One morning, a teacher was giving a lesson in a middle school. All of the students stared at him in _________ because the teacher had a rope (绳) in his hand.

At the beginning of the class, the teacher didn’t say anything. _________ he started tying knots (打结) in the rope. Then he asked, “I have tied three knots in this rope. Is it the same rope I had before?”

One of the students replied, “It’s not _________ to answer. The rope seems to have _________ from the outside. It has three knots which were not there before. But from the inside it is still the same rope _________ it was before.”

“Yes, you are right!” the teacher said. “Now, I will untie (解开) these knots.”

Then he began to _________ both ends of the rope away from each other.

Seeing that, the student said, “You are not untying them. You are making them tighter (更紧的).”

So the teacher stopped and asked, “_________ can I do to untie these knots?”

Some students replied, “You have to look at them closely so that you will know how they are tied. Then you can try to untie them.”

The teacher said, “That’s what I want to hear. In our lives, many people want to _________ problems, but they don’t even know the reasons that cause the problems. Just like the _________ goes, everything must be carefully examined before we act. We need to first know the cause of a problem, and only then can we solve ____________ as soon as possible.”

It is well-known that silk was discovered in China. It is wonderfully strong, light and soft. As one of the best materials for clothes, silk has a perfect look and feel that no other materials can match.

There is a story about how silk was discovered. Lei Zu, the wife of Huang Di, was having tea under a mulberry tree when a silkworm cocoon (蚕茧) fell into her cup. As she tried to take the cocoon out, it started to unwind (展开) and the “line” seemed endless. She realized that the strong line could be used to make clothes. Then Lei Zu taught her people how to raise silkworms and how to get silk. In this way, the silk industry was born.

For hundreds of years after that, silk was only used by rich people. It was a symbol of identity and status (身份和地位). With the development of the silk industry, more silk was produced. It was no longer just for rich people. In the Han Dynasty, silk was transported as far away as Spain, Rome and many other countries. The trade road was famously known as the Silk Road, which connected China with the rest of the world.

Today, silk can be used for many kinds of things, not just for clothes but also for paintings, writing brushes, kites and even fishing nets. Wherever silk goes around the world, it is always warmly received.

I asked my dad if I had ever made him cry before because I couldn’t remember ever seeing him cry.

“There was once,” he said.

He told me that when I was one year old, he put a pen, a piece of paper money and a toy in front of me. He wanted to see which one I would pick. It’s a tradition that a lot of Chinese people do when their kids are one year old. According to this tradition, it shows what the kid will value most when he or she grows up. For example, if the kid takes the pen, it means he or she will be an intelligent person in the future. If the kid takes the money, it means he or she will value money more than others and become rich. If the kid takes the toy, it means he or she will like fun things and play a lot.

My father was doing it because he was curious (好奇的). It was interesting for him to see which one I would pick.

He said that I just sat there and stared at the three things. He sat across from me and waited to see the result.

According to him, I moved toward him and he held his breath. Then I pushed everything aside and went right into his arms. Tears (眼泪) came to his eyes. He didn’t realize that he was one of the choices.

And that was the first and only time I made him cry.

For 16-year-old Ma Yifei, the violin performance of the Beijing 2022 Olympic theme song, Snowflake, was her best present for Paralympians (残奥运动员) all over the world. Even though snowflakes are related to winter, she let others feel warmth, hope and light through her performance. “I’m also disabled and I want to do something for them with my music,” said Ma.

Ma went blind at the age of two because of an illness. She became interested in music when she was young. She started to learn to play the piano at five and the violin at nine, experiencing the “colorful” music through sound and emotion.

Ma’s mother Ha Chunyan, a former music teacher in a primary school, helped her memorize the music score (乐谱) before she played the piano. Ma could not see the keys and always played the wrong notes. It took her thousands of tries to play a piece correctly.

Learning the violin was more challenging. Ma needed to feel the teacher’s hands, arms and back to learn the movements, and listen to the strings (弦) over and over again to feel the muscles (肌肉) herself.

“After three years of learning, she still could not make any sound except terrible noises,” said Ha, who advised her daughter to give up the violin. But Ma said, “As I’ve been practicing so long, it’s hard to give up. I believe I will play better if I persist in practicing.”

In 2018, Ma got a chance to follow Sheng Yuan and Cao Yuhan, famous musicians from the Central Conservatory of Music, to study music in Beijing. She left her home in Ningxia to follow her musical dream, though she knew there would be more challenges ahead.

Ma expressed her excitement about performing at the big event. “All my hard work has paid off. I’m proud of standing on the stage today.”

Plastic brings us convenience, and pollution as well.
41． It’s in our food and drinks, in the clothes we wear and even in the air we breathe.

Some very tiny pieces of plastic are called microplastics (微塑料). The largest microplastics can be directly seen.
42． What should we do then?

43． Any time plastic boxes are heated, microplastics can get into your food. If you can’t avoid using plastic boxes, try not to heat food in them. Use a glass or metal cup instead of a plastic one. Researchers have found that bottled water has more microplastics than tap water.
44． So if you like drinking coffee, hot milk or other hot drinks, remember to use a glass or metal cup.

Since plastic is everywhere, researchers suggest that we should be careful with possible microplastics in life. They may be from baby toys, pens, and even phones we use every day.
45．

Many have heard of shark fin soup. This famous and expensive dish is
46． (really) popular in southern China. But do you realize that you’re killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark fin soup?

When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the sharks back into the ocean. This is not only cruel, but also
47． (harm) to the environment. Without a fin, a shark
48． (can) swim any longer and slowly dies. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If
49． (they) numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. Many believe that sharks can never be endangered because they are the   
50． (strong) in their food chain. But in fact, around 70 million sharks
51． (catch) and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks
52． (fall) by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.

53． (environmental) protection groups around the world are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments
54． (develop) laws to stop the sale of shark fins. So far, no scientific
55． (study) have shown that shark fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!

Me after the “double reduction” policy

“双减”政策(the “double reduction” policy)实施之后，同学们有了更多可自由支配的时间。同时，大部分学校围绕文娱、体育、户外等主题开展了丰富多彩的活动，给大家的生活增添了生机与活力。某英文网站正面向全市中学生开展以”双减”为主题的征文活动，请用所给题目写一篇英语短文投稿，讲述一下”双减”后你的变化及感受。

2. 文中不得使用你的真实姓名、校名，否则以零分计；

3. 书面表达必须写在答题卡上，如在本卷上作答，一律不得分。