1 . Enjoy these four stories of wonderful friendships between people and creatures.

Albi the Glowing Cow Boy

By Georgia Bwng. Illustrated by Angela Cogo

On a quiet farm in frosty moonlight, a calf (小牛) called Albi is born. A boy called Rufus lives nearby. Soon. Albi and Rufus set off on an incredible journey-but why are the two so deeply connected and how can they each find what they are searching for?

The Boy Who Saved a Bear

By Nizrana Farook

Nuwan works at a library delivering books, but when he unexpectedly crosses the path of a dangerous group of thieves, he must go on the run. Hiding deep in a cave he realizes he’s not alone-he’s sharing his shelter with a scared bear. Nuwan comforted the bear, so this unlikely pair become friends and are soon working together to stop the bad guys and solve a mystery.

Pax

By Sara Pennypacker, Illustrated by Jon Kassen

Peter has a special bond with Pax-a half-tamed fox cub (幼崽). When a war breaks out suddenly, Peter has to move to live with his grandfather, leaving Pax behind. Can the friends find their way back to each other? This story is accompanied by lots of beautiful illustrations.

Wilder

By Penny Chrimes

When a half-wild girl appears from the marshes (沼泽), the people of a nearby village treat her with doubt. She has a mysterious connection to animals, especially the falcon who circles above her. When the river starts to dry up and a dark sickness begins to spread, the girl sets out to save the villagers.

1. Why do Nuwan and the bear become friends?

A．They live in the same place.	B．They have to solve a mystery.
C．The bear was comforted by Nuwan.	D．The bear saved Nuwan from the thieves.

2. What makes Pax separate from Peter?

A．The force of thieves.	B．An unexpected war.
C．The decision of Peter’s grandfather.	D．The villagers’ doubt.

3. What do the four stories above have in common?

A．They are created with the same theme.	B．Their plots are only full of adventures.
C．They are accompanied by beautiful pictures.	D．Their characters grew up with their animal friends.

2 . As reported in the journal Nature, one system can directly remove carbon dioxide from sources ranging from flue gas (烟道气) to the atmosphere by using electricity to induce a water-and-oxygen-based electrochemical reaction. This technological achievement could turn direct air capture (捕获) from edge industry into a promising front for climate change relief.

Most carbon-capture systems involve a two-step process: First, high-pH liquids are used to separate the carbon dioxide, which is acidic, from mixed-gas streams such as flue gas. Next, the carbon dioxide is regenerated from the solution through heating or by injecting a low-pH liquid.

“Once the carbon dioxide is trapped in these solvents (溶剂), you have to regenerate it,” says Haotian Wang, assistant professor at Rice University. “There are literally no chemicals produced or consumed with our process. We also don’t need to heat up or pressurize our device, we just need to put it into a power outlet and it will work.”

Another drawback of current carbon-capture technologies is their reliance on large-scale, centralized infrastructure. By contrast, the system developed in the Wang lab is an extensible, modular, point-of-use concept that can adapt to a variety of scenarios. “The technology can be scaled up to industrial settings-power plants, chemical plants-but the great thing about it is that it allows for small-scale use as well: I can even use it in my office.” Wang says.

Also the reactor can continuously remove carbon dioxide from a simulated (模拟的) flue gas with efficiency above 98% using a relatively low electricity input. Wang notes that the process has “no carbon footprint or a very limited footprint” if powered by electricity from renewable sources such as solar or wind. “This is great news considering that renewablel electricity is becoming more and more cost-effective,” Wang says.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 2?

A．Add up some opposite reasons.	B．Offer basic evidences to the topic.
C．Summarize the following paragraphs.	D．Provide some background information.

2. What do we know about Wang’s system according to the text?

A．It involves a two-step process.	B．It creates some chemicals.
C．It is simple and easy to operate.	D．It needs to be used in big plants.

3. How does the author support the topic?

A．By making comparisons.	B．By listing many numbers.
C．By providing research results.	D．By analyzing causes and effects.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards Wang’s technology?

A．Unclear.

B．Favourable.

C．Objective.

D．Disapproving.

3 . Around 3,500 Americans ingest (摄入) batteries every year. It’s apparently such a repeating issue that even a specific hotline was built in the event of such an emergency.

And while it’s unlikely your wristwatch’s power source will ever be safe to eat, that doesn’t mean all batteries will remain uneatable-in fact, some are being designed with digestion specifically in mind.

A team of researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology recently revealed what isl being called as the world’s first fully rechargeable, eatable battery. As detailed in a paper published with Advanced Materials, the new device has made good use of some eatable materials.

“Eatable electronic devices will have major implications for gastrointestinal tract (胃肠道) monitoring, treatment, as well as rapid food quality monitoring,” reads the paper’s abstract, adding that although recent research proved the feasibility of eatable sensors and circuits, “fully eatable electronic devices and eatable power sources are still required, of which there have been very few examples.”

According to the team’s findings, their proof-of-concept battery was capable of producing 0.65 volts, which is safely low enough for the human body to handle. The ingestible could provide 48 μA of current for 12 minutes, or alternatively, a few microamps (微安) for over an hour. Such a power supply could provide enough energy for small electronics alike to eatable pill-shaped modules and other gastrointestinal procedure alternatives.

In a statement, researcher coordinator Mario Caironi explained that such a product could help power monitors for both human health conditions and food storage. Additionally, given their safety, products with stronger power could be used within children’s toys, where ingestion risk is higher.

In the team’s statement, co-author Ivan Ilic also explained that despite the battery’s relatively low power, its digestibility provides a promising example of a battery that doesn’t use any harmful materials.

1. What is the necessity of developing eatable batteries?

A．They help with the food shortage.	B．They can avoid the harm caused by eating batteries.
C．They are useful in some special fields.	D．They have no impact on the environment.

2. Which is the closest in meaning to “feasibility” in Paragraph 4?

A．Availability.

B．Flexibility.

C．Responsibility.

D．Possibility.

3. What can we infer from the statements in the last paragraph?

A．The application of the battery has a long way to go.

B．The eatable batteries will be widely used in our life.

C．The development of the eatable battery is promising.

D．The eatable batteries will soon be put into production.

4. In which section of a magazine can we read the text?

A．News Corner.

B．Story Garden.

C．Language World.

D．Technology Square.

4 . Christmastime is generally thought of as joyful. But 40 years ago, it was a ______ time for my wife, Geri, and me. Both of us were about to lose our ______. I was an educator and Geri was a psychologist. To make matters ______, we had loans (贷款) on two houses-at a time when interest rates hovered (徘徊) at 16%. We wanted to ______ one of our houses, but the sale ______ at the last minute.

A place to call ______ looked extremely hopeless for us. Yet we ______ to celebrate Christmas in our new house before we faced the terrible ______ of becoming homeless. So we did something crazy: We ______ a Christmas tree.

It was an artificial tree—the ______ we could find at the local store. I ______ we spent just $11 or $12 on it. It looked ______ with nothing on it, which is only what you would expect from such an inexpensive ______. But it didn’t look half bad when it was fully ______.

Perhaps it gave us good ______. Our job situation turned around, making it ______ for us to keep our new house after all. We ______ put up the tree every year. Friends have advised us to ______ it. But our daughters, who know its ______, insist that we keep it.

Today, the tree is a reminder of our ______ beginnings in our present home-the same one where it first stood up 40 years ago.

1.

A．confusing

B．difficult

C．embarrassing

D．annoying

2.

A．chances

B．hopes

C．jobs

D．lives

3.

A．easier

B．further

C．less

D．worse

4.

A．rent

B．sell

C．build

D．donate

5.

A．fell through

B．went through

C．fell behind

D．went down

6.

A．home

B．heaven

C．office

D．palace

7.

A．refused

B．hesitated

C．decided

D．supposed

8.

A．process

B．progress

C．result

D．practice

9.

A．bought

B．planted

C．found

D．borrowed

10.

A．biggest

B．heaviest

C．prettiest

D．cheapest

11.

A．realize

B．remember

C．wonder

D．imagine

12.

A．pitiful

B．grateful

C．joyful

D．powerful

13.

A．gift

B．theme

C．topic

D．object

14.

A．equipped

B．polished

C．decorated

D．deserted

15.

A．choice

B．luck

C．support

D．reward

16.

A．hard

B．necessary

C．urgent

D．possible

17.

A．still

B．again

C．also

D．even

18.

A．hide

B．remove

C．repair

D．improve

19.

A．record

B．quality

C．history

D．function

20.

A．potential

B．guilt

C．illegal

D．hard

5 . The Mona Lisa is the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting of a woman with a mysterious smile. This week, the painting gave up a secret.

Scientists using X-rays to examine the chemical structure of a small part of the painting discovered a technique Leonardo used in the work. An oil paint used for it was a special, new chemical mixture, which suggests that the Italian artist was in an experimental mood when he worked on the painting in the 16th century.

“He loved to experiment, and each of his paintings is completely different technically,”said Victor Gonzalez, a chemist who has studied the chemical element (成分) of several works by Leonardo and other artists. The researchers found a rare lead compound (铅化合物) — plumbonacrite, in Leonardo’s first layer of paint. The discovery proved that da Vinci most likely used lead oxide to thicken and help dry his paint. The paint in the study is about the thickness of a human hair, lying in the top right area of the painting.

The scientists looked into its atomic structure using X-rays, moving particles at the speed of light, permitting researchers to look deeper into the paint structure. “ Plumbonacrite is really a fingerprint of his recipe, as it’s the first time we can chemically confirm it,” Gonzalez said.

Dutch artist Rembrandt may have used a similar mixture when he was painting in the 17th century. Gonzalez and other researchers have found plumbonacrite in his work, too. Leonardo is thought to have put lead oxide powder, which has an orange color, in the oil to make it thicker and dry faster. “What you will get is an oil that has a very nice golden color,” Gonzalez said. “It flows more like honey.”

But the Mona Lisa — said by the Louvre to be a portrait (肖像) of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a Florentine silk businessman — and additional works by Leonardo still have other secrets to tell. “What we are saying is just a little brick in the knowledge,” Gonzalez said.

1. What’s the new discovery about the Mona Lisa?

A．A new explanation of the secret smile.

B．A new chemical element used in the painting.

C．The secret of the woman in the painting.

D．The structure of the paint da Vinci used.

2. Which best explains the underlined word “fingerprint” in paragraph 4?

A．Open secret.

B．Widespread use.

C．Hidden element.

D．Long-term dream.

3. How does Gonzalez view the use of lead oxide powder in paintings?

A．It helps to make many things into paints.

B．It helps to make paints easy to deal with.

C．It helps to keep the paintings last long.

D．It helps to make paintings rich in color.

4. What can we learn about the Mona Lisa from the last paragraph?

A．It has more secrets to tell the world.

B．It’s the portrait of a silk businessman.

C．It’s well kept in bricks in the Louvre.

D．It has a mixture of different art styles.

6 . After decades of married life, I realized that my life was limited, and even having friends frightened me. To ease my anxiety, my husband and I explored the Blue Ridge Mountains about an hour’s ride from home. We chose a path only a couple of miles long. The process of putting one foot in front of the other started to ease my worried soul. Being with nature slowed down my racing mind. Up and down the path we went. The trees gently swayed in the wind as we enjoyed views of valleys below us.

I knew this was my way to heal. I found the Internet site Meetup, picked a group and signed up for a five-mile hike in Shenandoah National Park. All my worries came into play when meeting the hiking group. The fifteen hikers, at least ten years younger than me, started slowly, crossing many little streams on rocks. I enjoyed the tour but struggled to keep up. After a half-mile, my steps got into the rhythm. I felt a part of all that surrounded me.

I have been actively hiking since that day, walking thousands of miles, with several worn pairs of hiking boots to prove it. With my fellow hikers, I climbed Mount Le Conte at 6,593 feet. It was a challenging hike, but I made it.

I have hiked the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland with five other women, through more than a hundred miles of green hills and valleys filled with baby sheep and their mothers. I’m fortunate to have the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. Before the pandemic, I backpacked on the AppalachianTrail, falling short of my 100-mile goal but enjoying it. I met hikers along the way, camping next to them and listening to their determination to hike the entire 2,200 miles.

I don’t intend to give up being one with nature outdoors anytime soon. We all are responsible for our peace and happiness.

1. What made the author less worried at the mountain path?

A．Closely following her husband.

B．Choosing a path near her home.

C．Taking a walk outdoors in nature.

D．Racing with the wind in the trees.

2. How did the author feel upon meeting the hiking group?

A．Worried.	B．Energetic.
C．Confident.	D．Excited.

3. What did the author fail to do on the Appalachian Trail?

A．Travel with backpack before the pandemic.

B．Keep her boots to prove her ability.

C．Plan the hiking route of 2 ,200 miles.

D．Finish the 100-mile goal along the trail.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Outdoor Life Is Beneficial

B．The Mountains Are Calling

C．I Learned to Face My Worries

D．Nature Is Our Best Friend

7 . The 1973 horror film “The Exorcist” and “Silent Night, Deadly Night” released in 1984 were so scary that audiences left the theater up and out—throwing up and passing out, that is.

Based on this evidence after the release, it would seem to most people that horror movies are bad for people’s health. Yet experts actually argue exactly the opposite: The Halloween tradition of watching scary movies is actually good for your mental health.

“There is some research on this in psychology, but I think what’s basically been found is that there’s a benefit to recalling fears in your mind,” Matthew Strohl, the author of Why It’s OK to Love Bad Movies, told Salon. “You can gain a sense of distance from them. You feel you can conquer them through this sort of exposure, as it were, by repeatedly putting yourself in a position where you have to engage with them. But because it’s in a fictional (虚构的) artistic context, you can deal with them.”

Frank T. McAndrew, who has studied how places can “creep” people out (让人害怕)—researched on the science behind how horror movies are in many ways ideal as a specific vehicle for meeting this need to be scared.

“That is kind of born with us,” McAndrew pointed out. “We like stories. We like to learn through the experience of other people. We learn valuable lessons that might be kind of costly to learn on our own. So we are attracted by horror movies and horror experiences because by watching other people deal with scary things, we can mentally practice strategies that will make us better prepared for dealing with that ourselves in the future.”

Whether it is turning down the movie’s volume, covering your eyes, or reminding yourself that it is just a movie, McAndrew said “that kind of playful engagement with fear can not only help people avoid fainting from horror in face of a horror movie, but also handle the pressure and anxieties of the real world.”

1. How experts’ opinion differs from most people’s belief?

A．People like horror movies.	B．Horror films are actually beneficial.
C．Horror may cause physical discomfort.	D．Halloween tradition is watching horror movies.

2. Which statement might Matthew Strohl agree with?

A．Horror films can give people a sense of control.

B．Fears can keep people away from scary films.

C．Fears in life differ from those caused by scary films.

D．Not everyone can appreciate the beauty of fictional arts.

3. What does “That” underlined in paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．The appeal for a vehicle.	B．The need for fear.
C．The fear for some places.	D．The science behind horror.

4. In which aspect can scary film lovers perform better?

A．Studying literature and art.	B．Writing film reviews.
C．Dealing with stress and anxiety.	D．Interacting with others.

8 . Malaysia Airlines(马航) flight MH370 disappeared from radar(雷达) screens an hour after it   _________ on March 8 . It has _________ for more than 2 years.

The plane may fall into the sea. China, Malaysia and many other countries have joined to search for the _________ on the sea. The relatives of the 227 passengers and 12 crew(机组人员) are _________ good news from them.

How did the accident   _________? It is said that the plane was attacked by the terrorists. Some think there may be something wrong with the plane, and_________think the accident may be _________ by the mistake of the crew. However, it is _________ to tell the reason because the plane hasn’t been found yet.

It may _________ some time to find the missing plane and even more time to get to get to know the truth of what happened. However, we can’t stop __________ what happened to the plane __________ it is found.

Whether the missing plane is found __________ not, the whole world should __________ more attention to the safety of people, especially at airports.

We hope these people on the plane will be __________ , and they can get together with __________ family members.

1.

A．took up

B．took off

C．took in

D．took away

2.

A．found

B．missed

C．flown

D．seen

3.

A．ship

B．terrorists

C．plane

D．Chinese

4.

A．talking about

B．listening to

C．waiting for

D．hearing

5.

A．take

B．go

C．come

D．happen

6.

A．the other

B．the others

C．other

D．others

7.

A．given

B．met

C．tried

D．caused

8.

A．wise

B．easy

C．hard

D．hardly

9.

A．spend

B．waste

C．get

D．take

10.

A．to imagine

B．imagining

C．imagined

D．imagines

11.

A．as soon as

B．after

C．until

D．before

12.

A．nor

B．so

C．or

D．and

13.

A．make

B．made

C．pay

D．paid

14.

A．safe

B．dangerous

C．friendly

D．bad

15.

A．his

B．its

C．my

D．their

9 .
1. When was Youth Club started?

A．Seven years ago.	B．Ten years ago.
C．Five years ago.	D．Six years ago

2. How many kinds of sports are mentioned in the passage?

A．Three

B．Four

C．Five

D．Six

3. After reading the passage, we can know Peter Brown’s ________.

A．date of birth	B．telephone number
C．favorite sport	D．email address

10 . Conversation 1

Teacher:  Shh! Listen carefully!
Teacher:  Did you hear that? No? How about this?
Teacher:  If you couldn’t hear the first one, it means you’re not a dog! [Laugh.] Dogs can hear very high frequency sounds, but people can’t. And if you could hear the second one, you’re younger than 25.
Student: Wow! Why is that?
Teacher: Our ears change when we get older. Children and young people can hear the second one, but most people older than 25 can’t.

Conversation 2

Teacher: Today’s topic is “Should teenagers date?” Team A, please begin.
Team A: We say no, they shouldn’t. One reason is that teenagers are too young. They should think about schoolwork and spend more time studying.
Team B:  We don’t agree with Team A. Our answer is Yes. Teenagers can date if they want. It is quite natural for a  teenager at that age to feel he or she likes somebody. We think it’s possible for teenagers to date and study at the same time.
Teacher: Team A?
1. What are they learning about in Conversation 1?

A．Dogs.

B．Sounds.

C．Hearing.

D．People.

2. What are the students discussing in Conversation 2?

A．Schoolwork.

B．Dating.

C．Teenager.

D．Relationships

3. Where did these two conversations happen?

A．Science Club and Ballet Club.	B．Ballet Club and Nature Club.
C．Nature Club and Debate Club.	D． Debate Club and Science Club.