Mr. Fang is now the owner of 36 greenhouses producing organic vegetables in the Gobi desert in Northwest China’s Gansu province. He is one of the beneficiaries of the Gobi Farming Program of Gansu province that is building rows of greenhouses in the desert to help transform local farming and alleviate poverty.

Grain production in Gansu is greatly affected by the climate and the output is unstable. Agricultural production there relies heavily on rivers, oases and groundwater irrigation. If traditional extensive agricultural production continued, it could gradually narrow the living space.

In 1995, a local entrepreneur ventured to use Israeli technologies to build greenhouses for vegetables growing in the desert. Such individual pilot projects encouraged the Gansu government to launch a provincial-level Gobi farming program in 2017 with a target to build up a controlled-environment agriculture of about 20,000 hectares by 2022. Some cities in the province, which include Fang’s village, have already been experimenting with Gobi farming for several years.

Despite the harsh environment, farming in the Gobi desert has its advantages: the extended amount of sunlight provides adequate energy for crops, a significant temperature difference between day and night helps crops accumulate nutrients and the Gobi’s hot and dry air means fewer pests and crop diseases. The Gobi greenhouses popping up in Gansu use drip and spray irrigation, which can cut water consumption by almost 50 percent compared to a normal farm. The greenhouses are also eco-friendly, as they use substrates for soilless cultivation recycled from rotten leaves, straw and cow and sheep feces.

With the greenhouses, Fang earns around 70,000 yuan annually. Data from Suzhou. district of Jiuquan showed the greenhouse program has helped bring an average revenue of about $ 72,300 per hectare to local farmers. Large scale greenhouse farming is an investment-intensive project and cannot be sustained only by government financial support. Therefore, the local government has been encouraging villagers such as Fang to take the lead to rent greenhouses or build their own.

It is not an easy task, and many villagers still want to wait and see. However, more and more are starting to join in,either to rum their own greenhouses or work as hired workers for greenhouse owners. Starting from managing four greenhouses in 2009, Fang now is also a partner of a greenhouse farming cooperative running 120 greenhouses.

The relatively low cost of large-scale land use in the Gobi desert have also encouraged large firms to start their Gobi farming pilot projects in Gansu. If the Gobi farming proves successful, it could provide experiences for countries in Central Asia linked with Gansu both by the ancient Silk Road as well as its modern version of the Belt and Road Initiative.

1.What affects grain production in Gansu most?

A.Money. B.Sunlight.

C.Air D.Water.

2.What does the Gobi Farming Program aim to do?

A.Change the local climate.

B.Make the local residents rich.

C.Protect the traditional agricultural production.

D.Help university students start their own business.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A.The harsh environment is good for crops .

B.At first, Fang only ran four greenhouses.

C.With the greenhouses, Fang earns around $ 70,000 annually.

D.Mr. Fang now owns 120 greenhouses producing organic vegetables.

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

A.The Belt and Road Initiative

B.A Great Adventurer — Mr. Fang

C.The Gobi Farming Program of Gansu

D.The Advantages of Farming in the Gobi Desert

    New research has found that young adults who smoke both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes appear to have a higher risk of stroke than those who only smoke tobacco.

Carried out by researchers at George Mason University, the new study looked at 161,529 participants aged 18 to 44 years of age, who were surveyed about their cigarette and e-cigarette use.

The researchers also calculated the participants’ risk of experiencing a stroke, taking into account factors such as how much participants smoked, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels, body mass index and physical activity levels.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that the participants who smoked cigarettes and used e-cigarettes were nearly two times more likely to have a stroke compared to current cigarette — only smokers, and nearly three times more likely than non-smokers.

The team also found that participants who used only e-cigarettes had a lower risk of stroke than those who smoked only tobacco cigarettes. In fact, those who used e-cigarettes on their own did not have a significantly greater risk of stroke than non-smokers.

However, the researchers failed to find any clear benefit from switching from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes, even though many people believe that e-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes, and a way to help smokers kick the habit. They also noted that the nicotine dependence and toxicity associated with e-cigarettes is worrying, particularly among young adults who smoke them for fun and the range of flavors.

“It’s long been known that smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. Our study shows that young smokers who also use e-cigarettes put themselves at an even greater risk,” explained lead investigator Tarang Parekh, MBBS, MSc. “This is an important message for young smokers who perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful ones and consider them a safer alternative.We have begun understanding the health impact of e-cigarettes and concomitant cigarette smoking, and it’s not good.”

“Our findings demonstrate an additive harmful effect of e-cigarettes on smokers’ blood vessels, hearts and brains,” explained Parekh.

“Consider this study as a wake-up call for young vapers, clinicians, and healthcare policymakers. There is an urgency to regulate such products to avoid economic and population heath consequences and a critical need to conduct further research on the benefits and risks of smoking cessation altermatives,” warned Parekh.

1.What does the text belong to?

A.A science fiction. B.A news report.

C.A short story. D.A public announcement.

2.What can we know about the participants?

A.A few elderly people were surveyed.

B.Some of them are non smokers .

C.All of them use cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

D.They have a lower risk of stroke than others .

3.What does the underlined word “perceive” in Paragraph 7 mean?

A.Think. B.Practise.

C.Predict. D.Receive.

4.What did the the new research find?

A.Smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke.

B.E-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes.

C.Smoking both tobacco and e-cigarettes can make young adults at an greater risk of stroke.

D.It is beneficial to switch from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes.

    Mr. Buxton taught me Shakespeare in 10th grade. We were reading Macbeth. Mr. Buxton, who probably had better things to do, nonetheless agreed to meet one night to go over the text line by line. The first thing he did was point out the repetition of themes. For example, the reversals of things.

What Mr. Buxton didn’t tell me was what the play meant. He left the conclusions to me. The situation was much the same with my religious studies teacher in 11th grade, Mr. Flanders, who encouraged me to have my own relationship with the Gospels.

High school was followed by college, where I read Umberto Eco’s The Role of the Reader, in which it is said that the reader completes the text, that the text is never finished until it meets this voracious (渴求的) and engaged reader. The open texts, Eco calls them. In college, I read some of the great Europeans and Latin Americans: Borges and Kafka, Genet and Beckett, Artaud, Proust-open texts all. I may not have known why Kafka’s Metamorphosis is about a guy who turns into a bug: but I knew that some said cockroach, and others, European dung beetle.

There are those critics, of course, who insist that there are right ways and wrong ways to read every book. No doubt they arrived at these beliefs through their own adventures in the stacks. And these are important questions for philosophers of every stripe. And yet I know only what joy and enthusiasm about reading have taught me, in bookstores new and used.

There is not now and never will be an authority who can tell me how to interpret, how to read, how to find the pearl of literary meaning in all cases.

Supposing the truth is not hard, fast, masculine, simple, direct? You could spend a lifetime thinking about this sentence ,and making it your own. In just this way, the freedom to see literature,history, truth unfolding ahead of me like a book whose spine has just now been cracked.

1.When did the author begin to read Shakespeare’s work?.

A.In primary school. B.In 11th grade.

C.In secondary school. D.In college.

2.What can we know about The Role of the Reader from the text?

A.It w as written by the readers.

B.It is about a guy turning into a bug.

C.It insists that the reader completes the text.

D.Some great Europeans and Latin Americans wrote it together.

3.What is the main reason of the author loving reading?

A.Being an excellent student.

B.Mr. Buxton’s teaching method.

C.The joy and enthusiasm from his reading.

D.His admiration for literature masters like Shakespeare.

4.What can be inferred about the author from the text?

A.He has a preference for the open texts.

B.Shakespeare is his favorite.

C.He is naturally talented in reading.

D.He is also a famous literary critic.

    The annual Dongyue Temple Fair of Mount Tai will be held during April 29-May 6 at Dai Temple in Tai’an. Here are some items visitors may love.

Performances

From April 29 to May 6, performances of martial arts (武术), traditional music, Chinese folk art forms and local operas will be put on stage. Visitors can lift their spirits by watching long boxing and nunchakus (双节棍) performances or listening to the music played by guqin, a seven-stringed zither, and the bamboo flute.

Folk-custom activities

Visitors to the temple fair can also enjoy themselves by admiring folk-custom activities held from April 29 to May 6.

There will be exhibitions of traditional handicrafts and paper cutting works that were collected and selected by non-governmental organizations. Performers will also show traditional Chinese costumes at a garden party.

Cultural activities

If the visitors want to enjoy the cultural atmosphere at the temple fair, they can get a close look at bamboo engraving art at Peitian Gate where more than 70 pieces of engraving art are exhibited from April 28 to May 22.

Trade activities

If people want to buy Mount Tai specialties, they won’t be disappointed, for trade shows will be held during the temple fair. Tea, tourism products, donkey-hide-gelatin, rare stones and root carvings will be showed and on sale.

1.How many days will bamboo engraving art be exhibited?

A.6. B.8.

C.22. D.25.

2.What can visitors enjoy in folk-custom activities?

A.Martial arts. B.Local opera.

C.Paper-cutting works. D.Chinese paintings.

3.What does the part of “Trade activities” tell us?

A.The products are for display only.

B.You can get to know many new products.

C.Visitors can purchase some local products on the shows.

D.Don’t buy products on show, or you will be disappointed.

假如你是班长李华，你们班准备参加学校下个月举办的“英文话剧比赛”（English Drama Contest），但尚未确定参演剧目，请你给外教Louis写封邮件，内容包括：

1.活功意义；

2.征求建议；

3.请其指导。

注意：1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下面一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。.

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。.

“Who would like this $20 bill!?" a well-known speaker asked, held up a $20 bill. Hand started going up. He said, "I am going to give them to one of you and first, let me do this." He left it on the ground and deliberate stepped on it with his shoe again and again. He picked it up, now covering with dirt. Still the hands were up in air. Because it did not decrease in value and was still worth of $20.

Many times in your lives, dropped and thrown into the dirt by the decisions you make and the circumstances and the difficulties that comes your way, you may feel as though you are worthless. But you are still priceless to your family members, that love you and depend on you.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Traditionally, we Chinese attach great importance to our hometown and are often1.（willing）to migrate to other places. However, in present times, in particular after the reform and opening-up policy was introduced, more and more people fancy2.（settle）down in more developed cities just as my family members did.

My parents were both born in Sichuan. In 1963, a time when3.（graduate）were assigned（分配）jobs by the government, my father received a job in Beijing. After I was born in 1969, my parents went to work in Xinjiang.

In the 1980s, Chinese society4.（fill）with hope, and people worked hard to achieve their dreams. So did my family. In 1988, admitted5.Renmin University of China. I went to Beijing. It took me 72 hours by train6.（travel）from Xinjiang to Beijing, with7.distance of over 3,770 kilometers. In 1990, my brother also passed the entrance examination and was enrolled in a university in Guangzhou,8.he now lives and works.

Recalling the changes over the past four decades, 1 think9.（improve）transportation is very important to our family. The long distance kept us apart most of the time. Today, the speed and methods of transportation have been improved a lot, which has10.（entire）transformed our life and can bring us together easily.

    The idea of donating mosquito nets to millions of Africans came to Katherine Commale’s mind when she was only five years old. She________a documentary about Africa, which________that on average, every 30 seconds one child died of malaria（疟疾）there, which can be caused by mosquito bites. This made her________, but it also________her to do something to save their lives________. Katherine started________money for mosquito nets so that Africans don't have to________malaria. She sent nets to Africa through an organization called Nothing But Nets. By making hand-decorated________with her family and giving them to those who donated money. Katherine inspired people to _____her. Her________was posted on the website of Nothing But Nets. People were touched by her ______, which went beyond age and race,________were pouring in from around the world.

However. Katherine still seemed________. She and her friends wrote letters to the________who were on the list of The World's Billionaires,________they could contribute money. After receiving the letter, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation________that it would donate three million dollars to Nothing But Nets.________to have more people know Katherine's________, the foundation invested（投资）in filming a public welfare documentary.

Thanks to Katherine, the frequency of children's death________from malaria in Africa has been decreased to one person every 120 seconds. Katherine's kindness influenced the world even though she was only a little girl. She showed that no one is too________to change the world into a better place.

1.A.showed B.watched C.made D.broadcast

2.A.mentioned B.counted C.inferred D.witnessed

3.A.nervous B.guilty C.skeptical D.astonished

4.A.forced B.commanded C.motivated D.assisted

5.A.However B.Therefore C.Meanwhile D.Instead

6.A.providing B.earning C.raising D.accepting

7.A.recover from B.talk about C.suffer from D.know about

8.A.certificates B.invitations C.recommendations D.instructions

9.A.join B.consult C.challenge D.defeat

10.A.advice B.story C.article D.address

11.A.politeness B.innocence C.bravery D.sympathy

12.A.Donations B.Letters C.Reporters D.Listeners

13.A.unsettled B.unmoved C.unhealthy D.unsatisfied

14.A.aged B.learned C.famous D.rich

15.A.warning B.hoping C.informing D.confirming

16.A.insisted B.realized C.Stressed D.declared

17.A.Additionally B.Luckily C.Actually D.Obviously

18.A.diseases B.troubles C.families D.deeds

19.A.resulting B.changing C.growing D.escaping

20.A.forgetful B.clumsy C.young D.poor

    We see big lies.1.We think we're fundamentally different from those big liars like Bernie Madoff or Tiger Woods.

But behind big lies are a series of small tricks or lies. Dan Ariely, a professor of psychology and behavioral economies, writes about this in his book The Honest Truth about Dishonesty.2.

These small lies are quite common. There are many of us who might go a little too fast on the highway, or pocket extra change at a gas station. As humans, it seems we are natural liars.3.

But still, we want to look in the mirror and see ourselves as good, honest people, though we benefit from our lying. That's why Ariely describes honesty as something of a state of mind. He thinks the IRS（税务局）should have people promise to be honest when they start working on their taxes, not when they 're done.4.

Ariely says the research about honesty isn't all negative（消极的）.5.But we usually don't take those chances. "There's a lot of good in us." he said.

A.Most people tell some kind of lies every day.

B.When talking about dishonesty, we always think of something big.

C.But when we think to ourselves, we believe we could never do that.

D.We have plenty of chances to lie and cheat, without getting caught.

E.Some of the most common lies are white lies, which are typically considered to be harmless,

F.He found what separates honest people from not honest people is not necessarily character, but chance.

G.Setting the stage for honesty is more effective than asking someone after the fact whether or not they lied.

    More than 5, 000 species of birds manage annual round-trip migrations（迁徙）. These journeys can be thousands of miles, with many birds often returning to the exact same nesting and wintering place from year to year.

Migration is very important in the life cycle of birds, and without this annual journey many birds would not be able to raise their young. Birds migrate to find the richest and most abundant food that will provide adequate energy to raise young birds. If no birds migrated, competition for adequate food during breeding（繁殖）seasons would be fierce and many birds would starve.

Of course, not all birds migrate. Some birds can take advantage of different food sources（来源）as seasons change, allowing them to stay in one place all year round. Other birds are better adapted to cold climates with thicker fat reserves and better feathers, and they can survive long cold seasons while they forage for winter food. For more than half the world's birds, however, migration is necessary to stay alive.

When the timing is right for their migrating needs, birds will begin their journey. Food, weather, temperature and illness or injury are several minor aspects that may affect migration by a day or two, but most bird species follow precise migration "schedule". While migration is at its finest during spring and fall, birds migrate all throughout the year. Migration is actually an ongoing process and there are always birds at some stage of their journeys. The distance the birds must fly, the length of time it takes to mate and the amount of young birds all affect when any one species is migrating.

Migratory birds have several changes before the journey. Among them is hyperphagia, the process of migration-related weight gain. As daylight changes and migration times near, a bird's hormone levels will change and they will build a greater fat supply. Besides, old, ragged feathers create more wind drag and air resistance, which requires a bird to use more energy in flight, so many birds replace old feathers with new ones.

1.Without migration, many birds would          .

A.stop reproducing during breeding seasons

B.abandon young birds for lack of food

C.be unable to find places for nesting

D.be in danger of starvation

2.What does the underlined phrase "forage for" mean in Paragraph 3?

A.Run out of. B.Cut down on.

C.Search for. D.Wait for.

3.What can we learn about birds' migration?

A.Most birds begin their journey at the arrival of spring.

B.Warm temperature usually advances it by a day or two.

C.There is almost little migration of birds in winter.

D.Birds' migration is affected by various aspects.

4.How will migratory birds benefit from the process of hyperphagia?

A.They will tend to use less energy in flight.

B.They will store enough energy for travelling.

C.They will replace old feathers with new ones.

D.They will better sense the changes of daylight.

    Constructed in the third century BC, the Terracotta Army is a collection of clay sculptures presenting the forces of the First Emperor of China- Qin Shi Huang. The figures include more than 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses. Their varying clothes, facial features and body types have long impressed people. But historian Dan Snow says, “The amazing realism increases the great mystery surrounding these terracotta figures, where do they come from? They are nothing like any figure made in China before them, something changed. Something remarkable happened here 2,200 years ago."

Mr Snow explains historians have long believed Ancient China remained separated from the rest of the world. But the Terracotta Army could disprove that theory.

The time of the First Emperor was around 220BC. When, on the eastern edge of the Eurasian（欧亚的）landmass, was the Chinese worlds with competing mini-states over there. Over on the west of Eurasia, the Roman Empire started to expand over here and Greece was a great power,

"What's going on artistically in the East and West is very different in the third century BC. The classic Greek art is easy to recognize, with the absolute high watermark of artistic expression, beautiful—metre-and-a-half tall, human in its look. But in the Chinese world, you've got just 10cm tall, far more basic." says Mr Snow. He continues, "Then something changes, in fact, everything changes—there's a revolution. Suddenly, in 220BC you get the Terracotta Army lightyears ahead of what's gone before. It starts to look far less like before and far more like what's going on in the western world, both life-size, both lifelike, both attempts at realism."

This couldn't be more important, because it's always been assumed that China developed in isolation（隔离）. But if that's not the case, if the First Emperor of China imported western ideas and techniques to create his extraordinary arts, that forces us to completely rewrite the history books.

1.What confused Dan Snow about the Terracotta Army?

A.Why Qin Shi Huang ordered to create them.

B.Who instructed ancient people to create them.

C.Why their design was different from previous time.

D.What kind of clothes ancient people preferred to wear.

2.What do most historians think of Ancient China?

A.It was closed to the outside world.

B.Many mini-states coexisted peacefully.

C.Building army of sculptures was very common then.

D.It built a good relationship with the rest of the world.

3.What can we infer about the clay sculptures in Ancient China before 220BC?

A.They were in small size.

B.Their styles changed greatly.

C.Their facial expressions seemed real.

D.They looked similar to the Greek ones.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A.The Development of Chinese Art

B.Westerners Found in Ancient China

C.The Discovery of China's Terracotta Army

D.Historians Reconsidering the Remote Past of China

    Christa Barfield of Germantown starts each day by drinking a cup of hot tea. When she lifts the cup to her lips, she smells the tea gently and looks forward to the day ahead. "Drinking a cup of tea is a form of self-reflection," Barfield said." When I'm doing my praying or meditation（冥想）, drinking tea allows me to sit in the moment and be present."

Barfield, 32, fell in love with tea in 2018 after taking a trip to the Caribbean Island of Martinique where every morning with her breakfast she was served a hot cup from the couple she visited. There, the host would take live herbs from his garden, put them in a cup, and pour hot water over them. "It was very different from what we do in America," Barfield said. "The tea had a fresher taste."

When she returned to Germantown, she was inspired to start a tea company of her own. In August, she started Viva Leaf Tea, a company that sells blended（调配的）teas from herbs and plants that Barfield grows from seed. The name of the company, Viva Leaf Tea, is a nod to the fresh herbal teas she drank in Martinique.

"I started a tea company for wellness reasons." Barfield explained, "It helped me to keep my 10 years of healthcare experiences and reuse them in my own way," Before starting Viva Leaf Tea. Barfield worked in healthcare management at several private practices in Philadelphia. In 2018, she earned a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from Saint Joseph's University.

"We take all of our herbs very seriously," she said. "There are thousands of tea companies all over the world. But you don't really know where the tea leaves come from." Barfield provides a "farm to cup" experience for her customers. With every order, customers are provided with information about the origins of the herbs used and their possible health benefits.

1.What did Barfield find from her trip to Martinique?

A.Americans' love for tea.

B.A new way to drink tea.

C.The importance of fresh tea.

D.The popularity of tea in the Caribbean.

2.What does the name of Barfield's company indicate?

A.She is devoted to making blended teas.

B.She takes great interest in growing herbs.

C.She is crazy about starting a company of her own.

D.She was impressed by the herbal teas in Martinique.

3.What does Barfield want to do through her company?

A.Share her healthcare experiences.

B.Introduce a new way to make tea.

C.Inspire people to learn tea culture.

D.Help people keep healthy in her way.

4.What does the author try to convey in the last paragraph?

A.What health benefits herbal teas have.

B.How Viva Leaf Tea advertises its products.

C.What makes Viva Leaf Tea's products different.

D.Where customers can find the origins of herbal teas.

    The Walkmeter Walking & Hiking GPS has characteristics that are excellent for fitness walkers who want to improve their speed and distance. It uses your phone's GPS to measure the distance of your walks and hikes. It includes audio and voice integration（集成）so you can not only be informed of your workout statistics, but you can also listen to replies your friends send about your workout posts from Facebook and Twitter while you walk. Upgrading is less than $10 per year, far less than with some other apps, such as Endomondo.

Argus packs a lot into one lifestyle app. It functions as an all-day pedometer app. Your daily step count updates from your phone and includes active time, distance, calories, steps. and an hourly graph, It can also measure your heart rate at any time. You can easily take your heart rate during exercise and at rest. Besides, you can use the app’s food diary and sleep timer. A wide range of fitness and diet plans are also provided on it.

Charity Miles gives your walking a purpose, because it turns your exercise into donations to a certain cause. Open up this free app（iOS or Google Play）and choose a charity. Start a workout, choosing walking, running, or cycling. For each completed mile, you’ll have earned a donation for your chosen charity. The basic rate is 25 cents for walking and running miles and 10 cents for cycling miles, subject to a periodic cap. When you finish your walking, you must post to Facebook or Twitter to earn money for your charity.

1.What can users do with the Walkmeter Walking & Hiking GPS while exercising?

A.Upgrade the app for $10. B.Check comments of friends.

C.Reply to friends’ posts online. D.Make personalized fitness plans.

2.What is special about Charity Miles?

A.It is free of charge. B.It can earn you money.

C.It offers a new way of donating. D.It is connected to social software,

3.Where is the text probably taken from?

A.A website on app ratings. B.An online fitness course.

C.A medical report. D.An advertisement for phones.

根据下列提示为21st Century Teens写一篇题为 Development of agriculture in China的小短文。（词数120左右）

1. 中国是一个有十三亿人口的大国。

2. 在过去的二十多年间，中国发生了巨大变化，尤其在农业方面。

3. 中国仅有世界7%的土地，却成功地养活了世界22%的人口。

4. 其耕地(farming land)的灌溉面积是世界上最大的。种植了世界三分之一的大米。渔业也非常重要，淡水鱼随处可见。

5. 废弃的蔬菜(vegetable waste)被用来养猪、养鸡；人和动物的粪便(waste)产生的气体被用来供热和做饭。

6. 如果世界上其他地方也像中国一样重视和发展农业，就不会再有饥饿。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Only three local students won Chinese Blog (博客) Competition. And 15 of the 18 awards went to students from China.

170 students' task: to get a fully-designed blog up and running, complete with many positions based on a theme of choice--- to food blogs.

The entries were judged on Language proficiency(熟练程度) and the quality of writing, as well as the design and level of exchanging ideas with readers.

Academics from the National University of Singapore and the SIM University, IT experts, and a journalist from Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao in Singapore made up the judges.

In the end, only three Singaporean students make it to the award list---the rest of the awards were swept up by students from China.

"No surprise," said Mr. Chow Yaw Long, 37, teachers-in-charge from Innova Junior College, which organized the event, "Although the topics were local subjects, the foreign students were generally better because of the content of the posts and their grasp of the Chinese language."

One of the three local students winning the first prize in the Best Language Award was blogger Christina Gao, 19, from the Saint Andrew's Junior College, who spared no effors in researching for and writing her blog. Each entry took her between five and seven days to produce, complete with pictures and even podcasts (播客).

Her advice for bloggers is: Be responsible.

"Some bloggers out there only seek to blame the authorities and other bloggers." Said Miss Gao, "I think they lack responsibilities and there is no value to their posts."

1.The competition was organized by________.

A.the National University of Singapore B.Chinese newspaper Lianhe Zaobao

C.Innova Junior College D.the Saint Andrew's Junior College

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Chinese students won most of the awards.

B.Not all the themes were about local subjects.

C.The blogs could be written in Chinese or Singlish.

D.The judges were from universities in Singapore and China.

3.What Miss Gao said suggests that ________.

A.she likes to blame the authorities. B.she has a sense of resposibility

C.she thinks highly of the others' blogs. D.she loves to read valuable posts.

4.The passage is in mainly about______.

A.how Chinese students won the awards in the competition

B.why bloggers should take responsibility for their blogs

C.how Miss Gao won the first prize in the competition

D.what the result of the competition was

    Like you and your pet dog, plants are living things: they eat, drink, and grow. Unlike you and your dog, they can't run away, use fists or teeth, or hide under the covers when they're threatened. But they can fight back.

Why would a plant need to fight back? To avoid being eaten, of course! Plants have several ways of protecting themselves. A plant can grow in a hidden or hard-to-get-to place. Think of plants you've seen growing on steep, rocky cliff (悬崖). Or, a plant could make only some parts of itself attractive to hungry insects and animals. For instance, if a plant produced really tasty leaves, herbivores (creatures that eat only plants) might eat the leaves instead of the seeds, which the plant needs for making more plants. Some plants have sharp or slippery (滑的) parts that discourage insects and other animals from getting too close, like the thorns(刺) on a rosebush.

But the most interesting way that plants fight back is by using chemicals. Plants take minerals from the soil and combine them into chemicals that do a lot of work. For example, plants produce chlorophyll(叶绿素), which helps convert sunshine and water into the sugars that plants eat.

They also produce chemicals to help protect themselves. One kind of tobacco plant releases a chemical into the air whenever small bugs begin to eat it. The chemical signals large bugs, saying "Dinner's ready!" The big bugs come to eat the little ones and save the plant.

Most plants use chemicals in a more direct way against their enemies. In other words, plants make poison.

1.What does the underlined word "convert" mean?

A.Change B.Separate

C.Form D.Produce

2.What do we know from the passage?

A.Some plants hide under the covers when faced with threat.

B.A plant grows in a hard-to-get-to place to draw people's attention.

C.Some plants produce tasty leaves to protect their seeds.

D.Plants produce chemicals to meet the needs of big bugs.

3.What may be talked about following the last paragraph?

A.Different effects that different plant poisons cause on plant eaters.

B.Different kinds of plants in the world.

C.Why plants make poison?

D.How to protect plants?

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.Plant information. B.Plant enemies.

C.Plant poisons. D.Plant protection.

    British singer-song writer James Blunt shot to fame in 2005 with his single You're Beautiful and album(专辑) Back To Bedlam, and since then he remained the top of the UK singles chart.

Before James Blunt became a musician, he served in the army to fight for Queen and country. He spent four and a half years there, with six months in Kosovo as part of the peacekeeping force. Before leaving the army, Blunt had decided to achieve his dream of becoming a musician. In 2003, he was discovered by music producer Linda Perry who signed him to her Custard label. However the road to success never runs smoothly. It seemed that he would become another struggling singer trying to live from hand to mouth (勉强维持生计) when his first two singles failed to make an impact on the British charts. But everything changed when his third single You're Beautiful made it all the way to No.1 on the UK singles charts, and remained there for five weeks. The album Back to Bedlam soon followed and quickly became one of the biggest selling records of the year, remaining then continual weeks at No.1. Since then, he has sold more than three million records, making him the first British artist to top the American singles charts in nearly a decade.

Blunt, 34, a throwback (返祖者) to the 1970s softrock golden age, has been quoted  by Western media as saying that he will never get used to people screaming at him in the street.

His success proves a lasting theory: You spend years chasing the right song. Then, if you're lucky, and if the song really takes off, you spend the rest of your life trying to escape it, or learning to live with it, a few years removed from You're Beautiful, he can still fill stages worldwide with fans who stay until the end.

1.What do we learn from the passage?

A.Blunt was discovered by Linda Perry before joining the army.

B.Blunt has already become famous before joining the army.

C.Blunt spent five years in the army altogether.

D.Blunt had the dream of becoming a musician before leaving the army.

2.Which of the following can describe James Blunt's life as a musician before he sang the  song You're Beautiful ?

A.Difficult B.Happy

C.Boring D.Smooth

3.We can infer from the last paragraph that_________.

A.Blunt is well-known in the world for his talent.

B.Blunt's fame as a musician came easily.

C.Blunt wasn't lucky enough to win his fans' support.

D.Blunt has to face the inconvenience that his fame has caused.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The song You're Beautiful

B.The latest album of James Blunt

C.The success of James Blunt as a musician

D.The whole life of James Blunt

    George is in his bedroom. He is playing on his computer again! George plays on his computer every day. But George feels sad. He plays on his computer because he doesn't have any friends. Sometimes he dreams he is playing football with lots of friends, but it never happens.

Today George is playing a computer football game. He is playing against the computer and he is winning. Suddenly the computer speaks to George.

"Hello, George! What game can we play now?"

George is surprised and jumps up from his chair. He can't believe it. Maybe he is dreaming.

George looks at the computer with big eyes. "You can speak!"

"Yes. I can do many amazing things!" Two arms shoot out of the sides of the computer. And then two legs. Suddenly the computer is walking!

"Let's go for a walk to find a friend," says the computer. The computer runs along the road. It goes into the library, where there are lots of computers. There is a boy, Tommy, sitting there, doing his homework.

Tommy looks at the crazy computer.

"What's this?" he cries. "A computer with arms and legs?" George's computer is in the middle of the room. It's getting bigger and bigger.

It is out of control. The lights in the library are flashing on and off. People are running out of the library.

"Quick!" says George. He grabs a stick and hits his computer. There is a loud bang and it explodes into the air and falls to the ground into small pieces.

"He's gone," says Tommy.

Tommy and George leave the library together. Tommy lives in the next street to George. "That's my house," says Tommy. "Do you want to play football in the garden?"

"Yes," says George, smiling. "Who needs computers?"

1.When George and the computer entered the library, what was Tommy doing?

A.He was chatting with a net friend.

B.He was doing his homework.

C.He was playing football on a computer.

D.He was repairing a computer.

2.What does the underlined word "it" refer to?

A.The library B.The stick

C.Tommy's homework D.George's computer

3.The passage may be a(n) _______.

A.ad for a supercomputer B.football match report

C.science story D.diary

4.The passage implies that _____.

A.computers make people communicates with each other.

B.children prefer playing football on the computer.

C.online games replace some traditional ways of playing

D.computers will drive people mad in the future.

How to Be a Winner

Sir Steven Redgrave

Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals

"In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes (糖尿病). Believing my career was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn't difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way. "

Karen Pickering

Swimming World Champion

"I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of of my diary. This is the key to success--- you can't follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you'll be a step closer to achieving them."

Kirsten Best

Poet & Writer

"When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can't achieve something. Then there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as 'calm', 'peace' or 'focus', either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological(心理的) tools."

1.What does the underlined word "distractions" probably refer to?

A.Ways that help one to focus. B.Words that help one to feel less tense.

C.Activities that turn one's attention away. D.Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

2.What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A.Her training schedule. B.Her daily happenings.

C.Her achievements. D.Her sports career.

3.What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A.Difficulties influenced his career.

B.Specialist offered him medical advice.

C.Training helped him defeat his disease.

D.He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

4.According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?

A.Courage. B.Devotion.

C.Hard work. D.Self- confidence.

    There was a couple who used to go to England to shop. _______ of them liked antiques (古董) and pottery (陶瓷) and especially teacups.

One day in a beautiful _______ they saw a beautiful teacup. They said,"May we see that? We've _______ seen one so beautiful." As the owner of the shop _______ it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke:

You don't _______. I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay (粘土). My _______took me and rolled me and petted me over and over...... I couldn't bear it any longer and _______ out, "Let me alone!", but he only smiled, "Not yet."

Then he put me in an oven. I never felt so _______. I wondered why he wanted to burn me. I shouted and I knocked at the door. I could see him_______ the opening and I could read his lips as he ________ his head, "Not yet."

Then I knew there wasn't any ________. I would never make it. I was ready to ________. But the door opened and my owner took me ________ and placed me on a shelf. One hour later he handed me a ________ and said, "Look at yourself." and I did so. But what I saw surprised me. "That is not me, that couldn't be me. It's ________."

"I want you to remember," then he said, "I know it hurtfull to be rolled and patted, ________ if I had just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it was hot and ________ in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have ________. Now you are a finished product. You are ________ I had in mind when I first began with you."

It's really a truth: if you do not ________ the wind and the rain, how can you see the rainbow?

1.A.All B.Both C.Neither D.None

2.A.garden B.church C.shop D.hall

3.A.never B.often C.always D.ever

4.A.contributed B.handed C.rent D.recommended

5.A.respond B.complain C.care D.understand

6.A.father B.brother C.owner D.friend

7.A.went B.died C.put D.shouted

8.A.good B.hot C.cold D.hunger

9.A.through B.by C.across D.over

10.A.nodded B.lifted C.hit D.shook

11.A.future B.hope C.advice D.opinion

12.A.give up B.take up C.stay up D.set up

13.A.inside B.out C.off D.up

14.A.telephone B.cup C.paper D.mirror

15.A.secret B.lucky C.beautiful D.strange

16.A.and B.but C.so D.or

17.A.miserable B.comfortable C.valuable D.changeable

18.A.succeeded B.remained C.survived D.cracked

19.A.who B.which C.what D.that

20.A.avoid B.experience C.expect D.promise

Mum___to us,“Be quiet!Your little sister’s sleeping.”

The whole area was ____________ by the snow, and the government had to send food there by helicopter.

A.cut away B.cut up C.cut off D.cut down

The students all wear the same uniform, so it's hard for me to _____________ my son among them.

A.bring out B.pick out C.pick up D.pick on

With the help of other people, the people in the south of China _____________ the most difficult time in recent 50 years.

A.overcame B.saw C.found D.directed

Practice Chinese Gongfu can not only _________ one’s strength, but also develop one’s character.

A.bring up B.take up C.pull up D.build up

We students should ___________ ourselves with knowledge, for the competition nowadays is very fierce.

A.supply B.equip C.relate D.feed

Mike is looking for another job because he feels that nothing he does       his boss.

A.serves B.satisfies

C.promises D.supports

Would you please _____________ the paper for me and see if there are any mistakes?

A.look around B.look into C.look up D.look through

When you want to buy something, you need to take the price into ____________.

A.decision B.requirement C.consideration D.importance

Obviously, the book is _________ for  children aged between three and six.

A.specialized B.supported C.determined D.intended