1 . In 2019, after retiring from her career as a social worker, Ane Freed - Kernis decided to build a home workshop and devote all of her free time to stone carving. “I might be covered head to to e in dust but I’m happy — it was something I needed more of in my life when I hit 60,” she says.
This appeal has its origins in Freed - Kernis’ childhood. Growing up on her father’s farm in Denmark, she used to wander through the fields with her eyes fixed on the ground, looking for stones to add to her collection. “I’ve always been drawn to the shapes and textures (质地) of stones,” she says.
After moving to England in 1977 and training as a social worker, Freed - Kernis soon became occupied with her busy career and the demands of raising her son. Stones were the last thing on her mind, until her father died in 2005. “He took a stone carving course in his retirement, and I always thought stone seemed so fun but never had the time to look into it myself,” she says. “After he died, I became determined to learn in his honour.”
Signing up for a week-long stone carving course at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Freed-Kernis began to learn how to turn a block of rock into well-designed shapes. “It was really scary at the start because you would spend hours just hammering (锤打).”
Now 65, Freed-Kernis has a thriving small business built largely through word of mouth. She creates 12 to 15 pieces a year that can take anywhere from a few days to three weeks to complete, while her prices range from £ 200 to £ 3,000. “I’m making smaller ones,” she says. “I don’t have to depend on the money much, so I want to keep prices in the range that people can afford, mainly just covering costs and labour (劳动力).”
1. Freed-Kernis was first attracted by stones when ______.| A．she was 60 | B．she was a child |
| C．her father died | D．she moved to England |
| A．She never cared about her father. |
| B．She led a disappointing life in Denmark. |
| C．She spent lots of time studying stone carving. |
| D．She learned stone carving under the influence of her dad. |
| A．Hopeful and proud. |
| B．Confident and satisfied. |
| C．Nervous and frightened. |
| D．Impatient and unprepared. |
| A．They are easier to move by her. |
| B．They are more affordable to people. |
| C．She wants to save costs and labour. |
| D．She is too old to focus on making large ones. |
2 . In San Francisco, a large group of sea lions move themselves out of the bay waters and hang out on PIER 39, which is a popular tourist destination. According to dock (码头) officials, this is the most sea lions seen in the region in 15 years.
“Over 1,000 sea lions have been counted this week,” PIER 39 harbormaster Sheila Chandor told many different media. “The surge in sea lions is usually a good sign of their strong population and healthy living environment,” said Adam Ratner, Director of Conservation Engagement at the Marine Mammal (海洋哺乳动物) Center in Sausalito, California.
“California sea lions are sentinels (哨兵) of the ocean,” Ratner said. Their population to some extent reflects the health of the ocean. Therefore, seeing a large number of California sea lions is clearly a good thing.
For nearly 35 years, the slippery (滑的) residents have been a star attraction for tourists. That autumn in 1989, PIER 39 had just been repaired, but the ships had not yet been moved back. At that moment, the sea lions unexpected arrival not only attracted fans but also created enemies. According to a website, some dock residents and workers were scared away by the strong and very unpleasant smell and noise of their new neighbors, while others saw these animals as a bright spot after the destructive Loma Prieta earthquake.
The officials sought help from the Marine Mammal Center to find a way to deal with sea lions. Ratner said that the final decision is to let the sea lions stay and coexist with humans. “The fact proves that this is really a good thing,” he said. “This is just a proof of how we can truly work together and think about how we can share our coasts with marine mammals and other wildlife in a way that benefits all the parties involved.”
1. How does the author start the text?| A．By describing a situation. |
| B．By answering a question. |
| C．By holding a conversation. |
| D．By comparing different opinions. |
| A．Sharp increase. | B．Tight control. |
| C．Slow development. | D．Sudden movement. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Uninterested. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．Sea lions are pretty cool animals. |
| B．Animals and humans can live in harmony. |
| C．Watching sea lions might not be a proper action. |
| D．Sea lions should be driven out of PIER 39. |
3 . It’s been nearly seven years since a group of volunteers from a nonprofit organization What Cheer Flower Farm broke ground at a flower farm in Providence, Rhode Island. They only have one simple
What Cheer Flower Farm
Located in Providence’s rusted (锈迹斑斑的)
“Not only do we revive this space, which was quite literally
| A．reason | B．goal | C．attitude | D．excuse |
| A．in terms of | B．in charge of | C．in memory of | D．in need of |
| A．delivers | B．produces | C．collects | D．covers |
| A．honor | B．represent | C．blanket | D．praise |
| A．regularly | B．rarely | C．privately | D．initially |
| A．tears | B．remarks | C．sweats | D．smiles |
| A．wanting | B．investing | C．expecting | D．teasing |
| A．harmonious | B．industrial | C．influential | D．continuous |
| A．housed | B．aroused | C．ran | D．operated |
| A．linked | B．cooperated | C．awarded | D．cheated |
| A．remote | B．flat | C．divided | D．deserted |
| A．lively | B．dead | C．restless | D．negative |
| A．shelter | B．drive | C．research | D．observe |
| A．taking over | B．referring to | C．lighting up | D．holding back |
| A．reject | B．grow | C．touch | D．admire |
4 . While there are already apps that guide blind users to a bus stop’s approximate location, those people may unknowingly end up standing too far away from the actual stop. A new app addresses that shortcoming by letting the smartphone’s camera in on the act.
Known as All_Aboard, the AI-based app was developed by a team of scientists at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts Eye and Ear treatment and research center. It’s made to be used along with a third-party GPS-based online navigational (导航的) map.
Users start by using other apps to get to a bus stop’s location. They then open All _Aboard and proceed to hold their smartphone up so that its back camera can “see” the surrounding street. Drawing upon a deep learning neural network which was trained on around 10,000 images of bus stops within that city, the app is reportedly able to visually identify the target stop’s sign if it’s within a range of up to 15 meters away. Once the sign has been spotted, the app guides the user via sonar-like beeps (哔哔声) which change pitch and speed as the person gets closer to the bus stop.
In field tests, 24 legally blind volunteers used both online maps and All _Aboard to locate 20 bus stops—10 in an urban setting and 10 in a suburban environment.
When it came to getting close enough to those stops, online maps alone had a success rate of just 52%, whereas All _Aboard boosted the number to 93%. Additionally, while the average distance between the map’s endpoint and the actual bus stop was 6.62 meters with online maps, it was just 1.54 meters with All _Aboard.
“Our findings suggest that the All _Aboard app could help travelers with visual impairments (视力受损) in navigation by accurately detecting the bus stop, and therefore greatly reducing their chance of missing buses due to standing too far from the bus stops,” said Massachusetts Eye and Ear’s Assoc. Prof. Gang Luo. “This study indicates that computer vision-based object recognition capabilities can be used in a complementary (补充的) way and provide added benefit to purely mapping-based, macro-navigation services in real-world settings.”
1. What is the author’s purpose of writing paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To highlight other apps. |
| C．To show the new app’s shortcomings. |
| D．To detailedly compare the new app with others. |
| A．The importance of camera in smartphones. |
| B．The potential advantage of the new app. |
| C．How the new app All _ Aboard works. |
| D．Why users get closer to the bus stop. |
| A．High accuracy. | B．Good reputation. |
| C．Perfect property. | D．More application. |
| A．Blind Users Benefiting From Science |
| B．A New App Is In The Charge Of Its Users |
| C．Online Maps Needing Improvement To The Bus Service |
| D．All _ Aboard Making Navigation Efficient For The Blind |
5 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023.
Already a superstar before 2023, Swift’s career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3.5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about $900 million (about 6.4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour’s movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250
million globally.As she was declare a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the US. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.
Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scoot er Braun. The sale meant that she didn’t have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor’s Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”
Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”
1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?| A．She broke a new record on her tour. | B．She toured South America before 2023. |
| C．Her achievements received great recognition. | D．Her performance began with the Apple Music. |
| A．She proved herself to be an artist. | B．She learned to make some products. |
| C．She had influence on music culture. | D．She sold her master tapes to a company. |
| A．She will end her music career. | B．She will continue her Eras Tour. |
| C．She will reach her top in Japan. | D．She will make a record in Australia. |
| A．Admirable. | B．Uncaring. | C．Doubtful. | D．Critical. |
6 . A few years ago, my husband Charlie and I had marriage problems. Growing family responsibilities and financial worries took a toll on us and we began arguing frequently, often late into the night.
However, neither of us could take the step that would end our eleven-year marriage and bring heartbreak to our three young children. Deep down we knew we still loved each other, so we determined to work it out. Through countless discussions, we began to close the gulf. The more honest we were, the closer we became. When I felt we were reaching solid ground, I asked my husband to give me an “eternity (永恒) ring”. It was not so much the ring I wanted; it was the reassurance I thought it would bring.
We went shopping on a beautiful summer day. We walked hand in hand along a row of jeweler’s shops. Finally I found a ring I liked. While waiting for it to be adjusted, the jeweler took my left hand and glanced at my engagement ring. “May I clean it for you?” he asked. “It really doesn’t sparkle like it used to.” Charlie said as I slipped the ring off my finger. A few minutes later the jeweler was back. The ring shone like new!
On the drive home, I didn’t take my eyes off it. I forgot all about the eternity ring. I just couldn’t believe how this old ring suddenly sparkled the way it had the day Charlie gave it to me. I had taken it for granted these past years, but with a little polish it could still make my heart beat fast.
And that’s the way it is with a marriage. You have to work at keeping it polished and new, or else the grime (污垢) of the passing years will hide the joy. I put my hand on the seat between us and spread my fingers. Charlie covered my hand with his. I felt I was lucky to be able to see the sparkle in something old when I thought I needed something new.
1. The author and her husband had marriage problems partly because __________.| A．they frequently argued late into the night | B．they were lack of money |
| C．they had countless discussions | D．the author wanted to have an eternity ring |
| A．Free of trouble. | B．Arriving at a square. |
| C．Wealthy and generous. | D．In good relationship. |
| A．The old ring’s light attracted her attention. |
| B．She was not satisfied with the eternity ring. |
| C．Her husband kept it for her. |
| D．The couple were talking all the way merrily. |
| A．We tend to prefer new objects to old ones. |
| B．One should remain thankful for what he has got. |
| C．Marriage should be constantly polished. |
| D．We should try to rediscover the use of old objects. |
7 . Plastic is everywhere in our modern world. Its toughness makes it an extremely useful material from household items to vehicle parts, but that same toughness makes it hard to break down for recycling or disposal (处理). However, Japanese scientists at the University of Tokyo have developed a new plastic material that can be broken down more easily and can self-heal and remember past shapes.
Based on a kind of plastic called an epoxy resin vitrimer, which is brittle (脆性的), the new plastic has a huge range of advantages. Once scratched (刮划) with a knife, it can completely patch itself up after being heated to 150 ℃ for just 60 seconds. When shaped into the shape of a crane, then flattened, it can fold itself back into the crane shape by being heated up. It does all of this much faster than others of its type.
The new plastic can also break down easier. Even if it’s thrown into the environment, it still has less of a problem than other kinds of plastic, which the team demonstrated by placing it in seawater for 30 days. It biodegraded (生物降解) by 25% and released something that is eatable for ocean life.
The new plastic is more resistant to breaking. It can also repair itself, and can recover its original memorized shape. It even biodegrades safely in a ocean environment, according to Shota Ando, a researcher of the study.
The material can be used in a variety of applications. “Building materials for roads and bridges are often composed of epoxy resins mixed with compounds (化合物) such as concrete and carbon,” said Ando. “By using the new plastic, these would be easier to maintain as they would be stronger and healable using heat. Unlike conventional epoxy resins, this new material is hard but flexible, so it could also be expected to strongly bond materials of different hardness and stretch.”
1. What is the author’s purpose in writing paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. | B．To show the disadvantages of plastic. |
| C．To highlight the importance of plastic. | D．To show his views on previous plastic. |
| A．Change itself. | B．Destroy itself. | C．Repair itself. | D．Burn itself. |
| A．It is safe for animals in the ocean. | B．It is made up of concrete and carbon. |
| C．It can change its shape when frozen. | D．It is more brittle than previous plastic. |
| A．How to Make a New Plastic | B．An Interesting Scientific Study |
| C．The Widespread Application of Plastic | D．A New Environmentally Friendly Plastic |
8 . If you are looking for apps to learn English for studying abroad, you might be confused. There are so many apps to choose from. How can you decide which English language learning app is right for you? Our list of top four favourite apps to improve your English will help.
Hello English — Best app for middle learnersIf you already understand the basics but want to improve your English, this app is for you. Hello English starts with a language test, and then serves up English lessons based on your test results. Hello English supports learners with 23 native languages and lets you play games, watch videos and listen to audio books, too.
Fluent U — Best media-based appThis app sources English-language videos from the real world — including news, music videos and commercials — to help you learn English. Interactive captions (字幕) allow you to tap any word and see more information about it.
Rosetta Stone — Most multi-use appThis award-winning English language learning app teaches vocabulary and English grammar. Rosetta Stone includes lessons on pronunciation so you can improve your English accent. You can also download audio lessons to learn offline.
Duolingo — Most fun appThis personalised English-learning app turns studying into a game. Earn virtual coins to unlock new levels and spend them on fun upgrades. An animated owl (动画猫头鹰) keeps you company and encourages you as you learn. When you have questions, get help from fellow students inside the app using the Duolingo message boards.
1. What can we learn about Hello English?| A．The users can chat with 23 native speakers. |
| B．It may not suit English beginners. |
| C．It provides lessons without a language test. |
| D．The users can’t play games. |
| A．It only has the paid version. |
| B．The users must pay in cash to upgrade. |
| C．An owl can answer questions of the users. |
| D．It combines English learning with entertainment. |
| A．Hello English. | B．Fluent U. | C．Rosetta Stone. | D．Duolingo. |
9 . Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They found that miscommunication was always possible even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her. She had raised her eyebrows (眉毛) , which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was famous for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.
1. The Americans teaching English in other countries found that they __________.| A．should go abroad for vacations |
| B．needed to learn foreign languages |
| C．should often discuss their experiences |
| D．had problems with communication |
| A．saying “no” | B．raising eyebrows |
| C．shaking heads | D．nodding heads |
| A．In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”. |
| B．Jan taught English on a Pacific island. |
| C．Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage. |
| D．In India, only shaking heads means “yes”. |
| A．he didn’t know a nod means “no” in Indian. |
| B．he didn’t explain everything clearly enough |
| C．some students didn’t understand his questions |
| D．he did not know much about Indian culture |
10 . I love and enjoy playing the piano. So when the recital (音乐演奏会) was
However, Mom turned this
The much-anticipated day
The dinner hour flew by. One woman got up and began to cheerfully
Calling off the recital was a blessing because it led to us
| A．called off | B．put off | C．organized | D．sponsored |
| A．recorded | B．prepared | C．composed | D．sung |
| A．burnout | B．disappointment | C．getaway | D．turnaround |
| A．relax | B．investigate | C．perform | D．wait |
| A．seniors | B．nurses | C．guards | D．musicians |
| A．cheer up | B．settle down | C．comment on | D．hunt for |
| A．simply | B．accidentally | C．finally | D．nearly |
| A．freedom | B．vacation | C．company | D．privilege |
| A．silence | B．horror | C．confusion | D．loneliness |
| A．desperation | B．nervousness | C．frustration | D．embarrassment |
| A．spin | B．wander | C．dance | D．glance |
| A．drums | B．heart | C．words | D．music |
| A．determined | B．upset | C．curious | D．amazed |
| A．carrying | B．exchanging | C．discussing | D．sharing |
| A．faith | B．kindness | C．message | D．awareness |
