1 . As the movie Nomadland revealed to the world, ever since the 2008 financial collapse, people have mowed into vehicles as a way of surviving the high cost of living. The pandemic also fuelled an increase in the nomadic (流浪的) lifestyle.

In 2020, my co-researcher Scott Rankin and I looked at how people who live in vehicles balance work and life. This year, I continued my research to better understand why people live this way.

People of all ages and genders take part in van (面包车) living. The average age of van dwellers (居住者) was 42. After asking respondents to rank the reasons why they chose to live in a vehicle, ranked from top to bottom are: 1) freedom, 2) low cost of living, 3) adventure, 4)connection to nature,5)minimalism,6)avoiding undesirable weather,7)starting a new life, 8)pursuing work in different places, 9)working remotely, 10)to be on their own, 11)to join a partner, 12)to leave a partner.

Above all else, vehicle dwellers sought to be free. Whether they were a re tire n in a $100,000 Mercedes van, or young Canadians working from a $5 ,000 van, respondents wanted to be able to move their home to any place that was best for them. For others, living in a vehicle minimized their costs, allowing them to work less or make the most of their income without paying rent.

As it turns out, van living is not a fad. While many respondents were new to van living, on average, respondents indicated they had been living in a vehicle for an average of 2.5 years. Seventy-eight per cent of respondents permanently lived in a vehicle.

As the housing crisis deepens, we may see more people consider van living as a means of surviving the high cost of living. It will be up to the government to accept this alternative living arrangement, and consider having parking and facilities to support those who choose to live this way.

1. What’s the purpose of the author’s research?

A．To advocate a new lifestyle.	B．To produce a scientific theory.
C．To understand a social phenomenon.	D．To improve some people’s living conditions.

2. What do we learn about van dwellers?

A．Their top concern is money.	B．They have different motives.
C．They value family more than work.	D．They are mainly adventurous people.

3. What does the underlined word “fad” in paragraph 5probably mean?

A．Something that isn’t suitable for all.	B．Something that isn’t likely to last.
C．Something that is popular for long.	D．Something that attracts old people.

4. What’s the author’s attitude to van living?

A．Uncaring.

B．Tolerant.

C．Approving.

D．Opposed.

2 . Umar Fox searched his whole life to look for the firefighter who saved him and his sister from a house fire in 1978. The search _________ came to an end with a heartfelt reunion.

Umar was 3 when the _________ happened in their house. He and his sister were home for Christmas break. Joseph Gilmore was one of the first people on the _________. He rushed into the fire, risking his own _________, and took the children out. Photojournalist George Rizer happened to photograph the _________.

Umar had always hoped to _________ the man. But the picture taken by Rizer was all he had, which _________ his wish not being realized. Forty-five years later, that picture ended up being _________ thanks to social media. Once Umar _________ Joseph, he and the firefighter had an emotional reunion. Umar’s sister had planned to __________, but she canceled due to illness. Joseph __________ when strong-built Umar walked in, “Oh, man! I wouldn’t want to pick you up now.”

Umar said that he and his sister “wouldn’t be __________” if it weren’t for Joseph. He went on to __________ that his act “brought more into the world”. Umar is __________ to be a father of five. His sister also “has great kids” who are “all grown up and doing big things”.

As for Joseph, he considered he was __________ doing something he did every day for 38 years.

1.

A．finally

B．normally

C．really

D．easily

2.

A．change

B．action

C．accident

D．adventure

3.

A．scene

B．floor

C．surface

D．ground

4.

A．speed

B．power

C．distance

D．safety

5.

A．injury

B．rescue

C．loss

D．task

6.

A．interview

B．meet

C．assist

D．join

7.

A．related to

B．dealt with

C．resulted in

D．applied for

8.

A．relaxing

B．satisfying

C．similar

D．enough

9.

A．visited

B．found

C．accompanied

D．urged

10.

A．attend

B．organize

C．sponsor

D．chair

11.

A．listened

B．cared

C．joked

D．worried

12.

A．special

B．retired

C．alive

D．delightful

13.

A．explain

B．compare

C．believe

D．agree

14.

A．brave

B．proud

C．suitable

D．willing

15.

A．roughly

B．curiously

C．hopefully

D．simply

3 . 根据汉语提示完成短文。

Susan was caught in a car accident and fainted. She was blind forever,     1     (陷入了愤怒、绝望、抱怨和自怜的世界中). All day long she frowned, grieved and     2     (以泪洗面), feeling as if a knife were piercing her heart. Her husband, Mark,     3     (细致入微地照顾她) and     4     (决定帮助她重获力量和信心) and step out of such a passive dilemma. Gradually,     5     (苏珊的焦虑逐渐被信心代替了). She whispered gently, “Mark, thank you.     6     (正是你帮我渡过了难关).”

4 . These days, there’s barely a world leader who doesn’t talk up science. For example, the India’s Prime Minister was the main performer at the annual Indian Science Congress, held in Nagpur, where he encouraged the nation’s researchers to do the science needed to make India self-reliant.

The message to researchers is crystal clear: leaders see science as essential to national prosperity, well-being and, of course, competitiveness. So, is research fit for the challenge of advancing, refining or critiquing these goals? Not exactly. And it won’t be until there is fundamental reform to the gateway to a research career: PhD training.

As Nature and other publications have frequently reported, PhD training worldwide has been in trouble for some time. Students’ stipends (生活津贴) are not enough in most countries, creating a cost-of-living crisis. Early-career researchers constantly report concerns about a constant lack of support and poor-quality supervision, with senior researchers rarely trained in mentorship (指导).

Furthermore, PhD candidates are inadequately prepared for the cross-disciplinary working and large teams that characterize cutting-edge science today. This is especially true for careers outside academic research, where the overwhelming majority of PhD candidates will be heading.

It is not all bad. Universities in a small number of high-income countries have reformed, or are reforming, PhD assessment. But in most places, and especially in low- and middle-income countries, a candidate’s work is still evaluated using a single-authored paper. In many countries, candidates must publish in a journal before they get a PhD, something that critics say could fuel profitable publishing.

The system’s strains have become more obvious because the number of people doing PhD training has been rising sharply. According to the 2022 book Towards a Global Core Value System in Doctoral Education, the number of PhDs awarded in India increased from 17,850 in 2004 to 25,095 in 2016; US figures climbed from 48,500 to 69,525 over the same period. If researchers are to meet society’s expectations, their training and mentoring must escape the nineteenth century.

1. Why is the India’s Prime Minister mentioned in the first paragraph?

A．To indicate India’s serious scientific landscape.

B．To imply more researchers are in great demand in India.

C．To show leaders’ emphasis on scientific research.

D．To demonstrate more and more people take an interest in science.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The reforms in science.	B．The significance of mentorship.
C．The creation of academic culture.	D．The issues early-career researchers face.

3. Which of the following best describes the author’s opinion on PhD training?

A．Disappointed.

B．Satisfied.

C．Indifferent.

D．Enthusiastic.

4. What does the author mainly intend to express in the last paragraph?

A．PhD education is developing gradually.

B．The reforms in PhD training admit of no delay.

C．The number of PhDs awarded has increased in India and the US.

D．The demand for researchers’ meeting society’s expectations is pressing.

5 . 短文填空

In reality,    1     (使我们震惊的是，主语从句) large amounts of food have been wasted in restaurants and canteens. Food waste can not only lead to the environment’s being polluted     2     (而且引发更为严重的食物短缺). 3.     3     (考虑到这个令人苦恼的情况), a campaign has been launched in the past months to     4     (阻止学生们浪费粮食).     5     (对于我们学生来说，少点食物比浪费食物更重要，主语从句). Now,   with students forming the habit of cleaning their plates, we are     6     (convince) that our school canteen will soon be kept free of wasted food.

6 . 语法填空

For years，a farmer called John has been devoted to     1     (tackle) the problem of hunger. One day he came across an article which referred to Yuan Longping and his super hybrid rice. He thought it essential    2    him to benefit from the practical knowledge circulated by Yuan Longping. Therefore, he had no alternative but     3     (equip) himself with more knowledge of Yuan’s farming methods. He took all     4     (aspect) into consideration and developed his farming method suitable for the soil of his fields. With scientific farming methods，he and his family have their output     5     (expand) and have never bought exported grain any longer.

7 . Nowadays, the world is slowly becoming a high-tech society and we are now surrounded by technology. Facebook and Twitter are innovative tools; text messaging is still a somewhat existing phenomenon and even e-mail is only a flashing spot on the screen when compared with our long history of snail mail. Now we adopt these tools to the point of essentialness, and only rarely consider how we are more fundamentally affected by them.

Social media, texting and e-mail all make it much easier to communicate, gather and pass information, but they also present some dangers. By removing any real human engagement, they enable us to develop our abnormal self-love without the risk of disapproval or criticism. To use a theatrical metaphor (隐喻), these new forms of communication provide a stage on which we can each create our own characters, hidden behind a fourth wall of tweets, status updates and texts. This unreal state of unconcern can become addictive as we separate ourselves a safe distance from the cruelty of our fleshly lives, where we are imperfect, powerless and insignificant. In essence, we have been provided not only the means to be more free, but also to become new, to create and project a more perfect self to the world. As we become more reliant on these tools, they become more a part of our daily routine, and so we become more restricted in this fantasy.

So it is that we live in a cold era, where names and faces represent two different levels of closeness, where working relationships occur only through the magic of email and where love can start or end by text message. An environment such as this reduces interpersonal relationships to mere digital exchanges.

Would a celebrity have been so daring to do something dishonorable if he had had to do it in person? Doubtful. It seems he might have been lost in a fantasy world that ultimately convinced himself into believing the digital self could obey different rules and regulations, as if he could continually push the limits of what’s acceptable without facing the consequences of “real life.”

1. What can we know about new communication tools?

A．Destroying our life totally.	B．Posing more dangers than good.
C．Helping us to hide our faults.	D．Replacing traditional letters.

2. What is the potential threat caused by the novel communication tools?

A．Sheltering us from virtual life.	B．Removing face-to-face interaction.
C．Leading to false mental perception.	D．Making us rely more on hi-tech media.

3. What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?

A．Technologies have changed our relationships.

B．The digital world is a recipe for pushing limits.

C．Love can be better conveyed by text message.

D．The digital self need not take responsibility.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Addiction to the Virtual World	B．Cost of Falling into Digital Life
C．Interpersonal Skills on the Net	D．The Future of Social Media

8 . 请听下面一个故事，然后根据故事意思填空，每空一词，录音读两遍。
梗概：Spencer在回家途中以自己的急救知识帮助一个男孩脱离危险。
关键词：bandage (用绷带包扎)        bleeding (流血)        stable (固定的)
wound (伤口)           first aid (急救)
Spencer’s parents taught him basic first aid when he was young. One day, Spencer saw a boy     1     on the ground. The boy’s     2     was badly injured. Several people had stopped to help. Spencer used a cloth to     3     the bleeding and used his own T-shirt to make the boy s arm stable. Spencer showed someone how to apply pressure to the boy’s wounds and talked to him to keep him     4    . When the ambulance arrived, the medical workers     5     Spencer for his good work. If Spencer had not acted so quickly, the boy would have been in even greater     6    . By the next day, the whole school heard about what had happened. Spencer’s parents were very     7     of their son for his good work in the face of an emergency.