1 . 
In an unusual move, the wildlife workers in Florida, the US, are feeding manatees (海牛) to keep them from hunger. So far, they have already given out 25 tons of lettuce (生菜). Manatees can be as long as 13 feet when they grow up. They can weigh up to 590 kilos. Although they look big, manatees only eat sea grass and other sea plants. That’s one reason why they’re sometimes called “sea cows”. They spend most of their time in warm water which is not deep looking for food.
But Florida’s manatees have been on the US government’s list of endangered animals since 1967. One of the biggest problems for manatees is boats. Manatees are curious, and quite slow. That has led to thousands of manatees being hurt or killed by boats!
With protection, manatees managed to pick themselves up. At one point, there were only about 2,000 manatees left in Florida. But in 2016, there were about 8,800 manatees.
But now manatees are facing a new problem. Many of the beds of sea grass that manatees depend on have been killed by pollution. Polluted warm sea water and fertilizers (化肥) from farmlands have created huge growths of algae (海藻) on the ocean’s surface. It prevents the sunlight that allows the sea grass to grow. The problem is especially serious in Indian River Lagoon. About 90% of the sea grass beds in the area have died off.
So last December, the wildlife experts came up with a plan to get emergency food for the manatees. They decided to feed them green vegetables like lettuce. It has been very successful. They’re working hard to make a difference.
1. The writer describes manatees by ________.| A．telling stories | B．raising questions |
| C．listing numbers | D．giving examples |
| A．To tell us what can cause manatees’ illness. |
| B．To explain why manatees are in great danger. |
| C．To introduce several ways of protecting manatees. |
| D．To offer some information about the US government. |
| A．Because lettuce is easy to grow in the United States. |
| B．Because sea grass nearly dies off because of pollution. |
| C．Because manatees eat nothing but vegetables like lettuce. |
| D．Because wildlife experts create a new way to feed manatees. |
| A．Let’s save endangered manatees. | B．Manatees face serious problems. |
| C．What manatees’ living habits are. | D．What we should feed manatees on. |
2 . Xuwen, a small town in the south of Guangdong, is called the “hometown of pineapples (菠萝)” in China. One in three pineapples sold in the country comes from this place. There, farmers produced nearly 700,000 tons of pineapples in 2021. But what makes Xuwen so successful?
In 2019, the Guangdong government introduced a marketing system (市场体系) for pineapples grown in Xuwen and set up a special working group to make it happen. They called it “12221”, including the following five parts: “one” database of agricultural products (农产品数据库); “two” teams, namely buyers and producers; “two” marketing areas, sales areas and production areas; “two” activities, helping buyers into the production area and agricultural products into the market; and “one” goal—rural vitalization (乡村振兴).
The project sent the fruit to bigger markets by finding buyers and improving the business sense of growers as well as using big data to guide production and sales methods. “It changed people’s opinions and helped farmers have a better understanding of marketing,” said Liu Yicun, who used to work at the Xuwen government.
A lot of people from around the country visit Xuwen because of pineapples, helping the development of the local tourism industry. The local food plays an important part when young tourists choose where to go. It’s common for young travelers, especially those born in the 1990’s and 2000’s to go on journeys. At the same time, they can taste something new.
1. What is Xuwen in Guangdong famous for?| A．Its changeable weather. | B．Its colorful history. |
| C．Its hard-working farmers. | D．Its local products. |
| A．The marketing system. | B．The Guangdong government. |
| C．The special working group. | D．The hometown of pineapples. |
| A．They can grow different kinds of fruits. | B．They can buy local products more cheaply. |
| C．They can find more sale areas and buyers. | D．They can work at the government more freely. |
| A．All pineapples sold in the country come from Xuwen. |
| B．More tourists will visit Xuwen because of pineapples. |
| C．Project 12221 has been introduced to the whole country. |
| D．Tourism industry will take the place of pineapple industry. |
3 . 
As a Brazilian, I think the Brazil Carnival (巴西狂欢节) is more than just a festival—it’s a big party that shows how lively our country is. This year, Rio de Janeiro Carnival took place from Feb. 9 to 17.
Carnival holds different meanings for different people. When I was a little boy, it was a national holiday—a time to get off the school uniforms and enjoy ourselves in a world of unusual costumes (服饰). My mom made smart costumes for me, from Wonder Woman to Cinderella.
But as we grow older, carnival takes on new meanings, like a samba (桑巴) dancer learning difficult steps. In my hometown, samba groups from all over the city have exciting parades (游行) in the streets. It’s a time when everyone forgets their worries and enjoys themselves together. People who don’t know each other become friends, and laughter fills the air.
And then there’s Rio de Janeiro’s famous Carnival—it makes all other parties seem like warm-ups. I once had the chance to see it firsthand. I saw the lively streets and people from all walks of life hug each other. The whole city danced into the night until the morning. But more than just the excitement, carnival shows how strong and united (团结的) Brazilians are. It’s a time when people forget their differences and come together in a celebration of happiness.
1. How long did Rio de Janeiro Carnival last this year?| A．7 | B．8 | C．9 | D．10 |
| A．People become friends in the exciting carnival parades. |
| B．His family dress up in unusual costumes during carnival. |
| C．Samba dancers learn difficult steps in the streets for carnival. |
| D．Carnival holds different meanings for him at different ages. |
| A．In person. | B．In general. | C．In public. | D．In surprise. |
| A．Exciting Parties in Brazil | B．A Lively City—Rio de Janeiro |
| C．Strong and United Brazilians | D．A Big Festival—Brazil Carnival |
Imagine you are a great basketball player. You are returning home after a big game. As you enter the airport, you are suddenly stopped by many strangers. Some of them are taking pictures of you. “We’re your fans!” one shouts. “We love you!” How do you feel now?
Chinese basketball player Yang Shuyu (杨舒予) recently found herself in this situation (处境). So did table tennis player Wang Chuqin (王楚钦) and some other athletes. None of them welcomed the sudden attention. “Don’t meet me at the airport. I don’t like that. Meet me at the stadium. Thank you,” Yang said.
Many of us have favorite athletes. We get excited when they have a great performance. But some people have gone too far. These “superfans” think about their heroes all the time: What are they doing now? Where are they going next? Why do they look tired today?
Are you one of these “superfans”? If so, you may ask yourself two questions. First, why do you love this person? Some so-called “fans” only care about the looks of their heroes. They know little about their careers (职业). In a recent diving (跳水) competition, Quan Hongchan (全红婵) won the silver (银牌). During the interview, one of her fans shouted angrily from the stands (看台), “The judges were unfair! They gave Quan a low score on purpose (故意地)!” In sports, nobody can win them all. But that person didn’t seem to know that.
The other question is: How do your heroes influence you? A middle school student once wrote to us about his hero, Kobe Bryant. The boy decided to work harder in school after learning how hard the basketball player had worked. If you love your heroes, do not wait for them at the airport. Instead, try to make improvements along with them.
1. What problem did Wang Chuqin and Yang Shuyu have at the airport?2. What does the writer think of the “superfans”?
3. Why did the writer mention Kobe Bryant?
4. How do you support your sport hero? (Write 30 words or more)
5 . Do you make your bed every morning? It may seem like a small act, but don’t look down on the benefits of making it a habit. This is good for both your physical and mental health.
First of all, making your bed can be your first step towards having a successful day. Tidying up your bedding may only take a few minutes. But this can be your first task of the day. Completing it will give you a small, simple sense of pride. And this will encourage you to move on to other tasks.
Besides, your sleep environment plays an important role in the quality of your sleep. Poor “sleep hygiene (卫生)” includes not only noise and light, but also clutter (杂乱). In other words, an untidy bed will distract (分散注意力) you and keep you from falling asleep. On the other hand, keeping your bedroom clean and comfortable will help you sleep better at night.
How can you make bed-making a daily habit then? Well, connect it to a morning routine (惯例) you already follow. You can try making your bed after brushing your teeth, for example. Some people also set alarms on their phones to remind them to make their beds.
Whatever way you want to take, it won’t be difficult if you decide to get into this habit. It can get your day off to a great start and give it a better finish!
1. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.| A．a small act | B．physical health |
| C．making your bed | D．looking down the benefits |
| A．Excited. | B．Proud. | C．Surprised. | D．Tired. |
| A．Go to bed early at night. | B．Set an alarm clock to wake up. |
| C．Look after their mental health. | D．Develop the habit of making their bed. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
China sent a new X-ray astronomical satellite in space, Einstein Probe, on Jan. 9, 2024.
According to Yuan Weimin, a researcher of the satellite project, the satellite is expected to find the first light from supernova explosions (超新星爆炸) in the universe, monitor high-energy transient (瞬态) objects in the universe, which are now poorly understood by scientists.
When developing the satellite, a new generation of detection equipment (探测设备) with large fields of view and high sensitivity (灵敏度) was needed. But the important question was how to make such equipment.
Lobsters (龙虾) are a kind of sea animal which can be found around the world. Scientists discovered early on that lobsters’ eyes are different from other animals’. Lobsters’ eyes are made up of lots of tiny square tubes, pointing to the same center, which allows light from all directions to reflect in the tubes and meet on the retina (视网膜), which gives lobsters a large field of view. Scientists then simulated (模仿) the lobsters’ eyes to create a telescope to catch X-rays in space.
Through working together with other organizations, the X-ray Imaging Laboratory began the research and development work on lobster-eye X-ray imaging technology in 2010 and finally made a breakthrough.
“Thanks to the lobster-eye telescope technology, the Einstein Probe is able to monitor the poorly known soft X-ray band with a large field of view and high sensitivity,” Yuan said.
1. What is Einstein Probe?| A．A newly-found planet. | B．A newly-built space station. |
| C．A new X-ray astronomical satellite. | D．A new telescope technology. |
| A．To enlarge the field of view. | B．To catch the supernova explosion. |
| C．To monitor the sensitivity of objects. | D．To improve the detection equipment. |
| A．By simulating the lobsters’ eyes. | B．By observing lobsters’ movement. |
| C．By doing experiments on sea animals. | D．By comparing lobsters with other sea animals. |
| A．The new detection equipment looked like a lobster. |
| B．Scientists knew nothing about supernova explosion. |
| C．China is the first country to send Einstein Probe into space. |
| D．The lobster-eye telescope technology leads to Einstein Probe’s success. |
Have you visited any traditional Chinese gardens? If you compare them to some Western gardens, you may find that traditional Chinese gardens look more like natural landscape. This is one of their main features (特征).
Chinese gardens have a long history. As early as 1500 BC, there were two main types of gardens: imperial (皇帝的) gardens and private gardens. Imperial gardens were for the use of the emperor and his family. Private gardens were built by general nobles (贵族). Both types of gardens were built for hunting and resting.
The Summer Palace (颐和园) in Beijing is China’s most famous imperial garden. It covers about three million square meters. Kunming Lake takes up almost three-fourths of the garden’s total area. There are over 3, 000 ancient buildings and more than 400, 000 plants in the garden. You can also see a great deal of priceless historical treasure. With such a rich collection, the garden is known as the “Imperial Garden Museum.”
As for private gardens, the most famous one is the Humble Administrator’s Garden (拙政园) in Suzhou. It has an area of 41, 000 square meters. When you stand in the garden, it looks like a beautiful picture from any angle (角度). And the whole garden looks different in different seasons.
The traditional Chinese gardens have been designed to look naturally formed. In fact, Chinese gardens are in some ways very much like traditional Chinese landscape paintings. The two have influenced and developed alongside one another. Both of them show the importance of nature in Chinese culture.
1. According to the article, how are traditional Chinese gardens different from Western gardens?2. Why is the Summer Palace called the “Imperial Garden Museum”?
3. What do Chinese gardens have in common with traditional Chinese landscape paintings?
4. What type of Chinese gardens mentioned in the text do you like better? Give your reason(s). Write 30 words or more.
8 . In 2016, Agent, a British company, tested five-hour working days for a month. The hope was that the people in the company would feel happier with reduced working hours. However, the results of the experiment were mixed.
“Lots of good things happened,” says Agent CEO Paul Corcoran. “We looked at tasks in terms of time: Do this in 15 minutes and that in half an hour. We wasted no time. People were missing the worst of the traffic because they were coming in at 10 a. m. instead of 8:30 a. m.”
Problems, however, quickly came up. “People used to have eight hours to finish their jobs. Now, they only had five hours,” Corcoran explains. “The idea was to give people more freedom, but they ended up feeling more stressed.”
In most companies around the world, an employee works for eight hours every workday. But many researchers have looked at the links between working hours and productivity (生产效率). They found that most people could only be productive for five hours each day.
Some companies have been experimenting with shorter working days. In these companies, people work from 8 a. m. to 1 p. m. with no breaks. In order to have the afternoons to themselves, they become much more focused than before. Their productivity increases by 50 percent.
But just like Corcoran, many managers have seen problems with reduced working hours. In addition to the added pressure to complete tasks on time, people are losing something on the relationship level. Since they no longer have time for small talk, it has been harmful for team culture.
It’s hard to say how long the perfect working day should be. Reduced working hours sound great, but having to do more work in less time is tiring. Which would you prefer, five-hour working days or traditional eight-hour ones?
1. When Agent decided to test five-hour working days, it expected ________ results.| A．encouraging | B．mixed | C．lasting | D．harmful |
| A．They had much more work to do. |
| B．They suffered from the worst traffic. |
| C．They had to spend more time communicating with each other. |
| D．They were under more pressure to complete their jobs on time. |
| A．a person who receives a reward from a company | B．a person who does a research for a company |
| C．a person who is asked to learn from a company | D．a person who is paid to work for a company |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Neutral (中立的). | D．Uninterested. |
9 . How do you greet your friends? People from different cultures may have different answers: shaking hands, nodding, kissing...But have you ever wondered how animals “say hello” to others?
We know how similar chimpanzees (黑猩猩) are to humans. It’s no surprise that their greetings are also close to ours. Chimpanzees usually greet each other with a hand touch, a hug or sometimes a kiss. Some of them can also communicate through simple sign language (手语).
Some animals seldom make loud sounds, for example, giraffes. Male giraffes often use their necks to greet each other. Their necks can reach up to two meters. When two giraffes meet, they may “shake” their necks and rub (摩擦) them against each other. This is to feel how strong and tall the other is.
Dolphins greet one another with whistles (哨叫声). They can hear other dolphins from many kilometers away. Every dolphin has a different whistle. It tells information about the dolphin, such as its age and health. When two groups of dolphins meet, they each choose a member of the other group to “talk” to. The two groups can then join up and travel together.
1. According to the text, chimpanzees may greet each other ________.| A．by saying “hello” | B．by touching hands |
| C．through a real language | D．through a simple sound |
| A．Giraffes often communicate mainly through loud sounds. |
| B．Giraffes greet each other by rubbing their noses together. |
| C．When a male giraffe runs into another one, they use necks to hit each other. |
| D．Giraffes learn about the strength and height of each other through greeting. |
| A．use their tails to greet each other | B．compete to decide the new leader |
| C．each select a member of the other group to “talk” to | D．avoid talking to any members of the other group |
(① = Paragraph 1, ② = Paragraph 2, ...)
A． | B． | C． | D． |
10 . Museums are an important way to exchange different cultures and help people understand each other better. So, have you ever heard of International Museum Day (IMD)?
Every year, ICOM (the International Council of Museums) organises events to celebrate it on May 18. The main objective (目的) of the festival is to make people realise the importance of museums in the development of our society. Here are some facts about it.
Before creating International Museum Day, ICOM brought the international museum community together for a 1951 meeting called Crusade for Museums. They wanted to discuss the theme (主题) “Museums and Education”. Then the idea of International Museum Day was born. In 1977, ICOM decided to celebrate IMD on May 18 every year. Over the years, IMD has gained increasing attention. In 2009, 20,000 museums in over 90 countries took part in the celebration. In 2018, the number jumped to 40,000 in over 150 countries.
Every year, ICOM chooses a theme for the day. This year’s theme is “Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion (多元和包容)”. In China, an online symposium (研讨会) was held at the Nanjing Museum this year. Scholars (学者) from the UK, South Korea and the USA took part in the online event. They discussed the development of the world’s museums.
The best way to celebrate this day is to visit a nearby museum with family and friends. But because of the unusual situation this year, most museums in China held online exhibitions. Chinese people had great fun “visiting” museums online.
1. On which day is International Museum Day celebrated each year?| A．January 18th. | B．May 18th. | C．July 18th. | D．October 18th. |
| A．ICOM. | B．UNESCO. | C．ICCROM. | D．IMD. |
| A．Celebrating the establishment of museums. |
| B．Increasing museum ticket sales. |
| C．Boosting museum merchandise sales. |
| D．Promoting the relationship between museums and education. |
| A．Museums and Education. |
| B．Museums and Cultural Exchange. |
| C．Museums for Equality: Diversity and Inclusion. |
| D．Museums and Development of Society. |
