1 . Where was that cashier (收银员)? I quickly looked at my watch. I hardly had enough time to eat a sandwich and rush back to work.

I looked around the nearly empty restaurant, but the cashier was nowhere in sight. A woman stood wiping (擦拭) the far end of the counter (柜台). She looked at me coldly with sad, dark eyes.

I waited, getting angry. I’d been standing there for at least three minutes!

Controlling my anger, I remembered Mom’s words. “Whenever you find yourself in an unpleasant situation, just think about what is missing. If someone is unkind, then kindness is missing. If someone is hateful, then love is missing. If we will be what’s missing, then we’ll provide whatever the situation needs.”

And here I was in an unpleasant situation. How should I “be what’s missing”? What was missing was service. Maybe I should just jump behind the counter and take my own order.

Just then the woman walked slowly toward me. “May I help you?” she asked, still coldly. She looked so tired. No doubt, she was overworked.

I took a deep breath. With Mom’s words ringing in my head, I gave the woman my order and smiled. “How are you today?”

My question seemed to surprise her. She eyed me for a second before answering. “Not too good.” “I’m sorry,” I said. “I hope it gets better starting right now.”

She almost smiled as she looked at me. “Thanks. I hope you’re right. I should also say sorry to you. I have worked a whole day without rest.”

I thought to myself as I ate my sandwich. We’re all the same, really. We have problems and angers. We get tired and we hurt. We need to be nicer to each other.

After eating, I wiped the table cleaner than usual, and put the tray (托盘) back nicely on the stand. The woman was watching me, with a big smile on her face.

“Be what’s missing.” It worked.

1. How did the writer feel when he didn’t find the cashier?

A．Curious.

B．Impatient.

C．Sad.

D．Surprised.

2. According to the writer, what was missing in the restaurant?

A．Kindness.

B．Love.

C．Service.

D．Patience.

3. Why did the woman look unfriendly?

A．Because she didn’t like the writer.

B．Because she didn’t like the job.

C．Because she was ill.

D．Because she had worked for a long time.

4. What can be the best title for this text?

A．Anger Follows Impatience

B．Remember What Your Mom Said

C．Be What’s Missing

D．Try to Be Patient

2 .        The “April snow” is here! It’s not real snow, of course, it’s catkins (飞絮) from willows and poplar trees in spring. For some people, this “snow” is not welcomed. Catkins can cause allergies (过敏), making people’s noses, eyes, and skin uncomfortable. In spring, the female (雌性的) trees grow lots of flowers. When these flowers finish growing, they produce cotton-like seeds that spread through the air.

Luckily, scientists have found many ways to control catkins. Doing “gender change surgery (变性手术)” on willow and poplar trees is one of them. People cut off the branches of female trees and replace them with branches from male (雄性的) trees. This cuts down the number of catkins. However, this way is slow and expensive. A skilled worker can do the “surgery” on less than ten trees a day. From 2008 to 2018, only around 1, 000 trees were treated in Beijing.

Scientists also use special injections (注射剂) to reduce the number of catkins on trees. These injections make the trees mainly use their energy to grow bigger and get more leaves, not to make catkins. Xu Qinming, an expert, said that this method is safe for the trees. However, the trees need to get injections every year to keep the catkins numbers under control.

Other than injections, the trees can “take medicine”, too. This medicine can be sprayed onto the trees before the catkins form, which can quickly reduce catkins numbers. Still, people need to be careful about how much of the medicine they use and when they use it, or they might hurt the environment.

1. What can we know from paragraph one?

A．Catkins are hard to see.

B．It’s normal to snow in April.

C．People welcome willows.

D．It’s uncomfortable to breath in catkins.

2. How many ways are introduced to deal with catkins?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

3. What is the disadvantage of using injections according to the passage?

A．Trees need to be injected every year.

B．It needs many skilled workers to do it.

C．It is slow and expensive.

D．It’s bad for the trees and environment.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．How to deal with catkins allergies.

B．How to control catkins with new technology.

C．How to tell male and female willow trees apart.

D．How to protect willow and polar trees.

5 . 阅读短文，从所给的选项中选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，其中有一个多余的选项。

During the Spring Festival of 2024, many Chinese parents bought their children bright red sets of Chinese New Year’s clothing. A recent report showed that the order for traditional clothes went up a lot.     1     Young people dressed in such clothing have often been noticed at popular restaurants, parks, places of interest and so on.

“New-Chinese style” of clothing is popular among young people for several reasons. First, it connects traditional and modern parts, creating a special fashion look. Second, it includes intricate embroidery (复杂的刺绣), bright colors and high-quality cloth, which makes it stand out from western styles.     2    

What was popular only among the old people has now become a hit (热门) among the young.     3     In the past, people might think that only in clothing with famous brands could they show good taste. However, nowadays, many of them prefer clothing that shows Chinese culture when going out—even when traveling abroad.

    4     It mixes the ancient beauty of traditional Chinese tea with modern designs, like fancy (精致的) tea sets. This has gradually become a lifestyle. The mix of Chinese traditional culture and modern lifestyles shows people’s growing love towards their country. Young people are more pleased to express their personality with traditional culture, reflecting their pride of being a Chinese.

A．Now people in other countries like the “new-Chinese style” of clothing, too.

B．“New-Chinese style” has now spread into many other fields, including new-Chinese tea.

C．Besides, social media (社交媒体) also have an influence on Chinese people.

D．Many people regard this as “bloodline awakening (血脉觉醒)”.

E．With the growing interest in traditional culture, the “new-Chinese style” of clothing has drawn the attention of the public, especially young Chinese.

6 .

A video went popular on August 15, 2023. In the video, there was a group of tourists traveling in the desert in Turpan, Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Suddenly they found their hair standing on end, which scared everyone on the scene (在场的). According to the tourists, their hair returned to normal situation after they drove 3 kilometers down the road.

Many people on the Internet said the phenomenon (现象) is a sign of a coming storm. They suggested that the group should have run away as soon as possible. However, Feng Minxue, an expert, said that running away is not the best choice.

According to Feng, if a person’s hair is dry and there is a little static electricity (静电), there is still time to leave. However, if the hair has already stood on end, running can be fatal because it may put the person in danger. The correct way is to lower one’s body height. If they can’t leave the mountain top in time, they should quickly crouch (蹲) down in that place, bring their feet as close together as possible and use their hands to protect their head, avoiding touching the ground.

Wu Xueke, a professor, thinks that the clouds with electricity above the head of the tourists caused the situation. The electric field distortion (电场畸变) above their head became strong, and then it caused static electricity in their hair. In some serious cases, the person might be hit by lightning. Therefore, if people meet with such a situation outdoors, they should keep a clear mind and take action properly.

1. What did many people on the Internet advise the tourists to do?

A．Stand still.	B．Lie down quietly.
C．Run away immediately (立即).	D．Record the sign carefully.

2. What does the underlined word “fatal” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Accidental.

B．Dangerous.

C．Sudden.

D．Safe.

3. According to Feng, what should the tourists do?
①Keep their body down.   ②Bring their feet close together.
③Protect their head.     ④Touch the ground.

A．①②③

B．①②④

C．①③④

D．②③④

4. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．People outdoors should try to avoid dark clouds.

B．The clouds without electricity above the head of the tourists caused the situation.

C．People are easily hit by lightning in the desert.

D．Strong electric field distortion can cause static electricity in hair.

7 . When you get really sleepy, you may nod off (打瞌睡) for a short time. However, chinstrap penguins (帽带企鹅) in the South Pole take nodding off to a whole new level, because they do it more than 10, 000 times a day!

A group of scientists studied 14 chinstrap penguins in the South Pole. They put electrodes (电极) on the penguins’ heads and necks to see their brain activities. The scientists also followed them by GPS and watched them for 10 days.

Finally, the scientists found that the penguins’ longest sleep time is 34 seconds (秒). On average (基本上), the penguins sleep 4 seconds at a time. Sometimes, only half of their brains would sleep, while the other half stayed awake. But in one day, they sleep for more than 11 hours, so they get enough rest.

The penguins sleep like this because they need to protect their eggs and babies. If they sleep too long, the babies may get hurt by seabirds and other penguins. Also, their home is usually noisy and crowded. So the parent penguins just have very short sleeps to stay alert (警觉的).

1. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Why scientists put electrodes on the penguins.

B．What scientists found about the penguins’ sleeping.

C．How scientists studied the penguins’ sleeping habits.

D．When scientists studied the penguins’ brain activities.

2. What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Seabirds.	B．Scientists.
C．The baby penguins.	D．The parent penguins.

3. What makes the penguins have short sleep habits?
①The flying of seabirds.             ②Their noisy and crowded homes.
③The cold weather in the South Pole.       ④The need to protect their eggs and babies.

A．①②

B．②③

C．②④

D．③④

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Chinstrap Penguins’ Busy Lives

B．Differences in Rest Between Animals

C．Chinstrap Penguins’ Favorite Activities

D．Chinstrap Penguins’ Special Sleeping Habits

8 . Tallest Indoor Rock Climbing Wall (室内攀岩墙)

Challenge, risk, success, pride, and teamwork—the “Pilot Rock” is a symbol of reaching new heights. It is 35 feet high, the tallest indoor rock climbing wall in New York City. “Pilot Rock” offers challenges for those from beginners to advanced (高级的) climbers! Whether it’s your own activity or as a main event of your next birthday party, climbing the “Pilot Rock” is an exciting and unusual activity to try. Guided by experienced staff (团队), we try our best to make climbing safe for everyone.
Attention ♦Sign up (报名) is first-come, first-served. ♦There are no reservations (预定). ♦Climbers must be wearing climbing shoes. ♦The times may change because of other activities. Please call Customer Service at 718-758-7500 with any questions about the open times.	Paths (路线) The far left (最左边) of the wall is for newcomers, which has a straight path up the rock wall. As you move further to the right, it is the second path, which is harder to climb with difficult holdings and turns. The third path is a true test of better body strength (力量), only for the most experienced. The fourth path is quite different. Newcomers can make their ways slowly up to the top from the sideways (侧面) with easy holdings.	Information ♦Dates & Times Friday: 5:00 p.m. —9:00 p.m. Saturday: 11:00 a.m. —9:00 p.m. Sunday: 11:00 a.m. —6:00 p.m. ♦Price for two climbs Non-members: $12. 00 each person Members: $10. 80 each person

1. What is special about the “Pilot Rock”?

A．Members are asked to wear the same kind of climbing shoes.

B．It’s the only rock climbing wall with experienced guide staff.

C．Most people choose to climb the “Pilot Rock” on their birthdays.

D．It’s taller than any other indoor rock climbing wall in New York City.

2. How can you know whether the open times will change or not?

A．By doing other activities.	B．By calling 718-758-7500.
C．By making a reservation.	D．By reading the introduction.

3. Which path is challenging for advanced climbers?

A．The left path.	B．The second path.
C．The third path.	D．The fourth path.

4. As a member, how much should you pay for six climbs?

A．$32. 40.

B．$36. 00.

C．$64. 80.

D．$72. 00.

9 . From the moon to Mars, scientists have been looking for water—the key to life—in the solar system for decades. Recently, they have turned to Jupiter (木星)!

On April 14, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) JUICE spacecraft successfully lifted off from French Guiana in South America. JUICE, short for “Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer”, will collect data from Jupiter and its three moons, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

The three moons are believed to have big oceans of liquid water (液态水) under their icy shells (壳). According to ESA, the water on these moons could be six times as much as the amount in Earth’s oceans. The mission (任务) “will change our understanding of the solar system”, wrote Scientific American.

In 1998, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft found that Europa might be ejecting (喷射) water as far as 160 kilometers into space. That gave scientists the idea of studying the icy moons of Jupiter.

The oceans under these moons are likely to be tens of kilometers deep. But they are also trapped under tens of kilometers of ice, making it very difficult to study them. Although JUICE cannot land on the surface, it has lots of high-tech equipment to study the moon’s environment, including spectral imaging (光谱成像) tools and radar (雷达). “They could give more data on things like the thickness of the oceans, their salt content (含量), and their distance from the icy shells above,” reported Phys.org.

“The main goal is to understand whether there are habitable (适合居住的) environments among those icy moons and around a giant planet like Jupiter,” JUICE team member Olivier Witasse said during a press conference (发布会) on April 6.

1. JUICE has been sent to look for ______ on Jupiter.

A．air

B．sand

C．gold

D．water

2. Paragraph 4 mainly wants to tell us ______.

A．how far water can be ejected	B．why scientists wanted to study Jupiter
C．what NASA’s Galileo spacecraft found	D．which spacecraft was used to explore the universe

3. The underlined word “trapped” in Paragraph 5 has the closest meaning to “ ______”.

A．locked

B．created

C．collected

D．taken

4. The purpose of the task is to find out if ______.

A．there are living things out there	B．life can live on some of Jupiter’s moons
C．there are lakes in the universe	D．we can move water from Earth to the moons of Jupiter