1 . Zong Qinghou, a soft drinks giant from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, died of an illness at the age of 79. There has been much mourning at his passing on Feb. 25, 2024 as he was well-known as the founder of a company, headquartered in his hometown in the late 1980s, which later developed into the Wahaha Group, a major soft drinks company.
He is known to the public for three things — his rags-to-riches rise, his long-term frugal (节俭的) lifestyle, and his devotion to promoting China’s national industries. Forbes ranked him, with a wealth of about $5.9 billion, No.53 among Chinese billionaires last year.
Yet besides, it is also worthwhile to think over the question about whether his success in business can be imitated today and what lessons policymakers can learn from his self-made business success as they try to enrich the soil for setting up business.
Before winning a contract (合同) to work as a salesperson of a small school-run factory selling writing materials, iced treats and soft drinks in Hangzhou in 1987, Zong worked as a traveling salesman for nearly a decade after working for 15 years on various posts in local farming communities with Grade-9 education.
His sharp business sense, which he owed to poverty instead of the genes (基因) of the Zhejiang business community, enabled him to recognize business opportunities at a time when the country had just carried out the change from a planned economy to a socialist market one.
The broad space he enjoyed as a sales representative of the factory enabled him to continuously sharpen his sales strategies and enlarge his network of business partners. That not only helped him gather the start-up funds he later used to contract the whole factory, but also influenced his later management style, which he summed up as always trying to make things simpler.
As he told the media, it is the spirit of adventure of his generation and their down-to-earth work style that deserve attention, not his lifestyle, which was a personal choice.
1. Which aspect of Zong Qinghou does Paragraph 2 focus on?| A．His habits. | B．His interest. |
| C．His lifestyle. | D．His achievements. |
| A．To tell how he won contracts. | B．To tell how different his life was. |
| C．To show the ways to run a business. | D．To show its influence on his business. |
| A．His sharp sense in business. | B．His broad space and freedom. |
| C．His long-term simple lifestyle. | D．His business community’s genes. |
| A．Modest. | B．Determined. | C．Knowledgeable. | D．Humorous. |
Lin Qiaozhi, the pioneer of Chinese obstetrics (产科) and gynecology (妇科), is considered as “mother of ten thousand babies”, although she never married. Today, let’s have a look into her life, one full of hard
Her mother’s death when she was five deeply affected her later choices. At the age of 18, she chose to study medicine instead of following the footsteps of the
Later, she became the first woman ever
After the new People’s Republic of China was founded, Dr Lin held many important positions. However, to Dr Lin herself, there was no
Dr Lin did not retire until the day she died, 22 April 1983. Even as she lay
3 . Charles Darwin was born in 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. His father, a doctor, had high hopes that his son would earn a medical degree at Edinburgh University in Scotland, where he was admitted at the age of sixteen. It turned out that Darwin was more interested in natural history than medicine. While he continued his studies at Cambridge, it was his focus on natural history that became his passion.
In 1831, Darwin set out on a voyage as a naturalist aboard a ship of the British Royal Navy, the HMS Beagle. The main purpose of the trip was to survey the coastline of South America and chart its harbors to make better maps of the region.
Darwin spent much of the trip on land collecting samples of plants, animals, rocks, and fossils. He explored regions in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and remote islands such as the Gal á pagos. He packed all of his samples into large wooden containers and sent them back to England aboard other large ships.
Upon his return to England in 1836, Darwin’s work continued. Studies of his samples and notes from the trip led to groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Fossils he collected led to advances in the understanding of the processes that shape the Earth’s surface. Darwin’s analysis of the plants and animals he gathered led him to question how species form and change over time. This work convinced him of the insight that he is most famous for — natural selection. The theory of natural selection says that individuals of a species are more likely to survive in their environment and pass on their genes to the next generation when they inherit traits from their parents that are best suited for that specific environment. In this way, such traits become more widespread in the species and can lead eventually to the development of a new species.
In 1859, Darwin published his thoughts about evolution and natural selection in On the Origin of Species. The book convinced many people that species change over time — a lot of time — suggesting that the planet was much older than what was commonly believed at the time: six thousand years.
Charles Darwin died in 1882 at the age of seventy-three. He is buried in Westminster Abbey in London, England.
1. What is the purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To show his educational level. |
| B．To stress his father’s influence on him. |
| C．To pave the way for his future study of nature. |
| D．To introduce his family background. |
| A．Boring. | B．Enthusiastic. | C．Unclear. | D．Disappointing. |
| A．An animal that can pass on its genes to the next generation. |
| B．An animal that can lead to the development of a new kind of species. |
| C．An animal that receives its parents’ features fit for the specific environment. |
| D．An animal whose parents teach it to survive from the specific environment. |
| A．The process of Darwin’s voyage. |
| B．All the research results in Darwin’s life. |
| C．The birth of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. |
| D．Darwin’s talent for studying natural history. |
4 . Monet gets his place in the art timeline because of his leading role in the impressionist art movement, and through the lasting appeal of his artistic style. The painting he titled Impression: Sunrise, done early in his career, may not seem one of Monet’s best paintings, but the big deal about it is that it was the painting that gave impressionism its name.
Done with oil paint on canvas, this painting is characterized by thin washes of rather mild colors, on top of which he painted short strokes of pure color. Monet gave depth and perspective to an otherwise flat painting by the use of aerial perspective (空间透视法). Look closely at the three boats, and you can see how these get lighter in the tone, which is the way aerial perspective works. The lighter boats appear to be further away from us than the darkest one.
Monet exhibited the painting in what we now call the First Impressionist Exhibition, in Paris. Monet and a group of about 30 other artists, frustrated by restrictions and politics of the official annual art salon, had decided to hold their own independent exhibition, an unusual thing to do at the time. They called themselves the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Engravers, etc., which included artists who are now world famous such as Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Morisot, and Cezanne. Monet said he’d called the painting “impression” because “it really couldn’t pass as a view of Le Harve”.
Louis Leroy, an art critic, in his review of the exhibition used the title of Monet’s painting as the headline, calling it the “Exhibition of Impressionists”. Leroy had meant it ironically as the term “impression” was used to describe a rapidly finished painting of an atmospheric effect, and artists rarely, if ever, exhibited pictures so quickly sketched. The label stuck. In his review published on 25 April, 1874, Leroy wrote,“Wallpaper in its embryonic (萌芽期的) state is more finished than that seascape.” Then in a supportive review published a few days later, Jules Castagnary was the first art critic to use the term “Impressionism” in a positive way.
1. What do we know about Monet’s Impression: Sunrise?| A．It was universally acknowledged as Monet’s best painting. |
| B．Leroy was deeply impressed by the painter’s remarkable skill. |
| C．The different tones of the three boats gave depth to the painting. |
| D．It was exhibited in the official annual art salon with 30 other artists. |
| A．The label met strong opposition from other art critics. |
| B．The label was stuck to the surface of Monet’s painting. |
| C．The label was not regarded as a positive image. |
| D．The label stayed and became widely used after that. |
| A．Monet. | B．Leroy. | C．Renoir. | D．Castagnary. |
| A．Impression: Sunrise gave Impressionism its name. |
| B．Critics had a disagreement over Monet’s painting. |
| C．Monet is a leading artist of Impressionism. |
| D．Impressionism is an appealing artistic style. |
5 . It was the middle of the night when Bibi Bahrami’s father awoke her and the rest of the family, telling them they must leave their home immediately because her country, Afghanistan, was being invaded. Bahrami, only a teenager at the time, remembers being in a state of shock. “We just put our shoes on and we were all crying. We didn’t want to leave home. We didn’t know where we were going to end up,” Bahrami said.
The family spent the next six years living in a refugee (难民) camp in Pakistan. Life was hard, but Bahrami’s family made the most of it. They eventually made a sort of “mud house”. Much like life in Afghanistan, however, girls in the refugee camp did not attend formal school.
After getting married, Bahrami moved to the US, which provided Bahrami with a lot of experiences that wouldn’t be available to her back home. “I had day care for my children, and I could still study and go to school. I was so inspired by the opportunity. And I say I want to do this for the girls who are left behind,” she said. Hence Afghan Women’s And Kids’ Education & Necessities (AWAKEN) was founded. The first project was building a school that both boys and girls could attend. “I feel girls’ education is so important. They can educate their children and then society,” she continued.
In 2021, Bahrami started a new project MARRC, which helps Afghan refugees find housing, jobs and support. So far they have taken in around 28 families.
Frima, 26, just arrived in Muncie with her 2-year-old son. Her life was in danger because she worked at a family-focused non-profit — which was strictly forbidden then. She left her husband behind, not knowing when they would meet again. But thanks to Bahrami, the young mother is hopeful for the future. “In Afghanistan, and in many other countries, women have suffered. It’s time for the world to recognize the values of women,” Bahrami said. “I feel that sometimes women are disadvantaged and not respected in societies and those things hurt my heart. We have our rights and this should be appreciated.”
1. How did Bahrami feel after hearing her father’s words?| A．Calm and speechless. | B．Excited and hopeful. |
| C．Surprised and upset. | D．Confused and regretful. |
| A．To increase job opportunities. | B．To provide childcare for refugees. |
| C．To help girls receive an education. | D．To help refugees move to America. |
| A．She has found a job at a non-profit. | B．She has been positive about her life. |
| C．She has gained a sense of achievement. | D．She has been reunited with her husband. |
| A．Women should be treated fairly. | B．Women make a difference in society. |
| C．Women can be role models in society. | D．Women in Afghanistan suffer the most. |
6 . Born in 1990, a wheelchair has been part of Zhao Hongcheng’s life since she was one year old due to poliomyelitis (小儿麻痹症) . And now, as a video content creator who has over 84, 000 followers on the video-sharing platform Bilibili, Zhao wants to be a bridge between the disabled and the rest of society.
“I made my first video in 2019,” Zhao says. “My original purpose was to find a way to reduce my emotional stress. I always met inconvenience caused by my wheelchair when going out, which made me feel sad. I barely had any disabled friends, so I had no one to talk to. I felt quite lonely,” Zhao explains.
Her first vlog was about a trip to Guangzhou with friends. The video was viewed more than 2, 000 times on the first day. “This made me feel that there were many things worth sharing in my life,” she explains. Since then, that first video has been viewed over 48, 000 times. Her fourth video, displaying how she got to work in a wheelchair, made her even more popular. The video has received more than 300, 000 views on Bilibili.
“One of the great things about being a content creator is that I feel like I have the opportunity of talking about the real difficulties and pains that a disabled person faces,” Zhao says.
1. What’s the purpose of Zhao’s first video?| A．To make a living. | B．To reduce her emotional stress. |
| C．To be popular. | D．To practice film skills. |
| A．The problems the disabled face. | B．The difficulties of making a video. |
| C．The popularity of Zhao’s videos. | D．The four videos Zhao made. |
| A．Receiving more views. | B．Being successful on Bilibili. |
| C．Sharing stories from the disabled. | D．Encouraging the disabled to be content creators. |
| A．A Positive Disabled Influencer | B．A lonely Day of the Disabled |
| C．A Popular Content Creator | D．A Caring Community for the Disabled |
7 . A Victory for Women in Economics
Economic history has long been documented through a male perspective, putting emphasis on the contributions of men and their viewpoints. For proof, just look to the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
Not only are women insufficiently represented as economists, economics as a field has historically ignored the role women play in the economy.
Goldin has challenged the traditional male-centered world and turned the attention to women’s economic roles and challenges. Her Nobel recognition isn’t merely an honor for her individual achievements. It shows the world how inclusive, diverse and interconnected the field truly is.
| A．Economics isn’t just the boring science — it’s a human science. |
| B．Goldin’s research advocates the establishment of support systems for families to address the gender pay gap. |
| C．Part of the problem is that economics is often identified with finance, banking and the stock market. |
| D．It wasn’t a victory just for her but for women in the field. |
| E．It’s been awarded to 90 men since 1969 — and just three women. |
| F．Traditional models often oversimplified households’ decision-making processes and did not account for women’s contributions. |
8 . Richard Feynman was arguably the second best known physicist after Einstein. But she is not the only distinguished scientist in the Feynman family.
Born in 1927, Joan Feynman grew up in Queens, New York, alongside her older brother Richard. He would become Joan’s first teacher and someone who helped develop her curious nature, believing her capable of learning all the math and science he could teach her. She would try to solve math problems for the unique reward of getting to pull her brother’s hair and serving as his “lab assistant” at the age of five. For her fourteenth birthday, Richard gave Feynman a copy of Astronomy by Rebecca Horace Baker, a college-level physics text, which both taught her about physics and what was possible. Feynman credited it for proving to her that women could indeed have a career doing science.
Feynman would go on to receive a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College, before she attended Syracuse University, studying condensed matter theory and earning a PhD in 1958. By 1960, Feynman was married with two children and she decided to take a break from physics to take on the role of homemaker.
The break was short-lived, as Feynman grew depressed from keeping a home and caring for two small children. In 1962, at the advice of a psychologist, she went in search of employment, securing three job offers at multiple institutes. At Lamont, where she worked part-time, Feynman began her research into Earth’s magnetosphere, identifying its shape.
Over the course of her career, Feynman made many breakthroughs in furthering the understanding of solar wind and its interaction with the Earth’s magnetosphere. As author or co-author of more than 185 papers, Feynman’s research accomplishments range from discovering the shape of the Earth’s magnetosphere to identifying the origin of auroras. In 1974, she would become the first woman ever elected as an officer of the American Geophysical Union, and in 2000 she was awarded NASA’s Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.
“Joan Feynman leaves a wealth of scientific accomplishments, having made important contributions,” said APS CEO Kate Kirby. “Despite being discouraged to pursue science by social expectations, she persevered, and her accomplishments serve as an inspiration to women who wish to pursue a career in science.”
1. How did Richard influence Joan?| A．By preparing her for subjects in college. |
| B．By introducing her to the world of science. |
| C．By teaching her the importance of astronomy. |
| D．By offering her a job serving as his lab assistant. |
| A．All women scientists have benefited from Joan’s inspiration. |
| B．In Joan’s time women were encouraged to become scientists. |
| C．Pursuing scientific goals contributed to Joan’s psychological well-being. |
| D．As her first teacher, Richard designed Joan’s career path as an astronomer. |
| A．Successful and wealthy. | B．Optimistic and hardworking. |
| C．Popular and ambitious. | D．Productive and acknowledged. |
| A．Joan Feynman: Survivor of Depression |
| B．Joan Feynman: Sister of Richard Feynman |
| C．Joan Feynman: The Lesser-known Feynman |
| D．Joan Feynman: The Most Successful Woman Scientist |
9 . Famous American performer Chita Rivera died on January 30 in New York. She was 91 years old. The famed dancer, singer and actor won many awards and honors in her long career on Broadway and beyond.
Rivera first gained wide notice in 1957 as Anita in the original production of the musical play West Side Story. She was still dancing on New York’s Broadway stages a half century later in 2015’s The Visit.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if I wasn’t moving or telling a story to you or singing a song,” she said at the time. “That’s the spirit of my life, and I’m really so lucky to be able to do what I love, even at this time in my life.”
Rivera was born on January 23, 1933, in Washington, D.C. Her father was a musician. He died when Rivera was seven. Her mother was of Scottish and Italian ancestry(血统).
Rivera studied dance as a young girl and was accepted into a highly respected school for ballet. She was 17 when she won her first part in a musical.
She won two Tonys, the highest award for live theater in the United States. Her first came in1984 with the production of The Rink. She won again in 1993 for the play Kiss of the Spider Woman.
The second Tony was an especially sweet victory for the star. Just five years earlier, Rivera had been in a serious car accident that broke her right leg. It could have ended her career. After months of physical treatment to regain her dancing skills, she returned to the stage singing and dancing as energetically as ever. She said, “It never entered my mind that I wouldn’t dance again.”
When accepting a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018, Rivera said, “I wouldn’t trade my life in the theater for anything, because theater is life.”
1. Why does the author mention the two plays West Side Story and The Visit?| A．To show respect for late Rivera. | B．To stress Rivera’s long art career. |
| C．To indicate why Rivera won honors. | D．To introduce the plays Rivera performed. |
| A．Art is everything to her. | B．She was sorry for her old age. |
| C．Art lifts her spirits when she’s in trouble. | D．She received good training in art. |
| A．Her leg. | B．The musical. | C．The accident. | D．Her award. |
| A．Independent and thoughtful. | B．Caring and curious. |
| C．Determined and talented. | D．Proud and confident. |
10 . The “Got Talent” crew is one of the pioneers in finding and publicizing music talents and has been giving the world some of its most favorite artists for almost two decades. This year “Britain’s Got Talent” (BGT) uncovered a musical genius named Malakai Bayoh who amazed the audience with perfect high-note singing. The London-based 13-year-old boy appeared for the show’s audition (试镜) in April, 2023 and was accompanied by his mom and sister. “My big dream is to be a singer. I started singing at 7,” said Bayoh to the BGT team and added jokingly, “My mom made me join the choir (合唱团) because she’s very bossy.” The teenager mentioned she’s his biggest fan.
Bayoh’s mom was shocked as he was about to perform and said, “It scares me because, on his first show, somebody heckled (对……起哄) him. It was bad to think that someone would boo (喝倒彩) a child on stage because it could’ve knocked his confidence completely.” Contrary to his mom’s fear, Bayoh set the stage on fire singing the song “Pie Jesu” and the entire crowd were struck by his beautiful voice. As he ended his song, the audience and the judges gave him a standing applause. Simon Cowell, a judge, had just one word to say and it was “Golden Buzzer”, sending him straight to the semi-finals of the show.
Cowell and the other judges called Bayoh’s performance “flawless” and “heavenly”. His angelic voice made the audience tear up and the judges thanked the teen for coming on the show. Bayoh went on to become one of the finalists of the show.
Bayoh’s audition at the BGT became popular on social media. People loved the boy’s impeccable singing and some musicians even commented on how perfectly he hit the high notes. “I’m a trained singer and a music teacher by profession, and sang this song as a young performer myself. I can say with absolute certainty that this song is most beautifully sung this time. With proper technique and breathing, this boy sang really well,” posted @mayacorinne878.
1. What can be learned about Bayoh from paragraph 2?| A．He comes from a single-parent family. | B．He is humorous in speech. |
| C．His dream was inspired by his fans. | D．His mom used to be a singer. |
| A．Bayoh’s difficulty in singing. | B．The judges’ attitudes to his son. |
| C．Bayoh’s performance on stage. | D．Some audiences’ initial responses. |
| A．Touched. | B．Annoyed. | C．Relieved. | D．Amused. |
| A．To uncover more musical geniuses. | B．To show musicians’ ability to sing well. |
| C．To stress Bayoh’s excellent singing. | D．To contradict some audiences’ comments. |
