1 . “But I want that blue car!”

The blue car didn’t make it through our checkout line. The tears_________up and streamed down this four-year-old face. I was overwhelmed with_________by the noisy scene we created. I wanted more than anything to_________this screaming child and charge out of there, child under my arm, marching him straight out of the_________and into the car. But I couldn’t do that.

A car accident in my teens left me paralysed (瘫痪) from the chest down. From sixteen on I was_________to create a life with my wheelchair. I relied heavily on my stubbornness and will to do things _________I even accomplished more than I would have done in my long-lost _________world.

It wasn’t until having children that my abandon to independence was forced to_________reasonable and cautious behavior. It was no longer just me that had to own up to the _________of my actions. So like any good Darwinian, I have forced myself to__________.

Kneeling down, I tried my hardest to__________that we were buying groceries and not race cars, but __________.Whether you are Mother Teresa or Judge Judy, sometimes you will not__________a four-year-old over. The kicking and screaming __________with the growing line of shoppers behind.

Becoming a__________, who uses a wheelchair comes with its bumps and bruises(磕磕碰碰) .__________, I’ve learned how to navigate with love and adaptation and be a great__________ to my children.

So, I tried again with a smile. I touched my now __________child’s forehead, from all of the rage and exhaustion of the moment. His wet eyes looked at me like I was the__________person on the planet. But his outburst stopped. And, I__________to get him out the store doors and into his car seat.

1.

A．broke

B．welled

C．went

D．joined

2.

A．embarrassment

B．disappointment

C．fright

D．amusement

3.

A．hand over

B．hold on to

C．pick up

D．throw away

4.

A．nursery

B．office

C．store

D．hospital

5.

A．permitted

B．recommended

C．expected

D．forced

6.

A．repeatedly

B．casually

C．cautiously

D．independently

7.

A．panic-stricken

B．able-bodied

C．carefree

D．misshaped

8.

A．refer to

B．conflict with

C．keep away from

D．make room for

9.

A．consequences

B．availabilities

C．courses

D．intentions

10.

A．approach

B．apologize

C．adapt

D．follow

11.

A．reflect

B．explain

C．admit

D．contradict

12.

A．in detail

B．on demand

C．on agreement

D．in vain

13.

A．win

B．take

C．watch

D．get

14.

A．worked

B．continued

C．faded

D．returned

15.

A．mom

B．babysitter

C．shopper

D．victim

16.

A．Meanwhile

B．Moreover

C．However

D．Otherwise

17.

A．experience

B．example

C．partner

D．leader

18.

A．aggressive

B．lovely

C．sweaty

D．cheerful

19.

A．most desperate

B．most caring

C．greatest

D．worst

20.

A．promised

B．struggled

C．prepared

D．managed

2 . Ask any business leader what big challenges they face and it’s likely that skills and labor shortages will be high on their list. They’re concerned about how to develop the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. According to the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report 2023, organizations across all industries identify skills gaps and an inability to attract talent as the key barriers preventing industry transformation.

There’s a potential solution to all of this: a “skills-first” approach. The new report, Putting Skills First: A Framework for Action, launched during the World Economic Forum’s Growth Summit, finds that switching to a skills-first mindset can directly benefit over 100 million people globally who’re currently under-utilizing their existing skills, because they’re under-employed in their current job or because they’re unemployed. The analysis, which covers 18 economies, finds workforce under-utilization ranges from 4% of the working population in Thailand, to 7% in the US, 13% in France, 27% in Brazil and 43% in South Africa.

A skills-first approach focuses on a person’s skills and competencies rather than on their qualifications or job history, so that what someone can do becomes far more important than which university they went to. Crucially, this focus on skills continues long after the worker has been hired, with an emphasis on continually developing their abilities right through their career.

Making skills a priority is fairly advantageous. For businesses, taking a skills-first approach dramatically increases the potential pool of talent from which they can draw on. For individuals, it provides access to good jobs that offer skills building, career progression and higher earning potential which they’d otherwise have been excluded from without the right qualifications.

Delivering such ground-breaking change requires more than simply the involvement of HR teams. It’ll require the commitment of CEOs and policy-makers at the highest level to drive it through. So far a company in UK has introduced a range of degree apprenticeship (学徒制) programs which enable applicants without a degree to gain one while working at the firm. The organization is also developing new career paths to ensure it has the right skills to meet the changing needs of the economy.

1. What plays a key role in industry transformation?

A．Working environment.	B．Employees’ job history.
C．Employees’ competence.	D．Business leaders’ management.

2. What do we know about the new report according to paragraph 2?

A．It was launched by 18 economies.

B．It focuses on a skills-first mindset.

C．It shows the decline of global economy.

D．It points out employment trends.

3. What does the last paragraph convey about the skills-first approach?

A．Further research needs to be done.

B．It depends on global cooperation.

C．Some measures are already underway.

D．It is well accepted around the world.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A skills-first approach.

B．A more inclusive society.

C．Developing new career paths.

D．Creating a framework for job markets.

3 . Heart in your throat. Butterflies in your stomach. Bad courage feeling. These are all phrases many people use to describe fear and anxiety.

You have likely felt anxiety inside your chest or stomach, and your brain usually doesn’t hurt when you’re scared. Many cultures tie weakness and bravery more to the heart or the guts than to the brain. But science has traditionally seen the brain as the birthplace and processing site of fear and anxiety. Then why and how do you feel these emotions in other parts of your body? Research confirms that while emotions do begin originally in your brain, it’s your body that carries out the orders. While your brain gradually changed and developed to save you from a falling rock or speeding man-eating animals, the anxieties of modern life are often a lot more abstract. Fifty-thousand years ago, being rejected by your tribe could mean death, but not doing a great job on a public speech at school or at work doesn’t have the same consequences. Your brain, however, might not know the difference.

There are a few key areas of the brain that are heavily involved in processing fear. Amygdala (杏仁体) is a small area of the brain located near your ears which detects obvious features, or the emotional connection of a situation and how to react to it. Threat search is a vital part of this process, and it has to be fast.

The hippocampus (海马体) is near and tightly connected to the amygdala. It’s involved in memorizing what is safe and what is dangerous, especially in relation to the environment — it puts fear in conditions.

The prefrontal cortex (前额叶皮质), located above your eyes, is mostly involved in the realization and social aspects of fear processing. For example, you might be scared of a snake until you read a sign that the snake is not poisonous or the owner tells you it’s his friendly pet.

As is described by a singer in his song “Lose Yourself”, the reason his hands sweated, his knees got weak and his arms became heavy was that his brain was nervous.

1. What can we learn from paragraph 2?

A．Emotions can lead to reactions in the body.

B．The brain keeps up with the pace of modern life.

C．Fear and anxiety do much damage to the brain.

D．Nowadays people have more anxieties than before.

2. Which of the following relates to the hippocampus?

A．Receiving outside information.

B．Storing memories.

C．Identifying different features.

D．Adjusting emotions.

3. Why is the song mentioned in the last paragraph?

A．To show the singer’s love for music.

B．To present a common phenomenon.

C．To illustrate the singer’s physical condition.

D．To explain physical discomfort originates from brain.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The response to fear and anxiety

B．A study about sense of fear

C．What negative emotions affect your body

D．What is the root of fear and anxiety

4 . I grew up in Florida, surrounded by my extended family, but we can trace our ancestry back to Texas when it still belonged to Mexico. Our language, customs and even the names my ancestors called themselves have since largely been lost to forced assimilation (同化). Yet our oral traditions, expressed through storytelling, poetry and jokes, persist.

My grandmother and mother taught me, a lovely girl, that the natural world around us has stories to tell if you listen closely. After all, language is not unique to humans. One of my earliest memories is sitting on my grandmother’s cracked concrete porch watching one of the many doves she had nursed back to health land in her raised hand after she called out to it. When dark storm clouds gathered over the half-finished roof, my mother would take a steak knife from the kitchen to the outside of the house, pointing it to the sky to cut the rain away. My friends thought it was magical how nature seemed to bend to my mother’s will.

It makes sense that I became an author. My life is built around stories. When I lived in New York and Los Angeles, I’d have to hike very far to find a piece of nature to be in—the rare tree in downtown Los Angeles, or the ginkgoes near Inwood Hill Park in New York City. Now in East Tennessee, I walk a few steps past my porch, into my garden—two small pieces of land that borders my two-story white and greenish-blue farmhouse. When I first moved here, non-native European grass blanketed the thirsty clay, red as dried blood. I dug up eight garden beds in the middle of that grass, filling them with plants native to my region: cone flowers and aromatic aster, bee balm and Virginia blue bells. I tried growing squash peppers, yellow watermelon and white eggplant but the plants languished. My land seems to want nothing but flowers. So I am trying my hand at planting zinnias, cosmos and dahlias instead.

If I am creatively blocked, I walk barefoot on the earth, no matter what the season, allowing stories to feed the roots of my entire body. If I have a plot hole I need to fix, I visit my lemon and lime basil, keeping my fingers with their sweet scents (气味).

1. What plays a role in keeping traditions alive in the author’s view?

A．A close family relationship.	B．The practice of storytelling.
C．The values of society members.	D．An atmosphere of growth.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．How the author became a gardening expert.

B．How the author fed himself with stories.

C．How the author connected with nature.

D．How the author was inspired by stories.

3. Which can best replace the underlined word “languished” in paragraph 3?

A．Stood out.

B．Survived.

C．Developed.

D．Faded away.

4. What can be inferred about the author from the text?

A．She’s a very responsible person.

B．She’s a nature-loving writer.

C．She’s a passionate traveller.

D．She’s a professional gardener.

5 . Here are some musicals on Broadway.

Back to the Future

When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past and send himself back to the future. It’s recommended for ages 6 and up.

How to Dance in Ohio

At a group counseling center in Columbus, Ohio, seven autistic(患孤独症的) young adults prepare for a spring formal dance—a rite of passage that breaks open their routines and sets off heartbreaking encounters with love, stress, excitement, and independence. It is a story about people standing at the turning point of the next phase of their lives, facing their hopes and fears, ready to make a very big first move and dance. It’s based on the award-winning documentary.

Mother Play

Outside of D.C., Phyllis is supervising her teenage children, Carl and Martha, as they move into a new apartment. Phyllis has strong ideas about what her children need to do and how to succeed, and troubles the child faces when finding their own path. Combining flares of imaginative theatricality, surreal farce, and deep tenderness, this beautiful rollercoaster ride reveals timeless truths of love, family, and forgiveness.

I Need That

Sam doesn’t get out at all, opting instead for the safety of his house in the company of his many things. But when a notice from the government arrives alerting Sam that he must cleanup hi property or face eviction(驱逐), he’s forced to deal with what’s trash, what’s treasure, and whether we can ever know the difference between the two.

1. What can be learned about Back to the Future?

A．It is kid-friendly.	B．It is based on the history.
C．It explores the value of time.	D．It encourages people to connect more.

2. What does Mother Play focus on?

A．Parenting.	B．Family relationships.
C．Mother’s troubles.	D．Fiction and reality.

3. Which musical is adapted from true stories?

A．Back to the Future.	B．How to Dance in Ohio.
C．Mother Play.	D．I Need That.

6 . Research shows that forming connections with your coworkers is good for your career and your overall happiness.

It’s a fact that as you get older, it becomes harder to make friends. It’s a natural progression, whether you work in an office or a remote area. As you get older and leave school, you often have more demands for your time and fewer opportunities to get to know those around you.

“Maintaining friendships takes effort, but it’s well worth it,” says CEO and Fast Company contributor Corey Weiner. “Studies show that a friend can make you a better collaborator (合作者), a more creative and productive worker and generally happier with your job.”

After all, most of you spend a huge number of your waking hours at work. Of course, it’s more fun to have someone to collaborate with and occasionally sympathize with. But how do you go about making genuine connections with coworkers or other like-minded individuals in your industry?

It might sound overly simplistic, but a big part of building friendships is just putting yourself out there. “If you’re not used to having a lot of friends any more, you may actually need to remind yourself to engage,” writes Professor Art Markman. “Set time on your calendar for a phone call or make plans to get a cup of coffee.”

“Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move,” says Keith Rollag, author of What to Do When You’re New. “If things go well during an initial coffee or activity, actively follow up to build on that connection.”

You’re not going to immediately bond with all of your coworkers or every person you meet at a networking happy hour. But making continual attempts to find connections with your non-annoying colleagues will eventually pay off. Last but not least, don’t call them work husband or work wife in the beginning.

1. Why is it harder to make friends when people get older?

A．They focus more on other business.

B．They have more demands on friends.

C．They reject to put many efforts into it.

D．They are too old to know other people.

2. What do the words of Corey Weiner show?

A．The way to make friends.	B．The need to do jobs well.
C．The importance of the studies.	D．The meaning of gaining friendship.

3. What does Keith Rollag attach importance to?

A．Keeping in touch with old friends.	B．Spending more time drinking coffee.
C．The initiative in forming connections.	D．The balance between work and life.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the last paragraph?

A．To offer suggestions.	B．To explain reasons.
C．To draw conclusions.	D．To make comments.

7 . “The majority of decisions we make do not come from the conscious (有意识的) mind, but the subconscious mind,” Beni Gradwohl, the co-founder of Cognovi Labs, said. “Our decisions are based on emotions. People think they are very rational (理智的). But they are not. In fact, decisions in the subconscious mind are made in a second before the rational mind recognizes that.”

Gradwohl used to think that cold and hard data defined the world. But when he was exposed to behavioral economics, his world view changed. He said, “Emotional intelligence is more important than intelligence quotient (IQ). Most successful leaders in the world don’t have above-average IQ but above average emotional quotient (EQ).”

Gradwohl co-founded AI company, Cognovi Labs, to better understand how people make decisions, using data and science and technology to measure underlying emotions.

When asked how event organizers could benefit from using emotional AI, Gradwohl said, “The first thing is whether you really understand what’s driving your target audience to an event.” He added, “You can ask them, but what potential registrants tell you may be incorrect.”

According to Gradwohl, registering for an event is not an entirely rational decision, and it goes deeper. Understanding how your target audience makes decisions is important because you don’t want to sell them something they don’t care about. Cognovi Labs’ AI can uncover the underlying emotional drivers or blockers of your target audience’s decision-making.

Beyond using Cognovi Labs’ AI in the marketing leading up to an event, once the event is underway, Gradwohl thinks organizers can know how their participants are feeling via the AI. That involves using feedback (反馈) surveys. He said, “Have attendees talk to the event app and then transcribe that. We call that diagnostic (诊断的) interview because they may generate a strong emotional response. With those conversations about what they are experiencing throughout the program at different times of the day, we will see what the emotional blockers and drivers are. We can get a full picture of the emotional aspects of the attendees.”

1. What may Cognovi Labs mainly focus on?

A．Researching people’s potential emotions.	B．Helping people make rational decisions.
C．Training people to develop conscious minds.	D．Leading people to study science and technology.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 5?

A．Registering for an event is important.	B．Believing target audience is necessary.
C．Cognovi Labs’ AI helps event organizers.	D．Cognovi Labs’ AI benefits lots of drivers.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Cognovi Labs’ AI’s feedback surveys.	B．Cognovi Labs’ AI’s additional function.
C．The ways to organize a marketing event.	D．The attendees’ strong emotional response.

4. Which of the following may be the best title for the text?

A．The Founder of an Emotional AI	B．The Future of Behavioral Economics
C．An AI Company Improves Intelligence	D．An Emotional AI Helps Make Decisions

8 . Taking a vacation may be the last thing on the mind of a cancer patient. ________ can be expensive, time-consuming and sometimes hard work. While people facing illness may be ________ of resources for vacation, they are ________ a stress-free time away. I’m one such ________.

I’m suffering from lung cancer. Diagnosed in March 2017, I was ________ beyond belief. At that time, I was ________ 60 hours a week as a billing clerk. Due to my medications’ side effects, I ________ my career and what I thought made me who I was, though I now discover that ________ is what matters.

Through the Internet, I ________ Little Pink Houses of Hope, a nonprofit that provided a free week-long ________ to cancer patients and their families. After applying and being ________, we drove from Houston all the way to Hatteras Island in North Carolina. It rained most of the time, so I ________ the beauty along the way. I had no idea what to expect and was ________.

Looking back, I am so glad I went. I hadn’t felt such ________ love and such a sense of family. We went to the beach, had wonderful meals and went surfing which I had never thought I would get the chance to do. We ________ in a way that I thought was impossible, not only with the other ________ but also with the volunteers. It was nice to see my husband get along with the other husbands. Being a(n) ________ and the breadwinner,” he had a lot on his plate.

I’ve suffered from the cancer for many years and I undergo ________ every year. I want people to know that though I am living with a serious disease, I am still living ________. So don’t feel sorry for me, but make the ________ of life with me.

1.

A．Writing

B．Driving

C．Traveling

D．Shopping

2.

A．sure

B．short

C．careful

D．capable

3.

A．in need of

B．in front of

C．by means of

D．on top of

4.

A．guide

B．volunteer

C．consultant

D．patient

5.

A．confident

B．relieved

C．scared

D．cautious

6.

A．working

B．sleeping

C．playing

D．wandering

7.

A．found

B．remembered

C．lost

D．chose

8.

A．work

B．love

C．friendship

D．luck

9.

A．complained about

B．worried about

C．talked about

D．learned about

10.

A．arrangement

B．treatment

C．vacation

D．conference

11.

A．proved

B．approved

C．ignored

D．doubted

12.

A．designed

B．exposed

C．grasped

D．missed

13.

A．concerned

B．efficient

C．beneficial

D．embarrassed

14.

A．weak

B．potential

C．uncomfortable

D．unconditional

15.

A．bonded

B．succeeded

C．chatted

D．competed

16.

A．doctors

B．colleagues

C．participants

D．employees

17.

A．assistant

B．carer

C．organizer

D．specialist

18.

A．education

B．surgery

C．development

D．punishment

19.

A．curiously

B．patiently

C．independently

D．wonderfully

20.

A．memories

B．judgements

C．preparations

D．promises

9 . The beauty industry produces many units of one-time use containers every year. More and more consumers are asking how they can keep themselves clean and beautiful without trashing the planet.

It’s a question Women of the Future winner, Natassia Nicolao, considered during her years working in product development for beauty and wellness companies. Raised by a strong and supportive mother, Natassia used her skills and passion to make a difference. In 2021, she created her waterless beauty brand.

She said, “Water is involved in every stage of a product life cycle. Everything we use, buy, sell and make has a huge water footprint. On top of that, the beauty industry adds water as the main ingredients in its products, despite it having no direct benefit to our skin.”

Having lived through water restrictions in drought-ridden Australia, Natassia felt it necessary to stop the overuse of water in the beauty industry. Natassia has always loved beauty. Her company tries to be sustainable in every step of the way, but at its core, it is about removing water from our beauty routines.

“It’s really rooted in water conservation first, and then managing your water footprint, your carbon footprint and your waste footprint,” Natassia said. “We create waterless beauty products to help conserve water.” The glass bottles and jars of her products can be recycled. The oils and wipes are formulated without any water, requiring no water to use. The company also has a piece of game-changing beauty technology: face-wipes and masks that completely dissolve in water.

“The company is still in its beginning,” Natassia said. With the prize money from Women of the Future, she plans to purchase a machine to simplify the creation of the wipes and masks. The publicity, meanwhile, will help her spread the message central to the company’s existence that beauty must do better. Natassia believes that, with a little courage and innovation, it can do.

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

A．Studying.

B．Damaging.

C．Exploding.

D．Supporting.

2. What mainly led to the birth of Natassia’s company?

A．Her pursuit of profit.	B．Her best beauty skills.
C．Her growth environment.	D．Her love of extreme beauty.

3. Which can best describe the products of Natassia’s company?

A．Environmentally friendly.	B．Relatively cheap.
C．Elegant.	D．World-famous.

4. How does Natassia feel about the beauty industry?

A．It has died out.

B．It’s promising.

C．It develops well.

D．It’s worth analysis.

10 . While there are many summer programs for high school students in NYC, the Career Edge, an NYU high school summer program, affords students an exceptional college and career readiness experience. It has served thousands of high school students from around the world in exploring career paths and experiencing what it is like to live on the NYU campus and learn at a well-known university.

Program overview

The program offers you the chance to explore a career path before you declare it as a college major. Many students choose to attend multiple weeks, taking a different course each session.

Academic experience

The courses focus on the content that provides a comprehensive overview of your area of interest. Field trips to related companies and organizations bring what you learn in class to life.

NYC experience

Living and learning in NYC is an unforgettable adventure. You’ll dive deep into the course content that immerses you in industry, while enjoying the culture and excitement of the city.

Students’ feedback

Tony: The Finance class was great. We explored Wall Street, visited Federal Hall and the Museum of American Finance, and learned how to trade stocks. The instructor made the course interesting and entertaining.

Ava: The Integrated Marketing class was very informative. The instructor was a real professional. Visits to digital agencies and marketing firms gave me an insider’s view of what it’s like to work in the field.

1. Who is the program intended for?

A．College students.	B．Primary school students.
C．Junior middle school students.	D．Senior high school students.

2. What can the students do after joining in the program?

A．Learn American history.	B．Set up new organizations.
C．Visit some places in NYC.	D．Work in a foreign company.

3. What may Tony and Ava think of the program?

A．It’s costly.

B．It’s boring.

C．It’s ordinary.

D．It’s wonderful.