篇目一 2045年日常生活中的AI
原文
The teacher gave the class a lecture about AI in daily life in 2045.
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. You’ve recently had a new anti-aging (抗衰老) treatment, so you look like a 30-year-old. And many people could live to be 120 now, so—at 60—you’re not old at all.
Science has also found amazing ways to keep people healthy. Nanotechnology (纳米技术) can help cure many illnesses, including cancer. And if any part of your body is unhealthy, you can “grow” a new one in a laboratory.
As you get dressed, you say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It becomes red. In 2045, “smart” clothes contain nanoparticles (纳米粒) that carry electricity. So you can program clothes to change colors or patterns.
On the way to the kitchen, you want to call a friend. Your cell phone is by the window because it gets its energy from the sun. But you don’t need to pick up the phone. You can just touch your jacket sleeve to make the call.
It’s breakfast time. You reach for the milk, but a voice says, “Don’t drink that!” Your fridge knows the milk is old, and tells the supermarket to replace it. Ten minutes later, it’s delivered by a drone.
As you leave for work, the lights turn off by themselves. Your home goes into “sleep” mode to save energy.
In 2045, cars drive themselves, so you just tell your driverless car where you want to go.
Will all this come true? What do you think about AI in our daily life?
作答题目
54. In 2045, how old are you actually when you look like 30 years old?
55. If there is something wrong with your hand, how could you become healthy again in 2045?
56. Chen Ming forgets to wear his sports clothes for his P. E. class, what would he do then?
57. What is special about cars in 2045?
58. Are you for or against AI in our daily life? Why do you think so?
篇目二 学习金字塔（The Learning Pyramid）
原文
The Learning Pyramid (学习金字塔) is a simple model. It tells us how much information a student can remember through different learning methods. The learning methods at the top lead to less memory, while the methods at the bottom lead to much better memory.
The Learning Pyramid
表格
学习方式 记忆留存率 学习类型
Lecture 听讲 5% Passive Learning Methods 被动学习
Reading 阅读 10% Passive Learning Methods 被动学习
Audiovisual 视听 20% Passive Learning Methods 被动学习
Demonstration 演示 30% Passive Learning Methods 被动学习
Discussion 讨论 50% Active Learning Methods 主动学习
Practice 练习 75% Active Learning Methods 主动学习
Teaching others 教授他人 90% Active Learning Methods 主动学习
The pyramid teaches us one key lesson. Active learning is much more powerful than passive (被动) learning, because it makes the memory “stick” in our brain for a long time. For example, when we just listen or read, we can not do much with the information, so our brain doesn’t keep it well. However, when we discuss, practice or teach, we must think deeply, connect ideas and use the information. Understanding this helps us choose better study methods and spend our time more wisely.
Students in Yucai Middle School learned about the ancient Chinese poems. Different students used different methods.
Liu Yu
I read the poems twice and watched documentaries about the poets and other background information. I tried to remember the lines and their meanings.
Han Ling
I joined a study group. We discussed feelings in the poems with each other. We also role-played as poets to share their stories.
Gina
I practiced giving a speech about the classic poems in front of my whole class. This made me understand the poems better.
Jack
I listened to my teacher’s lecture about the poems in class. I also copied the key notes from the blackboard.
Different methods of learning have different influences on study results. Which learning method we choose depends on what we’re learning and what we prefer. If we can mix passive learning with active learning properly, we’ll get twice the results with half the effort.
Let’s use the pyramid to improve our study habits right away!
作答题目
54. What does the Learning Pyramid tell us?
55. According to the Learning Pyramid, which learning methods help us remember the most and the least?
56. Why is active learning much more powerful than passive learning?
57. Which two students use active learning methods?
58. Which active learning method do you like best? Why?
篇目三 中国英语教育的变化
原文
Most Chinese students are familiar with Li Hua. In English exams, they often need to write a letter to a foreign friend in the name of Li Hua. He has been with Chinese students for quite a long time. However, over the past years, changes have taken place in China's English education.
Chinese students used to start learning English in middle school. Tian Lijun, born in the 1970s, first learned English in Grade 7. “We spent the whole term learning English letters and easy words, and then, I didn’t realize we would finally use those words to write sentences,” said Tian. Later, English education began earlier. Wang Mengqi, born in the 1990s, started learning English before primary school. She said, “In kindergarten (幼儿园), we had cute English textbooks with colorful pictures. They were really interesting.”
The learning condition has changed too. Teachers used blackboards in the 1980s and 1990s. Now students practice English listening and speaking through all kinds of multimedia (多媒体的) tools. These tools include computers, pads, and educational apps, etc. For example, AI-powered apps like “ELSA Speak” can check their pronunciation quickly and help them speak more clearly. Some apps can even adjust (适应) to students' learning speed, making personalized practice possible anytime, anywhere.
Another change is about English writing. In the past, students often wrote a letter to their foreign friends to ask about local weather or culture in the name of Li Hua. Now, however, “Li Hua” often tells Chinese stories to his foreign friends. What’s more, he also helps them solve problems, such as giving suggestions on how to deal with stress before exams or ways to improve relationships with parents. This change shows ____________________.
Lastly, English textbooks will surely make changes to keep up with the rapid development of our society and better satisfy students' learning needs in the future. What would you like your future English books to be like?
作答题目
51. Are most Chinese students familiar with Li Hua?
52. How do students practice English listening and speaking now?
53. What did students often write about in their letters in the past?
54. What does the change of English writing show? (完成文中划线的句子)
This change shows _________________________________________________________________
55. What would you like your future English textbooks to be like? Why?
篇目四 海洋塑料污染
原文
Each year, billions of pounds of garbage end up in the oceans. Sometimes people throw away water bottles or other plastic. They do not recycle their garbage. People may not know that wind and rain can move garbage from land to sea. Plastic takes a very long time to break down. It can remain in the oceans for hundreds of years. Plastic pieces are very dangerous to sea animals.
One group, Washed Ashore, came up with a new idea to tell people about the problems in the oceans. First, they take the garbage from a beach. Then, they clean and sort it. Finally, they work with the plastic pieces to make huge works of art. The artwork is mostly of sea creatures(生物).
Washed Ashore has created more than seventy of these works of art. Some of them are now being shown all over the world. Each piece shows the effects of rubbish.
In one show, people learn how plastic fools fish and other sea animals. They think the plastic is food, eat it, and get very sick or even die.
This would not happen if people used less plastic and did not litter. The plastic would not end up in the ocean.
作答题目
51. How long can plastic remain in the oceans?
52. What did Washed Ashore think of a new idea to tell people about?
53. How many steps did Washed Ashore take to solve the problems?
54. Where are some works of art being shown now?
55. What do people learn in one show?
篇目五 竹子与新型竹材技术
原文
Have you ever wondered whether bamboo is a tree or a kind of grass? It is a kind of grass in the science of plant. Bamboo is really a wonder of nature. This fast-growing plant can be seen everywhere and is widely used.
Bamboo has got many advantages, leading to its common uses for thousands of years. Bamboo is often used to produce daily products, such as chairs, beds and tables. What’s more, bamboo can be made into a kind of material for clothes. Bamboo can even be used as an excellent building material because it grows fast and it is strong.
Bamboo is easy to decay (腐烂), so people have to add chemicals to make bamboo-based materials (竹基材料) stay for a long time. But these chemicals are bad for the environment. Chinese scientists have kept improving technologies to deal with this disadvantage. Here is a good example. In 2016, a Chinese research team in Nanjing began to work on new bamboo technologies. Later, the team succeeded in developing a new bamboo technology.
The new technology is a heat treatment. This treatment moves decay-causing matters out of bamboo without adding chemicals that are harmful to the environment. At the same time, the structure (结构) of bamboo is well kept. As a result, new bamboo-based materials were produced and chosen as an excellent building material to build the scenic platforms (观景平台) of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge — the world’s largest sea-cross bridge. Since the new bamboo-based materials were used on the platforms, they have stood sunlight, seawater and even the natural disasters. Now, the scenic platforms still remain as strong as ever.
作答题目
61. What is bamboo in the science of plant?
62. Why can bamboo be used as an excellent building material?
63. When did the Chinese research team in Nanjing begin to work on new bamboo technologies?
64. What are the advantages of the new bamboo technology? (不超过15个词)
65. Write an ending sentence for the passage. (不超过15个词)
篇目六 中小学生安全教育与自我保护
原文
Do you know what to do when you are caught in a stampede (踩踏)? March 25 this year provides you with a good chance to learn about safety.
This day is called the National Day of Education on the Safety of Elementary and Middle School Students (全国中小学生安全教育日). The theme of the day is to give us more knowledge about safety.
Staying calm is the first and most important rule when facing accidents. But different accidents have different self-protection tips.
A stampede is possible anywhere. If you fall down in a moving crowd, cover your head with both hands. Lean to one side, curl up(卷起) your body and bend(弯曲) your legs.
Earthquakes are common. When you feel the ground shake, drop down, take cover under a desk and hold on. If you are outdoors, find a place away from buildings, trees, and power lines.
When there’s a fire, follow the teachers’ instructions, leave the classroom quickly and use a piece of cloth to cover your mouth and nose.
Sports injuries(伤害) may happen while doing sports. Before playing sports, you should warm up for 15 to 30 minutes.
What do other countries do to keep students safe?
Japan Earthquake Drills(演习)
At public schools in Japan, earthquake drills are held once a month. They teach students safety tips during an earthquake. Regular training helps students escape from earthquake-stricken areas without causing any stampedes.
Australia First-aid(急救) Courses
Most students in Australia take first-aid courses at school. They learn basic first-aid knowledge in the class, such as how to call an ambulance (救护车) and what to do when someone is hurt. The government is trying to make all kids take such courses.
US The Fire Escape
Most US school buildings have fire escapes (火灾逃生口). A fire escape has platforms with stairs and ladders at each story of a building. They are usually made of steel and built outside the building. People can get to the fire escape through a fire exit door or a window. It is not a good idea to jump out of a window from higher than two storeys. It may hurt yourself.
作答题目
66. What’s the theme of the National Day of Education on the Safety of Elementary and Middle School Students?
67. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.(不超过25个汉字)
Staying calm is the first and most important rule when facing accidents.
68. How many kinds of accidents are mentioned in the passage above?
69. In the passage, what does the underlined word “It” refer to(指)?
70. What do your school do to help you keep safe? Please give an example.
参考答案
第一篇 AI in daily life in 2045 篇
54. 60 years old.
55. You can "grow" a new hand in a laboratory.
56. He can program his clothes to change into sports clothes.
57. They can drive themselves. (They are driverless.)
58. 示例1：I'm for AI. Because it can make our daily life more convenient and efficient.
示例2：I'm against AI. Because depending too much on AI may make us lose the ability to think independently.
第二篇 海洋塑料污染（Washed Ashore）篇
51. For hundreds of years.
52. The problems in the oceans.
53. Three steps.
54. All over the world.
55. They learn how plastic fools fish and other sea animals.
第三篇 劳动实践课（School Notice）篇
54. Once a week.
55. Gardening.
56. On Friday afternoon and the last afternoon of the weekdays.
57. Because she hopes every child can find something they enjoy.
58. 示例：My favorite activity is cooking. It can help me learn to look after myself and cook for my family.
