1 . Betty Sandison was having lunch with some friends when the subject of wish lists came up. Although she had spent more than 30 years working as a registered nurse, Betty told her friends that she regretted never finishing the bachelor’s degree she’d started more than 67 years earlier.
Betty was the first person in her family to pursue higher education. With a dream of becoming a nurse, Betty enrolled at the University of Minnesota. But when she was just 25 credits short of getting her degree, for some reason, Betty dropped out of school and soon got married. Her career was put on hold as the couple moved around for her husband’s job, spending time living in different places.
Many years later, Betty returned to community college to become a registered nurse. She worked as a nurse for more than 30 years before retiring in 2013.
But in 2018, she still felt regretful over her unfinished degree. Encouraged by her friends, Betty decided to return to university to complete her bachelor’s degree. She chose to live in the dormitory and got on well with her roommates. She enrolled in classes and started working on those last 25 credits. However, she was discouraged by the new technology used when taking online courses during the coronavirus pandemic. Even so, Betty persevered.
At age 84, Betty got her bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Studies from the College of Continuing and Professional Studies. She described the accomplishment as “pure joy, pure satisfaction”. Betty may even audit (旁听) college classes now that her degree is complete. She is not sure what’s next, but there’s one thing she does know: Life’s too short to live with regrets!
1. Why didn’t Betty get her bachelor’s degree?| A．Because she decided to marry her beloved one. |
| B．Because she dropped out of school to work as a nurse. |
| C．Because she didn’t achieve the required credits. |
| D．Because she volunteered to fight the coronavirus pandemic. |
| A．The difficult courses. | B．The new technology. |
| C．The coronavirus pandemic. | D．The interpersonal relationship. |
| A．Skilled and friendly. | B．Popular and caring. |
| C．Determined and hard-working. | D．Ambitious and responsible. |
| A．Genius is nothing but labor and diligence. |
| B．Not matter of the today will drag tomorrow. |
| C．Be the change you want to see in the world. |
| D．It is never too late to cross items off the wish list. |
2 . “When we watch TV shows or football games, we’re watching that information evolve over time, uncertain about how it’s all going to end,” said Abby Hsiung, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher at the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences.” I wondered if higher curiosity would push people to seek, or to avoid, getting an immediate ‘spoiler (剧透)’.”
Hsiung drew inspiration from short cooking videos that are popular on Instagram and TikTok, “These videos manage to develop a description and cliffhanger, so that you’re interested and curious about how food materials will all come together.” So Hsiung made a series of 30-second cartoon line-drawing videos that, like the cooking videos, eventually ended up as something highly recognizable, like a dog.
More than 2,000 adults from across the U.S. then watched 25 of these short line-drawing videos online. Participants in Hsiung’s study were asked along the way how curious they were, how they felt, and to guess what the drawing would become. Viewers also had a “spoiler” button to skip ahead to see the final drawing. Hsiung and her team were surprised to find that when people were curious, they avoided hitting the “spoiler” button and kept watching the drawings unfold. It was when people were less curious that they tended to opt for an instant answer. Curiosity didn’t just motivate getting answers, but increased the value of the journey itself.
The study also found that curiosity increased at different stages of watching these videos. Higher curiosity during moments where it seemed like the drawing could tun into anything and also when participants were starting to really home in on a single answer. Curiosity also inspired people’s feeling of joy, explaining why people kept watching the line-drawing video even when they could just hit a button to get the answer right away. This helps explain why people often avoid spoilers. Knowing the end of a new TV series, for example, can remove the enjoyment of watching the plot develop.
Researchers suggest that inspiring curiosity might also help raise motivation in the classroom to potentially improve learning. Increasing curiosity can improve memory by readying the brain for new information and strengthen persistence throughout a learning journey, which is often needed for deep understanding.
1. What is the purpose of Hsiung’s study?| A．To find the relation between curiosity and answer. |
| B．To find better ways to get information in TV shows. |
| C．To find the effects cooking videos have on audience. |
| D．To make a series of 30-second line-drawing videos. |
| A．Creation. | B．Uncertainty. | C．Imagination. | D．Appreciation. |
| A．Viewers would hit the “spoiler” button when they were curious. |
| B．Curiosity did nothing but drive viewers to find out answers. |
| C．As the drawing was taking shape, people gradually lost interest. |
| D．People refused to know answers in advance to enjoy the process. |
| A．It can shorten learning time. | B．It reduces learning difficulty. |
| C．It is good for deep learning. | D．It changes learning approaches. |
3 . A 3-year-old boy who was lost in the woods for 3 days is now safe at home. But Casey told his parents that he was not
The child went
Casey told the police that he had
| A．afraid | B．amazed | C．alone | D．addicted |
| A．dog | B．cat | C．toy | D．bear |
| A．missing | B．swimming | C．hiking | D．camping |
| A．ran | B．returned | C．walked | D．hurried |
| A．participated in | B．arrived in | C．checked in | D．handed in |
| A．writing | B．crying | C．singing | D．reading |
| A．questioned | B．examined | C．practised | D．commented |
| A．confidence | B．puzzles | C．injuries | D．efforts |
| A．hung out | B．left alone | C．worked out | D．cleaned up |
| A．brother | B．sister | C．friend | D．soldier |
| A．play | B．travel | C．survive | D．compete |
| A．Therefore | B．Instead | C．Besides | D．However |
| A．warned | B．thanked | C．informed | D．requested |
| A．patience | B．money | C．kindness | D．time |
| A．challenge | B．recognize | C．watch | D．contact |
4 . With the widespread use of smartphones, emojis(表情符号)have become a popular medium for expressing emotions and ideas. Researchers now believe these expressive symbols can play a significant role in medicine, increasing the response rate of health surveys(调查).
Scientists say that employing emojis in healthcare communications has several benefits, such as general recognition across diverse populations. So the study authors strongly support the use of emojis to bolster communication between patients and physicians.
“By promoting more effective communication between patients and care providers, as well as between physicians themselves, an emoji-based language system with a common agreement of meanings can be developed,” says Professor Kendrick Davis, who is an associate professor at the UCR School of Medicine. The professor has been working on creating an emoji-based measurement system for the past two years. And he has even conducted a study using emojis to measure health among college students.
Davis further explains that a significant part of medical communication includes surveys, which are often areas of communication breakdown. “Surveys are usually passed to patients in a variety of different stages of their care. But many surveys are explained with language that can introduce an obstacle. This is where emojis, which are friendly and widely used, come into play by replacing survey language that can be hard for some patients to understand,” he says. The authors also point out that while effective communication is important for successful treatment and care, certain health conditions such as brain injury can cause major obstacles. In such cases, emojis could be helpful.
However, Davis also acknowledges the importance of qualitative(定性的)methods. He expresses an interest in partnering researchers whose methodologies are heavily qualitative.
1. Why does the author mention the use of smartphones in paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the functions of emojis. |
| B．To explain why emojis develop fast. |
| C．To tell us where emojis are mainly used. |
| D．To show emojis have become widely used. |
| A．Improve. | B．Start. | C．Predict. | D．Suggest. |
| A．Emojis shouldn’t be used in letters from doctors. |
| B．Physicians are poor at communicating with patients. |
| C．Major obstacles can be caused by emojis sometimes. |
| D．Emojis can help patients finish medical surveys better. |
5 . 100-year-old Alfred Larson has been through a lot in his lifetime, but one thing that keeps him going is bluebirds.
When Alfred retired in 1978, he wanted to find a hobby or something to do that would keep him busy and provide him with a sense of purpose. When he read a National Geographic article about crafting wooden nest boxes for bluebirds to help improve their populations, he decided to give it a try. Alfred explained that he started building nest boxes on his ranch (大牧场) using left-over pieces of wood.
More than four decades later, Alfred is still going strong and promoting bluebird conservation efforts. Alfred is now monitoring nearly 350 nest boxes on six different trails (小路) in Southwest Idaho. He said, “I settled on a simple design that was easy to build and easy to monitor. I kept adding more boxes on these trails, and these birds responded.” Alfred’s boxes give bluebirds a lot of help in survival. “Without his work, we can’t see so many bluebirds now,” said Pearman, the author of Mountain Bluebird Trail Monitoring Guide.
To celebrate his achievements, filmmaker Matthew Podolsky worked with Alfred for weeks to create a 30-minute documentary—Bluebird Man. The film explores how everything led him to the work he does today and his efforts in bluebird protection. “I remember the first trip I took to the bluebird trail with Alfred, and I was very surprised by the speed with which he moved from box to box,” said Podolsky. “He was hiking across difficult and uneven terrain (地形). I often struggled to keep up with him. Sometimes we’d check more than 100 boxes and be driving home in the dark.”
The impact he’s had on the populations of bluebirds in North America will continue.
1. How did Alfred help save bluebirds?| A．By feeding them personally. |
| B．By preventing illegal hunting. |
| C．By making wooden nests for them. |
| D．By writing articles about them. |
| A．The number of bluebirds in Southwest Idaho decreases. |
| B．Alfred makes a big difference to bluebird conservation. |
| C．Climate change is threatening the survival of bluebirds now. |
| D．Alfred’s efforts have greatly inspired others to protect bluebirds. |
| A．How the natural habitat of bluebirds disappeared. |
| B．How bluebirds have survived in the past four decades. |
| C．What influence humans have on bluebirds. |
| D．What Alfred does every day to protect bluebirds. |
6 . Turning soil, pulling weeds, and harvesting cabbage sound like tough work for middle and high school kids. And at first it is, says Abby Jaramillo, who with another teacher started Urban Sprouts, a school garden program at four low-income schools. The program aims to help students develop science skills, environmental awareness, and healthy lifestyles.
Jaramillo’s students live m neighborhoods where fresh food and green space are not easy to find and fast food restaurants outnumber grocery stores. “The kids literally come to school with bags of snacks and large bottles of soft drinks,” she says. “They come to us thinking vegetables are awful, dirt is awful, insects are awful.” Though some are initially scared of the insects and turned off by the dirt, most are eager to try something new.
Urban Sprouts’ classes, at two middle schools and two high schools, include hands-on experiments such as soil testing, flower-and-seed dissection, tastings of fresh or dried produce, and work in the garden. Several times a year, students cook the vegetables they grow, and they occasionally make salads for their entire schools.
Program evaluations show that kids cat more vegetables as a result of the classes. “We have students who say they went home and talked to their parents and now they’re eating differently,” Jaramillo says.
She adds that the program’s benefits go beyond nutrition. Some students get so interested in gardening that they bring home seeds to start their own vegetable gardens. Besides, working in the garden seems to have a calming effect on Jaramillo’s special education students, many of whom have emotional control issues. “They get outside,” she says, “and they feel successful.”
1. What do we know about Abby Jaramillo?| A．She grew up in a low-income family. | B．She used to be a health worker. |
| C．She owns a fast food restaurant. | D．She sets up Urban Sprouts. |
| A．The kids’ parents distrusted her. |
| B．Some kids disliked garden work. |
| C．Students had little time for her classes. |
| D．There was no space for school gardens. |
| A．Far-reaching. | B．Predictable. |
| C．Short-lived. | D．Damaging |
| A．Rescuing School Gardens | B．Growing Vegetable Lovers |
| C．Experiencing Country Life | D．Changing Local Landscape |
7 . I had a good job in the marketing division of a Fortune 500 company. After working for this first-class
My wife was a stay-at-home mom, so I would sacrifice (牺牲) our only income and insurance for nothing more than a
I
How would I have
Life provides windows of opportunity, but they close quickly. For me, to remain in my former company during this “window” came at a price too high. Thoreau was right; I wasn’t willing to
| A．college | B．company | C．gym | D．gallery |
| A．submit to | B．jump at | C．think about | D．rule out |
| A．stage | B．process | C．term | D．development |
| A．met | B．witnessed | C．believed | D．loved |
| A．dream | B．hope | C．request | D．prediction |
| A．controlling | B．working | C．conducting | D．carrying |
| A．incredible | B．impossible | C．average | D．unremarkable |
| A．called | B．gained | C．misunderstood | D．realized |
| A．chase | B．abandon | C．cite | D．refuse |
| A．introduced | B．presented | C．launched | D．attended |
| A．developmental | B．multiple | C．grateful | D．creative |
| A．conferences | B．sessions | C．chats | D．workshops |
| A．benefited | B．promoted | C．consumed | D．strengthened |
| A．garden | B．bank | C．quarry | D．ward |
| A．transform | B．alter | C．adapt | D．exchange |
8 . The news industry has had a rough decade. Print readership is steadily declining, newspapers are closing, and journalists with decades of experience are being laid off. In response, major newspapers have made significant changes. They’re attempting to combat declining reader interest by shortening stories, creating clickbait (诱饵性标题), and most especially, using social media to their advantage.
With the rise of social media sites, many people have claimed that we are entering a new age in which news must be delivered in 140 characters or fewer. People’s ability to focus on long-form content and engage in deep reading has also been declining due to the endless distractions and excessive information in today’s world. This change in reading habits has led to a preference for short, easily understood news pieces that can be quickly consumed. To interest a more specific and generally younger readership, newspapers have revised content, prioritizing articles that are visually appealing instead of having depth.
But, in reality, there is still a demand for in-depth reporting. In this era of misinformation and clickbait, readers are seeking reliable sources of news that provide context, analysis, and accountability. Depth reporting explores the fundamental causes, involves multiple perspectives, and uncovers the hidden truths that shape our world, helping readers get a more comprehensive understanding of complicated matters.
While social media have changed the way we consume news, the quality of news remains essential for the public. It’s crucial for the news industry to achieve a balance between catering to changing reader preferences while also maintaining the integrity (完整性) of news. This means providing both quick updates and in-depth analysis, and using social media to promote their content, but not at the expense of accuracy or integrity. By doing so, news organizations can ensure that they remain relevant and trusted sources of information in a rapidly changing media environment.
1. What problem does traditional news industry face?| A．The decline of readership. | B．The lack of long-form stories. |
| C．The spread of unreliable information. | D．The shortage of experienced journalists. |
| A．Checking out. | B．Cutting down. |
| C．Paying no attention to. | D．Attaching importance to. |
| A．People’s need for in-depth reporting is decreasing. |
| B．Social media has played a key role in promoting hidden facts. |
| C．Clickbait greatly increases readers’ interests in exploring truths. |
| D．In-depth reporting can improve readers’ comprehension of complex issues. |
| A．providing quick updates and focusing on popular topics |
| B．stating matters in multiple perspectives and shortening articles |
| C．satisfying readers’ preferences and ensuring the quality of news |
| D．widening news sources and maintaining the accuracy of contents |
9 . Harbin has witnessed a significant boom that has caused it to trend on social media this winter. By December 30, 2023, the city airport’s annual passenger throughput had gone beyond 3000 million. According to a new report, during the three-day New Year holiday, Harbin received 3.05 million tourists and made income of 5.91 billion yuan, both of which reached record highs.
Harbin, also known as China’s “ice city”, is famous for its ice and snow culture. For over 60 years, the city has had a tradition of holding an annual ice lantern exhibition, presenting the creativity and skill of its artists. Recently, the Ice and Snow World, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest ice and snow park, is just one of many attractions in the city. It features amazing ice and snow sculptures, including replicas(复制品) of famous landmarks, animals, and cartoon characters. In addition, visitors can also enjoy different kinds of snow sports, such as ice skating, ice fishing, and sledding.
Harbin spared no effort to show its sincerity and hospitality(热情好客) to tourists. At the Ice and Snow World, a lot of new experiences have been provided, such as hovercrafts and bicycles on ice, Ferris wheels, and hot air balloons. Tourists were welcomed with live performances at the airport, and dressing rooms were set up for them to change into warm clothing. Local residents supported by traveling during off-peak hours to reduce traffic and offering tourists free rides. For those unable to book hotels, the government opened the Provincial People’s Congress Service Center for low-cost stays.
“For individual travelers, a city’s infrastructure(基础设施) and public services form the foundation of tourism competitiveness. It is only when tourists feel the warmth of the city and the goodwill of its citizens that they blend into the lives of a travel destination,” said Dai Bin, president of China Tourism Academy.
1. What are the figures in the first paragraph mainly about?| A．The boom in Harbin’s tourism industry. |
| B．The popularity of Harbin’s new attractions. |
| C．The big investment in Harbin’s Ice and Snow World. |
| D．The local people’s great passion for the New Year holiday. |
| A．It is famous for its ice lantern exhibition. |
| B．It is the first ice and snow park in the world. |
| C．It offers various snow-centered activities for visitors. |
| D．It holds snow sculpture competitions for skilled artists. |
| A．New sporting events in the Ice and Snow World. |
| B．The measures to ensure tourists’ safety in Harbin. |
| C．Kind residents’ support for relieving traffic pressure. |
| D．Harbin’s efforts to improve tourists’ travel experiences. |
| A．A diary of cultural tours. | B．A news report on tourism. |
| C．An advertisement for scenic spots. | D．A review of newly emerging cities. |
10 . Hannah, an adventurous girl, lived in a small village on a land far away. All of the villagers were used to their
One afternoon, she
From that day on, Hannah
With the good in heart, Hannah started to
Hannah’s passion and
| A．robotic | B．challenging | C．fruitless | D．urgent |
| A．camp | B．detect | C．explore | D．relax |
| A．came across | B．cycled around | C．dropped by | D．stepped into |
| A．confused | B．amazed | C．disappointed | D．relieved |
| A．claimed | B．clarified | C．predicted | D．realized |
| A．bought | B．brought | C．picked | D．searched |
| A．eagerly | B．cautiously | C．patiently | D．roughly |
| A．accidents | B．perseverance | C．patience | D．adversity |
| A．called | B．prepared | C．struggled | D．waited |
| A．body | B．brain | C．head | D．heart |
| A．adapt | B．share | C．read | D．tell |
| A．ambition | B．benefit | C．evidence | D．word |
| A．Convinced | B．Entertained | C．Inspired | D．Shocked |
| A．pride | B．dedication | C．integrity | D．patience |
| A．hope | B．misery | C．sympathy | D．tolerance |
