1 . Abraham Lincoln was a typical self-made man. He obtained his license to practice law without ever having stepped foot inside a college or academy building. Books became his academy. Everywhere he went, Lincoln carried a book with him. He thumbed through page after page while his horse rested at the end of a long row of planting. Whenever he could escape work, he would lie with his head against a tree and read.

Though the young Lincoln never left America, he traveled with Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage to Spain and Portugal; accompanied Robert Burns to Edinburgh; and followed the English kings into battle with Shakespeare. As he explored the wonders of literature and the history of the country, the young Lincoln developed ambitions far beyond the expectations of his family and neighbors. It was through literature that he was able to

go beyond his surroundings and reach his destination.

The volumes to feed Lincoln’s intellectual hunger did not come cheaply. The story is often recounted of the time he borrowed Parson Weems’s The Life of George Washington from Josiah Crawford, a well-to-do farmer. Thrilled by this account of the first president’s life, he took the book to his loft at night, where he read as long as he could stay awake, placing the book on a makeshift shelf between the cabin logs so he could fetch it at daybreak. During a severe rainstorm one night, the book was badly soiled. Lincoln went to Crawford’s house, explained what had happened, and offered to work off the value of the book. Crawford calculated the value of two full days’ work pulling corn, which Lincoln considered an unfair repayment. Nevertheless, he straightway set to work and kept on until all work was done. Then, having paid his debt, Lincoln wrote poems and songs teasing Josiah’s large nose. Thus Crawford, in return for loaning Lincoln a book and then overly punishing him, won a permanent place in American history.

1. What can we learn about Lincoln from the first paragraph?

A．He wasn’t academically competent.	B．He read on horseback to escape work.
C．He failed to obtain a valid law license.	D．He is an excellent autonomous learner.

2. How did Lincoln succeed in achieving his ambition?

A．By reading extensively.	B．With his family’s support.
C．Through self-employment.	D．By traveling around the world.

3. What happened to the book he borrowed from Crawford?

A．Stolen by a farmer.	B．Burned by a candle fire.
C．Damaged in a rainstorm.	D．Lost and never recovered.

4. Which of the following best describes Lincoln according to the last paragraph?

A．Tough and helpful.	B．Diligent and generous.
C．Intelligent and humble.	D．Determined and sharp-tongued.

3 . Jiang Shumei learned her first Chinese character at the age of 60. Now, the 87-year-old grandmother from Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province is the proud author of six books.

“I wasn’t educated as a child. I never imagined, even in my wildest dreams, that I would publish a book one day,” says the resident of Suihua city. Her books detail the chaos of wartime and the hardship during the famine, and vividly retell anecdotes over the decades.

The elderly woman had her own way of learning. She composed lyrics for songs, and asked children to write them down, so that she could read each character as she sang the songs again and again. Whenever she came across characters she didn’t know on pamphlets (小册子), bus stops, or shop signs, she found someone to ask.

She first put pen to paper in 2012, at the age of 75. It was not easy. Sometimes, completing a single sentence could take a day. As a college teacher and a writer herself, Zhang Ailing, Jiang Shumei’s daughter, gave her mother a lot of encouragement and help. She told her that while writing, she should imagine herself telling stories to an audience, so that they would be easier to understand and be full of interesting details.

Zhang was also her first editor. Every time her mother finished writing something, she would discuss the manuscript (手稿) with her and check it over before typing it on the computer. Zhang began publishing her mother’s stories on social media platforms in 2013. When they drew the attention of her writer friends, the pair made the decision to publish them.

The first book, Time of Trouble, Time of Poverty, was published later that year, and proved to be a success. The book earned Jiang a lot of fans and sympathy. So far, the elderly woman has published six books, totaling more than 600,000 characters in length. In her spare time, she is also learning painting and calligraphy. “I would like to be a writer, a painter and a calligrapher,” she says, adding that her dream now is to have her own art exhibition when she is 90.

1. How did Jiang Shumei learn characters?

A．By reading books with her children.

B．By asking questions whenever she was free.

C．By going to a college to get herself educated.

D．By singing lyrics and memorizing characters around her.

2. Which of the following may contribute to Jiang Shumei’s success most?

A．Her hard-work and Zhang’s support.

B．The care and attention from the public.

C．The help from her friends and editors.

D．The popularity of social media platforms.

3. When did Jiang Shumei publish her first book?

A．At the age of 60.	B．In the year 2012.
C．At her 87-year-old.	D．In the year 2013.

4. Which of the following can best describe Jiang Shumei’s story?

A．Adversity makes a man wise.	B．Practice makes perfect.
C．It is never too old to learn.	D．Still water runs deep.

4 . Tobias, a 35-year-old Belgian musician, has become popular on social media for his excellent grasp of the Shanghai dialect. He has been sharing his everyday experiences, which he _______ in Shanghai dialect, on video-sharing and lifestyle _______ Douyin and Xiaohongshu, winning thousands of followers and millions of _______

In the videos, he speaks_______ Shanghai dialect, which many non-locals believe is as difficult to learn and _______ as a foreign language. He talks about walking on the city’s streets, enjoying the food and music, and _______ his daily life in the city. Tobias started shooting and _______ these short videos for his own practice purposes. He didn’t expect so many people would be watching them, following him and sending him _______ and encouragement.

Tobias did not bury his nose in textbooks or _______ intensive study to learn Shanghainese. He said his learning __________ involved getting immersed (沉浸) in a language environment, having a positive attitude, and speaking __________ “without being afraid to make mistakes” . He was not thinking too much when he started learning the Shanghai dialect — it was just for __________.

Tobias said he did not expect he would __________ the promotion of the Shanghai dialect, but it would be an __________ and pleasure if his posts encouraged his followers to learn and pass on the dialect. “I believe a dialect is the heart of a local __________” said the musician.

1.

A．acts

B．delivers

C．competes

D．votes

2.

A．approaches

B．habits

C．platforms

D．communities

3.

A．likes

B．dollars

C．medals

D．chances

4.

A．ancient

B．sweet

C．modern

D．fluent

5.

A．understand

B．write

C．create

D．practise

6.

A．advancing

B．searching

C．recording

D．observing

7.

A．testing

B．reviewing

C．selling

D．posting

8.

A．notes

B．comments

C．reports

D．replies

9.

A．interrupt

B．assess

C．conduct

D．appreciate

10.

A．materials

B．methods

C．objectives

D．resources

11.

A．secretly

B．slowly

C．happily

D．bravely

12.

A．fun

B．work

C．fame

D．show

13.

A．stick to

B．contribute to

C．focus on

D．rely on

14.

A．advantage

B．opportunity

C．honor

D．option

15.

A．authority

B．history

C．custom

D．culture

5 . Born in Iris Barre l in 1921, Apfel was brought up in Queens, New York. As a daughter of a successful small business owner, she studied art and art history before working as a copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily.

With her husband Carl, Apfel started a textile and fabric (纺织及织物) reproduction business in 1950. Her firm managed White House restoration projects for nine presidents, ranging from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton.

Known for her charming personality and deep devotion to work, Apfel became a late-in-life fashion influence r through her unique style — featuring bushels of bracelets (手镯), piles of necklaces, and those unmistakably large, heavy-framed glasses.

Apfel’s star brightened as she aged. At 90, she was teaching at the University of Texas at Austin. At age 94, she was the subject of a well-reviewed documentary by Albert Maysles. At age 97, she became a professional fashion model, represented by a top agency, IMG. She modeled for Vogue Italia, Kate Spade and M. A. C, and at the time of her death, she held the record for being the oldest person to have a Barbie doll crafted in her likeness by Mattel. That year, her autobiography (自传), Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon, was published in 2018.

In a 2015 NPR story, Apfel told a reporter Ina Jaffe that she took pride in having inspired people over the years. She remembered meeting one woman who claimed that Apfe l had changed her life.

“She said ‘I learned that if I don’t have to dress like everybody else, I do not have to think like everybody else’,” the designer recalled with joy. “And I thought, boy, if I could do that for a few people, I achieved something.”

“She became an inspiration for so many people,” jewelry designer Alexis Bittar said in a statement. “Through living her life on her own terms, it messaged to women that they don’t need to hide in the shadows as they age; they actually can continue to glow and get better at what they do and look like.”

1. What was once Iris Apfel’s job before becoming a fashion influencer?

A．An actress.	B．A White House worker.
C．A professional fashion model.	D．A copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily.

2. What’s the correct order of events in Iris Apfel’s life?
a) Apfel studied art and art history.
b) Apfel published the book, Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon.
c) Apfel started a textile and fabric reproduction business.
d) Apfel worked as a copywriter for Women’s Wear Daily.
e) Apfel was featured in a documentary by Albert Maysles.

A．abcd

B．adobe

C．adceb

D．aecdb

3. What can we infer from the 2015 NPR story between Apfel and a woman?

A．Apfel inspired her to become a designer.

B．Apfel taught her not to dress like anyone else.

C．Apfel was proud of her influence on others’ life.

D．Apfel encouraged her to become a model for others.

4. Which words can best describe Apfel?

A．Fearless and considerate.	B．Unique and responsible.
C．Cautious and innovative.	D．All-around and influential.

6 . Science fiction lovers in China have reasons to feel inspired by Chinese writer Hai Ya, whose book The Space-Time Painter won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette on Oct. 21, 2023.

Hai created the story inspired by a painting masterpiece Qianli Jiangshan Tu by Wang Ximeng from the Song Dynasty, who painted the work at the age of 18. Hai created a painter named Zhao Ximeng, who painted for the emperor more than 1,000 years ago. After much misery and suffering, Zhao abandoned his physical body and entered a space where a modern policeman was investigating a case involving an ancient painting. The story reveals the political struggles behind this extraordinary painting and fights of individuals against the torrents of time. Pitying on Wang who was so talented but had such a short life, Hai extended his life through sci-fi.

Hai has impressed the world most with his work ethics. Rather than being a full-time novelist, Hai treats writing as a part-time activity to be taken up whenever he is not doing his bread-winning job, something that should inspire more young writers. There was a time when not everyone could be a “writer” but now more and more people are pursuing their dreams to become writers.

In fact, Liu Cixin, who won the Hugo Award for The Three-body Problem in 2015, is also a part-time writer, holding an engineering job. He encourages young people to keep their jobs and write if they have dreams.

Their stories go to show that holding a job should not deter people from pursuing their dreams of writing. If there is a story and the will to write it, one can get up early or sleep late to devote around three hours to writing intensively every day. And having a job will actually equip one with enough material to write about, while the salary can guarantee a life, because not every writer makes enough money from writing. The key lies in balancing the eight hours in office every day with three hours of writing in the early morning or late at night. Persistence is the key.

1. What can we know about The Space-Time Painter?

A．It was inspired by the marvelous life of Wang Ximeng.

B．It combines the elements of Chinese culture with sci-fi.

C．It was the first Chinese book to win a Hugo award.

D．It reveals the struggles among average individuals.

2. Why is Liu Cixin mentioned by the author?

A．To show his popularity.

B．To promote the book The Three-body Problem.

C．To prove that it’s necessary to keep a bread-winning job.

D．To inspire sci-fi lovers to write stories while keeping their jobs.

3. What does Hai’s writing experience tell us?

A．Persistence will be eventually rewarded.

B．Unintentional actions bring unexpected surprise.

C．Balancing your work with hobby is important.

D．Genius is ninety-nine percent perspiration plus one percent inspiration.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A book review.	B．A science paper.
C．A news report.	D．An advertisement.

7 . In 1943, a jury (评审委员会) of top scholars and scientists elected James Yen one of “the ten greatest revolutionaries of our time”, listing him along with Albert Einstein and Orville Wright. Yet all he did was teaching Chinese farmers to read.

Born in Sichuan in 1890, James Yen graduated from the Yale University in 1918. After this, he went to France to support Chinese workers who had been sent to help the Allies in World War I. Working to help and teach them to read and write letters, Yen realized how much they needed education. Therefore, he wrote a simple literacy (读写能力) book which used only 1000 basic characters. In the 1920s, inspired by his experiences, Yen organized the National Association of Mass Education Movements. Its purpose was to bring literacy to the Chinese masses.

For 4000 years, reading and writing in China was only done by scholars. Everybody knew, including the farmers themselves, that farmers were incapable of learning. That thoroughly deep-seated point of view was James Yen’s first “impossible” challenge to overcome. The second challenge was the Chinese language itself, consisting of many characters, each character having rich meanings. The third challenge was the poor technology and inconvenient transportation. How could James Yen reach the 350 million farmers back then? These were impossible odds, an impossibly huge goal.

Yet he made it and then expanded his goal: teach the rest of the Third World to read. Practical reading programs started pumping out literate people like a gushing oil well in the Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kenya, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India. People became literate. For the first time in their entire history, they could access the accumulated knowledge of the human race.

What’s the secret of James Yen’s success? He tried to do something that seemed impossible. He worked long hours. And he started with what he had in front of him and gradually took on more and more, little by little.

1. Why did James Yen establish the National Association of Mass Education Movements?

A．To promote his book about Chinese characters.

B．To support Chinese workers in World War I.

C．To teach Chinese people to read and write.

D．To follow the example of Einstein.

2. What problem did James Yen meet in teaching the farmers?

A．Scholars’ protest against it.	B．The difficulty of the Chinese language.
C．Farmers’ inability to learn.	D．The shortage of teaching methods.

3. What can we learn about James Yen from Para. 4?

A．He spread the agricultural knowledge around.

B．He led less developed countries to literacy.

C．He helped some countries build oil wells.

D．He changed the course of history.

4. What is the main reason for James Yen’s success?

A．His lifelong ambition.	B．His educational background.
C．His down-to-earth practice.	D．His teaching experience.

8 . 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。

Yang Jiang was a well-known Chinese playwright, translator, and author. She belonged to     1     unique and beautiful existence in Chinese literature. She was the first Chinese academic     2    (translate) Miguel de Cervantes’ Spanish novel Don Quixote to Chinese and at that time, her translation     3     (honor) as the recreation of the original work       4     the basis of loyalty.

Yang was born into a rich family in 1911,     5    (original)named Yang Jikang. After eventually     6     (graduate) from Soochow University, she enrolled at the graduate school of Tsinghua University. She met her husband there, Qian Zhongshu, another acclaimed writer in China.

Other than translations, Yang     7     (author) many plays, novels, and essays during her writing career. Her short novel Mr. Wang,     8    (write) in 1984, was selected as an article in the textbook. In 1986, she got the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, a famous Spanish civil order, for her     9     (achieve) in Don Quixote. Her bestseller was We Three in 2003,     10     sales exceeded 180,000 copies in two months. Yang passed away in 2016, at the age of 105.

9 . Growing up in coconut-rich regions in India and with his father working in the related industry, Anees Ahmed heard of coco peat (椰壳泥) at an early age. After completing graduation in bio-technology from college, Ahmed worked as a researcher on agriculture in various places. He recalls that while studying about coco peat, he discovered that many countries used peat moss (泥炭苔) as an ingredient to keep soil rich. The extraction of this material leads to the release of carbon dioxide, which further contributes to global warming.

According to Dutch researchers, coco peat’s water-holding capacity, disease resistance, and renewable nature make it suitable for gardening and agricultural activities. Ahmed realized that coco peat could be a better alternative to peat moss and then started a company, Global Green Coir, in 2012. When Ahmed entered the market there were only few companies using this material as coco peat was not popular among people, and even coco peat was mostly considered as wastes. “At first people and companies used to give us coco peat for free.” he said.

Now Ahmed’s company gets coco peat from coconut shell to make varied products like pots, bricks, blocks, and grow bags that are exported internationally. However, Ahmed’s journey was not without challenges. He was met with doubts at the beginning. He insisted to demonstrate the potential of the material. His efforts paid off and gained recognition slowly at home and abroad. Ten percent of his business comes from India and the rest is from countries like the US, Europe, the Middle East, and more. Anyway, India is a huge market and most people are adapting to such products gradually.

Ahmed and his family made an initial investment of $5,000 to start the business. Now their sales volume of the last five years has been around $6 million. “With increasing focus on organic farming, coco peat will soon gain more popularity. It is estimated that the cos e pest market is expected to reach 5. 26 billion by 2030 from 3. 89 billion in 2023. ” Ahmed said.

1. What inspired Ahmed to set up a company?

A．He recognized the potential of coco peat.

B．Peat moss was used to enrich soil worldwide.

C．He had studied agriculture for many years.

D．He wanted to realize his father’s dream.

2. What problem was Ahmed faced with at the beginning of his business?

A．There were a few competitors in the market.

B．His product was not popular among people.

C．His company suffered from lack of money.

D．Coco peat was not good enough at that time.

3. Which of the following can best describe Ahmed’s personality?

A．Careful and independent.	B．Cautious and energetic.
C．Wise and determined.	D．Ambitious and kind.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Coco peat makes Ahmed a success.	B．The most valuable company in India.
C．Coco peat is better than peat moss.	D．Organic farming has a promising future.

10 . David Chipperfield, the British designer known for his minimalist and inclusive spaces, has won the Pritzker Prize, often called “the Nobel Prize of architecture”. With this honor, he joins the company of groundbreaking designers such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Richard Rogers and Oscar Niemeyer.

Chipperfield has distinguished his works by creating sharp, minimalist socially conscious buildings. The Pritzker committee wrote, “His architectural language balances consistency with the fundamental design principles and flexibility towards the local cultures ...The work of David Chipperfield harmonizes European classicism, the complex nature of Britain and even the delicateness of Japan.”

In 1997, Chipperfield’s firm was chosen to renovate Berlin’s Neues Museum, which was a mess long after being damaged by World War I. Chipperfield approached the project in honor of the building’s history. For more than a decade, he searched through stones and bricks from the   original structure for pieces to use,some of which had bullet (子弹) holes in them.

The architect has applied the same belief to his recent works, including the expansion of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, where he renovated galleries, created a new auditorium (礼堂) and built a concrete bridge to connect its original buildings.

“While some architects may use the attention that comes with the Pritzker Prize to go big and advance their commercial ambitions, Chipperfield’s win is unlikely to result in steel-and-glass supertall skyscrapers,” writes Bloomberg’s Kriston Capps.

Instead, Chipperfield says he will work harder to create architecture that has a specific mission.“I regard this award as an encouragement, continuing to direct my attention not only to the substance of architecture and its meaning but also to the contribution that we can make as architects to address the existing challenges of climate change and social inequality,” he says in a statement. He adds,” We must rise to these challenges and help inspire the next generation to shoulder this responsibility with vision and courage.”

1. What do the groundbreaking designers mentioned in paragraph 1 indicate?

A．The fierce competition for the Pritzker Prize.

B．The inspiration for Chipperfield’s design features.

C．Chipperfield’s goal to become a leading architect.

D．Chipperfield’s amazing   architectural   achievements.

2. What makes Chipperfield’s works unique according to the Pritzker committee?

A．The creation of visually striking buildings.

B．The integration of different cultural elements.

C．The consistent design style in different projects.

D．The flexible selection of architectural materials.

3. What does the underlined word “renovate” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Research.

B．Restore.

C．Build.

D．Decorate.

4. What does Chipperfield hope to do with his architecture?

A．Realize personal commercial ambitions.

B．Take up environmental protection industry.

C．Make a positive impact on critical social issues.

D．Encourage more people to major in architecture.