1 . Released on Aug 30, a three-episode web series titled Escape From the British Museum has gone viral online for its touching and innovative narrative (叙事). The series follows the journey home of a Chinese jade teapot that has come to life as a girl. She runs away from the British Museum and comes across a Chinese journalist who helps the artifact return to China. The series, created by two Chinese vloggers, aims to raise broader awareness of Chinese artifacts that were stolen or looted (掠夺) from China and are displayed or stored in the British Museum.
The video series echoes the Chinese people’s call for the British Museum to return these Chinese artifacts. However, some UK media outlets said that the video series promotes nationalism (民族主义). In fact, every country whose artifacts are displayed or stored in the British Museum wants them back. These countries, such as Greece, Nigeria and Sudan, have already issued their demands for the return of artifacts. It’s fair enough to say these demands are shared. They can correct centuries-old wrongs by having the UK return artifacts to their rightful homes.
An opinion in the UK newspaper The Telegraph said that if the British Museum gives back its collection of artifacts, then nationalism will win over humanity’s common heritage. It also said that the artifacts were “lawfully acquired (合法取得)” by the UK. By “lawfully acquired”, does the writer mean the artifacts were acquired with the “help” of machine guns and warships? Or does he mean that the cultural artifacts of African, Asian and American countries should be kept in the hands of looters, rather than in their land of origin?
1. What is the video series Escape from the British Museum mainly about?| A．Cultural artifacts looted by the UK. |
| B．Hidden dangers in the British Museum. |
| C．The arguments about the British museum. |
| D．The journey of a Chinese artifact coming home. |
| A．Protests against UK’s nationalism. |
| B．The beauty of Chinese cultural artifacts. |
| C．The desire of stolen artifacts to be returned. |
| D．Efforts made by Chinese activists to get artifacts back. |
| A．To show the UK did something wrong in the past. |
| B．To stress China’s demands are shared by many countries. |
| C．To emphasize former colonized countries have grown stronger. |
| D．To highlight diverse artifacts are housed in the British Museum. |
| A．It’s totally unacceptable. | B．It’s a little bit reasonable. |
| C．It lacks enough evidence. | D．It shows the writer’s ignorance. |
2 . A man named Randy liked to look for big trees and old trees. He made maps to show where these trees were. He did not want to cut them down. He wanted people to take care of them.
Randy was told that there was a very tall tree on Vancouver Island. The tree was said to be 314 feet tall. That would make it the tallest tree in Canada. Randy started to find the tree.
But someone else found it first. It was found by a logger (伐木工). Loggers wanted to cut down Canada’s tallest tree and all the trees around it.
Randy made a path in the forest so people could see the tallest tree. The tree was so big and beautiful that it would bring them enjoyment. More and more people wanted to save that forest. Thanks to these people, that forest is now a park. Canada’s tallest tree is still there.
1. Why did Randy make maps of big trees and old trees?| A．To carry out his duty carefully. | B．To avoid getting lost in forests. |
| C．To show where these trees were. | D．To get information for selling them. |
| A．Take care of it. | B．Cut it down. |
| C．Take pictures of it. | D．Make it famous. |
| A．To help people cut it. | B．To help people see it. |
| C．To help people water it. | D．To help people move it. |
| A．It is now a park. | B．People burned it down. |
| C．It will disappear soon. | D．People lost interest in it. |
3 . One day, 12-year-old Sean Redden surfed the Internet and went to a popular chat room. Just as he was about to be offline, he saw a name he’d never seen there before, Susan. Her brief message was “Would someone help me?”
Sean typed back, “What’s wrong?” A moment later he received this message, “I can’t breathe. Help me! I can’t get out of my chair.”
Oh, man, Sean thought. Pretending to be paralyzed (瘫痪) was a bad joke. Then he wondered what if she really is sick? “Hey. Mom.” he called. “There’s a kid here who’s sick or something.” Sharon looked at the computer screen. “It’s not just some game, is it?” she asked.
The message was not a joke. Susan was actually a 20-year-old student, working late at night at a college library near Helsinki, Finland - almost 7,000 miles away from Sean’s home in Texas. While searching the Internet, she began to feel terrible pain all through her body. The library was silent and empty. The nearest phone was outside in the hallway. She couldn’t move that far. Any movement caused the pain to get worse. Then she realized she might get help on the Internet.
“I don’t think it’s a joke, Mom, “Sean said. And he typed, “Where are you?” After a long while, the letters appeared, “Finland.” Sean and Sharon couldn’t believe it. Not knowing what else to do, Sharon called the local police.
Sharon explained the situation to the officer Amy Schmidt. Schmidt told Sharon to try to get the sick girl’s phone number. Texas police called the international telephone operator and asked to be connected to the proper agency (机构) in Finland. The call was put through to a nearby rescue station. The Texas police gave Susan’s address to the Finnish operator. When Sean heard that, he typed, “Help is on the way.”
In a few minutes, Susan heard people running down the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, the door opened. Emergency workers and three policemen ran in. Susan turned once more to the computer, “They are here. Thanks. Bye-bye.”
Four days later, the police in Texas received a message from officers in Finland: “Thanks to her Internet friend. Susan has received medical treatment she badly needed. She is doing well.”
1. What happened when Sean was about to get offline?| A．His computer broke down. |
| B．A piece of online news attracted him. |
| C．He came across a friend in the chat room. |
| D．He noticed an unfamiliar name. |
| A．She fell down on the ground. |
| B．She was too sick to move |
| C．She lost her phone. |
| D．She was locked in the library. |
| A．They reported to the Texas police. |
| B．They called the rescue station in Finland. |
| C．They asked for help online |
| D．They sent messages to Susan’s friend. |
| A．Making Friends Onlines |
| B．Police Officer’s Act of Kindnes |
| C．Help on the Way |
| D．Help on the Internet |
4 . People generally like to pick out the best-looking fruits and vegetables when shopping for produce (农产品), but Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws is attracting customers with badly-shaped and faulty produce at the price of 30% lower than normal-looking one.
A trial run of the ugly food line, named “Naturally Imperfect”, began with only apples and potatoes to choose from. Consumer demand has been so huge that Loblaws is going to introduce more ugly vegetables and fruits like onions and mushrooms.
All the produce that will be sold through Naturally Imperfect would otherwise have been used in juices, sauces, or soups, or have not been harvested at all. The director Dan Branson explained that this program benefited both food producers who would otherwise have to let abnormal produce go to waste, and consumers who could buy fresh produce at low prices. And he was right, given how popular the line has become.
“It really went well beyond our expectation,” Branson said. “I think it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for some options.”
Of course, Canadians know that beauty is more than skin deep, and they also recognize that they can get the same flavor and nutritional benefits in spite of appearances. The positive response to the initial offering of apples and potatoes showed the opportunity to expand the line and offer more options at a greater price to Canadian families.
“If you grow produce in your backyard, there will be a lot of produce that won’t look as pretty as what you will see in a grocery store”, said Branson. “And nature doesn’t grow everything perfectly. I’d like to think if somebody were to take a No Name Naturally Imperfect apple, put it right beside a No.1 apple, close his eyes and eat them, there would be no difference.”
1. Loblaws is different from other supermarkets in that ______.| A．more fruits are offered at lower prices | B．normal-looking produce is forbidden there |
| C．only apples and potatoes are sold every day | D．imperfect produce is sold at lower prices there |
| A．prevents people from wasting their food | B．happens to be a win-win mode |
| C．teaches food producers how to grow | D．enables consumers to eat more fresh produce |
| A．Canadians are used to eating perfect produce. |
| B．Smart consumers know the importance of ugly produce. |
| C．Loblaws intends to improve customers’ quality of life. |
| D．Customers’ support promotes the development of the ugly food line. |
| A．Imperfect fruits are as tasty and nutritious as perfect ones. |
| B．The world is usually full of imperfect things. |
| C．We should eat imperfect apples with our eyes closed. |
| D．The fruits grown by ourselves are more nutritious than those in the store. |
5 . India, as a country with plenty of resorts (旅游胜地), is popular with different kinds of travelers. If you’re planning to visit the country, the followings are the places that may interest you.
DelhiDelhi is a perfect place for those who love history, and there are plenty of attractions here to keep tourists of all interests entertained. It’s often the first city that many tourists visit on a trip around India. There are many resorts including India Gate, the Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, and Humayun’s Tomb.
AgraAgra is most well known for the Taj Mahal, which draws a large number of tourists to the city. Built in the 1600s, the Taj Mahal is still standing strong today and is admired by tourists as an important part of India’s heritage (遗产).
KashmirKashmir is one of the most beautiful cities in India. With flower gardens, amazing water-falls, and snow-topped peaks, it’s a simply unforgettable place that tourists want to return to time and time again. Kashmir is especially popular with honeymooners and loved-up couples, because a lot of romantic trips are on sale in Kashmir.
GoaThough Goa is small in size, it’s one of the top resorts for young tourists and those who love taking beach vacations. The golden sands and coconut palm trees are the charm (吸引力) here, and the sunrises and sunsets are so gorgeous that you’ll never forget them.
1. What do we know about Delhi from the text?| A．It is the highest city in India. |
| B．It is known for the Taj Mahal. |
| C．It is attractive to history lovers. |
| D．It is the coolest city in India. |
| A．It is the smallest place. |
| B．It is the capital city of India. |
| C．It offers many tours attracting couples. |
| D．It drives young people crazy. |
| A．Delhi. | B．Goa | C．Kashmir. | D．Agra. |
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 . Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, my mother was not among the many happy mothers, as I couldn’t visit her this year. I made a
My mother always says that kids don’t need to
If you
However, her deep connection to the song helped her to
Last week, a colleague
| A．remark | B．promise | C．practice | D．suggestion |
| A．long for | B．turn to | C．wait for | D．refer to |
| A．missed | B．tried | C．regretted | D．avoided |
| A．visit | B．like | C．leave | D．hate |
| A．strangely | B．carelessly | C．seriously | D．kindly |
| A．remember | B．think | C．doubt | D．wonder |
| A．called | B．designed | C．made | D．created |
| A．assist | B．place | C．win | D．adopt |
| A．in | B．except | C．besides | D．about |
| A．duty | B．gift | C．idea | D．habit |
| A．hits | B．comes | C．occurs | D．catches |
| A．develops | B．controls | C．remains | D．increases |
| A．compared | B．shared | C．provided | D．filled |
| A．common | B．special | C．serious | D．rare |
| A．respect | B．attention | C．satisfaction | D．manners |
8 . A hero sheep dog became the guiding light of hope for three trapped sheep as it swam across dangerous flooded fields to
Llyr Derwydd, a 44-year-old farmer coming from the area of Ruthin,
Considering the dangerous conditions that the flood caused, the
Mr. Derwydd talked about the sad experience, stating, “We realized we needed to act
In order to rescue the sheep, he made a
It was a moment filled with
Mr. Derwydd shared his
| A．force | B．carry | C．guide | D．attract |
| A．hid | B．found | C．imagined | D．reminded |
| A．checking | B．describing | C．comparing | D．selling |
| A．snow | B．water | C．fire | D．smoke |
| A．lecture | B．recovery | C．rescue | D．experiment |
| A．equally | B．suddenly | C．luckily | D．obviously |
| A．in return | B．in time | C．in person | D．in secret |
| A．reducing | B．improving | C．rising | D．sliding |
| A．call | B．promise | C．decision | D．comment |
| A．wish | B．order | C．warning | D．suggestion |
| A．danger | B．regret | C．hope | D．fun |
| A．goals | B．curiosity | C．ways | D．ability |
| A．catch | B．feed | C．reach | D．stop |
| A．responsibility | B．amazement | C．confidence | D．awkwardness |
| A．risk | B．time | C．lead | D．place |
9 . Google says an AI-powered system it created is helping improve traffic flow in major cities. The system, called Project Green Light, is now in use in 12 cities. The project aims to save energy and reduce air pollution, or emissions (排放量), from cars.
Google first announced the program in 2021, when it was testing the system in four areas of Britain. Since then, the company has kept increasing Project Green Light. Among cities now taking part in the program are Bangalore, Budapest, Jakarta, Manchester, Haifa, Hamburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Seattle.
In an online announcement, Google’s Yossi Matias explained the latest progress. He noted that the system is being tested in areas with serious traffic problems. Generally, this is at major crossings with heavy traffic and complex traffic lights. These areas where vehicles start and stop are known as crossroads.
The company said research has shown that at such crossroads, car emissions can be 29 times higher than on open roads. In addition, Google’s own research found that vehicles that must stop and start account for about half of those emissions.
Project Green Light uses individual (个人的) driver data from Google Maps. This data is connected with AI methods to produce models of each crossroads where the system is in place, the company says. The data from Google Maps is also used to create another model on how different traffic lights interact (相互作用).
The modeling process for crossroads considers several things. These include the structure of streets, traffic conditions, signal scheduling and how the vehicles interact with lights.
The models are used to reduce stop and start times and save more driving time, a process called optimization (最优化). Google says one goal is to improve several crossroads at the same time to create “waves of green lights” for vehicles on the road.
1. What did Yossi Matias intend to tell us?| A．When the system started. | B．Where the system is used. |
| C．How advanced the system is. | D．How heavy the city traffic is. |
| A．They slow down the traffic. | B．They cause more traffic accidents. |
| C．They often break traffic rules. | D．They make much pollution. |
| A．To make driving cars safer. | B．To make the street cleaner. |
| C．To make the traffic smoother. | D．To make people drive more. |
| A．AI Is Changing Looks of Cities |
| B．AI-Powered System Is Improving City Traffic |
| C．City’s Traffic Light System Needs Improvement |
| D．City Streets Are Getting More and More Crowded |
10 . Miss England, Jessica Gagen, is not your ordinary beauty winner. She just added an impressive title, a rocket scientist, to her career.
The 27-year-old just graduated from the University of Liverpool with a degree in Aerospace Engineering and she has set her sights on becoming an astronaut (宇航员).
But winning her title just a few months before completing her degree was no easy task for the energetic redhead from Kelmersdale. She is the first red-headed woman — and the first rocket scientist — to be crowned (加冕) Miss England.
Gagen was able to manage both her competition and her schoolwork but the stress of doing both left her with chest pains and sleeplessness. However, she didn’t give up, just as she had been treated badly and always been made fun of as a child for having red hair.
“It was a tough five-year journey to get to this point, and I faced challenges before I even began,” Gagen said. “I think it’s important that today’s youth know that sometimes things don’t go entirely to plan, and that’s perfectly okay.”
Before starting at the university, Gagen studied a foundation year in physics while working on weekends because she didn’t have all the courses she needed for the program. She began studying at the university in 2019 and when the pandemic (流行病) hit, all the course work went online. She did this while working full time at night.
During the course of her studies, Gagen saw that there were very few females in STEM and decided to make it her task to promote (提升) careers in STEM for women and girls on her social media.
In the first year, she won Miss Lancashire and placed second in the national contest but she really wanted to win to promote her task. “There’s a lot of work that goes into becoming Miss England, and I really wanted to win because I knew I could use the platform to get more girls into engineering,” she said.
1. What is special about Miss England mentioned in the text?| A．She is also a scientist. | B．She was once an astronaut. |
| C．She had a happy childhood. | D．She has great pressure at present. |
| A．She had trouble with her study. | B．She was in poor health. |
| C．The color of her hair was unusual. | D．Her clothes were not beautiful. |
| A．Her lifestyle in high school. | B．Some of her college education. |
| C．Her attitude to her classmates. | D．The support from her family. |
| A．To continue her college education. |
| B．To realize her dream since childhood. |
| C．To get confidence to deal with difficulties. |
| D．To encourage more girls to learn STEM. |
