1 . Ralph Street loves maps. Appropriately (相称) for someone with his surname, he studied geography and town planning. And well before that, his parents _________ took him out orienteering (定向运动).

“I don’t really remember a time before orienteering,” Street _________. “My parents took me orienteering the first week I was born.” He now _________ internationally as an orienteer. In 2023, he won the first place in Orienteering World Cup. Street remembers a childhood trip with friends who trusted him as they realized his excellent _________ for getting around the new city.

Street _________ the sport of orienteering at the age of nine. As his experiences suggest, childhood exposure shapes people’s comfort and _________ with navigation (导航).

People who grew up outside cities, or in more spatially (空间的) complex cities, also appear to be better able to navigate. “Even as adults, we have good _________ that people who navigate more widely around their environment have better spatial skills,” says Nora Newcombe, a psychology professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Misconceptions _________ about human navigation. “One of them is that you think you cannot improve,” Newcombe says. Navigational _________ like maps and compasses can lead to a dependence. People can train themselves to better notice environmental __________ like the wind, the sun and slopes.

For people who can’t imagine wayfinding without a phone app, there are still ways to __________ spatial skills. The system on many apps is that “wherever you’re going is straight ahead, which is a terrible way to learn. I advocate keeping north on the top all the time,” Newcombe __________ . Getting a(an) __________ amount of sleep may help too. One global study found that for participants __________ fifty and older, sleeping seven hours a night __________ the best performance in a navigation game.

1.

A．hardly

B．recently

C．regularly

D．typically

2.

A．recalls

B．repeats

C．regrets

D．responds

3.

A．travels

B．competes

C．visits

D．runs

4.

A．ambition

B．purpose

C．skill

D．task

5.

A．took over

B．took up

C．took on

D．took away

6.

A．confusion

B．confidence

C．happiness

D．sorrow

7.

A．insight

B．news

C．information

D．evidence

8.

A．appear

B．happen

C．consist

D．exist

9.

A．aids

B．aims

C．destinations

D．means

10.

A．situations

B．protections

C．measures

D．signs

11.

A．perform

B．evaluate

C．practise

D．motivate

12.

A．comments

B．suggests

C．states

D．decides

13.

A．obvious

B．same

C．different

D．abundant

14.

A．aged

B．aging

C．to age

D．ages

15.

A．was filled with

B．was satisfied with

C．was linked to

D．was compared to

2 . For the first time in its 100-year history, Walt Disney Animation has cooperated with an outside animation studio on a project. The result is lwájú, an interesting and original six-part series set in a futuristic version of Lagos, Africa. It was created with the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali and premieres (首映) on Disney+ on February 28.

lwájú is a story about Tola, a young girl from a wealthy family, and her best friend, Kole, a self-taught tech expert, and their discovery of the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds. The show explores inequality and the idea of challenging society’s standards. Like the Disney+ series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Marvel’s Black Panther films, and the Netflix animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter, lwájú is part of a genre (体裁) called Afrofuturism. It combines elements of science fiction, the culture and history of Africa and Africans, fantasy, and a vision of a better future.

The series was directed by Adeola, “lwájú was born from my personal inspiration to tell a story about Lagos because one of the unique things I noticed is how the geography actually supports the societal divide in a way that is very obvious,” Adeola told in the interview, “In Lagos, the wealthy people live on the island, and the working class and poor people live on the mainland. So you literally see a body of water separating rich and poor. And so I thought that was a really interesting foundation upon which to build a science-fiction story.”

Adeola called lwájú “a love letter to Lagos” and said every frame praises the city’s diversity and spirit. The characters, he explained, represent typical types of Nigerian people and they wear clothing inspired by traditional African textiles (纺织品).

While the series of films questions the divisions in society, Adeola said it also highlights the bravery required to disrupt them. He added that he hopes lwájú inspires audiences to find strength in unity and the courage to dream of change.

1. What’s the similarity between lwájú and other Disney+ series according to the text?

A．They are adventurous stories.

B．They explore inequality and challenge society’s standards.

C．They combine African traditional culture and futurism.

D．They are produced by Walt Disney Animation independently.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 3?

A．The society is rarely divided by geography.

B．Generally, upper class live on the mainland.

C．Adeola’s friend inspired him to film lwájú.

D．The poor and rich are separated quite clearly.

3. The underlined word “disrupt” can be replaced by ______.

A．Break.

B．Obtain.

C．Estimate.

D．Distinguish.

4. Which of the following can best describe the film lwájú?

A．Imaginary and humorous.	B．Innovative and realistic.
C．Attractive and inspiring.	D．Critical and multicultural.

4 . Zhang Xiqing is an outlier in Chinese society. At 33, she is happily unmarried, has no plans to have children with her boyfriend, and left her job at Tencent for a start-up because she wanted to “try something new”. But Zhang faces immense pressure from her family. She does her best to deal with the pressure to break convention but it can be a lonely path to follow. Now, however, she is drawing inspiration from a reality show that has become a hit on Chinese television.

Instead of giving young girls a shot at fame, Sisters Who Make Waves, produced by Hunan Television, has invited established actresses and performers over 30, and some in their 50s, to compete for a spot in a five-member band. The show has been a hit, especially among women, since it started airing in June. For women like Zhang, the attraction is that it shows more experienced women using their confidence and expertise—rather than youth—to get what they need.

“Seeing them on stage, I am no longer anxious about my age,” one viewer, who is attracted by the show commented on Weibo. A blogger who goes by the pen name Shaoxi said the overwhelming popularity of the show reflected the desperate need for women in China to see themselves pictured in a different light. Other viewers resonated (共鸣) with the setbacks of some of the stars, who battled personal and professional difficulties with the images of sparkling versions of themselves.

But some critics say the show falls short of its ideals. Wu Changchang, an associate professor of journalism at East China Normal University, wrote that the show was “hollow feminism (空洞的女权主义)”. However, Shaoxi said, “judging an entertainment show on what degree of feminism it contained was missing the point.” It’s popularity said something about the female audience. “It means that compared with the past, more are favoring strong, independent women. I hope I can be more like them”, she said.

1. Why does the author mention Zhang Xiqing in paragraph 1?

A．To express a view.	B．To make an argument.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To provide the evidence.

2. What can we learn about the show?

A．Its winners would form a band.	B．It was produced in Hunan TV in June.
C．It invited famous actresses in the country.	D．It attracted little attention at the beginning.

3. What does paragraph 3 focus on?

A．The various suggestions for the show.

B．The positive comments from viewers.

C．The negative influence of the show on the society.

D．The close connection between the show and the reality.

4. Why did the show become so popular among women?

A．It spoke highly of feminism and self-discipline.

B．It highlighted the importance of beauty and experience.

C．It inspired women to be themselves and pursue their dreams.

D．It stressed the courage to fight against professional difficulties.

5 . Even with the heated water splashing on my shoulders, a chill (寒意) still ran through me. My son was swimming _______ along the bottom of the pool. He surfaced and said, “I’ll show you how to swim underwater.”Usually I was a(n) _______ student, but not this time.

I just couldn’t trust my body to _______.My anxious mind would not let go. Over the years, I had learned not to sink, but I had never found the _______ of swimming that came easily to my friends. Self-doubt hardened into a _______:I couldn’t swim underwater.

But my son George wouldn’t _______ this. “Can you try?” His waiting face was open with possibility. I thought of the_______ things we had asked of him. The days I left him at preschool, he wept bitterly as I _______.The times he bared his arm for shots from the doctor. Earlier times in pools when he, too, _______ deep water.

I couldn’t say no. “Try to swim to me. It’s not very far.” he said, ________ above the water.His voice,calm and encouraging,   ________ me. “When I count to three, you start, OK?” I didn’t move. “Let’s try again,” he said in his teacher voice. “One, two, three!”

After more false starts, I knew I must ________.I sucked in air, squeezed my eyes shut, and aimed like a torpedo (鱼雷) into the dark. I traveled ________ in this liquid world, just pushing forward. I ________ my breath until I couldn’t anymore. I burst up into cool air. “I did it!” I said, tears of ________ streaming down my smiling face.George smiled too. “Now,” he continued, “try to go a little farther.”

I swam farther.I swam.

1.

A．bravely

B．skillfully

C．carefully

D．nervously

2.

A．willing

B．ambitious

C．gifted

D．adorable

3.

A．bend

B．float

C．extend

D．swing

4.

A．knowledge

B．potential

C．freedom

D．chance

5.

A．goal

B．result

C．decision

D．belief

6.

A．realize

B．change

C．accept

D．consider

7.

A．special

B．basic

C．common

D．hard

8.

A．turned up

B．passed by

C．slipped away

D．broke in

9.

A．feared

B．missed

C．enjoyed

D．expected

10.

A．standing

B．towering

C．stretching

D．adjusting

11.

A．comforted

B．surprised

C．puzzled

D．amused

12.

A．continue

B．act

C．win

D．quit

13.

A．blindly

B．quickly

C．elegantly

D．freely

14.

A．lost

B．took

C．caught

D．held

15.

A．relief

B．sorrow

C．joy

D．gratitude

7 . In 1999, when she was 23, Roxanne Olson left her home in Eureka, California to pursue a dream job, as an assistant producer on a cross-country tour. But party through the _________, she got some terrible news — her father had died of a sudden heart attack.

“I was _________ enough to not even understand that death was part of my world. And so it was a crazy _________,” Olson remembered.

Olson was able to get a plane ticket home, but when she arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, things went _________. Someone had run through security with a bag, _________ the shutdown of the airport.

“It turned out it was over 6,000 people evacuated from the O’Hare airport that day,” Olson said. After _________ of waiting, Olson and the other travelers were allowed back in. But the airport was in complete _________. As she stood there, feeling more and more overwhelmed, a woman approached her, pushing an empty _________.

“And she _________ to me and she said, ‘I’m here to help people like you,’” Olson said. __________, Olson got in the wheelchair. As the woman __________ them through the airport, Olson told her about her father’s death, and her __________ to return back home to California.

“And she just seemed to understand my problem — she talked to whoever the right people were, and she got me on the very first __________ out.”

Olson __________ it home that day. She says she’ll never forget the woman who made it possible. “She just __________ that I was broken and needed help. And she saved me.”

1.

A．country

B．dream

C．job

D．tour

2.

A．old

B．busy

C．young

D．sad

3.

A．shock

B．idea

C．knock

D．world

4.

A．accordingly

B．wrong

C．smoothly

D．well

5.

A．forcing

B．quickening

C．suggesting

D．remembering

6.

A．days

B．hours

C．minutes

D．seconds

7.

A．darkness

B．silence

C．disorder

D．peace

8.

A．suitcase

B．cart

C．wheelchair

D．load

9.

A．looked up

B．gave in

C．turned back

D．walked up

10.

A．Nervous

B．Relieved

C．Disappointed

D．Confident

11.

A．navigated

B．observed

C．tricked

D．pulled

12.

A．attempt

B．dream

C．failure

D．speed

13.

A．class

B．cabin

C．day

D．flight

14.

A．got

B．made

C．brought

D．left

15.

A．admitted

B．heard

C．saw

D．claimed

8 . Few humans have had the opportunity to see Earth from space. And for astronauts living in the International Space Station like Loral O’Hara, that view never gets old. “You know, you see it in photographs, but that doesn’t compare at all to seeing it in person for the first time in 3D,”O’Hara said in a recent interview. “I just saw the ocean and the clouds — this blue and white marble against the blackness of space — and it was one of the most beautiful things I’d ever seen.”

O’Hara is a flight engineer for NASA’s Expedition 70 crew, who launched into space in September 2023. She and her team spent the last six months researching a range of topics: How the human brain and body adapt to microgravity, 3D-printed human heart tissue and how space changes the immune (免疫) systems of plants. One of these investigations is the Complement of Integrated Protocols for Human Exploration Research program, or CIPHER, which is intended to help researchers understand how living in space changes human health and psychology.

On Earth, gravity keeps blood and other fluids relatively low in the body. But when astronauts live in microgravity, these fluids are pushed up towards the heart, which can cause swelling, congestion (淤血) and even vision and hearing changes. Onboard the ISS, O’Hara says astronauts keep tabs on these potential health risks, performing regular eye exams and ultrasounds to collect data. The hope is to use this data not only for microgravity research, but also for research on Earth. For example, researchers know astronauts lose about 1% to 2% of their bone density per month during spaceflight. So, O’Hara and her team are analyzing bone marrow stem cells in order to better understand both this bone loss and normal aging on Earth.

O’Hara says the changes aren’t just physical either. She’s even had new types of dreams since she boarded the ISS last September. She says she often finds herself in small, tight spaces, looking for things on the space station.

1. What does the word “that” underlined in the first paragraph refer to?

A．The blue and white marble.

B．The sight of space in pictures.

C．The chance to see Earth from space.

D．The life in the International Space Station.

2. What does CIPHER aim to do?

A．Test the astronauts’ health conditions.

B．Understand the immune systems of plants.

C．Investigate the human psychological issues.

D．Study the impact of life in space on humans.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．Astronauts can suffer hearing changes on Earth.

B．Researchers check their eyes to reduce health risks.

C．Microgravity leads to some physical changes.

D．Bone loss research is welcome among astronauts.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．What’s It Like to Live in Space?

B．The Research of Microgravity in Space

C．Do You Dream of Living in Space?

D．An Extraordinary Woman Flight Engineer

9 . The Best Mini Freezers in 2024

There are hundreds of mini freezers on the market right now, so we’ve made the decision easier with a list of the best mini freezers, including various sizes and options in every price range.

Hotpoint Manual Defrost Freezer

For anyone who truly doesn’t know where to start, you can’t go wrong with the Hotpoint’s chest freezer. It offers 4.9 cubic feet of space. A removable organization basket is ideal for storing items you use the most to ensure they’re always on top and easily accessible. Plus, you can adjust the temperature as needed to ensure everything is completely frozen through.

Arctic King Upright Freezer

If you’re looking for a unit that’s relatively affordable, then this 1.1-cubic-foot upright mini freezer might be for you. It’s a quality mini freezer for dorms, bedrooms or anyone wanting extra storage for snacks and beverages. You might not be able to fit a lot inside, but it takes up minimal space and is ideal for a single person.

Mide a Mini Freezer

With 3. 5 cubic feet of space, this model from Midea is the best mini freezer on Amazon with thousands of five-star ratings. Unlike many chest freezers, it has a door that opens at various angles, making it easy to grab items quickly. It comes with a storage basket and temperature knob that gives you full control over how cold you keep your food.

Summit Mini Freezer

This mini freezer from Summit is available in stainless steel or wood-panel finishes. The freezer has 4. 7 cubic feet of space and an ice maker. Plus, it has a temperature memory function and a frost-free system that automatically adjusts the temperature to prevent excess frost from building up.

1. Which freezer offers the largest space?

A．Hotpoint Manual Defrost Freezer.	B．Arctic King Upright Freezer.
C．Mide a Mini Freezer.	D．Summit Mini Freezer.

2. What is special about Midea Mini Freezer?

A．It enables you to adjust temperature.

B．It is the best mini freezer in the world.

C．Its door remains open at different angles.

D．Its price is accepted by most customers.

3. What can you do with Summit Mini Freezer?

A．Remove the basket.	B．Make ice.
C．Fit a lot inside.	D．Save money.