2 . The following are newly released devices all designed to help make your life more convenient, beautiful and vivid.

Tonal

$2,995 AT TONAL.COM

Tonal makes lifting and resistance training truly easy and accessible from your own home. It is great because I hate any sort of public weight training. Tonal has a remarkably easy user interface and gives data and feedback in a helpful manner. It also makes you feel great by keeping track of clear improvements.

Hisense 75” U800GR 8K ULED Roku TV

$1,800 AT BEST BUY

8k sounded like a luxury, but now that brands like Hisense, which focus on a more affordable end of the spectrum, have gotten some time with the tech, you can finally bring the deep color output and stunning detail into your living room. Calling it “affordable” may be a stretch, but compared to most 8k TV’s which all run over $5,000, it’s the most cost-efficient version of the tech we’ve got. It gets your money worth best.

VIVE Goggle

$499 AT VIVE.COM

Vive goggles will bring an extremely accessible and refreshing approach to the VR world. They are a pair of goggles not unlike something you’d wear to snowboard. They’re extremely lightweight with a lightning fast set — that’s connected with things like watching Netflix. It’s the calmest headset I’ve ever worn and uses cameras to let you control everything with just your hands. This one’s for the not-gamers.

Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde

$920 AT WALMART

For people who easily sneeze because of dog hair or something like that outside, Dyson has created a machine that saves them for time at home. This new purifier doubles as a humidifier, plus it has a cooling function, making it the end all be all for stuffy, hot, dry apartments.

1. Which device will get your money worth best?

A．Tonal.	B．Dyson Purifier Humidify+Cool Formaldehyde.
C．VIVE Flow.	D．Hisense 75” U 800 GR 8K ULED Roku TV.

2. What statement of VIVE Goggles is TRUE?

A．They are user-friendly.

B．They help keep track of weight.

C．They appeal to gamers.

D．They are intended for who are allergic to dust.

3. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A consumer review.	B．A magazine.
C．A novel.	D．A health report.

3 . Snowboarding genius Su Yiming made a name for himself by winning China’s first Olympic gold in the sport on Tuesday. By cleanly stomping back-to-back 1800 tricks, the teenager landed the biggest prize so far in his young career—gold in the men’s Big Air at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The notable achievement realized a childhood dream to reach the peak of the sport, which he began to learn at the age of 4.

Now with two shinning medals hung around his neck, the 17-year-old described his superb Olympic debut ( 首秀) as an unbelievable experience that has made all his sacrifices worthwhile. “This feels so surreal that I’ve finally accomplished what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said an emotional Su.

Over the past four years, Su has combined his talent with hard work to produce one of the swiftest rises to prominence the sport has ever seen. When the Shougang Big Air venue hosted its first international event, Su was an unknown qualifier, who didn’t even make the final runs. Just over two years later, Su is the name on everyone’s lips at the venue’s Olympic debut—drawing the whole nation’s attention to the sport he loves.

“The biggest motivation (动力) for me is my love for snowboarding,” Su said, when asked about the secret to his success. “In snowboarding, I feel like I can show my own style and creativity. Every time I ride my board, it’s always a joyful moment. I hope through my experience, I can inspire more young people to get interested in the sport.”

Su, a former child actor who featured in action movies, said the Olympic gold will encourage him to seek for more breakthroughs—even beyond his athletic career. “I enjoy snowboarding just as much as I enjoy acting,” said Su, who turns 18 on Friday. “I think I still have a lot of possibilities to explore in my future career either in snowboarding or in acting. But now I just want to enjoy the moment and celebrate it as the best possible birthday gift.”

1. What does the underlined word “landed” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Arrived.

B．Gained.

C．Created.

D．Dreamed.

2. According to Su himself, what is his secret to his success?

A．His acting experience.	B．His talent and hard work.
C．His being fond of snowboarding.	D．His life dream of achieving success.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Su?

A．Talented and thoughtful.	B．Lovely and famous.
C．Creative and kind-hearted.	D．Hard-working and devoted.

4. What’s Su’s attitude toward his future?

A．Upset.

B．Hopeful.

C．Anxious.

D．Satisfied.

4 . Coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are a unique ocean ecosystem consisting of rocky structures mainly formed by coral animals and some other ocean life. Despite only covering 0.2 percent of the ocean floor, coral reefs support at least 25 percent of marine species, as well as providing food and economic security for hundreds of millions of people.

However, coral reefs across the world are under threat. Warmer oceans can cause the coral bleaching(漂白). It happens when the corals lose colored algae(海藻) living in their bodies and turn completely white. Without the algae, the corals lose their main food source and can die. In addition, as oceans become more acidic(酸性的) from absorbing CO₂, corals in acidic conditions become weak in forming reefs.

In 2021, the United Nations reported a 14 percent loss of corals across the world largely from rising sea temperatures in the previous 13 years. Australia declared mass bleaching events in 2022 across large parts of the Great Barrier Reef, four times since 2016. Data from the Philippines showed higher than usual ocean temperatures between 2015 and 2017 had caused a serious three-year bleaching events in reefs across the planet.

Scientists have been cooperating to see how coral reefs can be protected. Thankfully, they find those coral reefs in the hot parts of the globe are the worst affected. They contain corals with better heat resistance. So their research focus on finding genes(基因) for heat tolerance so that they can be passed on to future generations. Biologists also mix corals that are more resilient to higher temperatures with those that are not and the resulting generation has a better chance of survival.

Ultimately, scientists add that without a serious reduction in greenhouse gas, 99 percent of the world’s coral reefs will be gone by the end of the century. There is a limit to how quickly corals can adapt warm climate, but if temperatures rise rapidly, then extinction is certain.

1. Which is the main threat to coral reefs?

A．Declining ocean acidification.	B．Loss of colored algae.
C．Increasing sea temperatures.	D．Lack of food source.

2. What do we know from paragraph 3?

A．No actions are taken to protect coral reefs.	B．Coral bleaching is the worst in Australia.
C．Coral reefs have grown rapidly for years.	D．Coral reefs receive impacts globally.

3. What can be the basic way to protect coral reefs?

A．Lowering emission.	B．Transplanting them to the hot parts.
C．Relying on genes science.	D．Limiting their spread.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Where Are Coral Reefs Spread?	B．How Can Coral Reefs Survive?
C．Coral Reefs, A New Threat To Ocean Life	D．Coral Reefs, A Busy Underwater Community

5 . When I was in the fifth grade, my teachers first ________ that I could not ________ read the first grade books. They didn’t think this kind of problem could ________ to me since my father was a famous scientist. My parents sent me to experts, trying to ________ what the problem was.

My IQ was high, but I had ________ problems in learning. They discovered that I was dyslexic (诵读困难的). I was ________ that my parents cared enough to find a way out for me. When my ________ went to Ford Country Day School and sat down with Brent, a teacher in the school, he ________ to help without thinking twice.

My family was not rich and I was ________ to go to school free of ________ because my mother ________ some students to school in the morning in her car. I was ________ of going to school with my difficulties in learning, but Brent’s kind and loving ________ helped me slowly learn to grow and overcome my learning ________.

Ford Country Day School has become the most important turning ________ in my life. I count myself as one of the truly lucky people having been touched by Brent’s caring and love.

1.

A．discovered

B．arranged

C．produced

D．advised

2.

A．even

B．already

C．again

D．only

3.

A．help

B．change

C．matter

D．happen

4.

A．worry about

B．pick up

C．focus on

D．find out

5.

A．beautiful

B．severe

C．convenient

D．funny

6.

A．shy

B．concerned

C．lucky

D．naughty

7.

A．parents

B．climbers

C．explorers

D．hikers

8.

A．referred

B．donated

C．agreed

D．attended

9.

A．rescued

B．scolded

C．allowed

D．encouraged

10.

A．hope

B．charge

C．job

D．style

11.

A．walked

B．drove

C．rode

D．ran

12.

A．confident

B．patient

C．familiar

D．afraid

13.

A．support

B．appreciation

C．satisfaction

D．curiosity

14.

A．difference

B．disability

C．comment

D．decision

15.

A．mind

B．help

C．point

D．defense

6 . Located among the forests where eagles fly overhead, Jabal Sawda has long been one of Saudi Arabia’s best places for mountaineers. At 2,999m, Jabal Sawda had been considered the kingdom’s highest peak until twin mountaineers, Matthew and Eric Gilbertson, climbed it in 2018, finding it to be about three metres shy of Jabal Ferwa.

For more than a decade, the twins have traveled to one country after another around the world, rewriting the mountain record books about places across the Middle East and West Africa. So far, they have reached the peaks of more than 100 countries and newly identified the highest points in Togo, Guinea-Bissau and Ivory Coast.

Matthew, a research scientist at Lockheed Martin in Palo Alto, California, and Eric, an instructor in mechanical engineering at Seattle University, said their work was motivated by a need for accuracy and love for mountaineering. “If we’re going to go through all the effort to visit a country and visit the highest mountain, we want to be sure that we have indeed visited the highest mountain,” Matthew said. “We consider it assistance to future mountaineers to have an accurate survey done so that they can focus their efforts on getting to whichever peak they want to get to.”

The twins’ love of mountaineering began when they were children with family trips to the Great Smoky Mountains in the southeastern United States. When they were students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), they started climbing as many mountains as possible. In 2012, after achieving their goal of reaching the highest point of each US state, they turned their attention to the rest of the world.

1. What can we learn about Jabal Sawda?

A．It’s Saudi Arabia’s best place.	B．It’s better-known than Jabal Ferwa.
C．It’s Saudi Arabia’s highest peak	D．It’s lower than Jabal Ferwa.

2. Why have the twins traveled to different countries in the past years?

A．To write books about mountains.	B．To rename the peaks of mountains.
C．To measure their highest mountain.	D．To admire good views of the mountain.

3. What do Matthew’s words indicate about their work in paragraph 3?

A．It satisfies their need for accuracy.	B．It helps climbers choose their destination.
C．It makes them focus their efforts on life.	D．It deepens their love for climbing.

4. What might the following paragraph talk about?

A．The twins’ other goals in their life.

B．The twins’ achievements in finding peaks.

C．The twins’ influence on other mountaineers.

D．The twins’ experiences in other countries.

9 . When I mentioned to some friends that we all have accents (口音), most of them proudly replied, “Well, I speak perfect English/Chinese/etc.” But this kind of misses the point.

More often than not, what we mean when we say someone “has an accent” is that their accent is different from the local one, or that pronunciations are different from our own. But this definition (定义) of accents is limiting and could give rise to prejudice. Funnily enough, in terms of the language study, every person speaks with an accent. It is the regular differences in how we produce sounds that define our accents. Even if you don’t hear it yourself, you speak with some sort of accent. In this sense, it’s pointless to point out that someone “has an accent”. We all do!

Every person speaks a dialect (方言), too. In the field of language study, a dialect is a changed form of a language that is featured by its variations (变化) of structure, phrases and words. For instance, “You got eat or not?” (meaning “Have you eaten?”) is an acceptable and understood question in Singapore Oral English. The fact that this expression would cause a standard American English speaker to take pause doesn’t mean that Singapore Oral English is “wrong” or “ungrammatical”. The sentence is well-formed and clearly communicative, according to native Singapore English speakers’ solid system of grammar. Why should it be wrong just because it’s different?

We need to move beyond a narrow idea of accents and dialects — for the benefit of everyone.

Language differences like these provide insights into people’s cultural experiences and backgrounds. In a global age, the way one speaks is a distinct part of one’s identity (身份). Most people would be happy to talk about the cultures behind their speech. We’d learn more about the world we live in and make friends along the way.

1. What does the author think of his/ her friends’ response in paragraph 1?

A．It reflects their self confidence.

B．It reflects their language levels.

C．It misses the point of communication.

D．It misses the real meaning of accents.

2. Why does the author use the example of Singapore Oral English?

A．To support the use of dialects.

B．To show the importance of dialects.

C．To correct a grammatical mistake.

D．To highlight a traditional method.

3. What does the author recommend us to do in the last paragraph?

A．Learn to speak with your local dialect.

B．Look for an official definition of accents.

C．Appreciate the value of accents and dialects.

D．Separate our local languages from others’.

4. What can be a suitable title for this passage?

A．Everyone Has an Accent

B．Accents Improve Our Identities

C．Dialects Lead to Misunderstanding

D．Standard English Is at Risk

10 .

Morocco Family Journey
Discover the magic of Morocco on a seven-day journey that takes your family group from markets to the desert. Meet musicians and storytellers absorbed in Amazigh heritage (遗产), and try your hand at cooking up colourful local dishes. Hike past amazing rock formations, walk windswept sands, and uncover ancient secrets.
WHAT’S INCLUDED ● Accommodations: Hotels (8 nights); 8 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 4 dinners ● Transport: Private air-con coach, 4×4 vehicle ● Journey Highlights: Sahara trips and cultural explorations in Merzouga, the tour of Atlas FilmStudios in Ouarzazate ● Five-star travel directors ● Walk in Jemaa el-Fna Square ● Free time to explore Marrakech ● All transport to and from included activities	WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED ● Visas ● Flights to and from Morocco ● Basic medical and emergency insurance (You will not be permitted to travel with our agency until you have provided evidence of adequate travel insurance.) ● Trip cancellation insurance or any other travel insurance ● Meals on your own ● Any activity not described in WHAT’S INCLUDED
Emergency Fund Please make sure you have access to at least an additional USD $200 or the equivalent (等价物) as an emergency fund, to be used when circumstances outside our control require a change in our planned route. This is a rare occurrence!
Requirements Family journeys are designed for groups traveling with kids between the ages of 7 and 17. Your group must include a kid to book, and anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

1. Where can visitors experience local culture?

A．In Marrakech.​	B．In Ouarzazate.
C．In Merzouga.​	D．In Jemaa el-Fna Square.

2. Which of the following needs an extra charge?

A．Breakfast.​​	B．Round-trip flight tickets.
C．Accommodation.​​	D．Guide services.

3. What is required for a group to join the journey?

A．Having at least a child and an adult.​	B．Paying money for emergencies.
C．Being in good physical condition.​	D．Buying insurance through the agency.