1 . Travis Gienger set a record for growing the world’s heaviest pumpkin, which weighed about 1,247 kilograms, in 2023. The middle-aged man was named the winner on Monday of the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. He won the same con test in 2022, whose pumpkin weighed 1,161 kilograms. The past world record for the heaviest pumpkin was set by a grower in Italy who produced a 1,226-kilogram pumpkin in 2021. “I was not expecting that,” Gienger said. He added that it felt good to win the world record.

Gienger is a teacher at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, Minnesota. He teaches agriculture and growing methods. And he has been producing pumpkins for nearly 30 years like his elders, especially his father, who used to raise pumpkins in the home property, which got him interested in planting. Gienger later devoted himself to working the land to plant.

Gienger first competed in Half Moon Bay’s yearly con test in 2020. He won three of the city’s last four pumpkin contests. “I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people’s faces, and it’s just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town,” Gienger said.

Gienger, who grew the pumpkins on the farm, had given his plants more care. This included watering them up to 12 times a day and feeding or fertilizing them, a little more than usual. Those contributed to his greater success in 2023.

The pumpkin champion won a $30,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin and setting a world record. Gienger’s pumpkin would be shown along with the second-place winners at the city’s upcoming Pumpkin Festival. At the event, visitors would be able to look at the pumpkin prize and take pictures with the growers.

In the United States, pumpkins are popular throughout the autumn. During the US holiday Halloween, on October 31, many people turn them into “jack-o’-lanterns”. A jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved, usually to show a frightening or funny face.

1. How did Gienger feel about his winning the world record?

A．Surprised.

B．Suspicious.

C．Expected.

D．Embarrassed.

2. What affected Gienger’s career choice?

A．His family tradition.	B．His love for his farm.
C．His promise to his father.	D．His desire for winning a prize.

3. What does the author want to explain in paragraph 4?

A．How many awards Gienger got in 2023.

B．How long Gienger worked a day in 2023.

C．Why Gienger grew pumpkins on the farm.

D．Why Gienger’s pumpkin was heavier than before.

4. What do we know about the award-winning pumpkin in 2023?

A．It would be given to a visitor.

B．It would be made into a lantern.

C．It would be on show at a festival.

D．It would be used to decorate pictures.

2 . Lying on London’s famous Millennium Bridge, British artist Ben Wilson paints on a piece of dried gum (口香糖). It has been crushed flat into the ground. “The important thing is that there are tire marks on the gum with different patterns,” said the 60-year-old Wilson. “The beauty of them is that they’re of different shapes and sizes…” he continued, describing pieces of gum.

Wilson sees possibility in things most people avoid looking at. The flattened gum offers a chance to turn a piece of waste into something beautiful. The artwork is also a way to surprise walkers and get them to take a closer look at the path they are on.

“By painting a picture which is so small, I can let those who see it discover a hidden world beneath their feet,” Wilson said.

Back in his north London art room, Wilson paints on the surface of a small mosaic tile (瓷砖). It will be part of a collection that he is creating on the walls of London’s underground platforms. “The images are more personal than the chewing gum works,” Wilson says, “and represent a kind of visual diary.”

Wilson was born to artist parents in London. He remembers working with clay from the age of three. He had his first art show when he was around 10 years old. He began making sculptures and large pieces for display in natural settings. Then his interest turned to waste. He has been painting on gum and other pieces of rubbish for 19 years.

The top surface of the dried gum is not subject to local or national laws. As a result, the dried gum surface creates a space, where Wilson says he can paint without damaging public property.

Government officials have removed much of the artist’s public street art. But the hundreds of gum paintings on Millennium Bridge remain for all to see.

1. What is the dried gum like in the eyes of Wilson?

A．Dirty.

B．Strange.

C．Practical.

D．Attractive.

2. Which statement can best describe Wilson?

A．He creates a hidden world.	B．He keeps a diary with drawings.
C．He reminds people to walk carefully.	D．He makes the ugly become beautiful.

3. What does the author mainly tell us about Wilson in paragraph 5?

A．His great language talent.	B．His artistic career.
C．His unusual childhood.	D．His parents’ artistic achievements.

4. What do we know about the Wilson’s street paintings?

A．Some of them are protected by law.	B．All of them are not kept well.
C．They are valued by officials.	D．They polluted the streets.

3 . The New Year Honors list was published at the end of December 2023, rewarding more than 1,200 people for their outstanding achievements and helping others. Prime Minister Sunak said those honored are “an inspiration to us all”.

The list included well-known figures and ordinary people who have help cd their communities. Everyone is awarded one of a number of honors depending on what they have done, from a Knighthood or a Damehood to a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). These awards are given twice a year by the King.

Tony Hudgell, aged nine, became the youngest person to be awarded a New Year Honor. He was given a British Empire Medal(BEM) for his charity work to protect vulnerable (易受伤害的) children. Tony has raised £1.8 million for charity and successfully campaigned to update laws protecting children.

A transport worker called Rizwan Javed, who works at Ealing Broadway station in London,was awarded an MBE for helping people who are in difficult situations. Following special training with the Samaritans charity, Javed lea med to spot people who are struggling with mental health problems and have conversations with them to help them feel better. After learning of his award. Javed said, “I feel like this MBE award has given me the confidence to take it a step further to help people talk about mental health.”

Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who is also the head of the University of Leicester, received a Damehood for services to science education and diversity. Goalkeeper Mary Earps was honored with an MBE and is one of three of the England women’s national football team to be recognized for their services to football. James Martin, an actor from Nor them Ireland, was awarded an M BE for his services to drama. When he found out about the honor. Martin said. “I couldn’t believe it — I was really happy.”

1. What do we know about the New Year Honors list according to the text?

A．It was released on December 12.	B．It rewards people who inspire us.
C．The awards are given by PM Sunak.	D．Children have no right to be honored.

2. What did Tony do?

A．He got some laws renewed.	B．He set up his own charity.
C．He had a big New Year celebration.	D．He wrote lots of laws about children.

3. Who devoted a lot to soccer?

A．Rizwan Javed.	B．Maggie Aderin-Pocock.
C．Mary Earps.	D．James Martin.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．High-achieving people.	B．Ordinary people’s lives.
C．Community-focused charities.	D．Well-known campaigns in England.

4 . Frederick Phiri, known as the junk-art king of Zambia, set out on a remarkable journey at the age of 22 when he began earning an international reputation for being able to make complex and elegant sculptures from deserted metal found in his community.

Phiri’s path to artistic recognition was filled with challenges. His childhood was marked by the loss of his father and his mother leaving him behind, making him under the care of his grandfather. While his grandfather provided for his basic education, Phiri faced financial struggles when he entered secondary school, forcing him to take on various jobs to fund his studies. Yet, despite these obstacles, his passion for art remained growing, and he dedicated his free time to drawing and crafting in the classroom.

Upon completing his education, Phiri sought to support himself by creating wire animal sculptures (雕塑品), which he sold to tourists. It was during this period that his exceptional talent caught the attention of Karen Beattie, the director of Project Luangwa, a nonprofit organization committed to education and economic development in central Africa.

Teaming up with local welder (焊接工) Moses Mbewe in 2017, Phiri contributed to the creation of a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa during the rainy season. Impressed by his work, Beattie presented Phiri with a challenge: to create art from abandoned waste metal. Undiscouraged, Phiri embraced the opportunity, transforming forgotten keys, broken bike chains, and old metal bottles into attracting abstract animal sculptures, including elephants, cranes, giraffes, and monkeys.

Today, Phiri’s artistic pursuits continue to flourish as he transforms deserted junk into striking sculptures showcased at the Project Luangwa headquarters. His talent has earned recognition and admiration from the community, fueling his dreams of pursuing formal art education at the Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka and creating even more magnificent sculptures in the future. Through creativity and determination, Phiri has turned adversity (逆境) into artistic success, leaving a lasting impact on Zambia’s art scene.

1. What is Phiri distinguished for?

A．Serving his community.	B．Collecting works of art.
C．Being the king of Zambia.	D．Turning trash into treasure.

2. What aspect of Phiri’s childhood shaped his early life?

A．His struggle to pay for primary schooling by himself.

B．The loss of his father and abandonment by his mother.

C．His dedication to part-time jobs while attending school.

D．His responsibility to support his grandfather financially.

3. What challenge did Karen Beattie present to Phiri?

A．To create sculptures from wire.

B．To sell his sculptures internationally.

C．To create art from deserted waste metal.

D．To design a complex set of doors for Project Luangwa.

4. What attitude does Phiri exhibit towards his future?

A．Uncertain.

B．Confident.

C．Depressed.

D．Confused.

5 . Xu Hai’ou has spent most of her life promoting environmental protection work in Beihai, a coastal city in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, by cleaning beaches, protecting mi-grant birds and recycling kitchen waste.

Though her family originally comes from the eastern province of Shandong, the 60-year-old was raised in Guangxi and moved to Beihai for work at age 23, directly after graduating from college. Before she retired, she worked as a reporter for the Guangxi Daily Media Group, a news outlet in the region. In her free time, she became involved in voluntary work.

“In initially, in the 1990s, I helped impoverished children in Guangxi’s rural areas obtain financial aid from donors in Hong Kong, and set up my own NGO in 2004. At the time, it was Beihai’s only nonprofit social organization involved in volunteer work,” she said, “It’s very enjoyable to do this charity work and I have made many friends through it.”

She said her NGO focuses on environmental protection work and organizes a range of voluntary activities, including cleaning up beaches, and protecting mangrove forests and migratory birds.

In 2008, the organization joined a marine life protection event supported by the central government, the UN Environment Programme and the Global Environmental Facility.

Xu and her colleagues at the association arranged a number of voluntary events such as raising awareness of marine biodiversity among local residents and students, and beach-cleaning activities to help promote understanding of the need to protect marine animals and plants.

“Undertaking voluntary activities or charitable work has become my mission, and I want to contribute my own efforts to the nation’s environmental protection work, even if they only produce a small improvement. However, protecting the environment is very hard work. which can’t be done by a single person. I sometimes feel like my ability falls short of my wishes.”

According to Xu, her NGO is currently promoting the classification of waste in Beihai and recycling kitchen waste into compost. “We have mature technologies, but still face difficulties in promoting the program because many residents lack awareness of environmental protection. We hope the government can figure out better ways of managing the garbage after we classify it to make full use of this ‘waste’.”

1. What can we learn about Xu Hai’ou from the first two paragraphs?

A．She grew up in Shandong Province.

B．She graduated in Beihai at the age of 23.

C．She works as a journalist for a newspaper at present.

D．She is a retired reporter volunteering to protect the environment.

2. What did Xu Hai’ou think of her voluntary work?

A．Rewarding.

B．Exhausting.

C．Amazing.

D．Embarrassing.

3. What is Xu and her colleagues’ purpose in arranging voluntary events?

A．To clean beaches and recycle kitchen waste.

B．To get support from the central government.

C．To raise people’s awareness of marine biodiversity.

D．To help people understand the necessity of protecting marine life.

4. Why does Xu Hai’ou persist in her volunteer work?

A．She wants to win a good reputation.

B．She wants to do what others don’t want to do.

C．She wants to do her part to protect the environment.

D．She wants to make the most of kitchen waste on her own.

6 . 阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段,使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The very first speech I had given changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. I was a third-grader when I chose Susan B. Anthony to be the topic. When I got the assignment, I went to the library and began researching the Women’s Fight for the Right to Vote. I never really thought about a time when women had no voting rights and that their opinions didn’t count. I learned that Susan B. Anthony led the fight to give women a say in our society. She overcame a

lot of obstacles in order to do that

About a week after giving my school speech, my mom read a newspaper article about a statue honoring Susan B. Anthony. The problem was that few people ever got to see the statue. It was dedicated (落成) in 1921, but within twenty-four hours it was taken down to the basement and stored where it had remained for nearly eighty years.

When I read that article, I was getting angry! This statue belonged in a place of honor. I felt

that it should be in the Rotunda, along with the statues of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther KingJr, and Gcorge Washington.

The article asked for donations because it would take $74,000 to move the thirteen-ton statue

out of the basement. I decided to write a letter with a self-addressed envelope asking my relatives and friends to send a Susan B. Anthony coin or a S1 bill to me to contribute to the Women’s Voting Statue Campaign. Every day I ran to the mailbox after school. But a month later, my piggybank was still far from full.

So every night, after my homework, I wrote more letters at the kitchen table. Pretty soon the whole family got involved in the project. My seven-year-old brother, David, prepared stamps and envelopes. My mother and grandmother found addresses for people I wanted to contact and my dad drove me around and gave me tons of encouragement when I spoke to big groups.

注意:
1.续写词数应为150个左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I passed around a piggy bank for donations at the end of each speech.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I was interviewed on TV
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Recently, Ma Xiaohui, a famous Chinese erhu     1     (perform) and composer with the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, held     2     erhu concert with the theme of “Erhu Holding Hands with the World, New Music Trend, New Cultural Tour” in the Delegates’ Room at the UN headquarters in New York City.

Attendees from different backgrounds and participants in the World Madam Global Awards Ceremony were     3     (deep) moved by the unique charm of traditional Chinese musical instruments     4     (display) during the concert.

The concert began     5     the song “Woman Flower”. In the first movement, “Seven Colors of Erhu, Walking with Beauty, Colorful Silk Road,” melodies from Chinese and Western songs created an “ink painting” of the Silk Road.

In the next three     6     (movement), a classical repertoire (曲目) including “Butterfly Lovers”, “Thoughts on a Silent Night”     7     “The Spirit of My Erhu” attracted the audience. Next     8     (come) the theme song from the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”,     9     beautifully celebrated the classic dialogue between erhu and cello (大提琴).

“This beautiful and     10     (inspire) concert wonderfully mixed classical, Chinese, and cross-cultural themes. It was a feast (盛宴) for the ears and souls,” multimedia artist Ranjit Bhatnagar said.

8 . No matter how successful—or lately, unsuccessful—Manchester United has been on the court, which has always prided itself on an incredible ability to generate the game’s brightest young stars. The latest breakthrough talent, it seems, is 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

The teenager’s emergence from the youth academy (学院) has been one of the few satisfying points in an otherwise difficult season for the team, and the highlight of his fledgling (刚刚起步的) career came during United’s 4—3 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday.

After the host had seemingly got a draw in the 95th minute of the match, Mainoo showed his considerable potential by scoring a winner in the dying moment. The English youngster received the ball under pressure outside of the opposition’s box before rushing his way towards the goal, hitting against a Wolves defender on the way. Then, when other players might have panicked, Mainoo was composed and guided a perfect shot into the far corner of the net.

While his teammates celebrated wildly, Mainoo knelt down and slid towards the crowd after scoring his first Premier League goal. It was a sensational moment and a goal which might change the teenager’s life forever.

“I’ve still not come down from it. I still feel like I’m dreaming, to be honest,” Mainoo told TNT Sports after the match. “To start playing in the Premier League for my boyhood club has been amazing. Now I am just trying to play more games and win more games.”

There have been moments this season, though, where his inexperience has shown, but the future looks bright for the young midfielder who seems to have his feet firmly on the ground. “He is making incredible progress. He has great abilities as a modern midfield player,” Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters after the game. “He can defend and attack but also he has the physicality to do both ways.”

Manchester United is currently ranked seventh in the Premier League and they are working hard to secure the top four, which will ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about Kobbie Mainoo?

A．His goals.	B．His education.
C．His teammates.	D．His performance.

2. What does the underlined word “sensational” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Boring.

B．Dramatic.

C．Suitable.

D．Possible.

3. Which word can best describe Kobbie Mainoo?

A．Ambitious.

B．Humorous.

C．Experienced.

D．Shy.

4. What is the aim of Manchester United now?

A．To bring out more young stars.

B．To qualify for the next Premier League.

C．To play in the Champions League next season.

D．To finish in the top seven of the Premier League.

9 . 假设你是高中生李华，你的英国笔友 Mike 从网上看到中国抗击疫情中的许多英雄人物之后，给你写了一封e-mail，询问谁是你眼中的英雄，请根据以下要点用英语给他回信，介绍自己眼中的英雄钟南山。
注意：1.词数 80 左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
资料参考：钟南山1936年出生于江苏
共和国勋章的获得者（共和国勋章 the Medal of the Republic） 战胜 SARS 和 COVID-19
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10 . During the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 in 2023, one of the highlights is a 48-year-old Uzbekistan gymnast, Oksana Chusovitina (“Chuso” as she is affectionately known), who continues to compete despite numerous “retirements” .

Born in Bukhara, Uzbekistan in 1975, Chuso competed and won gold in her first Olympic Games at Barcelona 1992. After competing at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, Chuso got married in 1997 and two years later, Alisher, her son, was born. Chuso’s first “retirement” was due after competing at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, by which time five world championship medals had been won including three golds. But in 2002, Alisher was diagnosed with leukemia (白血病). The family moved to Germany where better treatment was available and Chuso continued to train as a way to take a break from the stresses of her son’s health.

Chuso competed at Athens 2004, gained German citizenship in 2006 and won silver on vault (跳马) at Beijing 2008 for her adopted nation — Germany, aged 33, just months after Alisher received the all-clear. At London 2012, Chuso came fifth in the vault final. And finally, in 2013, after eight years in Germany, Chuso returned to the place she calls home, Uzbekistan. Chuso switched back to competing for her home nation at Rio 2016 and at Tokyo 2020, where she just qualified for vault, but unfortunately did not make the final. In 2022, Chuso won gold on vault at the Doha World Cup on 5 March, the second of four of the 2022 FIG Artistic Gymnastics Apparatus World Cup series.

The 48-year-old gymnast’s motto is, “I’d rather try today than regret tomorrow”. “I’m an ordinary person,” Chuso says. “I have my feelings, hardships and sometimes I’m even in a bad mood. Nothing phenomenal (非凡的) about me, just stuck in sports a little longer. If you want to achieve something, there is always a way.”

1. In which year was Chuso’s son born?

A．1997.

B．1999.

C．2000.

D．2008.

2. Why did Chuso’s family move to Germany?

A．To hold German citizenship.	B．To get better treatment for Alisher.
C．To seek better living conditions.	D．To receive more professional training.

3. How many Olympic Games did Chuso take part in?

A．Six.

B．Seven.

C．Eight.

D．Nine.

4. Which of the following best describes Chuso?

A．Active and energetic.	B．Outgoing and generous.
C．Ordinary and humorous.	D．Determined and positive.