2 . Close to the king’s palace stood a little house. In it lived a ______ gardener who worked at the palace grounds from dawn to dusk. It was hard work. Yet he ______ complained. He always seemed to be at peace with himself.

The king wondered, “I wish I could be as happy as him.”

One evening the king found the gardener packing up his tools after ______ the day’s work. He was covered with dust and mud. But he kept singing to himself. The king ______ him and said, “You are always happy. I wish I could be as happy as you. What is the ______ of your happiness? Won’t you ______ it with me? ”

“Why should I be unhappy when I get two meals a day and have a ______ to sleep in at night? I’m happy that I have the ______ to work from morning till evening to earn my bread. I’m so ______ now that I can enjoy anything, even hard dry bread. And I am tired too. So I can ______ on the hardest floor, and drop off to sleep ______ . When I wake up in the morning, I feel fresh and full of ______ to welcome another day. I take every ______ as it comes. This moment is what ______ to me the most,” the gardener bowed and replied ______ .

“But what if tomorrow you fall sick! Shouldn’t you think of the future too?” the king asked.

“And start ______ ? Then I will lose my appetite. I will not get good sleep. I will fall sick and ______ my job. I will starve and die. I can’t ______ to worry about the future. Only this moment counts. Nothing else,” the gardener explained.

“You said it. Thank you,” the king nodded and ______ to change his attitude and to make the best use of the ______ .

1.

A．silly

B．lazy

C．cheerful

D．rich

2.

A．rarely

B．immediately

C．uncomfortably

D．jokingly

3.

A．starting

B．finishing

C．missing

D．studying

4.

A．shot

B．arrested

C．ignored

D．approached

5.

A．secret

B．use

C．price

D．goal

6.

A．exchange

B．divide

C．appreciate

D．share

7.

A．garden

B．palace

C．bed

D．kitchen

8.

A．money

B．strength

C．time

D．company

9.

A．sad

B．weak

C．tired

D．hungry

10.

A．get up

B．roll over

C．lie down

D．break out

11.

A．carefully

B．instantly

C．occasionally

D．painfully

12.

A．energy

B．hate

C．meaning

D．ambition

13.

A．chance

B．day

C．dream

D．meal

14.

A．sings

B．listens

C．matters

D．prefers

15.

A．respectfully

B．awkwardly

C．shyly

D．humorously

16.

A．celebrating

B．arguing

C．learning

D．worrying

17.

A．love

B．lose

C．change

D．forget

18.

A．afford

B．fail

C．decide

D．plan

19.

A．refused

B．pretended

C．threatened

D．determined

20.

A．power

B．wealth

C．present

D．talent

4 . Gifted students in the Wichita Falls Independent School District in Texas had the opportunity to travel to STEM facilities and learn coding and other technical skills, but the transportation is not convenient. “We just started talking about, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we were able to design a mobile STEM lab? ’ ”says Dr. Peter E. Griffiths, the district’s associate superintendent. Educators soon realized that they could retrofit an old bus into a mobile STEM lab, which would provide increased access to career and technical education (CTE) experiences for students.

Districts sold off buses when the vehicles became too old. Griffiths and his colleagues decided to retrofit one of those old vehicles. “Give me your ‘best worst’ bus,” Griffiths said to the transportation department. Soon the process of transforming began. Griffiths reached out to Reuben Rodriguez, the owner of a local car company, and explained what they wanted to do. Rodriguez agreed to work with the district on the price on condition that they could send CTE students to lend a hand with some of the building work. And bringing the bus from the dream stage to fruition has taken a lot of joint efforts of educators and the community.

Called STEAM Machine, the bus looks like a device from a video game or a real-life Lego truck, and rides as a mobile maker space. “It has two touch screen TVs outside. It comes complete with drones and drone obstacle courses that will help students learn about coding in an enjoyable way,” Griffiths says. “Those are things that a lot of these kids have never experienced before.”

To drive the bus, the district has hired a retiring teacher who will take the bus to various schools and engage in different lessons with students and educators. “We were so concerned about kids losing out on experiences before, and this is a solution. We aren’t going to let this go. The STEAM Machine will be equipped with all the necessary materials and resources, and it may change the way students learn and engage with their education,” Griffiths said.

1. What is the main purpose of the mobile STEM lab?

A．To develop students’ interest in STEM research.

B．To replace traditional school buses with electric ones.

C．To provide fun activities for students during long trips

D．To enable students to get more learning chances.

2. What was Rodriguez’s requirement for transforming the old bus?

A．Educators needed to pay him in advance.

B．Some students could help with the building work.

C．The old bus should be equipped with high technology.

D．The district must provide him with necessary materials.

3. What does Griffiths say about the STEAM Machine in Paragraph 3?

A．It brings students fun learning experiences.

B．It awakens students’ curiosity about bus driving.

C．It protects students’ health with its special design.

D．It saves students’ time by reducing traffic on the road.

4. What’s Griffiths’ attitude towards the future of the STEAM Machine?

A．Doubtful.

B．Worried.

C．Hopeful.

D．Unclear.

5. Which of the following best describes the features of the STEAM Machine?

A．Safe and long-lasting.	B．Fashionable and comfortable.
C．Creative and educational.	D．Cheap and eco-friendly.

6 . Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is a light-weight material, about 95 percent air, with very good insulation (隔热) properties, according to Earthsource.org. It is used in products from cups that keep your drinks hot or cold to packaging material that protects items during shipping. With the above good features, Styrofoam still enjoys a bad reputation. It cannot be recycled without releasing dangerous pollution into the air. The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency says it is the fifth-largest creator of harmful waste.

But now the common worms which are usually disgusting can come to the rescue, specifically, mealworms. Scientists from the U. S. and China have discovered that mealworms can digest plastic. One mealworm can digest a pill-sized amount of plastic a day. Study co-author Wei-Min Wu says that in 24 hours, the plastic is turned into carbon dioxide.

Since Styrofoam has no nutrition at all, are the worms hurt by eating plastic? Much to the scientists’ surprise, the study found that worms eating Styrofoam were as healthy as worms eating bran (谷糠). The researchers will study the worm’s eating habits and digesting system, looking to copy the plastic breakdown but on a larger scale. Once the way can be put into practice, it will make a revolutionary difference to the disposal of plastic.

“Solving the issue of plastic pollution is important”, says Wu, a Stanford University environmental engineering instructor. After all, our earth is small and landfill space is becoming limited with too much garbage waiting to be dealt with, he says.

About 33-million tons of plastic are thrown away in the United States every year. Plastic plates, cups and containers take up 25 percent to 30 percent of space in America’s landfills. One Styrofoam cup takes more than 1 million years to recycle in a landfill, according to Cleveland State University.

1. What do we know about Styrofoam?

A．It can be used to cool drinks.

B．It is a weightless material.

C．It is harmful when recycled.

D．It is usually used on ships.

2. What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A．Mealworms have amazing digesting power.

B．Mealworms are not bad in their nature.

C．Mealworms can rescue people’s lives.

D．People misunderstood mealworms in the past.

3. Why will researchers study the worm’s eating habits and digesting system?

A．To find ways to help mealworms grow larger.

B．To imitate their ways of breaking down plastic.

C．To help develop their digesting ability.

D．To make sure of their safety after eating plastic.

4. In the future, plastic may be recycled ______.

A．by raising amounts of mealworms

B．by environmental engineering instructors

C．using a method inspired by eating mealworms

D．without sending out dangerous pollution

5. What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．Styrofoam is widely used in daily life.

B．Mealworms are genius at eating plastic.

C．Plastic recycling may be no more a problem.

D．Plastic can be turned into carbon dioxide.

7 . Have you ever come out of a steamy hot shower and tried to look at your reflection in the mirror when it’s completely steamed and fogged up? I often think that is how we tend to view our beauty—through fogged up mirrors. We are seeing ourselves but the picture isn’t exactly clear! The mirrors have been fogged up through different life experiences and memories as we have grown up, and now blend together to form our own definition of our beauty.

The first mirror is formed as a young child and is often based on what was said about us from our parents and those around us. I remember being told that I was a cute child, so that when I got a little older and was around six or seven and another child tried to tell me I was ugly- everything within me rose up against the statement because my self-belief in what my parents had said stood strong.

The second mirror is the mirror of adolescence, those formative years when we are pushed into the big wild world and out of the protection of home. As a teenager I went to a boarding school, and I was one of the only two black people in the entire school. Children being naturally curious, I felt like I was asked a million and one different questions about both my hair and skin tone- -and I don’t think there has ever been a time when I have been more acutely aware of my appearance, which in turn opened up the door for me to question how I looked and to thankfully embrace my differences.

The final mirror comes from socially constructed ideas of beauty. We are often faced with numerous images in the media, popular culture, society, peers and social media, which can create a false ideal of beauty in our eyes. We tend to compare ourselves to those ideals and use it as some sort of margin (差值) of measurement.

However, real beauty comes from within. It is acceptance of yourself, perceived flaws and all. You are a masterpiece, a unique blend of genes and life experiences. It’s essential to appreciate yourself like any other work of art or natural wonder, without judgement. Maybe it’s time to create a fourth mirror, a new mirror that is wiped clean and is minus the fog of comparisons, accusations, judgments and expectations.

1. What do the fogged-up mirrors represent according to the first paragraph?

A．The difficulties of seeing oneself in the mirror.

B．The various sources of beauty standards.

C．The unclear perceptions of one’s beauty.

D．The life experiences and memories.

2. How did the author react when someone called her ugly?

A．She felt embarrassed.

B．She completely denied it.

C．She sought comfort from her parents.

D．She questioned what her parents had said.

3. What can we learn about social constructed ideas of beauty?

A．They push teens out of home protection.

B．They arouse acute awareness of one’s appearance.

C．They may mislead people’s idea of beauty.

D．They are the exact measurement of beauty.

4. What does the author suggest as a possible fourth mirror?

A．A mirror not affected by external factors.

B．A mirror going against society’s expectations.

C．A mirror reflecting one’s childhood experiences.

D．A mirror showing the beauty ideals from social media.

5. The passage is mainly written to tell us that we should________.

A．bring happiness to those around us

B．keep our resolve despite obstacles

C．change ourselves to achieve an ideal

D．embrace our real inner beauty

8 . National Music Theater Competition

The 2024 National Music Theater Competition (NMTC) will be held. It was launched in 2011 as the first national competition for the emerging professional music theater soloist (独唱者). NMTC has provided industry connections for past competitors and winners that have led to their success on Broadway and other venues.

Prizes (each prize only for a person)

The champion: $5,000 plus a concert at the next national conference of National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), a $1,000 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard, a Career Management Services package from Stage Door Connections.

The runner-up: $2,500 plus a $500 Gift Certificate from Hal Leonard.

The third place: Louise Lerch Prize; $1,000 cash prize.

The fourth place: Bill Hayes Prize; $750 cash prize.

Qualification

Singers aged from 20 to 28 as of September 15, 2023.

Entrance Procedure

Application requires a fee of $900, but for these students of NATS members the fee is $75. Application fees due to cancellation by the applicant won’t be returned. All application materials must be submitted by September 15, 2023. If you are planning to submit your application for the online round, you must complete the submission by September 15, 2023, but you’ll have 30 days after the deadline to upload your audition (试唱) videos. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Where to Audition

The preliminary (预选的) round

Live auditions: November 1 to 10, 2023 in New York City.

Online auditions: Video submission deadline is October 15, 2023.

Semifinal and final rounds

Live auditions: The semifinal round: January 3 to 9, 2024; the final round: January 15 to 20, 2024.

The semifinal and final rounds will be held in New York City as part of the 2024 NATS Winter Workshop.

1. Why was the National Music Theater Competition launched?

A．To make people like music.

B．To promote the leisure industry.

C．To popularize Broadway musicals.

D．To seek promising talents.

2. What will the person coming second in the competition get?

A．A $500 Gift Certificate and Louise Lerch Prize.

B．$2,500 in prize money and a Gift Certificate.

C．A Career Management Services package.

D．A chance to perform at a concert.

3. Which of the following is a necessity for participating in the competition?

A．Being at least 28 years old.

B．Applying for membership of NATS.

C．Submitting application materials on time.

D．Uploading audition videos by September 15.

4. What do you know about the competition?

A．Competitors can enter the semifinal round on January 18, 2024.

B．Both online and live auditions are available in any round.

C．There are three rounds in the competition in total.

D．Application submission deadline is October 15, 2023.

5. What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?

A．To call on people to explore their potential in music.

B．To attract young singers to apply for the competition.

C．To appeal to young singers to become NATS members.

D．To encourage people to enter the musical industry.

9 . What is your calling? What is your purpose in life? What did you come to this world to do? Every day we read about how we should find our purpose and pursue it throughout our lives in order to find meaning and contentment. There are even scientific studies that show people who view their work as a calling rather than just a career or a job have a higher life and work satisfaction. So, what exactly is this calling?

I’ve personally struggled with this concept for many years. I knew that happiness not only came from a present state of joy, but also from the pursuit of an objective that gave me something to pursue. That is, until I found myself feeling empty despite my achievement of those goals.

And as I reflected on these feelings of emptiness and boredom that had arisen despite my successes, I realized something. Meaning and satisfaction come from a personal devotion to what we do and the intrinsic (固有的) fulfillment we get from it. It has nothing to do with financial gain, social advancement or any other type of external reward or motivation. It is about doing something that we love. It is about focusing our efforts and spending our time on passions that light the spark inside of us and allow us to share with the world the unique gifts we possess.

I had never before stopped to think about what I found intrinsically rewarding or fulfilling. Financial gain and external recognition were pretty much the only drivers I knew. More so, I thought this calling meant having one passion we were born with to pursue relentlessly (不懈地).

So, I spent some years trying to find this long-lost purpose of mine. I discovered during that time passions I had no idea I even had. Yet, I wasn’t sure how to make them into my life purpose. I searched for an answer but couldn’t find it. It wasn’t until I came to understand the truths about our purpose in life that I was able to find my place in this world.

Our purpose can consist of various things that make us feel alive. As we grow and evolve throughout the different stages in our lives, we may discover new passions and desires that change our sense of purpose and calling.

We all have a longing for lives that give meaning to our existence. The difference lies in how we go about accomplishing this. We must each find our own “shine” and then shine on.

1. According to the passage, the calling refers to________.

A．one’s view about careers

B．a task one has to carry out

C．a life-long career one chooses

D．a strong desire or sense of duty to do a job

2. Which of the following belongs to the author’s previous drivers for finding fulfillment?

A．Financial gain and external recognition.

B．Pursuing passions relentlessly.

C．Discovering new passions.

D．Finding purpose in life.

3. What is the real purpose in life according to the author?

A．Trying to do everything that you can.

B．Trying to achieve your ambitious goals.

C．Doing meaningful things with your passion.

D．Doing something that can be successful easily.

4. According to the 5th paragraph, we know that________.

A．the author spent some years making changes

B．the author used to think he had no passion at all

C．the author didn’t know how to search for the life purpose

D．the author has known his passions since he started to work

5. What conclusion can be drawn from the passage?

A．It’s wise to give up discovering our one true passion.

B．It’s useless to pursue financial gain and external recognition.

C．It’s necessary to find our own calling and pursue it with vigor.

D．It’s important to share our passion with the world without stopping.