1 . Before our round-the-world trip we always thought that in Peru visiting Machu Picchu would be our most amazing experience.
Although Machu Picchu is simply indescribable, it
He said we could
We were
| A．figured | B．went | C．turned | D．pointed |
| A．impression | B．understanding | C．sense | D．message |
| A．questioned | B．informed | C．interviewed | D．asked |
| A．suitable | B．possible | C．right | D．necessary |
| A．try | B．stop | C．fail | D．wait |
| A．tourists | B．communities | C．ancestors | D．regions |
| A．More importantly | B．Sure enough | C．Worse still | D．Strange to say |
| A．applying | B．longing | C．changing | D．looking |
| A．leave | B．manage | C．save | D．visit |
| A．really | B．mainly | C．reasonably | D．relatively |
| A．heard | B．worried | C．learned | D．complained |
| A．made use of | B．took part in | C．paid attention to | D．got used to |
| A．gestures | B．words | C．writings | D．mails |
| A．plans | B．brochures | C．tips | D．stories |
| A．remind | B．remember | C．forget | D．get |
2 . Spending time outdoors has long been linked (联系) to better health. Gardening goes beyond just beautifying outdoor spaces—it can have a deep effect on our physical and mental (身心上的) health.
Gardening involves physical activity that works all the main muscle (肌肉) groups, which is helpful for overall health. “Activities such as digging, planting, weeding and harvesting require movement and can help to improve strength,” said Clayton, CEO of an online lawn care company. “Performing these activities regularly can help burn calories, and keep a healthy weight.”
Beyond burning calories and building muscle, lots of studies have shown that gardening can improve the immune system (免疫系统). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people get at least 150 minutes of exercise each week, and gardening is listed as a suitable activity. Doing garden work for that time each week can reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. Additionally, spending time outdoors makes us get close to natural sunlight, which is important for vitamin D synth.
Gardening provides a chance for social connection, too. It can be a shared activity among family members, friends or neighbors, building relationships and a sense of belonging.
Gardening also offers cognitive (认知的) benefits. It excites the senses, improves focus and encourages problem-solving and creativity. It provides a chance to learn about plants, ecosystems and the environment, developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature.
1. What is Clayton’s attitude towards gardening?| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unclear | D．Uncaring. |
| A．It improves focus. | B．It is a waste of time. |
| C．It can keep a body in shape. | D．It helps to reduce the risk of diseases. |
| A．It contributes to creativity. | B．It encourages problem-solving. |
| C．It builds relationships between people. | D．It improves people’s awareness of safety. |
| A．How to Start a Garden | B．Choose a Garden or Not |
| C．What Plants Grow Best in a Garden | D．Start Gardening and Get the Health Benefits |
3 . You look up at the sky on a clear and dark night, you’ll see more stars than your eyes can count. Most of these stars have planets, similar to our own, orbiting them. With so many celestial bodies floating out in space, you can’t help but question whether other forms of life exist in the universe. And if that’s the case, is it possible to contact them?
Science is still somewhat divided on this issue. Currently, no evidence exists to suggest that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe. Yet with an estimated one trillion planets in our galaxy alone, it seems highly likely that Earthlings aren’t the only intelligent creatures out there. Some claim that life can only develop under perfect circumstances, and Earth is perhaps the only example of this. Other scientists object to this claim, and point out that even on Earth, life can find a way under the most extreme circumstances.
Some people believe that aliens have already visited our planet, but this information is being kept secret by governments. The most famous incident of this kind occurred in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. On that date, many residents reported seeing an unusual flying disc streak through the sky, before it crashed in a field. When the military heard about the crash, they quickly sealed off the area. A few hours later, the army base announced that it had recovered a flying disk. Shortly after, this statement was retracted and it was said that it was a weather balloon that crashed. However, years later one local mortician even claimed that the military had him secretly perform an autopsy on a dead alien body.
Others believe that there certainly are other life forms out there, but the distance between us is too great. Even if we could somehow create a spaceship that travels at the speed of light, it would still probably take several lifetimes to reach them. Then again, we might never have to do this if aliens reach us first.
1. Why do some scientists think there is life on other planets?| A．Because an unusual flying disc was ever witnessed. |
| B．Because life exists despite extreme conditions as those on the Earth do. |
| C．Because the government’s statement seemed suspicious. |
| D．Because there are a great number of planets in the universe. |
| A．Examined again to guarantee the correctness. | B．Emphasized again to persuade people. |
| C．Formally taken back what has been said. | D．Seriously criticized due to poor evidence |
| A．Are we alone in the universe? | B．Is it possible to contact aliens? |
| C．Intelligent life in the universe. | D．Planets floating out in space. |
| A．Objective. | B．Humorous. | C．Cautious. | D．Anxious. |
I must admit, I haven’t always liked animals. In fact, I distrusted them greatly while growing up, and I still fear the ones I don’t know personally. What set my beliefs in stone was being attacked—not once but many times, including the summer after second grade when I was bitten by a rabbit. Then, when I was nine and riding my dirt bike down the road, a large dog charged me and tried to bite my ankle. After all those negative experiences, there was one thing I knew for sure: All creatures, great and small, were no friends of mine.
After college in California, I returned to live the single life in Las Vega. Then I met Lisa. In no time at all, we fell in love, married and moved into a new house. Despite my avoidance of animals, Lisa had a dog called Bailey. Bailey didn’t like me, but he tolerated my existence once he realized I wasn’t going anywhere.
Things changed as spring came. We welcomed a new member of our family: our son Evan. One evening Evan grabbed hold of the dog’s tail. The irritated dog paused and turned to look at his stuck tail but waited patiently until being released. Still the stories I’d heard of animals attacking babies worries me.
Then my worst fear occurred. I sat on the couch (沙发) reading after a long day while my wife worked at the dining-room table paying the bills. I saw Evan crawl across the family-room carpet as he made his way behind the couch. One minute, all was quiet and then Bailey entered the room and headed to where Evan had crawled. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard the dog start a fearful barking behind me.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Throwing the book away, I rushed around the couch with great fear.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Having witnessed our dog killing a scorpion (蝎子) and saving my son, I was speechless.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . The first traffic lights in the United States were installed because of an increase in traveller on the road in the 1920s. Worried about accidents, towns and cities installed traffic towers to help the flow of cars. Officers manned the towers, using whistles and red, green and yellow lights to indicate to drivers when they should stop and go.
Due to the absence of effective traffic signal systems on some streets, it caused risks at intersections. Then, William Potts created the first tricolour, four-directional traffic signal. The very first four-directional traffic light was installed at Woodward Avenue and Fort. But throughout the country, there were still a lot of systems for traffic lights and patterns in place. Since this could end up causing more problems for drivers, the Federal Highway Administration set uniform standards in 1935for all road signs, pavement markings and traffic signals, requiring them to all use red, yellow and green light indicators.
Red is the colour with the longest wavelength; that means that as it travels through air molecules, it gets diffused(扩散)less than other colour, so it can be seen from a greater distance. Yellow has a shorter wavelength than red but a longer wavelength than green. This means that red is visible the furthest away, yellow in the middle and green the least distance away—a helpful advanced warning for needing to slow or stop. But this could be a coincidence. Red meaning stop originated with train warning lights, and it’s not clear whether that was chosen based on wavelength, contrast against green nature or natural association of red with things like blood. It could be a combination of all three!
Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Eventually, highly reflective materials were developed, and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school zones, some traffic signs and school buses continue to be painted the colour.
1. What’s the purpose of installing traffic lights in the 1920s?| A．To increase the speed of cars. |
| B．To improve road safety and efficiency. |
| C．To reduce traffic jams in towns and cities. |
| D．To obey the standards of the government. |
| A．The first tricolour,four-directional traffic signal. |
| B．The installation of the first traffic signal. |
| C．The existence of different traffic lights and patterns. |
| D．The absence of traffic signal systems. |
| A．The differences among the three colour. |
| B．The wavelength of the three colour. |
| C．The reasons for choosing red as the stop signal. |
| D．The relationship between red colour and its wavelength. |
| A．It can’t be seen in the distance. |
| B．It is a kind of highly reflective colour. |
| C．It is not suitable to be used in school zones. |
| D．It can not be clearly seen in certain surroundings. |
6 . When his daughter Morgan was growing up, Gordon Hartman was heartbroken after watching her on the playground. Other children refused to play with her, mostly because her disabilities meant she couldn’t access the places where they were playing. The family tried other places but were never satisfied.
“What we found was there was no place that was an easily-accessible, fully inclusive park,” Gordon said. So he went home and sold his construction business, bought a large piece of land, and went to work building an entire amusement park for disabled children.
All kids need playtime, and Morgan was no different. The park—named Morgan’s Wonderland—finally offered Morgan that opportunity. What the Hartmans discovered is that kids without disabilities enjoy the park just as much, and they interact a lot more with everyone when all are included. In fact, three quarters of the park’s visitors are not disabled. And that makes it all the more fun.
Watching the kids play together without barriers makes you realize that we are all the same, and having fun is for everybody. But it doesn’t end there. One-third of the staff also has special needs. Seeing the way they interact also puts a smile on your face. They take their jobs seriously, and they make sure everybody is having fun.
“It feels fantastic because we get to see people who are not given the opportunity to experience the types of rides we have, get on a carousel, get on a train easily, and go fishing,” says Gordon. The park has been visited by people with special needs from over 67 countries. “When we opened this, we didn’t know if it was going to work,” says Gordon. “All we wanted to do was bring people together and play.”
Just look at the smiles at Morgan’s Wonderland, and you’ll see how much good it does.
1. Why was Gordon extremely sad?| A．His daughter was disabled. | B．He had to sell his business. |
| C．His daughter was never satisfied. | D．No playground was accessible to Morgan. |
| A．Every child comes to play with Morgan. | B．It hires the disabled to attract tourists. |
| C．It allows every child to have fun here. | D．3/4 of its area is for normal children. |
| A．Confident. | B．Uncertain. | C．Ashamed. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Every Kid Deserves to Have Fun | B．We Should Respect Each Other |
| C．A Playground Is Enough for All | D．A Father Has Saved His Daughter |
7 . When it comes to lowering blood pressure, studies have typically shown that aerobic (有氧的) exercises are best. Recent research suggests another type of physical activity is worth including as an effective tool to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Exercises that engage muscles without movement, such as wall squats and planks, may be best for lowering blood pressure, according to a large study published in July, 2023 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
This type of training is known as isometric exercise, according to the Mayo Clinic. Isometric muscle action happens when muscles contract but do not visibly change length, and the joints involved don’t move, facilitating stability of the body. Isometric exercises can be done with weights or without, just relying on the body’s own weight.
“These findings provide a comprehensive data-driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure,” said study coauthor Dr. Jamie O’Driscoll in a news release.
The researchers looked into randomized controlled trials that had reported the effects of exercise interventions, lasting two or more weeks, on blood pressure between 1990 and February 2023. From a review of 270 trials with 15,827 participants, the researchers found that among HIIT (high intensity interval training), isometric exercise, aerobic exercise, dynamic resistance training and a combination of the latter two, isometric exercise led to the greatest reductions in blood pressure.
It’s also important to note that there are other lifestyle changes as well as exercise that can benefit your blood pressure. These include keeping to a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, cutting down on salt, not drinking too much alcohol and ensuring that you continue to take any prescribed medication.
More research is needed to determine exactly why isometric exercises might be better for lowering blood pressure than other types of training, the authors said.
1. What does the underlined part “isometric exercise” in paragraph 3 refer to?| A．Exercise that is done with extra weights. |
| B．Exercise that involves visible muscle contraction. |
| C．Exercise that focuses on stability of the body. |
| D．Exercise that engages muscles without movement. |
| A．By providing statistics. | B．By interviewing experts. |
| C．By doing experiments. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．Exploring the reasons for its effectiveness. |
| B．Demonstrating its influences on mental health. |
| C．Assessing its suitability for different populations. |
| D．Determining its long-term impacts on blood pressure. |
| A．The benefits of aerobic exercises. | B．The best exercise for blood pressure. |
| C．The effects of various types of exercises. | D．The importance of keeping a healthy lifestyle. |
8 . My friend and I recently took an art class together through our town’s community education program. Our classmates were a mix of ages, stages of life, and experience with making art. We stood out in the class—not for our artistic talent, but for our consistent encouragement of ourselves, each other, and the group. It got me thinking how encouragement had become a routine.
It became something of a joke between the two of us to compliment(赞美) each other, offer a positive comment when another student showed his or her work, and generally chat around the table about how fun our project was going. But reflecting back, our positivist was anything but a joke. It was a bright light in my week, a space where I knew I could be surrounded with kindness, gentleness, and positivist.
Here’s the most special thing about it; my friend’s and my positive conversation wasn’t just encouraging, it was true. We didn’t go for cheap or false compliments like, “This painting should be in a museum!” Instead, we went for authentic(真实的) expressions of support and encouragement, like, “I love how you did that cloud!”
Over time, the class became something of a sacred space, because we had made a habit of using encouraging, supportive language. Sentence-starters like, “I like,” “I appreciate,” “I want to try”, kept us present, positive, and honest.
The encouragement also kept us engaged in the work of making art. I feel sure that I learned more—and practiced more at home—because the activity was shown in such consistently positive terms, grounded in a growth mindset, self-acceptance, and encouragement.
Having a friend to share an encouragement habit is fantastic, but you can practice it on your own as well. Compliment yourself in the mirror every morning. Keep a running “great work.” list of thing? you are doing well today. Trust in your ability to find something loving—and true-to comment today and every day.
1. What do we know about the author’s classmates?| A．They admired those talented in art. |
| B．They didn’t take art class seriously. |
| C．They were of the same artistic level. |
| D．They were on good terms in the class. |
| A．By showing false compliments to others. |
| B．By decorating their class as a museum. |
| C．By displaying abstract art works in the class. |
| D．By offering supportive language around them. |
| A．It made him hopeful and confident. |
| B．It needed to provide more practice. |
| C．It was cheap and easy to carry out. |
| D．It promoted his communication skills. |
| A．To introduce a community education program. |
| B．To call for good action to support those in need |
| C．To describe how to make encouragement a habit. |
| D．To comment on the power of authentic expressions. |
9 . 
What do you see in the image? The image can be challenging to interpret, and most people need a clue to see the pattern. It shows a Dalmatian dog. An interesting aspect of this experience is that once you’ve perceived the pattern, you can’t unset the dog.
Whether we like it or not, our brains look for patterns in various contexts. Much of our everyday understanding is linked to the concepts we learn in school and through interaction with others. On top of this, there are learned cultural patterns to interpret works of art, music, poems, etc. Once we know the patterns, they profoundly influence how we perceive cultural products. So we see the world through patterns we have acquired.
These patterns can be applied in all forms of teaching. The great benefit of seeing a pattern in an area of knowledge is that it can be applied to new problems. A student who has understood a pattern can not only answer questions taken directly from the learning material but can use it in other types of tasks. The key question, therefore, is how a student can discover the relevant patterns and create real understanding.
There are different ways to highlight patterns. Analogies (类比) are powerful tools for creating understanding. An example is the number line (数轴) in elementary mathematics. When children learn addition, it is easy for concrete combinations of objects: three apples plus two apples make five apples. The same is true for subtraction (减法): If you have six apples and remove four, you are left with two.
But this doesn’t work when it comes to negative numbers. How do you explain that if you have three apples and remove five, two are missing? Then, an effective analogy is to see the number line as something you walk along — the line becomes a path. Addition with three is like walking three steps forward, and subtraction with five is like walking five steps backward. No wonder that if you walk three steps forward and then five steps back, you are two steps behind where you started.
In this way, the negative numbers acquire a meaning rooted in experience. More patterns of numbers can now be understood.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The underlying effect of patterns. |
| B．The ability to acquire the art skills. |
| C．The way to find the Dalmatian dog. |
| D．The benefit of interacting with others. |
| A．It is easy for students to master them. |
| B．All types of tasks have the same pattern. |
| C．They can help students solve new problems. |
| D．They are the necessary learning materials. |
| A．There are different ways to acquire experience. |
| B．Analogies are good methods for teaching patterns. |
| C．Addition is much easier than subtraction in maths. |
| D．The number line can solve all mathematics problems. |
| A．Understanding Is Seeing a Pattern. |
| B．The Best Principle for Learning |
| C．Walking Back and Forth on a Number Line. |
| D．Using Patterns to Learn Mathematics |
10 . A small accident led to profound changes in the life of Yang Li, an artisan (手艺人), who is from the Miao ethnic group. In 201l, Yang, from Tongren city in Guizhou province, created leaf vein (脉络) embroidery (刺绣) three months after a leaf cut her hand.
The work is a perfect combination of traditional embroidery patterns and the natural textures (纹理) of the leaves. It has a unique aesthetic appeal of traditional embroidery matched with the characteristics of contemporary craftsmanship.
As a native Miao woman with an inborn love of embroidery, Yang opened a folk culture products shop with her sister in 2011. “People are becoming less familiar with traditional handicrafts, and I want to contribute all I can to change this situation,” Yang says. At first, the small shop did not earn a significant income as there were many similar products on the market. She gradually realized that it was important to establish her own brand and launch products with distinct features.
That’s when she was inspired by the cut. In July 2011, Yang accidentally cut her hand on a thorny leaf when she was hiking in Fanjing Mountain. A bold idea came into her head: “There are leaf-vein bookmarks and leaf-vein paintings. Why has nobody created leaf-vein embroider yet?”
Obviously, the reason behind this is that embroidering on leaves requires delicate skills that few possess. The biggest technical challenge Yang faced was improving the flexibility of the leaves and making them as soft as cloth. On Oct 16, a day she will never forget, Yang finally created a shiny, thin and unbreakable piece of leaf vein. Her idea of leaf-vein embroidery came to completion after hundreds of experiments.
Two years later, Yang opened an embroidery processing factory and offered jobs to more than 500 laid-off female workers, rural women and people with disabilities. “I will keep doing the leaf vein embroidery for the rest of my life because it is meaningful,” she says.
1. What do we know about Yang Li’s folk culture products shop?| A．It was inspired by a cut by a leaf in her hand. |
| B．It was a failure before she began to sell similar products. |
| C．It was intended to preserve traditional Chinese handicrafts. |
| D．It perfectly combined traditional Chinese books and drawings. |
| A．Finding cloth with vein-like texture. |
| B．Creating a new embroidery pattern. |
| C．Changing leaves into unbreakable cloth. |
| D．Softening up leaves for better flexibility. |
| A．Ambitious and innovative. | B．Caring and patient. |
| C．Persistent and demanding. | D．Humorous and optimistic. |
| A．An embroidery skill. | B．A promising career. |
| C．A cultural shop. | D．An admirable artisan. |
