11．　　Many deserts were formed 8000 to 10000 years ago. Some are very hot in the day. In fact , the (1)       temperature ever recorded on Earth was 56.6 in California and Nevada's Death Valley in 1913. Even though many deserts can reach temperatures of over 37.8 during the day in summer, they can get cold at night. (2)       is that? In most places, clouds and water vapor (水蒸气) hold in heat, but deserts don't have enough clouds and water vapor to do this.
　　Some deserts are always cold — in fact the biggest desert in the world is Antarctica (南极洲)! (3)       it's covered in snow and ice, it seldom rains or snows in Antarctica, which (4)       it a desert.
　　It may seem like (5)       can live in a desert because it's so dry. But most deserts are full of (6)      , with plants and animals that have adapted to (适应) live without much water. Some plants, like cacti, store enough water in their stems (茎) to last until the next rain. Other plants, like grass, have very small leaves that curl up (卷起) in the daytime (7)       the water they have.
　　Desert animals also adapted to live (8)       much water. Kangaroo rats in the Sonoran Desert get water from the seeds they eat. Most desert animals stay underground or under rocks during the day. Many of them (9)       for food at night, when it's cool.
　　If you plan to go to a desert, be sure to pack water, sunscreen, and protective clothing. (10)      , you are not a kangaroo rat!

12．Imagine a Day with 5G in the Future

13．　　Out with the old, in with the new (旧的不去, 新的不来). It's time to buy some new, fashionable clothes for the summer. But what do you do with your old clothes?
　　Every year in China, people throw away about 26 million tons of old clothes, according to the China Association of Resource Comprehensive Utilization. Most of them are buried (填埋) or burned as waste. It's a huge waste of energy.
　　"In many countries, charity shops collect and resell second-hand clothes," Zhao Guoliang, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, told Beijing Morning Post. "It's the best way to solve this problem."
　　In some countries, it can be fashionable to shop for used clothes at charity shops like Oxfam. British singer Victoria Beckham said she had bought clothes from Oxfam. "It's amazing to see what people throw out and it's good to help such a great place," she told Heat magazine.
　　Recycling clothes is catching up in China. Fashion brand H&M is inviting people to put their old clothes into special boxes in their 45 stores in China. Some of the clothes will be resold after being cleaned. Some will be used to make other things, such as toys or cloth bags.
　　Another fashion brand JNBY also takes action. If people take the down jackets ( 羽绒服) they have worn to the stores of JNBY, they can get 200 yuan to buy the new clothes. The used down jackets will be cleaned and then given away to the people in need.

14．　　Once there lived a wise man. However, his son depended on his parents too much. The wise man was worried about his son's future.
　　One day, he said to his son, "I want you to find some treasure. I have drawn a map to guide you." Then he handed his son a bag. Inside the bag were clothes, some food, a little money and the map.
　　The son set out the next day. He had to travel across forests, rivers and mountains. Along the way, he was helped by some with food and by some with shelter (住所). He came across robbers (强盗) who tried to rob him. He also saw changing scenery (风景) and seasons.
　　Finally, after a long year, he got to the place his father said. He spent two days looking and digging for the treasure, but found nothing.
　　Disappointed, he headed back to his home. On his way back, he experienced the same scenery. Sometimes, he would stop to enjoy the beauty of nature. He also learned to hunt and make meals. He had to fix his own clothes and shelter himself. He was now able to tell time by the position of the sun. He met the same people who had helped him earlier. This time, he stayed and helped them in order to repay them.
　　When he got home, he said sorry to his father for not finding the treasure. "There wasn't any treasure in the very first place, my son," the father answered with a smile. "But I think you have found your life's true treasure."

15．　　The high school entrance examination in Chongqing, or zhongkao, will be put off by a month. That is to say, students will get another month to review. However, it's still a challenge for them to face zhongkao. So we interviewed some teachers from Chongqing No. 1 Secondary School about how to prepare for the exam. Let's take a look.
　　Mr. Yang (Chinese teacher): Learning Chinese should be a lifelong business. Although zhongkao will be put off by a month, it's not the reason for you to waste any minute. Keeping on doing the following things is the secret to raising your scores in your future exams: come back to your textbook, summarize (总结) what you have learnt and learn how to write from your reading.
　　Mr. Wang (math teacher): You should pay much attention to your mistakes in your exercises. Keep all the papers you did in the past and be serious about correcting your mistakes. Those are the most valuable materials for you to think about and review over and over again.
　　Ms. Zhu (English teacher): Make "Time" our friend and make every moment count. For example, you can make a timetable for your study. And make good use of your morning reading time to help memorize words. Memorizing words in your spare time is also a good choice. Then, do more English reading, especially the reading from the real zhongkao papers.
　　Mr. Liu (physics teacher) and Mr. Guo (chemistry teacher): Keep yourself cool and you can progress day by day. While you are organizing what you've learnt, don't forget to think about the ways to solve physics and chemistry problems. At the same time, learn to infer other things from what is known by thinking hard.
　　Mr. Liu (history teacher) and Mr. He (politics teacher): You should be very clear about every knowledge point. Then, try to find the difference between similar concepts (概念). Making a summary and having a deeper understanding are the basis (基础) of your progress in exam performances.

16．　　As the global pandemic (传染病) speeds up, many are wondering about whether the face mask (口罩) really work and when it′s proper to wear them. Most people from the East believe that wearing a mask is necessary to control the spread of NCP (新冠肺炎). But people in the West generally would argue that unless one is already ill, wearing a mask is simply unnecessary.
　　In Eastern countries, mask-wearing is mostly due to their cultures. In fact, people in the East wear masks not just to protect themselves from illness but also for all kinds of other reasons. In China, masks are worn in any situations in daily life, such as doing housework or visiting parents in the hospital. They can give people the comfort of being protected.
　　In recent years, some of Asian people wear masks just to make themselves look good. Young people in Japan, for example, like to wear masks as a fashion, expressing their personal style through special drawings and patterns.
　　Some sociologists (社会学家) even make some deeper study about the different ideas about wearing masks between eastern countries and western countries.
　　In Asia, wearing a face mask is also a direct expression of group values. With one's face half covered, one becomes part of the group. "People communicated their responsibilities to the social group of which they were members." wrote Peter Bachr, a researcher in sociology (社会学) at Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
　　In Western countries, however, __▲__. As a member in the city, it's one's duty to prevent the spread of illness by following proper hygienic (卫生) steps, such as washing one's hands and not getting touch with others. But a face mask is showing some signs of illness. They will never do what they don't want to do for the public.
　　Whether from the East or the West, social culture and peer pressure (同伴压力) have played an important role in one's decision about whether or not to wear a mask. That's because human beings belong to society, who will properly consider what other members of society think of us. The most important thing is to respect others' opinions, no matter how different they are.

17．
A: Can I help you?
B: Yes, doctor. (1)      
A: How long have you been like this?
B: Since two weeks ago.
A: Let me look over your back and neck. (2)      
B: I am a teacher. These days I work from home and teach English online.
A: Mm, that's it. (3)      
B: Is that serious?
A: (4)       But if you don't pay attention to it, it will get worse.
B: What can I do?
A: Don't sit in front of your computer or mobile for too long without moving. And stand up and do some exercise after working for half an hour.
B: OK, I'll take your advice. Thank you.
A: (5)      

18．　　These days, you may find it so boring to just stay at home, being separated from outside world. However, you can still have great fun by doing sports at home, with Ring Fit Adventure.
　　Ring Fit Adventure is a motion sensing game (体感游戏) on Switch developed by Nintendo last year. Wearing a sensor (感应器) called "joy-con" on your knee and holding a big "ring" can make you start your fantastic journey as a superhero to beat the bad people. It turns a role-play game (RPG) into exercise. What you need to do is to keep moving and do all kinds of motions like deep squat (深蹲) or sit-up (仰卧起坐). If you want to unlock more motions, you have to go further of the story in the game.
　　When you first enter the game, you have to put in the physical information such as age, weight, hours of daily sports and so on. The game will raise the difficulty if you are a strong guy with the habit of doing sports. If you are a girl who never does sports, you don't need to worry, either. The game will become easier. You can be a powerful and magical superheroine in the game as well. Also, in order to avoid getting hurt, every time you start the game, it will give you a clear instruction of warm-up activities. Without warm-ups, you can never enter the game. While you are playing the game, it reminds you to drink water and have a break from time to time. If you play the game for over 20 minutes, the game will advise you to stop the game and replay next day.
　　Just as Michael, one of the users, said, "Ring Fit Adventure has changed traditional ways of doing sports and playing games. I can use physical exercise to play games in which everything just fits right and I can never put down my ring."

24．　　As you grow up, your parents are also getting older. "I don't want you to get old," you might say to your mom and dad. But remember, (1)             old is a normal thing. Everyone will become old one day. What's it like to be old?
　　When you're with your grandparents, you might see wrinkles (皱纹) on their faces.
　　Their hair might be gray. They need to wear (2)             to read. They often forget things. In your neighborhood, you might see some older people around. They need people to help them.
　　However, old people's life can be colorful and meaningful. The old are (3)             of wisdom (智慧). They know about lots of things and like to give advice. When people are old, they stop working. Therefore, they have a lot of time to do their favorite things, such as traveling, reading or singing. They also go back to school for further study and some of them can (4)             get doctor degrees (博士学位) by working hard in the end. That sounds great! Besides, they have many memories of their lives, both good and bad. Do your grandparents like to (5)             them with you?
　　How do you feel about getting old now? Do you still think it's bad? (6)             scientists made a pill ( 药丸) that could keep you young forever, would you take it? A student from Guangzhou said, "I wouldn't take it because it is (7)             the laws of nature. I would feel very lonely if I stayed young forever but (8)             didn't." Another student from Guangzhou said, "I would take it right away because I was so afraid of getting old. Getting old means getting sick and ugly. I'd like to be young and beautiful forever." How about you?

25．新冠疫情让我们在家上了整整半学期的网课。如今返校了，可有些同学紧张，有些 同学焦虑，有些同学甚至产生了厌学心理。针对这一现象，请作为学生会主席的你给出 几点建议，在学校广播《英语时光》栏目中跟同学们分享。
要求：
1. 80—100 词，开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数；
2. 文中不能出现自己的姓名和所在学校的名称。
参考信息：
1. 返校后同学们的心理状况(紧张、焦虑……)；
2. 分析其产生的原因(习惯的改变、中考的压力……)；
3. 给出合理的建议(调整习惯、加强沟通……).。
My dear schoolmates,
　　After coming back to school from a really long vacation, many of us have mental problems. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.