1 . My wife and I parked by a rough path the same time as a young man covered in tattoos (纹身). I ______ he was unfriendly，so we tried to ______ ourselves from him. But he struggled hard to ______ and wanted to talk some. We slowed down. He said he was recovering from a bad time in his life. We ______ left him in the dust，heading up the river.

Hours later we turned back ______ a flash flood had taken out the bridge. There he was again, following to ______ us. He shared a little more of his ______. He lost his mother and sister in a car accident and he was permanently ______ too. We slowed down to the pace he could ______ for the whole way back.

He continued, “During much surgery and ______ I came to hate life...” Then he pulled up his shirt to show us a ______ life size tattoo from neck to waist. It was two ladies in a ______ light waving to him. “This is my mom and this is my sister,” he pointed, “They told me to stop hating everything. They loved me just as they always had and ______ me to live in love too!” He explained the brightly colored tattoo was the exact dream he had that day.

My ______ went away. It had painted a wrong picture of this wonderful person with a beautiful ______ . I learned more than he hoped to tell.

1.

A．assumed

B．remembered

C．admitted

D．confirmed

2.

A．tell

B．distance

C．save

D．free

3.

A．turn away

B．set out

C．catch up

D．settle down

4.

A．politely

B．secretly

C．carelessly

D．accidentally

5.

A．though

B．unless

C．because

D．before

6.

A．impress

B．interrupt

C．persuade

D．engage

7.

A．target

B．story

C．plan

D．journey

8.

A．confused

B．discouraged

C．ignored

D．injured

9.

A．observe

B．judge

C．manage

D．challenge

10.

A．silence

B．pain

C．failure

D．guilt

11.

A．massive

B．funny

C．random

D．popular

12.

A．brilliant

B．gentle

C．weak

D．sensitive

13.

A．allowed

B．begged

C．forced

D．expected

14.

A．doubt

B．sympathy

C．prejudice

D．resistance

15.

A．reputation

B．message

C．appearance

D．insight

2 . It’s commonly acknowledged that our lives are ruled by algorithms (算法), but have we really collectively understood how they have transformed our culture and personality?

In Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, Kyle Chayka argues convincingly that the rise of algorithm-driven feeds, used everywhere online from Instagram to Spotify, has led to a more uniform culture. Our tastes and desires increasingly don’t belong to us, but to algorithms that are designed to keep people engaged at all costs. If the collection of our tastes truly shapes our entire personality, then this loss is more psychologically damaging than it first appears. Aimlessly scrolling (滚屏) through Netflix or TikTok may seem harmless, but over days, months or years, we lose touch with what we like and enjoy.

Taste-making algorithms are inescapable. Chayka shows this by working through all corners of life: what we wear(TikTok), where we eat(Google Maps), music we listen to(Spotify), even who we date or marry(Tinder). This universe of algorithm-driven decisions has society-wide implications: “It extends to influence our physical spaces, our cities, and the routes we move through…flattening them in turn.” No one gets out of the Filterworld untouched.

If you’re lucky enough not to need any sort of algorithm-based system for your work, then you have the option to step back from algorithms for a while. But if your friend suggests a film recommended on X/Twitter or you feel the need to buy those shoes suddenly everyone has started wearing after social media advertisements, what are you to do? It all feels fruitless.

This Filterworld may be inescapable, but there is hope. You can start by engaging more with the media you do choose to consume. This could mean reading up about a film you watched or paying artists you like directly. Even the thoughtful act of recommending an album (专辑) to a friend is more rewarding than a random TikTok feed. As Chayka says, resistance to algorithms “requires an act of willpower, a choice to move through the world in a different way.”

1. What is Kyle Chayka’s opinion on algorithms?

A．They improve our tastes.	B．They make our culture more alike.
C．They help to identify our personality.	D．They contribute to psychological problems.

2. What does the underlined part in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．The society with advanced technology.	B．The world without social media platforms.
C．The network of algorithm-driven decisions.	D．The community free from algorithmic influence.

3. Which of the following is a way to resist the impact of algorithms?

A．Limiting the use of social media platforms.	B．Making choices based on friends’ suggestions.
C．Getting more involved with the selected media.	D．Disconnecting from social media advertisements.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Algorithms: Cultural Takeover	B．The Secret of Algorithms
C．Social Media: Cultural Messenger	D．The Rise of Digital Platforms

3 . Meat cultivated (培植) from cells—with no need to raise and kill animals—is now a reality. The process of cultivating meat uses the basic elements needed to build muscle and fat and enables the same biological process that happens inside an animal. Cultivated meat is identical to conventional meat at the cellular level. But can it be made cheaply enough to replace animal agriculture?

More than 150 startups are pursuing an ambitious goal: meat that doesn’t require raising and killing animals and that is affordable and tastes and feels like the meat we eat now. They are part of a young industry aiming to use cell biology to reduce the environmental impact of the world’s ever-increasing demand for meat and change global protein production the way electric cars are shaking up the auto industry.

“We are addicted to meat as a species. It’s part of our culture,” said Believer founder Yaakov Nahmias. But “we thought about quantity rather than the environment, rather than sustainability.”

Although there are dozens of companies making this meat, none have yet reached commercial-level production in terms of scale or cost. From cell line development to bio-processor design, there are a number of scientific challenges to meet before cultivated meat is widely available at the market. Government policy is another challenge. Only Singapore and the U. S. allow sales of cultivated meat.

And while many people who have tried it say they like it, others find the idea distasteful. A recent survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that half of U. S. adults would be unlikely to try it. When they were asked why, about half said they didn’t think it would be safe. Even Nahmias’10-year-old son Oren said he would only eat traditional meat. “I feel bad” for the animals, he said, “but they are yummy!”

“Until this meat costs and tastes the same as traditional meat, it will remain a specialized product,” said Bruce Friedrich, president of the Good Food Institute.

1. Why does the writer ask a question in the first paragraph?

A．To indicate an opinion.	B．To present a worry.
C．To make an assumption.	D．To start a discussion.

2. What does the cultivated meat industry aim to do?

A．Study cell biology.	B．Provide sustainable protein.
C．End world hunger.	D．Help the traditional food industry.

3. What can we infer about cultivated meat?

A．It is unripe for mass production.	B．It is as popular as traditional meat.
C．It is safer than traditional meat.	D．It is competitive in price and quantity.

4. What is Bruce Friedrich’s attitude to the future of cultivated meat?

A．Enthusiastic.

B．Dismissive.

C．Unclear.

D．Reserved.

4 . I have always been proud of my handwriting, a skill I was taught in grade school. The teacher was teaching us the Palmer Penmanship Method, drilling into us the importance of forming big flowing lines when we wrote g’s and s’s as well as beautiful f’s that in my mind were like fairy tale princesses wearing fancy hats while extending their right foot. We were strictly prohibited from using block letters on our homework, as they lack the beauty.

Now it becomes apparent that young people no longer learn cursive(草书). They type everything, mostly on their phones. Beautiful handwriting is a thing of the past. This has become a source of great sadness among traditionalists.

But recently something happened that shook my faith in cursive. To my complete disbelief, not one but two of my close friends complained about the handwriting on my postcards. They were grateful for the beautiful postcards I regularly sent, but they said they honestly couldn't read a thing I had written. One friend went so far as to ask if I could use block letters next time so that she could understand what I was writing.

Initially, I was angry. I had made the effort to cover an entire postcard with what I viewed as not just handwriting but calligraphy. But then I showed an English friend a postcard I'd just written, and he said that the only thing that was readily understandable was the letters “U. S. A.” The rest of it, he politely suggested, looked like “chicken scrawl”.

Looking at the postcard dispassionately, I unwillingly admit that he has a point. All the m’s and n’s run together, and the l’s look like l’s. The a’s are indistinguishable from the q’s. So, from now on, I'm taking their advice and using block letters to communicate.

In fact, I just now sent an old friend a postcard. But this time, I simply wrote—in big block letters:

DEAR ALICE:

HI.

JOE.

I hope she gets the message.

1. What do we know about the Palmer Penmanship Method?

A．It is characterized by big flowing lines.	B．It is rarely appreciated by traditionalists.
C．It was not allowed in students'homework.	D．It is viewed as a trend in handwriting styles.

2. What weakened the writer’s belief in cursive?

A．The popularity of block letters in recent times.

B．The younger generation’s disinterest in cursive.

C．His friends’ failure to comprehend his postcards.

D．His English friend's suggestion on postcard design.

3. Why did the writer switch to block letters for communication?

A．To deliver his message clearly.	B．To improve his handwriting skills.
C．To win praise from his friends.	D．To show his passion for calligraphy.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The wide use of cursive.	B．The sad decline of cursive.
C．The value of preserving cursive.	D．The technique of writing in cursive.

5 . A One-woman Cinderella Show Is Coming to Fairfield

A one-woman show that reimagines the classic fairytale Cinderella is coming to the Fairfield Community Arts Center. The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati will present Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots for one night only on Jan.26. The traveling show is for children ages 4 and up and promises “knee-slapping” comedic moments and heartwarming life lessons.

“I love children's theatre,” says Rosvic Siason, who plays Cinderella. “Kids are our future and we introduce them to these stories. We all have situations at one point in our life that look like this conversation. It just kind of helps you develop your brain and learn how to think as a developing person. It’s really important to expose kids to theatre and well-rounded actors they can talk to for guidance.”

These one-man, one-woman shows have so much beauty because it is very raw. People actually follow along much easier than you think. It’s easy to share a feeling. They will be expected to interact, deliver lines and repeat after Cinderella throughout the production. Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots will deliver a funny, meaningful twist on the classic fairytale that encourages audiences to expand their imagination.

“Using imagination helps kids to think of things in more ways than one,” Siason says. “It opens them up and makes them think, ‘Hey, this is one way this could work.’ Or, ‘I could try this way,’ and then see what happens.”

Visit fairfield-city. org for tickets and more information.

1. What is Cinderella Wore Cowboy Boots?

A．A book.

B．A theatre.

C．A performance.

D．A lesson.

2. Siason thinks stories in children’s theatre can _________.

A．offer temporary amusement	B．help deal with life’s challenges
C．allow individuals to avoid reality	D．provide opportunities to make friends

3. What might Siason encourage children to do?

A．Stick to the rules.	B．Dare to dream big.
C．Always follow the crowd.	D．Think outside the box.

8 . Here at The Literacy Site, we’re big believers in playtime. So is one school in Texas, following the tradition of many schools in Finland (芬兰). And now research is on board too.

Debbie Rhea, a researcher from Texas Christian University, designed the program now in place at Eagle Mountain Elementary, in which children have four 15-minute recess (课间休息) periods throughout the school day. She heard about the success of the Finnish school system and decided to take a trip there to study it. When she returned, she began working with schools here in the U.S. to do something similar.

At Eagle Mountain Elementary, students now get three times as much recess as they used to have; outdoor time has been swelled from 20 minutes to an hour each day. The program also focuses on helping kids develop character instead of just test-taking skills.

Since carrying out the program, teachers are noticing that their students are more attentive and less restless. They make more eye contact, have better test scores, and seem to be healthier and happier overall. They even need to sharpen their pencils less because they spend less time chewing (不停地啃) on them. Schools in three other states are starting a similar program after seeing this one perform so well.

In other areas of the country, however, schools have been cutting back on playtime to squeeze in (使挤入) longer lecture periods to prepare kids for standardized tests.

Cutting recess is, no doubt, a decision made with good purposes. But is the traditional lecture-and-test method really effective? Does reducing recess time make more learning happen? The results of recent research say no. A 2014 study showed that the benefits of high-quality recess programs include a drop in bullying and conflicts (冲突), and an increase in the amount of safety and happiness students feel. Children have even been shown to learn better immediately following a break like recess, according to research done by Robert Murray, an expert at Ohio State University.

“If you want a child to be attentive and stay on task, and also if you want them to understand the information you’re giving them, you’ve got to give them regular (经常的) breaks, he said.

1. What does the underlined word “swelled” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Stressed.

B．Measured.

C．Increased.

D．Exchanged.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The goals of the program.	B．The benefits of the program.
C．Teachers’ advice on the program.	D．Other schools’ reactions to the program.

3. Why did the author mention the 2014 study in paragraph 6?

A．To explore why some schools like to cut recess.

B．To show how kids make use of their recess time.

C．To explain why cutting recess should be stopped.

D．To describe how hard it is to ensure kids’ recess time

9 . Teachers at an Atlanta elementary school hold a mirror up while students shout positive affirmations (肯定) to themselves. “We live in a tough neighborhood in Atlanta. It’s good to plant those seeds (种子) here,” a teacher said.

In a video that recently went viral (迅速传开), fourth-graders at Gideons Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia lined up to shout positive affirmations to themselves in a mirror while their teachers cheered them on. “I am smart!” “I am a good person!”

“The idea came from something I practice with my 5-year-old daughter,” said Neffiteria Acker, the teacher seen in the video holding the mirror.“ When we’re on our way to school, I have her repeat affirmations to me, starting with, ‘I am.’ Usually, I just ask her to tell me something good about herself. She’ll say, ‘I’m a fast eater,’ or, ‘I’m a fast runner.’ Then I’ll add to it, ‘You’re also really brave.’”

“It lifts her confidence. So I thought, ‘Why not bring that to the classroom? ’ ” she added.

Cierra Levay Broadway, the teacher who filmed the video, said she was moved while watching the students shout their affirmations. “It was an amazing moment,” she said. “I was really astonished when I saw the kids and heard what they were saying. For a lot of them, it was the first time they’d ever done that.”

The teachers understand the importance of building self-confidence at a young age, especially for students who do not have such an opportunity at home.

“In our neighborhood the kids hear a lot of negative things about themselves. So a seed of self-love is the best seed to plant, and all Broadway and I have to do is water it,” Acker said.

1. Why did the teachers try to help their students?

A．The students dislike studying.

B．The students laugh at the gardeners.

C．The students are affected by their environment.

D．The students have difficulty getting on with each other.

2. What were the students encouraged to do by their teachers?

A．Plan for their futures.	B．Cheer up their schoolmates.
C．Find other students’ strengths.	D．Say positive words about themselves.

3. What inspired Acker to think up the way of helping her students?

A．Her daughter’s suggestions to her.	B．Her conversations with her daughter.
C．A video of a small girl.	D．A mirror in her school.