2 . David hoped to be a teacher when he was young. “The minute I walked into my university, I knew _________ what I wanted to be,” he says. “The teachers were so _________ and welcome.”

As an education major, he was excited to learn his classroom _________ would begin during his second year of his university. “That was very important to me because I didn’t want to _________ until I was a student teacher to get into a classroom,” he says. David was also _________ by his university’s short-term study abroad program and the opportunities it offers to students to be adaptable to the university.

David quickly adapted himself to the university. He was _________ freshman class president and joined many organizations, all about children education. He also held several campus_________, took on several leadership positions and was accepted into a leadership development program. “These _________ allowed me to learn things outside the classroom. I built my _________ in leadership and teamwork,” says David. “These are real life experiences that I can ________ to the classroom.”

By the end of the second year of his university, David had __________ two practicums (实习课) at elementary schools, including a special education internship (实习) focused on students with reading __________. He went on to finish two __________ practicums and a student teaching task over the next two years.

Two months before graduation, David was __________ a full-time position as a special education teacher at Millstone River Elementary School in the West Windsor—the same school where he completed his junior practicum in spring 2017. “It is such a relief to be hired so early. I feel all my hard work __________,” he says.

1.

A．regularly

B．exactly

C．widely

D．randomly

2.

A．clever

B．proud

C．warm

D．mean

3.

A．playing

B．building

C．disciplines

D．experiences

4.

A．run

B．wait

C．study

D．respond

5.

A．bored

B．frightened

C．attracted

D．confused

6.

A．voted

B．allowed

C．sent

D．left

7.

A．libraries

B．tasks

C．jobs

D．posters

8.

A．failures

B．performances

C．requests

D．activities

9.

A．skills

B．tips

C．right

D．body

10.

A．return

B．bring

C．throw

D．award

11.

A．chosen

B．forgotten

C．refused

D．completed

12.

A．disorders

B．preferences

C．abilities

D．habits

13.

A．easy

B．expensive

C．additional

D．strange

14.

A．passed

B．offered

C．showed

D．served

15.

A．paid off

B．went wrong

C．fell apart

D．broke down

3 . More than 50 percent of the largest lakes in the world are losing water, storing less water than they did three decades ago, according to a new assessment published today in Science. The key causes are not surprising: The warming climate and unsustainable human consumption.

Lead author Fangfang Yao, a climate fellow at University of Virginia, and his team created a technique to measure changes in water levels of nearly 2,000 of the world’s biggest lakes and reservoirs (水库), which represent 95 percent of the total lake water storage on Earth.

They used 250,000 lake-area pictures taken by satellites between 1992 and 2020 to survey the area of 1,972 of Earth’s biggest lakes. They collected water levels from nine satellite altimeters (测高计) and used long-term water levels to reduce any uncertainty. For lakes without a long-term level record, they used recent water measurements made by newer instruments on satellites. Combining recent level measurements with longer-term area measurements allowed scientists to reconstruct the volume of lakes dating back decades.

The result was staggering: 53 percent of lakes globally experienced a decline in water storage. The authors compare this loss with the size of 17 Lake Meads, the largest reservoir in the United States.

To explain the trends in natural lakes, the team used recent advancements in water use and climate modeling. “Climate change and human water consumption were mainly responsible for the global net decline in natural lake volume and water losses in about 100 large lakes,” Yao said. “And many of the human and climate change footprints on lake water losses were previously unknown, such as the dryness of Lake Good-e-Zareh in Afghanistan.”

And their research offers an understanding into possible solutions. Yao said, “If human consumption is a large cause of lake water storage decline, then we can adapt and explore new policies to reduce large-scale (大范围) declines.” This happened in one of the lakes the team studied, Lake Sevan in Armenia. Lake Sevan has seen an increase in water storage, in the last 20 years, which the authors linked to the enforcement (实施) of conservation laws on water withdrawal since the early 2000s.

1. What phenomenon does the author describe at the beginning of the text?

A．Many largest lakes are in decline.	B．Sustainable development is important.
C．Global warming is worsening quickly.	D．The water storage system needs improving.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The reason for reducing the uncertainty.	B．The process of looking for lakes.
C．The measures used to do the research.	D．The ways to reconstruct the lakes.

3. What does the underlined word “staggering” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Understandable.

B．Exciting.

C．Useful.

D．Shocking.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The increase in human consumption has slowed.

B．Some laws are needed to increase lake water storage.

C．Lakes have seen significant growth in water increase.

D．Water resources management is unknown to the public.

4 . Researchers have trained a robot “chef” to watch and learn from cooking videos, and recreate the dish itself.

Grzegorz Sochacki, a PhD in Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory, and his colleagues designed eight simple salad recipes and filmed themselves making them. They then used a publicly available neural network (神经元网络) to train their robot chef. The neural network had already been programmed to identify a range of different objects, including the fruits and vegetables used in the eight salad recipes.

Using computer vision techniques, the robot analyzed each frame (画面) of videos and was able to identify the different objects and features, such as a knife and the ingredients (佐料), as well as the human demonstrator’s arms, hands and face. Both the recipes and the videos were changed to vectors (模型) and the robot performed mathematical operations on the vectors to determine the similarity between a demonstration and a vector. By correctly identifying the ingredients and the actions of the human chef, the robot could determine which of the recipes was being prepared. The robot could infer that if the human chef was holding a knife in one hand and a carrot in the other, the carrot would then get cut up.

Of the 16 videos it watched, the robot recognized the correct recipes 93% of the time. The robot was also able to detect that slight changes in a recipe, such as making a double portion (份) or normal human errors, were changes and didn’t mean a new recipe. The robot also correctly recognized the demonstration of a new, ninth salad, added it to its cookbook and made it.

“Our robot isn’t interested in the sorts of food videos that are popular online, which quickly move back and forth between the person preparing the food and the dish they’re preparing—they’re simply too hard to follow,” said Sochacki.   “But as these robot chefs get better and faster, they will be able to use those videos to learn a whole range of recipes.”

1. What did Sochacki and his colleagues do for the experiment?

A．They posted a film featuring network online.

B．They made videos to train their robot chef.

C．They designed a neural network themselves.

D．They prepared 16 salad recipes for the robot.

2. What can be learned from paragraph 3?

A．The learning process of the robot chef is very easy.

B．It is difficult to tell ingredients from human chefs’ faces.

C．The robot chef can predict what will happen next accordingly.

D．Few mathematical operations are needed for the identification.

3. What is Sochacki’s attitude towards the future of robot chefs?

A．Positive.

B．Unclear.

C．Doubtful.

D．Worried.

4. Which is a suitable title for the text?

A．The Similarity Between a Demonstration and a Vector Is Proved

B．A Publicly Available Neural Network Makes Cooking Easier

C．Online Videos Help Robot Chefs Learn a Whole Range of Recipes

D．A Robot Chef Learns to Recreate Recipes from Watching Food Videos

5 . On April 10, the University of Utah became officially Bee Campus certificated. This process was started by senior Zoē Bross in her second year on campus. Bee Campus USA hopes to protect the native pollinators (传粉者) on college campuses by increasing the number of native plants, providing nest sites, reducing the use of pesticides, and offering educational opportunities that help with pollinator conservation.

After first hearing her school wasn’t certificated a Bee Campus and finding becoming Bee Campus certificated would give the University more point s on the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) program, which decides ratings to campuses according to their sustainable efforts, Bross wanted to help.

There are many requirements to become Bee Campus certificated. The first major step for Bross was to create a standing Bee Campus committee with a mix of students and staff. Bross tried to reach out to professors and people specializing in this field. After many efforts, the program was finally passed through and a garden for it was created.

Over 100 people showed up to help plant in the garden. After the planting was done, Grounds, responsible for planting the pollinator gardens, set up their hydroseeder (水力播种机) and let attendees take turns spraying the hill, with a mixture of water and wildflower seeds, making the area more pollinator-friendly. Rocky, the school robot, even made an appearance, taking turns spraying.

Certificated by Bee Campus USA, Bee Campuses are expected to continue maintaining or improving pollinator habitats on campuses, as well as maintaining an educational online presence. “I see the campus continuing to be very interested,” Bross stated.

Future plans for the campus include more pollinator gardens, native wildflowers, and even bee sculptures to provide new habitats. As for Bross? She pictures herself somewhere warm and sunny in the near future, working in environmental communications and doing something for the change she wants to see in the world.

1. What is the purpose of Bee Campus USA?

A．To offer some advice on sustainable development.

B．To find educational opportunities to rate the college.

C．To protect native pollinators on college campuses.

D．To increase the number of college campuses.

2. What did Bross need to do first?

A．Form a committee.	B．Buy a hydroseeder.
C．Create a garden.	D．Join a student organization.

3. Why did Rocky appear in the garden?

A．To scare the pollinators away.	B．To help spray the hill.
C．To plant wildflower seeds.	D．To welcome people.

4. What can we know about Bross from the last paragraph?

A．She is fond of drawing.	B．She will look for some new habitats.
C．She owns pollinator gardens.	D．She has an environment-related work plan.

6 . A school Picture Day usually occurs either once in the fall, or twice a year during both the start of the fall and spring terms. A school Picture Day is you and your children’s chance to record and keep memories for the school year. Missing a Picture Day means missing out on joy and special moments of the childhood—so it’s important to plan ahead.

Hairstyle

Don’t get a new haircut right before the Picture Day. If you’re planning your children’s haircut for the Picture Day, make sure it gets done at least two weeks before the Picture Day. This will ensure that any bad spots have time to grow back before the photos.

Try to stick to a neutral haircut. Recent trending hairstyles, colors and other unique hairstyles may not go well. You should find a hairstyle that is both neutral and something that represents your children’s personality.

Keep the hair out of their face. If your children’s hair naturally falls in front of their face, try to use hairpins, hair spray, or even a fresh haircut to keep their bright smile shining through.

Clothing

Dress for the weather. If it’s cold outside, you should make sure your children arrive at school in clothing that keeps them warm. On the contrary, if the Picture Day is scheduled on a forecast heatwave, dressing your children in warmer clothing (even if it’s your favorite one) could result in sweat showing up in the photos.

Don’t make your children wear anything they don’t like. They’ll shine in clothing they’re comfortable in, but will look obviously less comfortable in one they don’t like. Help your children show their best side by letting them wear clothes they love.

Accessories (配饰)

Keep jewelry minimal. You never want children’s jewelry to distract from their photos. If they do want to wear some sort of jewelry, make sure that it’s small or understated.

Avoid hats. Hats do little help, other than covering up your children’s head and face and should never be included.

1. Who is the text intended for?

A．Parents.

B．Students.

C．Teachers.

D．Photographers.

2. What is a requirement for children’s hairstyle on the Picture Day?

A．It should be newly cut.	B．It should be colored in a recent trend.
C．It should cover the smile.	D．It should show children’s uniqueness.

3. In order to have better photos, children had better ________.

A．choose warm clothes	B．avoid much jewelry
C．follow adults	D．wear a small hat

7 . In an awe-inspiring incident, a young killer whale recently demonstrated remarkable intelligence by seeking assistance from a group of humans to save its trapped mother, which challenged our conventional understanding of wild predators (食肉动物).

The online viral video, shared by Alvin Foo, began with a young killer whale emitting distressing cries towards a group of people on a boat. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the concerned individuals promptly responded by contacting a rescue team. The young whale’s desperate request for help touched more people’s hearts and set a truly extraordinary chain of events in motion.

As the rescue team arrived, they were amazed to witness the young killer whale’s playful interaction with the humans. The whale appeared elated, seemingly understanding that assistance had finally arrived. This interaction between the mother killer whale and rescuers underlined the potential for mutual understanding beyond the boundary of traditional predator-prey relationships.

The young whale took on the role of a guide, leading the rescue team to its mother trapped in a fishing net. It navigated the water with purpose, as if fully aware that the humans possessed the means to save its mother. This display of intelligence left the rescuers in awe, highlighting the complex cognitive abilities of these magnificent marine creatures. With its guidance, the rescue team swiftly initiated the liberation process, carefully cutting the net to free the trapped whale. Astonishingly, they seemed to understand that the humans were there to help and did as asked.

The instant the mother whale was finally freed, an eruption of joyous cries filled the air. The emotional outpouring conveyed the immense gratitude of both the mother whale and the young whale to the humans who had intervened. As the rescue team made their way back to shore, the two whales swam alongside them. This heart-warming sight emphasized the lasting impact of the rescue. The bond formed through this extraordinary rescue operation was well obvious, proving that the profound connections can be established between various species. The journey back to safety symbolized the victory of compassion over adversity.

1. What can we learn about the video from paragraph 2?

A．It spread widely.

B．It went unnoticed.

C．It documented humans’ requesting help.

D．It recorded passive response to the rescue.

2. What does the underlined word “elated” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Tired.

B．Excited.

C．Frightened.

D．Confused.

3. What is the young whale like?

A．Wise and cooperative.	B．Complex and mysterious.
C．Curious and careful.	D．Wild and rude.

4. What does the author mainly want to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Adversity is a good discipline.

B．It is urgent to protect wildlife.

C．Different species can coexist in harmony.

D．Human intervention poses a threat to whales.

8 . Books influence people by showing us what is possible in the world. Here are four great reads that are worth a try.

I Am Golden by Eva Chen

This book is illustrated by Sophie Diao. As a children’s book author, Eva Chen shows people that family is important to her. In this book, she explores that through the eyes of Mei, a young girl being both a “teacher and translator” for her parents. The picture book tells an inspiring story that seeks to teach children about self-love.

I Am Quiet by Andie Powers

Andie Powers is a writer for children and she draws inspiration from her own experience as the mother of a quiet child, Alice. Illustrated by Betsy Petersen, this picture book tells that silent Emile’s mind can be as rich and expansive as that of any other children. The story honors and encourages the beauty of knowing oneself for exactly who he or she is.

The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson

It is set in the early 1900s and tells a vivid story directly inspired by the author’s family history. Anna Rose Johnson’s writing is gentle, unhurried and reflective with touches of humor and heartbreak, showcasing the heroine of the book, Norvia Nelson, a brave girl making her way to complex family dynamics, pressures and universal daily-life challenges.

Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book follows a legendary but unpopular tennis player as she comes out of retirement to attempt a comeback. Unable to stand her record being broken, Carrie Soto brings her dad back as her coach and trains with a former rival. From the story, readers discover the cost of fame, the struggles of being a female athlete, and that it’s OK to fail sometimes.

1. What do I Am Golden and I Am Quiet have in common?

A．The author.	B．The main content.
C．The illustrator.	D．The target audience.

2. What do we know about The Star That Always Stays?

A．Its tone is serious.

B．It is based on a true story.

C．It is set in the 19th century.

D．Its heroine has a weak personality.

3. Which character can attract sports lovers most?

A．Mei.

B．Emile.

C．Norvia Nelson.

D．Carrie Soto.

9 . Meteorites (陨石) can offer clues about what the early solar system was like. But finding them is far from difficult. Now, some scientists are turning to drones (无人机) and machine learning to help spot freshly fallen meteorites much more efficiently. “A team of six people on a meteorite-hunting expedition can search about 200,000 square meters per day,” says Seamus Anderson, a planetary scientist in Australia.

Around 2016, Anderson began toying with the concept of using drones to take pictures of the g round to look for meteorites. That idea blossomed into a Ph.D. project. In 2022, he and his colleagues reported their first successful recovery of a meteorite spotted with a drone. They’ve since found four more meteorites at a different site. Drone-based searches are much faster than the standard search way. “You’re going from about 300 days of human effort down to about a dozen or so,” he says.

Anderson and his workmates have used drones to search for meteorites in remote parts of Western Australia and South Australia. The team is tipped off about a fall site by networks of ground-based cameras that track meteoroids flashing through the Earth’s atmosphere. The researchers have to do a series of fun but difficult work before the hunt. They pack a four-wheel drive vehicle with drone and computer equipment, battery charging stations, generators, fuel, food, camping equipment, tables, chairs and much more. The drive to the fall site can take more than a day, often on rough or nonexistent roads. Anderson says, “You hope you don’t pop a tire.”

After arriving, the team flies its primary drone at an altitude of about 20 meters. Its camera takes an image of the ground once every second, and the scientists download the data every 40 minutes or so when the drone lands to receive fresh batteries. A typical day of flying can net over 10,000 images, which are then divided digitally into 100 million or so smaller sections. Those “tiles”, each 2 meters on a side, are fed into a machine learning algorithm (算法) that has been trained to recognize meteorites based on images of real land rocks which are spray-painted black.

1. Why do the scientists study meteorites?

A．To spot the planetary course.	B．To promote machine learning.
C．To test the functions of drones.	D．To explore the past of solar system.

2. What does Anderson say about drone-based searches in paragraph 2?

A．Their barriers.	B．Their causes.
C．Their efficiency.	D．Their concept.

3. Which words can best describe the preparations of the drone search for meteorites?

A．Fun and light.	B．Smooth and flexible.
C．Difficult and unpleasant.	D．Complicated and tough.

4. How does the drone process images?

A．By dividing them in half.	B．By storing them for analysis.
C．By combining them into a picture.	D．By linking them with a digital printer.

10 . Recent research confirms what our farming ancestors have known for centuries about hedges (树篱). They conserve precious soil by acting as windbreaks and absorbing rainwater that would otherwise wash it from the fields. And hedges store carbon, putting them in the front line of our bi d to tackle the climate crisis.

However, hedges have had a tough time in the poor countryside, with farmers encouraged to tear them down in pursuit of maximum production and larger field s to accommodate ever-larger machinery. What’s more, some hedges have been ignored. If left to their own devices, they’ll eventually become a line of trees. Some hedges each year lose their structures and fail to fulfil the primary duty as a barrier. Around a half of the nation’s hedges have disappeared in the past century.

There are signs that “the tide is turning”. The search for net zero has aroused many organizations’ interest in the humble hedge’s role as a carbon sink. The Climate Change Committee is recommending a 40 percent increase in hedges: an additional 200,000 km. Such recommendations are starting to drive policy. Cash-pressed farmers will be encouraged to create new hedges and improve their management of existing ones under the new Environmental Land Management Schemes, which will replace many of the existing agricultural support payments in coming years. Meanwhile, initiatives such as Close the Gap, led by the Tree Council, is providing funding and support to plug the gaps in existing hedges with new planting. There’s even an app to help time-pressed farmers do a quick survey to spot where their hedges need some help.

This is a good time for hedges. Take some of the most pressing challenges facing the countryside, and indeed, the world as a whole — the climate crisis, soil erosion (侵蚀), insect attack and wider biodiversity loss — and hedges are part of the solution.

1. What does recent research show about hedges?

A．They are unique landscapes in the rain.

B．They act as dividing lines between fields.

C．They have long been helpful to agriculture.

D．They are frequently washed away from the fields.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about hedges?

A．Their suffering.	B．Their production.
C．Their duties.	D．Their structures.

3. What is many organizations’ attitude towards saving hedges?

A．Puzzled.

B．Concerned.

C．Humble.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Hedges: Ancient Resources

B．Hedges: Official Recommendations

C．Restoring Hedges: Bringing Benefits to the Environment

D．Researching Hedges: Originating from Farmers’ Request