1 . J. K. Rowling frequently shows there is magic every day. Her Harry Potter series has helped people through times of stress and depression and she is always there to deliver wise words of encouragement.

She is one celebrity who is very active on Twitter. So when a single dad named Matt Burke sent her a message thanking her for the series, she noticed. Her series had helped strengthen his relationship with his 9­year­old daughter Bailey.

He included a link to his article titled Being a Broke Parent. He explained how he hadn’t found a level of financial stability that allowed him to pay bills on time and take his daughter on more activities and events. The family also doesn’t have the Internet or TV, which means there’s no “digital babysitter” and he has to rely on his own creative ways to bond with his daughter. Since he received the series, the main thing that has occupied them these days is reading books together.

Burke admits that he thought he was “too cool” for the books when they first came out and he was in his twenties, but he’s loving reading them now. “We switch off chapter by chapter reading them out loud，“Burke explains.” This not only allows her to get more used to reading aloud in front of someone, but it gets me directly involved in something she loves, and it gives me the chance to be very dramatic when I read my chapters and bring myself into the characters in the book, which has proven to be a ton of fun.”

After hearing Burke’s story, Rowling said how honored she was when Harry Potter was a part of his family’s life and offered Burke more books. Besides, people are also offering to send Burke more books as gifts. For Burke, this experience, far more than gifts, will be what he treasures.

1. Why did Burke thank J. K. Rowling according to the text?

A．She guided him how to write a good story.

B．She encouraged him when he was in trouble.

C．Her books helped him through times of confusion.

D．Her books helped him improve his bond with his daughter.

2. What is implied in Burke’s words in paragraph 4?

A．He has found it interesting to read the series.	B．He was too old to understand the series better.
C．He has chosen a better way of reading the series.	D．He hopes to play a role in the drama in the future.

3. Which word can best describe Burke’s experience according to the text?

A．Useless.

B．Normal.

C．Valuable.

D．Boring.

4. What is the main idea of this text?

A．J. K. Rowling chooses to help improve kids’ health.

B．J. K. Rowling gives a magical gift to a single father.

C．J. K. Rowling has a deep influence on others’ growth.

D．Burke comes to know J. K. Rowling through her series.

2 . Educational technology such as apps can help students with time management, organization skills, study skills, homework and more. Below is a list of apps for college students recommended by educational technology experts. The needs of individual students differ and experts suggest that students try out several apps to find the right one. Unless costs are noted in the apps’ descriptions below, these learning tools are free to users:

Blackboard App. A popular learning management system, Blackboard is used at many colleges across the U. S. It allows students to get course work for online classes or in-person classes. Students can view course content, complete assignments and tests, view graded and more.

Duolingo. Advertising itself as “the world’s best way to learn a language”, Duolingo offers lessons in 35- plus languages, helping users with speaking, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Duolingo offers both free and paid versions, the latter with an ad-free experience and of line access to lessons.

Evernote. A note-taking and task-management system that offers the ability to sync across devices. Evernote allows users to create to-do lists, save web pages and change documents into a digital form via a device’s camera.

Ever note is free, though an advanced version with more feature costs $7.99 a month or $69.99 a year.

College mobile apps. College-specific apps have become fairly common among U. S. college students. While these apps may differ by college, users can often find campus maps, news, safety information, scheduled events and more.

1. Why do students need to try out several apps?

A．To avoid paying for any app.

B．To apply these alps to different tasks.

C．To see as many different functions as possible.

D．To find one that can best meet their needs.

2. What do the listed apps have in common?

A．They cannot be used continuously until paid.

B．They can help college students learn better.

C．They have different versions for college students.

D．They have been quite popular among college students.

3. Which app will you choose if you want to make a to-do list?

A．Blackboard app.	B．Duolingo.
C．Evernote.	D．College mobile apps.

3 . China has set new rules limiting the amount of time children can play online games. The rules limit children to just three hours of online game playing a week. That is one hour between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday most weeks.

Li Zhanguo has two children aged 4 and 8. Even though they do not have smartphones, they enjoy playing online games. Like many other parents. Li is happy with new government rules. But experts say it is unclear if such policies can help prevent addiction to online games. Children might just get addicted to social media instead. In the end, experts say, parents should be the ones to set limits and support good practice.

There has been a growing concern in China about gaming addiction among children. Government reports in 2018 found that about one in ten Chinese children were addicted to the Internet. The new rules are part of an effort to prevent young people from spending too much time on unhealthy entertainment. That includes what officials call the “irrational fan culture”

Under the new rules, the responsibility for making sure children play only three hours a day as largely on Chinese gaming companies like Net Ease and Ten cent. Companies have set up real-name registration systems to prevent young users from going past game time limits. They have used facial recognition technology to check their identities. And they have also set up a program that permits people to report what is against the law. It is unclear what punishments gaming companies may face if they do not carry out the policies. And even if such policies are performed, it is also unclear whether they can prevent online addiction.

A specialist treating Internet addiction expects about 20 percent of children will find ways to break the rules by borrowing accounts of their older relatives and find a way around facial recognition. In his opinion, short-video alps such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also very popular in China. They are not under the same restrictions as games.

1. When can children play games according to the new rules?

A．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Friday.	B．Between 8 p. m. and 9 p. m. On Tuesday.
C．Between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. On Saturday.	D．Between 10 p. m. and all p. m. On Thursday.

2. According to experts, _________

A．the new rules can stop children’s addiction to social media

B．companies are more responsible for kids ‘ obeying the rules

C．the new rules will help prevent children playing online games

D．parents play a greater part in limiting the time of online games

3. What will children probably do to battle with the new rules?

A．Design an advanced program.	B．Use facial recognition systems.
C．Set up real-name registration systems.	D．Borrow accounts of their older relatives.

4. Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?

A．Rules Limiting Short-video alps	B．Rules Limiting Video Game Time
C．Rules Banning Irrational Fan Culture	D．Rules Breaking Addition to Social Media

5 . After decades of exploring the moon, a dramatic vision is finally becoming reality. The Guardian recently reported that a project called Lunar Codex is planning to send and store over 30,000 works on the moon from artists, writers, filmmakers, and musicians from over 150 countries and regions. The goods to be stored range from novels and paintings to music, films，and even soil from Earth.

In fact, this is not the first time that people have tried sending human legacies (遗产) to outer space. In 1969, the Apollo 12 mission carried a ceramic piece with drawings. In 1971, the Apollo 15 staff left a sculpture to honor those who had died in space exploration. What’s more famous is the Golden Record carried by spacecraft Voyager 1 and 2 from NASA in 1977, which contains human language, music and images. For example, a piece of Chinese guqin music, called Flowing Streams was included in it.

Although we don’t know who determines which symbols of human legacy get sent out to space in most projects, it’s obvious that the criteria keep changing. In the past，space heritage products only focused on space-related works; but gradually, more human-related contemporary goods which held great importance in their respective eras have been added to the list. In the Lunar Codex, films, diverse art and literary works produced by women, disabled artists, and even AI have been collected for the first time to be sent to the moon.

These changing criteria also leave space for ordinary people to imagine and think. Many people are now trying to store their DNA information digitally. Will people be able to find even more surprising and inventive ways to preserve their legacy in the future? Only time can tell.

1. What is the goal of the project?

A．To make the moon livable.	B．To show respect to artists.
C．To enrich the life of astronauts.	D．To preserve human legacies.

2. How is Paragraph 2 mainly developed?

A．By explaining reasons.	B．By giving examples.
C．By making comparisons	D．By analyzing previous data.

3. What does the change of the criteria reflect?

A．AI technology is amazing.	B．The selective rules are strict.
C．Human civilization is inclusive.	D．Space-related works are popular.

4. Where does the text most probably come from?

A．A magazine.

B．A textbook.

C．An advertisement.

D．A poster.

7 . Those of us who shop online may scan customer reviews to get a better sense of products we can't judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online testimonials before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can't be trusted?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.

“Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we're using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.

That's potentially worrisome given that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.

             In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated reviews of their products.

In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer Fashion Nova to pay $4.2 million to settle allegations (指控) that it blocked negative reviews from being posted on its website — the first FTC action involving a company's effort to hide negative reviews. For its part, Fashion Nova said in a statement to The New York Times that the FTC's allegations were “inaccurate” and that it only settled the charges to avoid “the distraction and legal fees”.

Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FTC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.

1. What is the main purpose of the FTC's proposed rule?

A．To improve the quality of products and services.

B．To protect the interests of physical stores.

C．To ban negative reviews from online platforms.

D．To ensure true reviews are presented to customers.

2. What does the underlined phrase “hold water” in Paragraph 4 most probably mean?

A．Be credible.

B．Be prejudiced.

C．Be official.

D．Be misleading.

3. Why was Fashion Nova forced to pay $ 4.2 million in a settlement in 2022?

A．To delete negative reviews of its products.

B．To post customer reviews on its website.

C．To resolve allegations of deceptive advertising.

D．To prevent it from facing further criticism and legal fees.

4. What can be inferred about the proposed rule?

A．It is well-received.	B．It is still under review.
C．It has proven to be effective.	D．It has encountered opposition.

8 . Every year, young, talented, and ambitious nature conservationists from all over the world participate in the presentation of the Future For Nature (FFN) Award, an honorable international award.

The Future For Nature aims to:

• Reward and fund individuals for their outstanding efforts in the protection of species of wildlife.

• Encourage winners to sustain their dedicated work.

·• Help winners to raise their profiles, extend their professional network and strengthen their funding basis.

Benefits

• The winners each receive 50,000 euros and may make their own decision to spend the money in the service of nature conservation.

• FFN offers the winners a platform and brings their stories to the attention of conservationists, financiers and a wide audience, allowing them to increase their impact and gain more access to funds.

• FFN is building a growing family of winners, dedicated people who form a community of people with the same interest. FFN offers them the opportunity to meet each other and continue to learn with each other in order to continue their fight for nature as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Qualifications

The candidate (候选人):

• Must be born on or after the 31st May 1988 and before the 28th of August 2005.

• Is able to explain his/her conservation work in fluent English (written and spoken)

• Has achieved substantial and long-term benefits to the conservation status of one or more animal or plant species.

• Must be determined to continue his/her conservation work, as the Award aims to stimulate the winner’s future work. It is not an “end of career” prize.

Additional Remarks

For the 2024 Future For Future Awards, we are again searching for natural leaders, who have proven that they can make a difference in species’ survival.

From all applications, 6 to 10 nominees (被提名者) will be selected. These applicants will be asked to provide additional information, which will be used to select the final Awardees. Ultimately, three inspiring wildlife heroes are selected as the winners.

Application Process: Apply online through the Apply Now link.

Application Deadline: 28^th August, 2023

1. Which is one of the aims of the Future For Nature?

A．To aid more green groups	B．To fund academic education.
C．To inspire conservation efforts.	D．To raise environmental awareness.

2. The winners will get the chance to _______.

A．consult top specialists	B．meet those who are of the same ambition
C．benefit the local community	D．promote self-created platforms

3. To apply for the 2024 Future For Nature Awards, candidates must ________.

A．meet the age requirement	B．apply via mail by the deadline
C．turn in the application in English	D．provide additional personal information

9 . While teenagers who are at risk of depression with risky behaviors — drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and cutting classes often alert parents and teachers that serious problems are brewing, a new study finds that there’s another group of adolescents who are in nearly as much danger of experiencing the same mental symptoms.

These teens use tons of media, get insufficient sleep and have a sedentary (不爱活动的) lifestyle. Of course, that may sound like a description of every teenager on the planet. But the study warns that it is teenagers who engage in all three of these practices in the extreme that are truly in a dangerous position. Because their behaviors are not usually seen as a red flag, these young people have been called the “invisible risk”group by the study’s authors.

The study’s authors surveyed 15,395 students and analyzed nine risk behaviors, including excessive alcohol use, illegal drug use, heavy smoking and high media use. Their aim was to determine the relationship between these risk behaviors and mental health issues in teenagers. The group that scored high on all nine of the risk behaviors was most likely to show symptoms of depression; in all, nearly 15% of this group reported being depressed, compared with just 4% of the low-risk group. But the invisible group wasn’t far behind the high-risk set, with more than 13% of them exhibiting depression.

The findings caught Carli off guard. “We didn’t expect that,” he says. “The high-risk group and low-risk group are obvious, but this third group was not only unexpected. It was so distinct and so large — nearly one third of our sample — that it became a key finding of the study.”

Carli says that one of the most significant things about his study is that it provides new early warning signs for parents, teachers and mental health-care providers. And early identification, support and treatment for mental health issues, he says, are the best ways to keep them from turning into full-blown disorders.

1. Which teenager probably belongs to the “invisible risk” group?

A．A teenager who skips school.

B．A teenager who drinks frequently.

C．A teenager who exercises regularly.

D．A teenager who suffers from lack of sleep.

2. What can we know about the new study?

A．It was intended to dig into the reasons for depression.

B．Its findings were under expectation of the research team.

C．It was conducted by analyzing and comparing the previous data.

D．It revealed an alarming rate of the invisible group suffering depression.

3. What is Carli’s attitude toward the findings?

A．Unclear.

B．Concerned.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

4. What is the author’s intention of writing this passage?

A．To caution teens against developing unhealthy habit.

B．To share a novel psychological experiment with teens.

C．To introduce a new treatment for teens’ mental disorder.

D．To warn about the unobserved signs for teens’ mental problems.