Get the pots ready. Succulents need pots that will house the plant comfortably. The actual pot size will depend on the size of the plant. You need to repot(移盆) them later. If you keep it in a smaller pot, it will generally stick to that size. You’d best choose clay (陶土) pots. There should be 3 or more holes at the bottom of the pot.

Prepare your soil. Don’t use regular potting soil because it will hold onto too much water that may cause your succulents to rot. A well-drained soil is a must. Succulents tolerate dry conditions and poorer soils.

Give them some light. Succulents prefer bright light; therefore, place the pots in an area where there is plenty of sunlight, direct or indirect. Succulents need at least four hours of direct light each day. Don’t expose your succulents to hot summer sun for too long.

Water your plant. One of the common mistakes made with succulents is overwatering. If you overwater your succulents, they aren’t going to survive. It’s the same with simply spraying them lightly. The best way to water succulents is the “soak and dry” method. Basically, you need to give your succulents enough water so that the soil gets completely wet. Then, let it dry out completely before you water again. Once every couple of weeks is generally enough during the warmer months. Over winter they don’t really need water at all.

Feed your succulents during the plants’ active growing season. Some grow actively in summer while others are winter plants. Stop fertilizing(施肥) when plant growth naturally slows.

The study was performed as a joint partnership between psychologists at three universities in Europe. The results suggest that any task that relies on verbal(與文字有關(guān)的) creativity was impaired(削弱) when listening to any type of music.

Subjects(受試者) in the project all spoke English as their first language, and had no problem in their sight or hearing.

The tasks were simple word games. For example, subjects were given three words, such as dress, shine, and flower. Then, they were asked to find a single word which could be connected with all three to form a common phrase or word. The single word, in this case, would be “sun” (sundress, sunflower, etc).

Subjects completed the tasks in either a quiet room, or while they were played background music with foreign lyrics(歌詞), English lyrics, and instrumental music with no lyrics at all.

The research team also tested the library background noises, but found that such noises had no great difference in subjects’ creativity. The study’s authors believe that was the case because library noise is a “steady state” environment which is not as disruptive(擾亂的). Music with or without lyrics is characterized by changes in pitch or tone.

It’s worth mentioning that even familiar music with well known lyrics impaired subjects’ creativity, even when subjects declared that they worked or studied with music on regularly and the music improved their overall mood.

So next time you sit down for a study session with those lo-fi beats, you may be giving your brain something else to focus on rather than your work.

【1】What does “that view” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.Listening to music while working is so common.

B.People enjoy listening to different types of music.

C.Listening to music impairs creativity.

D.Music helps improve our creativity.

【2】According to the word game in Paragraph 4, if volunteers are given three words “foot, base, basket”, what is the single word?

A.Case.B.Line.C.Print.D.Ball.

【3】Which of the following had no great difference in performance of the verbal tasks?

A.Familiar music with well known lyrics.

B.The quiet and library noise conditions.

C.Background music with foreign lyrics.

D.Instrumental music with no lyrics.

【4】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A.Music cannot disrupt the verbal working memory of the disabled.

B.Different kinds of music impair different parts of our brains.

C.You may do your best work without listening to music.

D.Library noises are characterized by changes in pitch or tone.

In ancient Egypt and later medieval(中世紀(jì)) Europe, doctors put leeches on patients. They believed that the spineless wormlike living things can cure all kinds of illnesses by sucking(吮吸) a patient’s blood. In Europe and in the United States, millions of leeches were used throughout the 1800s. Doctors used leeches to treat a number of illnesses, from obesity to headaches. People soon learned that leeches could not cure most diseases and were not a good treatment for patients. However in 1985, a Harvard University doctor changed people’s thinking once again. He was trying to reattach(重新接上) a patient’s ear, which had been cut off. He had trouble reconnecting the veins because the patient’s blood kept clotting(凝). He used a leech to draw out the blood and saved the ear.

Since then, leeches have often been used in surgery where body parts are reattached. During surgery, a leech is placed on the area where the surgeon does not want the blood to pool and clot. Then the leech produces a thing that keeps the veins(靜脈) open and stops the blood from clotting. The leech sucks up excess blood, allowing fresh blood to flow, which helps the patient get well.

Some people are scaredto death at the thought of having a blood sucking thing attached to them. But why not welcome a leech if it can save your life?

【1】What is the passage mostly about?

A.Patient’s interest inleeches.

B.How and where leeches live.

C.The medical uses of leeches.

D.Leeches in ancient medicine.

【2】When were leeches first used?

A.In medieval Europe.

B.In ancient Egypt.

C.In 1985 by a Harvard University doctor.

D.In the 1800s in Europe and in the United States.

【3】When a leech is placed on a patient, which one happens first?

A.The leech produces a thing.

B.The patient’s veins open.

C.The patient’s blood flow faster

D.The leech sucks up excess blood.

【4】Why did a doctor in 1985 decide to try using leeches?

A.He needed a way to close the wound.

B.He wanted to change people’s thought.

C.He believed in the mystery of nature.

D.He needed to keep blood from clotting

The story centers on Scrooge, a rich businessman. Scrooge used to a cold, greedy, mean, old man! The c【3】 within him froze his old face. It made his eyes red and his thin lips blue. And it spoke out in his unkind voice. His money was his life. He hated Christmas and e【4】 his dislike with “Bah, humbug”.

One Christmas Eve, Scrooge is led t【5】 different stages of his life by three ghosts. The Ghost of Christmas Past takes him back to his childhood and youth. As a young man, he loses Belle’s love to his greed. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes him to see how others are c【6】 Christmas this year. Everyone is happy, even poor people. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come never s【7】 and silently takes Scrooge on a tour of the misery that will fall on him and Tiny Tim. Scrooge sees that he is dead, but nobody cares. He is so scared.

After their visits, Scrooge is changed into a kinder, gentler man. He spreads Christmas c【8】 to one and all. He never sees the Ghosts again. And people always say, “Mr. Scrooge knows how to celebrate Christmas, b【9】than any other man on Earth. ”

Scrooge has the power to change the future with his p【10】 actions, and Dickens tries to send the message to the reader: if Scrooge can change, then so can anyone.

—Maybe not. But ____.

A.a miss is as good as a mile

B.actions speak louder than words

C.out of sight, out of mind

D.there is no smoke without fire

— Thank you, John. It’s a very kind _____, but I have to stay and take care of my grandma.

A.decisionB.promiseC.praiseD.offer

— Walk ______ the bridge and go straight on, and you will see it on your left.

A.overB.aboveC.acrossD.into

內(nèi)容包括：1. 學(xué)生們不參加體育活動(dòng)的原因。

2. 進(jìn)行體育活動(dòng)的好處。

寫作要求：

（1）主題突出，語(yǔ)言表達(dá)準(zhǔn)確，語(yǔ)意通順、連貫；

（2）書寫工整、規(guī)范；

（3）文中不得出現(xiàn)真實(shí)姓名、校名和地名；

（4）詞數(shù)：70左右，開頭已給出，不計(jì)入總詞數(shù)。

We should take part in sports activities

Many students don't take part in sports activities. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who is LiZiqi? For 7 million YouTube viewers and 20 million Weibo users, it's easy to answer. The 29-year-old vlogger's videos about her country life recently went viral (走紅). Her fans call her" the goddess of nature".

She is worthy of this title. Cooking, painting, designing, farming…she practises and is master of many kinds of skills. In her videos, Li wears hanfu that she made herself. She also rears silkworms in order to sew quilts. Li grows plants as well. She is often seen preparing meals with vegetables picked from her backyard. She eats a seasonal diet. "She performs the work of a farmer with the grace(優(yōu)雅) of a fairy(仙子),"the South China Morning Post said.

Li was raised by her grandparents in a small village in Sichuan province. When she was 14, she went to the city to work, but returned to the countryside in 2012 to take care of her sick grandmother.

To make a living, Li runs an online store. At first, she just used her videos to advertise her products. But the simple pleasures she presented quickly won her many fans. "In such a tech-driven age, where everything comes so quickly, it's beautiful to watch such a slow process unfold(展現(xiàn)) without her getting stressed," one of her fans said online.

For her global audience, what is even more interesting is Li's deep knowledge of food, nature and Chinese culture. "I can see how good Chinese people are at cooking! I never thought of preserving(保存)meat like that!" one foreign fan wrote on YouTube.

As China Daily said, Li shows the world that Chinese people love good food and are good at making art out of the simplest materials. With her videos, she has spread Chinese culture to the world.

【1】What does Li Ziqi's fan call her?

______________________________________

【2】What does Li spread to the world by her videos?

______________________________________

【3】Are people all over the world interested in Li's deep knowledge of food, nature and Chinese culture?

______________________________________

【4】Where does Li live now?

______________________________________

【5】Why do people love Li Ziqi? (say one reason out)

______________________________________

While I was young, I lived on my mother's milk, but as soon as I was old enough to eat grass, my mother went out to work during the day and came back in the evening. There were six other young horses in my field, although they were older than I was. We all galloped (飛馳)together round the field, and had great fun. But sometimes the others would kick and bite.

"They are young farm horses and haven't learned how to behave," my mother told me. "You are different. Your father is well known, and your grandfather twice won the most important race at Newmarket. Your grandmother was quiet and gentle, and you have never seen me kick or bite, have you? I hope you will grow up to be gentle and a willing worker, and never bite or kick. "

I have never forgotten my mother's advice. She was a clever and sensible(明智的)old horse.

【1】The author described a(n) ____________ place in the first paragraph.

A.quietB.excitingC.funnyD.dangerous

【2】"My" mother ____________ when "I" could eat grass.

A.took "me" to the grasslandB.started working in the day time

C.started working day and nightD.left "me" alone at night

【3】"I" enjoyed with "my" six buddies____________.

A.eating grassB.running freelyC.kicking each otherD.biting things

【4】What did "my" mother tell "me" about "my" family members?

A.They were good at runningB.They were good at kicking

C.They set good examples for "me"D.They lived together happily

【5】What's the passage mainly about?

A."My" family life.B."My" lifestyle

C."My" living conditionsD."My" memories.