of D-Day landing.

C.To promote reconciliation across the Channel.

D.To urge efforts for a world of peace and unity.

    He ran between two defenders, past a third, and a couple of seconds later his team had two more points. At the end of his final game, on April 11, he had scored 30 points.

This was the end of a career for Dwyane Wade, nicknamed “Flash”. It was the 37-year-old’s last game for the Miami Heat and his last appearance on an NBA basketball court. Over his storied career, Wade played in 1,054 regular-season games and 177 post-season games, scored more than 23,000 points, appeared in three NBA championships and earned one Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Coming from Chicago, Wade’s attitude and style of play moved many people, including former US President Barack Obama. “Whenever you got knocked down, you always showed us how to get back up,” Obama said in a tribute video. “You showed some Chicago spirit... and you did us proud.”

Wade broke down the door to the NBA in 2003 with his outstanding ball-handling skills and jumping ability. He had a strong principle, taking practice as seriously as he took games. He trained in the gym by himself during the off-season and exercised hard to stay in shape.

Wade has also spoken out on social issues. In 2012, 17-year-old Heat fan Trayvon Martin, an African-American, was shot in a racist attack on his way home from watching the NBA All-Star Game. Wade, together with LeBron James, led the Miami Heat squad, pulling up their hoodies (连帽衫) in support of justice for Martin, who had his hoodie up when he was killed. Wade hoped this action would bring attention to racist violence.

In 2003, he founded the Wade’s World Foundation, which provides support to various education, health, and family service programs. “Obviously, I’m one person. I can’t change the world, but I can help affect change in communities,” Wade told ESPN. “That’s what I want to continue to do.”

This is not the end of Wade’s story. He wants to continue fighting for economic and social equality in the US.

1.How many games did Wade play in his professional career?

A.1,054. B.177. C.23,000. D.1,231.

2.Wade was thought highly of by Obama because of _____________.

A.his strong willpower B.his flexible playing style

C.his extraordinary skills D.his honourable ambition

3.Why did Wade and his teammates pull up their hoodies?

A.To follow Martin’s heroic behaviour. B.To speak out for Martin.

C.To try on the latest fashion. D.To show racial equality.

4.This passage is mainly about Wade’s _________.

A.outstanding professional career B.legendary life experiences

C.achievements in social equality D.influence in sports and society