1 . Some started to run. A woman sobbed beside me, her husband dragging her along by the arm. Families begged for a
Finally
She was extremely tired, physically and emotionally,
I had no idea. Rumors(谣言) were flying around the crowd;
In short, nobody had a clue. The authorities(官方) were doing their best,
Finally, an announcement was made that the
Suddenly, another announcement was made. Four hours after it closed, the airport was going to reopen in half an hour and our flights would
Happy to be alive, we almost
Afterword: After I started queuing at 4 am, we were
| A．seat | B．drive | C．ride | D．move |
| A．settled down | B．turned down | C．picked up | D．taken off |
| A．making | B．taking | C．doing | D．getting |
| A．later | B．earlier | C．sooner | D．before |
| A．succeeded | B．tried | C．managed | D．planned |
| A．and | B．so | C．because | D．but |
| A．misinformation | B．information | C．news | D．misunderstanding |
| A．leaving | B．moving | C．gone | D．headed |
| A．selling | B．buying | C．providing | D．giving |
| A．hungry | B．ready | C．satisfied | D．nervous |
| A．best | B．worst | C．luckiest | D．most |
| A．morning | B．day | C．afternoon | D．night |
| A．land | B．fly | C．depart | D．reach |
| A．danced | B．walked | C．ran | D．jumped |
| A．unlucky | B．happy | C．hopeful | D．fortunate |
2 . Microplastics are one of the largest environmental problems we face. They are tiny bits of plastics less than 5 mm long. Now a tiny robotic fish that might help tackle one of the problems of plastic pollution has been invented by scientists in China.
The bionic little swimmers have been programmed to wiggle their way through water collecting microplastics as they go. The robofish are only 15mm long. Yet, they can travel quite quickly as they clean. They move by flashing a laser on and off in their tails. It causes the tail to flap side to side which drives the ‘fish’ forward through the water. As they swim along, any nearby microplastics get drawn towards the robots and stick to them.
Not only is their shape inspired by marine life but also is the material they are made out of. Instead of being made out of the traditional materials used for soft robots that can be damaged easily in the water, this one was made from a material that takes inspiration from mother-of-pearl. Mother-of-pearl is found on the inside surface of clam (蛤蜊) shells. As well as attracting microplastics, the material could also heal itself after being cut, still maintaining its ability to absorb microplastics. Because it’s so durable and can swim as fast as it does(for how small it is), the researchers say that it could be used for monitoring microplastics and other pollutants in the hard-to-reach places of complex underwater environments.
Microplastics have been found nearly everywhere. They’ve been found in our oceans, on top of mountains, in some of the food we eat and even in the stomachs of some marine animals. One of the biggest problems with microplastics is, because of their size, they are difficult to clean up. This is especially true of microplastics in the ocean. The scientists hope that their tiny fish-shaped robots can one day help tackle this global problem. At the moment, the robofish are something called proof of concept. It just means that the scientists were able to make something that proves their idea worked.
Now that the team has shown that their idea works, they are going to keep working on it. They hope to create new versions that can dive deeper and absorb more microplastics.
1. Which of the following statements CAN NOT be inferred from the passage?| A．An advanced robofish will be made. |
| B．The robofish won’t be put into the market soon. |
| C．The operating life of the robofish is not short. |
| D．All the microplastics can be removed soon. |
| A．Move from side to side | B．Jump forward. |
| C．Turn over and over. | D．Circle around. |
| A．Where the material of the robofish comes from |
| B．the material and the usage of the robofish |
| C．mother-of-pearl giving the tip for the material of the robofish |
| D．both the shape and the material of the robofish are inspired by nature |
| A．Mother-of-Pearl Found to Help Dissolve Plastics |
| B．Tiny Robo-crabs Programmed to Absorb Microplastics |
| C．Scientists in England Create Microplastic Attracting Robot Fish |
| D．Robotic Microplastic Absorbing Robot Fish Created by Scientists |
3 . There’s a popular misconception that rhinos are aggressive and stupid, but I discovered sensitive, affectionate animals. Weighing over a ton, black rhinos are unexpectedly agile and have an unpredictable nature-but, given reassurance, they can be very trusting. In the past few decades, their numbers have dropped dramatically. In recent years, I’ve helped look after rhinos being moved to sanctuaries (保护区), so they can form new populations in countries that have few left.
Last year, I helped on a project to fly five black rhinos from a private reserve in South Africa to the Serengeti National Park. Once there, the animals had to be kept captive for a few weeks to adapt to the new environment, in which time they lived in “bomas”-wooden enclosures (围场) with “bedrooms”, designed to create a calm space.
A couple of weeks before their planned release, the sky filled with smoke. Watching the flames rushing through the bush toward the bomas, I froze. Terrified that it would catch fire, my instinct was to release the rhinos, but hey hadn’t yet been fitted with transmitters. If I let them out into a bushfire and they were injured, we’d have great difficulty tracking them down.
So I dashed back to the bomas and called the rhinos to the bedrooms. Sensing the fear in my voices, they moved without hesitation and remained astonishingly calm. It was crucial the rhinos didn’t panic -they can easily hurt each other if they do.
Meanwhile, the rangers managed to beat the closest flames away. At last, after half an hour, the wind changed direction and the fire began to recede.
That we and the rhinos had escaped unhurt was a miracle. The teamwork of everybody there played a large part, and the rhinos were very much a part of that team. The relationships we’d built with them had proved crucial - had they or we panicked, all our work would have been in vain. Instead, two weeks later, they were released into the wild, ready to found part of a new population in the Serengeti.
1. What kind of animals does the author think rhinos are?| A．Unfriendly. | B．Cruel. | C．Mild. | D．Curious. |
| A．To get ready for life in a new habitat. | B．To be trained to act less aggressively. |
| C．To learn crucial survival skills in the wild. | D．To form a closer relationship with humans. |
| A．She had to plant transmitters in the rhinos. |
| B．She had to set the rhinos free immediately. |
| C．She had to lead the rhinos to a safer place. |
| D．She had to put out the nearest flames. |
| A．How the rhinos were released to the wild. | B．Why protecting rhinos is important. |
| C．What helped the rhinos and people escape. | D．What enabled the rhinos to remain calm. |
4 . Growing pains and gains
It’s not easy to grow up. Actually it’s far from easy. Growing up can be a real “pain” for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren’t allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!
As a young girl my parents forced my sisters and me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They’ve always wanted me to have a better life than they did themselves.
Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that. The future is ours!
A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps (凸块) on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!
1. According to Paragraph 1, we learn that when we are young, __________.| A．life is full of joy | B．life is easy for us |
| C．we know we can stay young forever | D．we sometimes can’t do things we like |
| A．take music lessons | B．tum gains into pains |
| C．look back on hardships | D．live a successful life by suffering a lot |
| A．directly. | B．completely. | C．carefully. | D．terribly |
| A．Growing pains are necessary for us to grow up. |
| B．We all have to experience growing pains. |
| C．A little hard work and sweat are harmful to us. |
| D．Life without fear is a better choice for us. |
5 . Coming into the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, in the highlands of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, the first thing you notice is the bright colors. Most of the buildings along the main street are eye-catching, deep blues and greens, dotted with red and yellow to form diverse patterns and designs.
Santa Catarina Palopó was once a sleepy town of 5, 000 people, most of them dependent on agricultural work. But as agriculture began to dry up here, poverty came. To deal with poverty and promote econ on growth through tourism, a small but creative group of laborers, artisans, domestic workers and stay-at-home moms created the Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó project.
The project aimed to paint all 850 homes and buildings in bright colors to change the hillside town into a work of art. “We wanted to paint the houses with colors and figures that represent the community” says the project’s executive director Stephany Blanco. “Families can choose designs for their house that are representative of the family.”
One of the most representative characteristics of the region is the blue huipil, a traditional blouse which has been worn commonly by local women since the 16th century. That deep sky blue was chosen the primary color-for the Pintando project, with secondary colors found in the sunsets and the nearby lake to make the design more attractive. Inspiration was also found in local culture, symbols such as volcanoes, flowers, and the national bird of Guatemala.
Each week, local artists, community members and tourists pick up paintbrushes to make buildings colorful. “At first, the idea of the project was uncertain, but now you can see a considerable difference in the town,” Melissa Whitbeck said. “The color of the buildings is believed to improve the quality-of life of the people. It uplifts the people’s mood and encourages them to be proud of their hometown.”
1. Why was the Pintando Santa Catarina project started?| A．Because of a workforce shortage. | B．Due to the poor economic conditions. |
| C．Thanks to the increase in population. | D．For the old-fashioned farming ways. |
| A．Building family art galleries in Guatemala. | B．Creating job opportunities for local artists. |
| C．Developing local tourism by selling artworks. | D．Changing the town into a cultural destination. |
| A．The surrounding volcanoes. | B．Mayan-styled butterflies. |
| C．A type of traditional clothing. | D．The national bird of Guatemala. |
| A．Positive. | B．Reserved. | C．Concerned. | D．Negative. |
6 . Thousands of lives have been saved by giving blood-thinning drugs to people with a heart condition that leaves them at risk of a stroke(中风), according to the head of the NHS.
Since January 2022 about 460,000 people in England who suffer from atrial fibrillation(AF)- a dangerously irregular heart rate-have begun taking one of four anticoagulant(抗凝血剂) drugs that are proved to reduce stroke risk. Speedy introduction of the drugs has kept 4,000 people alive who would otherwise have died and prevented about 17,000 strokes, according to Amanda Pritchard. Strokes kill about 27,000 people a year in England and lead to about 120,000 being taken to hospital.
A drive to encourage take-up of the drugs means 90% of the 1.5 million people in England with AF are using them. That should result in fewer strokes, which are a leading cause of death and disability, given that AF causes about one in five strokes.
“The rapid introduction of these drugs is a big step forward in providing the best possible care for patients with heart disease”, Pritchard, the leader of NHS(National Health Service) England, will say in a speech today at the King’s Fund health experts’ yearly conference.
The drugs, called direct oral anticoagulants, help stop blood from clotting(凝血), therefore reducing the risk of a clot developing and causing a stroke. In 2021 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended that doctors use four anticoagulant drugs.
Dr Maeva May, the Stroke Association’s director, thought the widespread use of the drugs as “fantastic news”, because AF accounts for one in five strokes and strokes in people with AF are more likely to result in death or serious disability.
NHS England has used its spending power to cut deals with the makers of the four drugs, which has made them much more widely available. The British Heart Foundation praised the NHS’s “great progress towards its goal of reducing stroke deaths”.
1. What is the purpose of listing numbers in paragraph 2?| A．To attract the readers’ attention to strokes. |
| B．To introduce the specific information about AF. |
| C．To show the effects of four anticoagulant drugs. |
| D．To summarize the steps towards reducing deaths. |
| A．To identify signs of strokes. | B．To reduce blood pressure. |
| C．To keep heart beating. | D．To prevent blood clotting. |
| A．They have reached some agreements. | B．They have provided free treatment. |
| C．They have established disease funds. | D．They have reminded of stroke deaths. |
| A．Recognising Signs of A Heart Attack | B．A Breakthrough in Stroke Prevention |
| C．Exploring Kinds of Anticoagulant Drugs | D．NHS England’s Life-Saving Conference |
7 . Temperatures in the Norwegian capital regularly drop to -10℃ during winter.
It’s
A young woman sitting next to the boy noticed him rubbing his arms. She immediately asked him, “Don’t you have a
Later, another woman gave him her scarf and then
“People should care as much about children in Syria as they are
| A．Thinking | B．Jumping | C．Sleeping | D．Trembling |
| A．heartbreaking | B．breathtaking | C．effort-making | D．history-making |
| A．upsetting | B．inspiring | C．troublesome | D．wise |
| A．schoolbag | B．companion | C．jacket | D．parent |
| A．inquired | B．explored | C．begged | D．confirmed |
| A．kindly | B．pretendingly | C．tiredly | D．purposely |
| A．carried | B．found | C．placed | D．wrapped |
| A．attempted | B．desired | C．offered | D．chanced |
| A．Interestingly | B．Actually | C．Amazingly | D．Naturally |
| A．expensive | B．public | C．hidden | D．mobile |
| A．donations | B．suggestions | C．demands | D．funds |
| A．despite | B．without | C．in | D．for |
| A．curious | B．confused | C．careful | D．concerned |
| A．noted | B．concluded | C．quoted | D．believed |
| A．cheating | B．filming | C．walking | D．training |
8 . I was cutting up lettuce in the kitchen when I suddenly remembered watching a video about soaking the lettuce stub (莴苣残余部分) in water to grow a whole new vegetable. So I took out a wide-mouthed cup and placed the stub into it, gave it a little water, and placed it by the window.
On a snowy morning I noticed the first sign. A first small leaf from its heart spread out. A tiny green flag of hope. Beaten, but not defeated. This lettuce was not done living! Within days, it was impossible to see the cuts where I had removed the leaves. The growth was explosive. And when I lifted the blossoming head out of the cup, tiny root threads fell down, seeking for the earth. What is growing here? Lettuce or hope?
If I were a lettuce in a similar condition, I’d want to skeptically assess where I found myself before committing to full growth. Yet for this lettuce, my inadequate offering of water and a place by a window was enough for it to decide to reclaim itself again. It grew in a cup of water, in faith. This is the heart of this lettuce: alive, strong and fearless. It deserved a name. I decided to call it Monty.
Monty wanted to grow, as we all do. I think I gave him a little love and freedom. Those two were all he needed to return to himself. I see joy in this lettuce. The return to self is always an expression of joy, which is life itself. This is the tendency of all living things.
Monty still lives in a cup, but I’m going to transplant him outside. He deserves to become his full self. The only problem I see now is my ability to support Monty. I hope I have enough of a green finger.
I’m surprised to find myself where I am. Maybe Monty is, too. I have the same choice as he does: give in or start again. The prospect of starting again is discouraging. But my lettuce-friend, Monty, leads the way. I can only hope to be as brave.
1. Why did the author soak the stub in water?| A．To decorate the nice cup. | B．To hope that it would grow. |
| C．To make a video in person. | D．To remove kitchen rubbish. |
| A．This lettuce showed no sign of recovery. |
| B．This lettuce was still fighting to survive. |
| C．Tiny root thread climbed out of the cup. |
| D．The cuts can still be seen where there used to be leaves. |
| A．Hesitant. | B．Fearless. | C．Aimless. | D．Annoyed. |
| A．Never being afraid to restart yourself. | B．Believing in yourself when in trouble. |
| C．Enjoying your own life to the fullest. | D．Giving freedom to the heart in a way. |
9 . Both Debbie and Simon work in the Sunbeam Travel Company. One day they were sitting in the office. The door opened and a lady entered. She glanced at them both,
Simon
“It’s the customers,” Simon said. “They always prefer Debbie to me. I can’t
“I can. It’s the way you
“How can that be ?” Simon said. “I don’t even get a
“Communicating is more than speaking and listening, Simon. Your body language is
“What kind of language is that?”
“It’s the way you stand and sit and walk. It’s your gestures and the expression on your face and in your eyes. Your whole
After that, Simon tried to improve his body language. This seemed to
Mr Smith came over and said, “Well Simon, you
“That wasn’t a customer,” Simon said. “That was my sister. She wanted to borrow some money for lunch.”
1.| A．listened | B．stood | C．looked | D．paused |
| A．calmly | B．wildly | C．cheerfully | D．hopefully |
| A．bowed | B．sighed | C．laughed | D．nodded |
| A．sad | B．relaxed | C．happy | D．nervous |
| A．understand | B．grasp | C．believe | D．guess |
| A．think | B．interpret | C．communicate | D．perceive |
| A．chance | B．minute | C．word | D．right |
| A．creative | B．adorable | C．fun | D．important |
| A．style | B．appearance | C．speech | D．character |
| A．shoulder | B．arm | C．finger | D．hand |
| A．high | B．up | C．steady | D．back |
| A．go away | B．go ahead | C．get going | D．get ready |
| A．work | B．confuse | C．frustrate | D．motivate |
| A．invitation | B．explanation | C．permission | D．hesitation |
| A．probably | B．certainly | C．finally | D．likely |
10 . In years past, many people would travel over New Year’s Eve and immerse (沉浸) themselves in a different culture. Countries around the world celebrate the new year with unique customs and traditions carried out at the celebration.
Japan: Eat toshikoshi soba
Shiwasu is the end-of-the-year period in Japan. To celebrate New Year’s Eve, people eat “year-crossing” soba, which can symbolize having a long and fortunate life along with a clean break from the year. However, when eaten at midnight, there’s a certain cross of the old and the new year, thus you cannot “break off” all of last year’s troubles properly but instead carry them over to the following year.
Russia: Burn, then drink your wishes
After a year of ruined dreams and canceled plans, set your sights on a fresh start with this Russian tradition. Before midnight, write down your wishes on a piece of paper, then light the paper on fire. Once it’s stopped burning, spread the wish-filled ashes into a glass of champagne and drink up shortly after the clock completes striking midnight.
Spain: Eat 12 grapes
Perhaps the easiest tradition to carry out is eating grapes for good luck. When the clock starts striking at midnight, eat one with each ringing sound. Better if you’re wearing special New Year’s Eve underwear while eating your grapes. A pair of red underwear can bring you a new year of love, while yellow may bring joy and fortune.
Greece: Hang some onions
If you’ve been cooking throughout the pandemic, maybe you have some onions around the house to spare for this tradition. In Greece, onions symbolize rebirth, so people hang them up on their doors on Dec. 31 to encourage a year of growth. Keep the Greek traditions going by baking a special cake on New Year’s Day. Hide a coin in the cake and share it with your loved ones-whoever finds the coin is said to have a year of good luck.
1. Where is the passage more likely to be taken from?| A．A news report. | B．A scientific essay. | C．A tourism brochure. | D．A history book. |
| A．Soba. | B．Ashes. | C．Grapes. | D．Onions. |
| A．Japan | B．Russia. | C．Spain. | D．Greece. |
