1 . Do you know what a resolution is? It’s a kind of promise. Most of the time, we make promises to other people. (“Mom, I promise I’m going to tidy my room when I get back from school.”) Promises you make to yourself are resolutions, and the most common kind is New Year’s resolutions.
There are different kinds of resolutions. Some are about physical health. For example, some people promise themselves they are going to start an exercise program or eat less fast food. Many resolutions have to do with self-improvement.
Although there are differences, most resolutions have one thing in common. People hardly ever keep them!
| A．There are good reasons for this. |
| B．This helps them to remember their resolutions. |
| C．These are about making themselves better persons. |
| D．The start of the year is often a time for making resolutions. |
| E．For example, a student may have to find more time to study. |
2 . Imagine this. There’s an apple and a piece of cake on a table. Which one would you like? The delicious cake or the healthy apple? A bestseller, Willpower: Rediscovering Our Greatest Strength, suggests that willpower (意志力) is the ability to make decisions that are better for us in the long term, rather than in the short term.
Here is a famous experiment in the book: The Marshmallow Test. In 1972, Professor Walter Mischel tested the willpower of 600 four-year-olds to six-year-olds. In the experiment, each child was left alone in a room for fifteen minutes with a marshmallow (棉花软糖) on a table in front of them. They were given two choices: they could either eat it or, if they waited fifteen minutes, they’d be given a second one (and then they could eat both).
So, what did the kids do? Well, as you can imagine, 70% ate the first marshmallow within the fifteen minutes. But the other 30% showed willpower—they controlled themselves and waited for the second marshmallow. But then Mischel discovered something really interesting. Twenty years later, he got in touch with the children, who, by then, were in their early twenties. And he found that those who’d had strong willpower were getting better marks at university and were more popular.
Willpower is like a muscle (肌肉), and the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. So, if you do daily “self-control exercises”, such as making your bed or brushing your teeth, you’ll improve your overall willpower. And daily willpower exercises will help you with those bigger goals, such as studying for an exam or training for a marathon.
Be careful though. Just like any muscle, your “willpower muscle” can get tired. If you’ve had to do lots of things that require willpower, take a break or give yourself a treat. That way, you’ll build up your willpower again.
And one last thing, the writer mentions people who learn foreign languages usually have a lot of willpower. So, congratulations!
1. How does the writer start the text?| A．By offering advice. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By telling a story. | D．By listing numbers. |
| A．180. | B．240. | C．420. | D．600. |
| A．more kids have stronger willpower |
| B．how people practice children’s willpower |
| C．willpower influences people’s lives greatly |
| D．marshmallows can help improve willpower |
| A．All the language learners have stronger willpower. |
| B．Willpower can’t be improved by doing some daily things. |
| C．Young kids don’t need to practice willpower like grown-ups. |
| D．People with strong willpower can achieve their goals more easily. |
| A．Practice makes perfect. | B．East or west, home is best. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．The early bird catches the worm. |
Changing a light bulb can be dangerous. With some lights you cannot be sure whether the power is on or off. Before changing a light bulb, follow these tips.
You will need:
● A replacement light bulb. Know beforehand if the fitting needs a screw-mount (螺口) or a bayonet-mount (插口) bulb.
● A ladder or strong object to stand on, such as a wooden box, if the bulb is in a high ceiling.
● An assistant, if the light bulb has to be removed from a high-ceiling fitting.
Note: Change the bulb during daylight so that you can clearly see what you are doing.
Step 1 Make sure to turn off the light or lamp at the wall. You then know that the light will not be turned on—it can be surprising and dangerous if the light comes on in your hands as you plug (插入) the new bulb in!
Step 2 If you are replacing a working bulb with another type of bulb, allow a hot bulb to cool before touching it.
Step 3 If you have to use a ladder for an overhead light, have an assistant hold the ladder steady. The assistant can take the removed bulb and pass up the replacement bulb, which saves unnecessary messing with while on the ladder.
Step 4 For bayonet-fitting bulbs: using your hand, put a little upward pressure on the glass bulb, and turn it anticlockwise (逆时针旋转) (as you look up at it). It will unlock the bulb shank (插槽) from the metal frame. The bulb will come out downwards.
For screw-fitting bulbs: grasp the bulb firmly and turn anticlockwise until it is freed from the socket.
Step 5 Insert a replacement bulb lightly and firmly into the socket, and turn it clockwise (顺时针) until it’s snug. It is the opposite process to removing a bulb.
Step 6 Turn the light on to check that the bulb works and it has been correctly installed.
Step 7 Deal with the used bulb properly. Old bulbs are not recycled with other glass.
1. How many types of light bulbs do these instructions apply to?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Safety. | B．Convenience. | C．Speed. | D．Quality. |
| A．make sure to turn off the power before starting |
| B．test the new bulb after the old bulb has been replaced |
| C．be sure the safety and effectiveness of the person on the ladder |
| D．get medical help in case of an accident or emergency |
| A．unlock the bulb shank from the metal frame | B．apply upward pressure on the bulb |
| C．turn the bulb in an anticlockwise direction | D．turn the bulb firmly in a clockwise direction |
| A．How to change a light bulb. | B．How to climb a ladder. |
| C．How to recycle an old bulb. | D．How to hold a ladder. |
The Great Wall is more than 13, 000 miles in total. As a symbol
5 . 
Asian hornets are the world’s largest wasps (黄蜂) . They are not local to the UK, but they have become a problem there for they can harm the environment. They eat local insects and are dangerous to honey bees. One Asian hornet can kill as many as 50 honeybees in just one day.
The first Asian Hornet nest in the UK was discovered in 2016. Between 2016 and 2022, 23 Asian hornets have been found in the UK including 13 nests. In 2023 there were 72 Asian hornet nests found in 56 places. Now, the UK’s way to deal with Asian hornets is asking people to recognize (识别) and report them. However, most of these reports turn out to be other insects, not Asian hornets, so it’s not a good way.
Scientists from University of Exeter have created a smart tool to recognize Asian hornets. This tool uses artificial intelligence (AI). The new tool, called VespAI, uses a special cloth to attract (吸引) hornets. When the hornets come close, an automatic (自动的) camera takes photos of them. Then, AI goes through the pictures. When it finds an Asian hornet, a warning will be sent to a scientist. It works like a guard to tell people if Asian hornets have spread to a new area. Then, people can follow the hornets and destroy (摧毁) their homes before more hornets are born.
Dr. Thomas said it won’t mix up other insects with Asian hornets and won’t miss the Asian ones. VespAI has already been tested on Jersey Island and will be tested in other places this year.
1. What is the main problem with Asian hornets in the UK?| A．They eat honey bees. |
| B．They can hurt humans. |
| C．They are not local in the UK. |
| D．They are harmful to the environment. |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
① attract hornets ②send scientists messages ③take pictures ④recognize Asian hornets
| A．①②③④ | B．①③④② | C．③①②④ | D．③①④② |
| A．VespAI has already been used around the UK. |
| B．An Asian hornet can kill up to 50 honey bees in a day. |
| C．Asian hornets will be caught by VespAI after being found. |
| D．Humans made fewer mistakes in finding Asian hornets than AI. |
| A．Life and Health. | B．Travel and Tourism. |
| C．Language and Culture. | D．Science and Technology. |
You can grow crystals (晶体) using bicarbonate of soda (小苏打). The experiment shows you how.
| 1. Fill two jars with hot water. Stir about six teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda into each jar. Keep adding more soda until no more will dissolve.
| 2. Put the jars in a warm place with a plate in between them. Make sure they won’t get moved.
|
| 3. Cut a piece of wool as long as your arm. Tie a paperclip to each end of it, and place one end in each jar.
| 4. Leave the jars for at least a week. Crystals should grow gradually along the wool, and hang down over the plate.
|
| What’s happening? Bicarbonate of soda is usually sold as a powder (粉末) made up of tiny crystals. The powder dissolves in water, which means the power becomes mixed with water and disappears. The mixture of water and soda is soaked up (浸透) by the wool tied the jars together. The water then evaporates (蒸发) slowly, leaving behind pure bicarbonate of soda—which reforms into big crystals. | |
1. In this experiment, you may need some containers (容器) like ________.
① two jars ② a plate ③ a piece of wool ④ a paperclip (回形针)
| A．①③ | B．②④ | C．①② | D．③④ |
| A．soak up | B．leave behind | C．cool down | D．hang down |
| A．Only six teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda are needed. |
| B．Two jars should be put in a cool place with a plate in between them. |
| C．Leave the jars for at least seven days, then you may see the crystals. |
| D．No crystals may hang down over the plate because they have disappeared. |
| A．溶解 | B．浸没 | C．解决 | D．凝结 |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
7 . Are you a procrastinator (拖延者)? Are you putting off going to the gym? Have you seldom cleaned your rooms in time? Are you waiting just one more day to study for that test? Procrastination is putting off to later what you know you should be doing now. But all those tasks you push to tomorrow can make their way into your mind. And that could harm your health.
In one study, scientists connected procrastination to many problems. These included depression (沮丧), nervousness and even arm pain. “I was surprised when I saw that one,” says Fred Johansson. The psychologist (心理学家) and his team reported the results in a newspaper.
The study is one of the largest so far to deal with procrastination’s ties to health. For years, scientists didn’t seem to view procrastination as something serious. This new study could change that.
The study followed about 2,500 students over nine months. They found that procrastinators perform worse over time than those who did things without delay (延迟). For instance, they were more worried, depressed and sleep-deprived (睡眠不足的).
From this type of study, the team can’t say for sure that putting things off causes poor health. But results from other research teams seem to point in the same direction. One 2021 study tied procrastinating at bedtime to depression. And a 2015 study connected procrastinating to poor heart health. According to Fuschia Sirois, a scientist at Durham University in England, the harmful effects of procrastination could build up over time. Procrastination alone may not cause disease, however it could be “one factor that can tip the scales (扭转局势).”
1. How did the writer lead to the topic?| A．By comparing facts. | B．By telling stories. |
| C．By asking questions. | D．By giving examples. |
| A．procrastinators | B．tasks | C．scientists | D．problems |
| A．2500. | B．2015. | C．2000. | D．1500. |
| A．Delaying makes poor heart health. |
| B．Procrastination is a kind of disease. |
| C．Delaying at bedtime makes depression. |
| D．Procrastination leads to many problems. |
| A．To make the readers know about the procrastinators. |
| B．To advise the readers to keep away from procrastination. |
| C．To tell about the different result of studies. |
| D．To show the reasons for procrastination. |
Food in China and western countries is different. Chinese people choose food very carefully. They only use fresh materials (原料) to make food. For example, they only eat fresh fish. Chinese have a lot of ideas for cooking. They can cook a chicken in over ten ways.
Western countries, like England or America, don’t have fresh food because they buy their food from supermarkets which only sell stored materials. Western people also prefer fast food like hamburgers and chips.
In China, the person who invites other people for meal would pay for the meal, but it’s not the same way in western countries. In western countries, people will think you only invite them.
| A．They are not good for man’s body. |
| B．That’s why Chinese food is so popular around the world. |
| C．However, they are very good at making desserts (甜点) and chocolate. |
| D．There is another difference in eating. |
| E．They won’t be happy if you pay for them. |
9 . Did you hear of ChatGPT? It is a language model chatbot (聊天机器人). It appeared in November, 2022. To people’s surprise, the number of its users (使用者) grew to more than one million just in one week!
ChatGPT can write stories, songs and poems, translate (翻译) languages, and answer all kinds of questions. “It shocked the world,” computer scientist Liu Xiaoguang says, “people began to be afraid of losing their jobs.”
However, with the wide use of ChatGPT, people have found one big problem — ChatGPT sometimes makes mistakes or even gives fake information. This means that ChatGPT can collect all kinds of information but it can’t tell what is true. As a result, thousands of scientific journals like science newspapers have banned (禁止) writers from using ChatGPT, worrying that the fake information from it will cause junk science.
And according to the science news website Futurism, 89% of US college (大学) students used ChatGPT for their homework. “With it, they don’t need to think by themselves,” a teacher said. Seeing the harm on students’ learning, many schools have banned students from using ChatGPT.
Should people use ChatGPT for scientific study or school homework? Yin Peixin, a student from Hubei says, “ChatGPT can help us learn and study better, but I don’t think we should depend on it too much, or we’ll learn nothing. And the robot doesn’t have any new or creative (创造性的) ideas. It’s necessary for us to keep learning and never stop exploring the world around us.”
1. Which picture can show the growth (增长) of the number of ChatGPT’s users in one week?A． | B． | C． | D． |
①draw pictures ②translate languages ③write stories
④cook fried rice ⑤answer all kinds of questions
| A．①②③ | B．①②④ | C．②③⑤ | D．①③⑤ |
| A．虚假的 | B．真实的 | C．过时的 | D．危险的 |
| A．too many college students use it to find their jobs |
| B．students use it to finish homework without thinking |
| C．students can’t find any new or creative ideas from it |
| D．students get wrong or even fake information from it |
| A．The uses of ChatGPT in homework. | B．The good sides and bad sides of ChatGPT. |
| C．Teachers’ different ideas about ChatGPT. | D．The ban on ChatGPT in science. |
10 . Rice is a kind of main food in many parts of Asia. It grows in more than 100 countries in the world. According to a study, people first grew it in southern China 7,000 years ago and later in India around 4,500 years ago. Rice growing was brought from China to Japan around 2,000 years ago and from India to southern Europe in the 15th century.
Different countries cook rice in different ways. In some countries, such as Spain, people cook rice with water or soup. In others, such as India, people eat rice with sauce or curry. In China, people even use rice to make wine, and they usually drink it to celebrate or relax. And Japanese make Sake almost in the same way.
Though rice is common in the world, it’s not easy to grow rice. The land for growing rice should be of good quality (质量) . It grows well in the southeast Asia with rainfall above 100 mm and temperature about 24℃ or above. As a result, it is usually planted in a flat field with water. In the past, farmers let lands rest for 1 to 2 years in order to make the land get better.
Today we don’t need to worry about production (产量) of rice any more. However, the food waste is still a serious problem. It’s not easy to grow rice so we need to save food.
1. The correct time order of the following countries and areas growing rice is ________.①India ②Japan ③China ④southern Europe
| A．①②③④ | B．②①③④ | C．③①②④ | D．④③①② |
| A．vegetable | B．curry | C．food | D．drink |
| A．To make the land get better. | B．To relax themselves. |
| C．To celebrate good rice production. | D．To save food. |
| A．Field land. | B．Food quality. | C．Food waste. | D．Rice production. |
| A．The Future of Rice | B．Facts about Rice |
| C．Ways to Grow Rice | D．Weather for Rice Growing |
