1 . I used to be bad at playing basketball. Gym class in middle school was the worst. I was always the last kid to be picked. The only reason why I was even picked at all was that I was good friends with the best player in the class.
In the eighth grade, I finally decided I was sick and tired of being a nonentity. I dedicated (奉献) that entire summer to getting better. I spent every day playing basketball, practising for hours in the gym. I remember playing pick-up games with one group of kids until they all eventually got tired and left. Then a whole different group of kids would come in and I’d play with them too.
After months of this devoted routine, something amazing started to happen. People began passing me the ball. They trusted me to take the shot. They even started picking me first to be on their team! The last game of organized basketball I ever played was the culmination (高潮) of all my hard work. Against a team far more talented than mine. I scored 27 points. We still lost, but I walked away from that game feeling like a total champion.
What I learned from those years of rejection and waiting to be picked was that life really isn’t any different. Most of us spend our lives waiting for opportunities to land in our laps. What’s worse, sometimes we feel entitled (使有权) to them. And when things don’t go our way — when no one picks us — we find something or someone to blame.
I could have complained when no one wanted me on their team. I could have convinced myself that I deserved to be picked. But I didn’t. Instead I took matters into my own hands and put in the work to become better.
Should we have our fate controlled by a few people who in most cases don’t even know us? I certainly don’t think so. We have a choice. We can choose to create something meaningful, and so move forward with our ideas.
1. What can we know about the author in the first paragraph?| A．He was always to be picked. |
| B．He was picked because of his good friend. |
| C．He was once crazy about playing basketball. |
| D．He used to be really good at playing basketball. |
| A．short person. | B．A superior player. |
| C．An important player. | D．An insignificant person. |
| A．People still refused to play with him. |
| B．Now he is good at playing basketball. |
| C．He gained people’s trust through his effort. |
| D．His team was defeated by a more talented one. |
2 . My first visit to Angkor Wat (吴哥窟) was in 1980. The country had been at war for many years and the temple was deserted and falling to pieces. Plants were growing out of the roofs, and trees were growing in the yards.
Today, the temple is the scene of a busy repair program. A team of 15 Indian experts are organizing a workforce of 400 Cambodians, most of them women, who are cleaning, repairing and rebuilding parts of this temple.
As I walked through the yards, I noticed the Cambodian women devote hours to cleaning carefully a tiny area of stone. Boards are laid down to protect the precious painted stones while the repair work is going on. There are very few machines and little heavy equipment. Workers carry building materials in buckets at the end of long poles. Piles of stones lie in a corner of the yard, waiting to be replaced.
The work of cleaning the stones is watched over by three Indian chemists. It is a very slow task. First they clean the stones with brushes using buckets of a weak chemical. Then gaps between the stones are filled in. Finally another material is painted onto the stones which will protect them from water forever.
Work starts every day at 7 am and goes on until late afternoon six days a week, with a break at midday.
Evening is the best time to visit the temple, after the tour groups have left. As the sun sinks lower, shadows spread across the yard. After sunset, the sky turns pink. The grey stone towers take on a golden color before turning pink. Nowhere else in the world can there be such a quiet, beautiful place.
1. According to the author, which of the following plays the LEAST important role in the repair work?| A．The women workers. |
| B．The Indian workers. |
| C．Machines. |
| D．Skilled workers. |
| A．there was no one in the temple and it was in a poor state |
| B．the temple was built on a desert and nobody noticed it |
| C．the temple was very old with a long history |
| D．the temple was repaired by the Cambodians, most of whom were women |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
| A．To get rid of certain types of plants. |
| B．To carry the building materials. |
| C．To replace the stones. |
| D．To clean the stones. |
3 . Mary Shelley bends over her latest creation. Although the carving is only half complete, the image of a waitress holding a plate of eggs comes out from the board. Of Shelley’s nearly seven hundred carvings, many show scenes with cows on farms and people in restaurants.
From memories to carvings
“My work is a visual diary, ” Shelley says. “The carvings describe things I have experienced and felt at different times in my life.”
Every one of her carvings tells a story. Many of the stories in Shelley’s woodcarvings come from memories of her childhood in a rural (乡村的) area outside of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Shelley’s family managed a small farm. Mary was a serious girl who spent a lot of time raising animals, exploring outdoors, and reading. Although Shelley never felt especially artistic as a child, there was always an art project in the works in the Shelley household. Her grandmother painted. Her father was a commercial artist, who drew and wrote to make a living.
______
Shelley attended Cornell University and hoped to become a writer, but an unusual present took her in another direction. At age 23, she received a gift her father had made-a woodcarving of her as a girl on the farm. The gift caught her interest. After gathering boards from a building site where she worked as a carpenter, Shelley bought some tools and taught herself to carve.
Shelley soon realized that she loved the slow, thoughtful process of working with wood and painting. “A carving is like a jigsaw puzzle (拼图游戏),” she explains. “I didn’t know how it would all fit together, but the process of solving the puzzle kept me going.”
The Shelley style
Early in her career, people hired Shelley to carve special pieces that took four or five weeks to complete. The money she received motivated her to try more complicated scenes created by carving deeper in the wood. Over time, Shelley’s art began to have its own style. In a typical Shelley woodcarving, some objects seem to reach out of the frame while others drop back, creating a feeling of depth.
1. What can we infer from the “From memories to carvings” part?| A．Art is from but beyond life. | B．Life is short and art is long. |
| C．It is great art to laugh at your own misfortune. | D．Knowledge without practice makes but half an artist |
| A．Life in School | B．A Dream Come True |
| C．A Life-Changing Gift | D．Jigsaw Puzzles and Carving |
| A．The dream to be an artist in her childhood. | B．Her father’s low-relief carving for her. |
| C．The rugs hooked by her grandmother. | D．Her school life in Cornell University. |
| A．is very popular | B．is very expensive |
| C．has simple scenes | D．creates a feeling of depth |
4 . The world’s coral reefs do more for the planet than provide underwater beauty. They protect shorelines from the effects of hurricanes. An estimated 500 million people earn their livelihood from the fishing stocks and tourism opportunities reefs provide. The tiny animals that give rise to reefs are even offering hope for new drugs to treat cancer and other diseases.
Despite their importance, warming waters, pollution, ocean acidification, overfishing, and physical destruction are killing coral reefs around the world. So now scientists around the world are looking for all kinds of ways to protect and maybe even revive(复苏) corals. In the Bahamas, Ross Cunning, a research biologist at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, is focusing on corals with genes that could make them natural candidates for restoration projects. He recently published a study of two Bahamian reefs, one that seemed to survive an intense 2015 heat wave, and one that didn’t.“It sets the stage to find out which genes are responsible for thermal tolerance,” says Cunning, adding that he hopes discovering those genes will help scientists one day breed more heat-tolerant coral.
In Massachusetts, Cohen’s research has found two key elements that seem to protect corals. The first: internal(内部的) waves beneath the ocean’s surface that bring cooler currents to heat-struck corals, essentially air-conditioning them as temperatures rise. The second: adaptation, a quality that corals found in Palau’s warm lagoons(环礁湖) seem to display.On average, these lagoons submerge(淹没) coral in water that is two degrees Celsius warmer than the water outside the lagoons. “We think the fact that they can deal with these higher temperatures is built into their genetics and allows them to deal with the heat waves.”
She’s also found evidence of corals evolving more quickly in the past two decades to withstand rapidly warming temperatures. The big question scientists are now enquiring into, says Cohen, is whether there’s a cap on how much more heat corals can adapt to. Cohen calls these regions with heat-adapted corals as “super reefs,” and like Friendlander, advocates for using marine reserves to protect them.
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The protection for coral reefs |
| B．The great value of coral reefs. |
| C．The benefits for tourism from coral reefs. |
| D．The relationship between animals and coral reefs. |
| A．Cooling down the waters is the key to their success. |
| B．Some corals have been genetically improved successfully. |
| C．He expects to identify the genes of the heat-tolerant corals. |
| D．Some corals that survived 2015 heat wave surprised people. |
| A．How corals survive in the warm lagoons. |
| B．What are the key elements to protect corals. |
| C．How they can use natural reserves to protect corals. |
| D．What is the high temperature limit of the surviving corals. |
| A．Science. | B．Environment. | C．Animal. | D．Climate. |
5 . For the Love of Food
Make food your life in the CIA Associate in Culinary Arts degree program. You’ll not only build the core skills used by every chef; you’ll chart your own path toward a lifelong career doing what you love. Learn to prepare a wide variety of dishes and cuisines, manage people, and use state-of-the-art equipment—all in less than two years! Come and make our trademark hands-on learning approach and industry-proven experts work for you.
Highlights:
1st Session: Learn how to develop flavor, employ classic and contemporary culinary techniques, create menus, and prepare global cuisines.
2nd Session: Study the ways successful culinary professionals manage restaurants, high-end catering, food trucks, and other food-related businesses.
3rd Session: Gain real-world experience through a paid internship semester at one of CIA’s 2,000+ food industry partners.
4th Session: Discover how real public restaurants are operated—hands-on, in our award-winning, live-action restaurant classrooms that serve thousands of customers annually.
How to apply：
Get started by submitting your application on our official website. Choose from two online options: CIA ONLINE APP or COMMON APP.
Next, to complete your application file, we just need three additional items:
▲ Request official transcripts(成绩单).
▲ Submit an essay to indicate your goals in life.
▲ Ask for a recommendation letter written by your teachers.
That’s it! You’re on your way to enrolling at CIA. If you’ve already submitted your application, learn more about the essay and supporting materials. Get ready for applications at least 3 months in advance in case of any interviews and background checks. Applications for our program are due by December 1,2023.
1. How long at most can you get the degree?| A．one year | B．two years | C．three years | D．four years |
| A．At the first session. | B．At the second session. |
| C．At the third session. | D．At the fourth session. |
| A．They should write a recommendation letter themselves. |
| B．They should submit applications by email. |
| C．They should start to apply in December 2023. |
| D．They should prepare for the application ahead of schedule. |
6 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and entertainment. We can find new recipes on the Internet or advice on staying healthy. We can even use it to learn a new language and connect with family and friends.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives —well, that train has left the station. This expression means there is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers.
A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in an unlikely group— teenagers. The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week online were more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney (肾) disease. It is also closely linked to some forms of dementia (痴呆), a brain disease. Dementia is marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and a reduced ability to reason.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people from 14 to 17 years old participated in it. One hundred and thirty-four of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users.” Researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure.
The lead researcher of the study is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. In a statement she said, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life but it shouldn’t consume us.” For the purpose of the study, she explains, teens considered heavy Internet users were online on “average 25 hours a week.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to take “regular breaks from their computers or smartphones” and to do some “kind of physical activity.”
1. Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
| B．There is something wrong with the train. |
| C．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| D．The train has changed its course. |
| A．will remember everything clearly | B．will change his character |
| C．will develop a brain cancer | D．can do analysis accurately |
| A．40% | B．19% | C．25% | D．7% |
| A．The Internet Does Harm to the Study. |
| B．Too Much Internet May Be Bad for Teenagers. |
| C．We Should Stop Using the Internet. |
| D．High Blood Pressure Is around the Comer. |
7 . New Zealand plans to put a price on sheep and cow burps (打嗝) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (排放). If the plan is passed, New Zealand will become the first country to tax (征税) farmers on each burp of their cattle, since the burps give out methane (甲烷) into the atmosphere.
“There is no question that we need to cut the amount of methane we are putting into the atmosphere, and an effective emissions pricing system for agriculture will play a key part in how we achieve that,” Climate Change Minister James Shaw said.
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of global warming. It is reportedly responsible for at least 14.5% of the world’s emissions. Moreover, cows are by far the biggest contributors. This is so because they produce 40% of global methane when they burp, fart (放屁) and produce waste. Also, methane is 80 times more warming than CO2 although it’s shorter-lived in the atmosphere.
New Zealand, which has a population of five million people, has around 10 million cattle and 26 million sheep. “Almost half the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, mainly methane,” the draft plan explained.
The “burp tax” is expected to take effect in 2025. Mr. Shaw wants farming to be more environmentally friendly. He also wants farmers to change the way they farm. He wants them to feed their animals on seaweed instead of grass. This will produce fewer emissions. Mr. Shaw also said farmers can reduce the tax they pay by planting more trees. Another suggestion is for cows to wear special masks.
New Zealand’s farmers support the government. They want to do their bit to help the environment.
1. Why will cattle’s burps be taxed?| A．To raise more money. | B．To feed more cattle. |
| C．To limit cattle’s price. | D．To better the environment. |
| A．Its cows produce 40% of global methane. |
| B．Its agriculture affects greenhouse gas emissions. |
| C．It is responsible for at least 14.5% of the world’s emissions. |
| D．There is 80 times more methane than CO2. |
| A．Plant more trees. | B．Correct their way to farm. |
| C．Feed their animals on grass. | D．Wear special masks when farming. |
| A．New Zealand reducing greenhouse gas emissions |
| B．New Zealand’s greenhouse emissions and animal farming |
| C．New Zealand introducing a new tax to help the environment |
| D．New Zealand’s farmers joining in the fight against climate change |
8 . One Monday afternoon in April, 45-year-old Rene Compean set out for a hike in Angeles National Forest in Southern California.
Rene parked his car near the Buckhorn Campground and headed up a trail in the Mt. Waterman area. Later, he texted a picture of setting foot on a rock to a friend, and the unclear image ended up saving his life!
A few hours into the hike, Rene took a wrong turn because a path marker was missing due to recent forest fires. He realized he was lost and texted his friend for help, explaining that he had no idea where he was and his phone was about to die. Unfortunately, he didn’t have location services on his mobile phone, so search and rescue teams couldn’t find him using GPS.
Rene was reported missing around 6 p.m. Temperatures dropped rapidly in the mountains, and rescuers searched through the night with no success.
When they set out in search of Rene the next morning, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office posted Rene’s picture to their social media pages, asking the public to help them identify the area.
Thankfully, the photo made its way to satellite mapping enthusiast Benjamin Kuo. As luck would have it, Ben has “a very strange hobby” that came into use in this situation. “I love taking a look at photos and figuring out where they’re taken,” Ben explained.
He studied the area below Rene’s legs for clues and came up with coordinates (坐标) for where he thought the hiker was. He then provided the details to the Sheriff’s Office. Thankfully, Ben’s coordinates had exactly pointed out his location! Believe it or not, officials found the hiker within three-quarters of a mile of the GPS coordinates Ben sent them. A helicopter was sent to the site, and there was Rene, tired out and cold from his night outside but otherwise unharmed.
1. What made it difficult for search and rescue teams to find Rene?| A．Fires broke out in the forest. | B．The path marker was not correct. |
| C．Rene couldn’t be located by GPS. | D．Rene’s picture was not clear enough. |
| A．To help locate Rene’s position. | B．To attract the attention of the readers. |
| C．To seek satellite mapping enthusiasts. | D．To inform people of Rene’s getting lost. |
| A．Because he loved hiking and taking photos. |
| B．Because he was quite familiar with the area. |
| C．Because he was sent to the site by a helicopter. |
| D．Because he was good at finding clues from photos. |
| A．The bravery and calmness of Rene. | B．The extraordinary talent of Benjamin. |
| C．The excellent photography skill of Rene. | D．The search and rescue teams’ rich experience. |
9 . Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Men have been polluting the earth. Many years ago, the pollution was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, men moved to another place.
Air pollution is now the most serious. Air makes people sick. And lots of people now are trying to use something to clear the air. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us become angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight air pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by SO2 is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
Although most of the pollution is caused by us, we are the ones who can change the situation. The earth is our home. We must take care of it. And we must pay more attention to the information in pollution at the same time.
1. Why was the pollution in the past less serious?| A．Because life in the past was easier. | B．Because there were not so many people. |
| C．Because men stayed in one place. | D．Because people used less coal to make fire. |
| A．Air pollution. | B．Noise pollution. |
| C．Light pollution. | D．Water pollution. |
| A．Try to use something to clear the air. | B．Ask people to use public transport more. |
| C．Stop putting dirty smoke into the air. | D．Encourage people to move to another place. |
| A．To prove life is much easier today. | B．To call on us to take care of our earth. |
| C．To show the danger of pollution. | D．To introduce how to fight air pollution. |
10 . At the 2022-23 China High School Basketball League (CHBL) national Finals on May 14, sportswear giant Nike announced that it would build an environmentally friendly basketball court that uses recycled sneakers as raw materials. The court is scheduled to be completed in Guangzhou by the end of July.
Cooperating with the China School Sports Federation, Nike launched the environmental protection charity project for the CHBL 2022-23 Season. The project encourages the involvement of CHBL players’ coaches, basketball enthusiasts and consumers in the collection and recycling of old sport shoes. Through advanced technology, thrown-away sport shoes will be processed and used in the construction of the first ever CHBL-themed eco-friendly basketball court.
Over the past two months, the old sport shoes collection bins have traveled alongside the CHBL tour making stops at the four major regional tournaments held in the east, west, south and north of China. The bins have gone into schools, including Tsinghua High School in Beijing and Huipu Middle School in Taizhou Zhejiang province, spreading the spirits of CHBL and inspiring its players to become role models not only on the basketball court, but also in their everyday lives.
Famous female basketball player Han Xu has actively contributed to the collection of used shoes and expressed her support for the project through her personal social media channels. Zhang Lei, secretary general of the CSSF, says that CHBL not only assists young players and teenagers in improving their basketball skills but also promotes the development of basketball culture within campuses.
“In addition to expanding the league’s size and influence, we have also added environmental education into the program. Environmental education plays an important role in shaping society’s core values. It guides young individuals toward understanding the importance of environmental issues, forming a proper attitude on the relationship between humans and nature, and raising their environmental awareness and practices. It serves as an endless source of developing environmental consciousness throughout society.”
The construction of the eco-friendly basketball court marks a significant step in Nike’s commitment to supporting young basketball fans while putting environmental sustainability (持续性) at the first place.
1. Which is true about the basketball court mentioned?| A．It is built by Nike without any help | B．It is built out of recycled sport shoes |
| C．It has already been put into use | D．It does harm to the environment |
| A．Doubtful | B．Negative | C．Indifferent | D．Supportive |
| A．CHBL attaches great importance to environment protection. |
| B．Nike builds such a basketball court for making more money. |
| C．Only basketball players benefit from the construction of the court. |
| D．Environmental education has no connection with society’s core values. |
| A．Ways to Recycle Thrown-away Sport Shoes Effectively |
| B．The Importance of Jointly Protecting the Environment |
| C．Eco-friendly Basketball Court to be Completed in Guangzhou |
| D．The Benefits of Living in Harmony with Nature for Humans |
