1 . As Hallee McCoombes approaches the finish line of the 800-metre run for kids with disability in the 2022 School Sport Australia Track & Field Championships in Brisbane, the crowd is cheering wildly and chanting her name. With only ten metres to go, Hallee tunes out all the noise and pushes forward with every ounce of her strength. She doesn’t have any feeling in her waist or below her knees, but pain burns her upper legs. When Hallee crosses the finish line and collapses into an exhausted heap, her twin, Jada, scoops her up in her arms. “You came in third!” she whispers to Hallee.

Born with spina bifida, Hallee underwent immediate surgery to repair her spinal cord and close her back. As months passed, the McCoombes were surprised to see Hallee hitting her developmental milestones shortly after Jada did: talking, rolling over, crawling. “Her only big delay was walking.” says Gavin, her father. But Hallee had a secret weapon: a twin sister she was desperate to keep up with. “Jada definitely helped her with her disability.” Once Hallee started walking on her own at age three, her determination to keep up with Jada only grew stronger.

Shortly after the McCoombes moved to Elliott Heads, Jada declared that she wanted to be a runner. After watching Jada’s first training session of Little Athletics, Hallee turned to her parents and said, “I can do that, too. Sign me up.”

Would she even be able to run? “She has issues with her balance and her muscle power.” explains Gavin, “which means she had to work hard to maintain upper leg muscle and core support.” But Hallee’s parents had such strong belief in her that they signed her up. Sure enough, soon she was running with Jada.

Hallee’s passion for athletics has been transformative, helping her both physically and mentally. When asked what she would say to other children with disability, Hallee offers two powerful pieces of advice: “Don’t listen when people say you can’t do something. And, try your best.”

1. What can we learn about Hallee McCoombes from the first two paragraphs?

A．She made it to the finish line aching all over.

B．She won third place carried by her twin sister Jada.

C．To catch up with Jada motivated her to overcome her disability.

D．The milestones of her growth like talking and walking amazed her parents.

2. What was the challenge facing Hallee to enter Little Athletics?

A．Her father’s doubt.	B．Her lack of confidence.
C．Training with her sister.	D．Maintaining her core strength.

3. Which of the following best describes Hallee McCoombes?

A．Positive and patient.	B．Determined and persistent.
C．Courageous and humble.	D．Stubborn and hard-working.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The Great Family of Hallee McCoombes

B．Hallee McCoombes: A Race to Remember

C．Breaking Barriers: Hallee McCoombes’ Story

D．Hallee McCoombes Competing for the Disabled

2 . Akira Toriyama, one of Japan’s leading comics authors, whose manga (漫画) cartoon “Dragon Ball” achieved worldwide success with its mix of comedic characters and exciting martial arts battles, died on March 1, 2024. He was 68. His death was confirmed on Friday in a statement by his manga and design production company, Bird Studio, and Capsule Corporation Tokyo. The statement said the cause was acute subdural hematoma, a condition in which blood collects between the skull and brain. It did not say where Mr. Toriyama died.

Mr. Toriyama’s body of work, which also includes “Dr. Slump” and “Sand Land,” is recognizable far beyond Japan’s borders, having influenced generations of manga artists and cartoonists. The studio said he had several projects in the works at his death. His best-known work, “Dragon Ball,” follows a young boy named Son Goku who embarks on a journey to collect the seven magical balls that summon (召唤) a wish- granting dragon. Since its creation in the 1980s, it has spanned 42 volumes, sold millions of copies worldwide and become one of the most famous manga, inspiring television, film and video game adaptations.

Throughout his career, Mr. Toriyama said in a 2013 interview with the Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, he did not care if his work did anything besides entertaining its readers. He was, he said, unlike “other manga artists concerned about conveying didactic (说教的) messages.” “The role of my manga,” he said, “is to be a pure work of entertainment.”

“Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years,” his studio’s statement said. “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”

1. What information can be found in the text about Akira Toriyama?

A．He died of an unknown psychological illness in Tokyo.

B．He worked for Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Kyoto.

C．He gained worldwide recognition and admiration with his works.

D．He adapted his best-known work into TV series, films and games.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Akira Toriyama’s role in manga cartoon.	B．Akira Toriyama’s understanding of manga.
C．Akira Toriyama’s advice for cartoonists.	D．Akira Toriyama’s past career as a manga artist.

3. What message is conveyed in the statement?

A．He had finished all his work before death.

B．He started working on “Dragon Ball” in the 1990s.

C．His fans’ support and recognition inspired him to continue his work.

D．His studio decided to carry on his wonderful manga works in the future.

4. What is this text?

A．A news report.

B．A biography.

C．An interview.

D．A book review.

4 . Considering studying in the US? Concerned about expense? Let’s explore strategies for reducing economic pressure.

Finding scholarships

Explore university websites, as many US institutions offer scholarships to international students. Make use of search engines like Fastweb or Scholarship.com for comprehensive scholarship searches. Scholarships can be competitive due to high demand. However, a large number of opportunities exist.

Tips for securing scholarships:

● Academic excellence: Strong academic performance is highly regarded by universities

● Extracurricular involvement: Participation in sports, music or community service distinguishes applicants.

● Seek guidance: Teachers or advisers can offer valuable advice.

Alternative cost-reduction measures

● On-campus employment: International students can work on campus, providing both income and networking opportunities.

● Community colleges: Start studies at a community college, which is often more affordable, before transferring to a university for degree completion.

● Host family accommodation: Living with a US family can be a cost-effective alternative to university housing.

Financial options: loans and aid

● Loans (贷款): Some financial institutions loans to international students.

● Financial aid: Certain universities provide financial assistance to international students.

Practical budgeting

● Home cooking: Preparing meals at home is more economical than dining out.

● Second-hand purchases: Choose used books and furniture to save on expenses.

● Public transportation: Take buses and trains instead of owning a car for more cost-effective travel.

1. What is an advantage in guaranteeing scholarships?

A．A great gift in art.

B．Excellent academic performance.

C．Active participation in class activities.

D．A good command of using search engines.

2. Based on the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Community college fees are relatively high.

B．Owning a car is the cheapest way to get around.

C．International students have access to financial aid in some universities.

D．On-campus accommodation costs much less than living with a host family.

3. Which section of a newspaper may the text come from?

A．Education.

B．Economy.

C．Transportation.

D．Travel.

6 . When margarine (人造黄油) was first sold in the 1800s, plentiful alarmist words were uttered about it. However, it was simply a cream of vegetable oil and water, a processed, more sustainable and healthier alternative to an animal product. Anxiety about new foods and how they are produced continues today. Public discussions are full of concerns that “ultra-processed foods” or “UPFs” are downright unhealthy. One particular category in a fierce spotlight is plant-based meats. But how and where food is made doesn’t determine how safe or nutritious it is.

The term UPFs was first used in 2009 by Carlos Monteiro, a nutritionist. In a 2017 paper, he said he was worried that the shared experience of cooking was being increasingly lost and people weren’t eating together. In particular, he was seeing rising rates of diabetes and obesity. Keen to identify the root cause of these issues, he focused on food not made at home, but in factories. But the thing is, as Monteiro has stated openly, the UPF categorisation was never designed to group foods on the basis of nutrition.

Just like pork sausages and chicken popcorn, plant-based alternatives are made in factories, so are considered UPFs. But unlike those animal products, they don’t require antibiotics (抗生素) or hormones during production, require up to 96 percent less land, have carbon emissions up to 98 percent lower, need up to 99 percent less water and result in 100 percent fewer animals dying.

And side by side, they are almost always healthier than the over-processed animal meat products they replace, especially on fat and fibre content. Just compare the labels on the packets next time you are in the supermarket.

Many loud voices are raising concerns, suggesting that all UPFs, especially plant-based meats, are “unnatural”, “fake” and “full of chemicals”. We are seeing history repeat itself, and a fear of new foods being aroused all over again. But the science is unmistakably clear: diets rich in plant-based options are better for both people and the planet, factory or no factory.

1. Why does the author mention margarine in paragraph 1?

A．To stress the sales dilemma margarine faced before.

B．To illustrate people’s misunderstanding about margarine.

C．To show the ignored benefits of margarine to people’s health.

D．To emphasize people’s longstanding worry about novel foods.

2. Why did Monteiro create the UPF categorisation?

A．To classify the food made at home.

B．To encourage people to cook and eat together.

C．To discover the cause of some rising health problems.

D．To determine the nutrition level of factory-produced food.

3. What do the numbers in paragraph 3 imply?

A．Plant-based meats are more ecofriendly.

B．Plant-based meats shouldn’t be considered as UPFs.

C．Plant-based meats will replace UPF animal meat products.

D．Plant-based meats are healthier than sausages and popcorn.

4. What does the author think of the concern over plant-based meats?

A．Unnecessary.

B．Temporary.

C．Reasonable.

D．Alarming.

7 . Beeping alarms in hospitals are a life-or-death matter — but with so many going off all the time, medical professionals may experience alarm fatigue (疲劳) that impairs (损伤) care. Researchers now report that changing an alarm’s sound to integrate elements of musical instruments can make it more helpful amid the noises.

Auditory alarms can sound up to 300 times a day per patient in U. S. hospitals, but only a small percentage require immediate action. Data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggest that alarm fatigue (including when clinicians turned off or forgot to restart alarms) and other alarm-related issues were linked to 566 deaths over five and a half years.

After a typical day at the hospital, “I’d leave with beeping in my ears,” says Vanderbilt University Medical Center anesthesiologist Joseph Schlesinger. He co-worked with Michael Schutz, a music cognition researcher at McMaster University in Ontario, to analyze how musical sounds could improve hospital alarms.

In 2015, the researchers have conducted experiments, finding that sounds of a “percussive” music stand out even at low volume. In contrast, loud, “flat” tones like a reversing truck’s beep, get lost. And the sounds that made these sequences least annoying, with no decrease in recall, featured complex, time-varied harmonic (和声的) overtones (the many components within a single sound) rather than dull mechanical beeps.

The researchers are also drawing inspiration from other musical instruments: the triangle, for example, famously stands out in a crowd of sounds, possibly because it has overtone sequences that deviate from traditional harmonic series.

Such findings could lead to alarms that command attention and fit into current regulatory guidelines. Michael Rayo, who studies cognitive systems design at the Ohio State University, says that the experiment “furthers our understanding of aspects that reliably support strong performance.” Applied psychologist Judy Edworthy, a retired professor of the University of Plymouth in England, says the finding that musical tones can help improve alarms is important for future patient monitoring equipment designs. Still, she warns, “any sound can lead to alarm fatigue if it is constantly false.”

1. What is the problem with the traditional alarms beeping throughout hospitals?

A．Causing disorder of the hospital.	B．Annoying medical professionals.
C．Influencing clinicians’ response to alarms.	D．Damaging people’s hearing in hospitals.

2. What does the underlined word “deviate” in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Differ.

B．Separate.

C．Develop.

D．Arise.

3. What is Judy Edworthy’s attitude toward the finding of the research?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Ambiguous.

D．Supportive.

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

A．Music Finds Its Way to Hospitals	B．The Fatigue of Medical Professionals
C．Alarms: The Louder, The Better	D．Musical Alarms Fit Better in Hospitals

9 . A batch of new houses across California is selling unusually fast. In the past two months, 82 have been snapped up, and the waiting list is 1,000 long. That demand should, though, soon be satisfied—for, while it can take weeks to put up a conventional bricks-and-mortar dwelling (砖混住宅), the constructors behind these houses are able to build one in less than 24 hours. They can do it so rapidly because their products are collected from prefabricated (预制的) components printed in a factory.

Three-dimensional printing has been around since the early 1980s, but is now developing fast. It is already employed to make things ranging from orthopaedic (整形外科的) implants to components for aircraft. The details vary according to the products and processes involved, but the underlying principle is the same. A layer of material is laid down and somehow fixed in place. Then another is put on top of it. Then another. By varying the shape and the composition, objects can be crafted that would be difficult or impossible to produce with conventional techniques.

Not only does 3D printing allow greater versatility (用途广泛) and faster construction, it also promises a more environmentally friendly approach. That may make it a useful answer to two challenges now facing the world: a shortage of housing and climate change. More than 20% of Earth’s population lack adequate accommodation. And the construction industry is responsible for 11% of the world’s man-made carbon-dioxide emissions. An important benefit is that there is less need to move lots of heavy stuff. Palari Homes, for instance, estimates that prefabricating its products reduces the number of lorry journeys sufficiently to cut two tonnes off the amount of carbon dioxide released per home. If successful, building by 3D printing is likely to spread beyond housing. Opportunities also exist in warehousing, offices and other commercial buildings.

1. What can be inferred from paragraph one?

A．Houses are selling faster in California than other countries.

B．The demands of houses can make ends meet in California.

C．Traditional house sale in California has been booming recently.

D．Conventional dwellings need more time to complete.

2. What’s paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Development and definition of Three-dimensional printing.

B．Application and work principles of Three-dimensional printing.

C．Advantages Three-dimensional printing has.

D．Functions and application of Three-dimensional printing.

3. What’s the author’s attitude towards 3D printing?

A．Ambiguous.

B．Indifferent.

C．Favorable.

D．Caring.

4. What’s the suitable title for the passage?

A．3D printing — application to construction field	B．3D printing — an environmentally friendly tech
C．The promising future of 3D printing industry	D．Novel practice of the familiar 3D printing