1 . TikTok, the widely popular social media platform, has taken the world by storm with its short-form videos and addictive content. But did you know that there is also a Chinese version of TikTok?

The Chinese version of TikTok is called Douyin, and it has quickly become one of the most widely used apps in China. Launched in 2016 by Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, Douyin has attracted an enormous user base and reshaped the social media landscape in China.

So, how did Douyin gain such vast popularity in China?

One of the factors contributing to Douyin’s success is the large population of smartphone users in China. With over 1.4 billion people, China has a massive user base for social media platforms. Additionally, the rise in internet penetration and the availability of affordable smartphones have made it easier for people to access and use Douyin.

Douyin takes advantage of China’s culture of sharing and enjoying bite-sized content. In China. there has always been a strong demand for short-form entertainment, including popular formats like variety shows, quick comedy skits, and music videos. Douyin provides a platform for users to easily create and share short videos, allowing them to express their creativity and talent.

Douyin leverages the power of social network effects. Users can follow each other, like and comment on videos, and engage with a large community of like-minded individuals. This sense of belonging and community encourages them to spend more time on the platform.

Moreover. Douyin continuously improves its features and algorithms to enhance user experience and keep users engaged. The app uses advanced AI technology to analyze user preferences and provide personalized recommendations, ensuring that users see content that is relevant and interesting to them.

Overall, the rise of the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, can be attributed to a combination of factors, including the large smartphone user base, the popularity of short-form entertainment in China, social network effects, and continuous improvements in features and algorithms.

1. How is Douyin different from TikTok?

A．Its algorithms.

B．Its target groups.

C．Its user experience.

D．Its main functions.

2. Which of the following is one of the factors of Douyin’s success in China?

A．The popularity of long-form videos.

B．The low technology requirements to Douyin.

C．The large population of smartphone users.

D．The availability of different brands of mobile phones.

3. What does the underlined word “leverages” mean in Paragraph 6?

A．brings about

B．believes in

C．makes up for

D．makes full use of

4. How is the passage organized?

A．Opinion — Description — Discussion	B．Topic — Argument — Emphasis
C．Introduction — Explanations — Summary	D．Main idea — Supporting examples — Conclusion

2 . The fruit-tree pinhole borer (针孔蛀虫), as its name implies, makes holes in fruit trees. It lays its eggs and raises its young in the galleries thus created . Yet the beetles (甲虫) do not feed directly on the wood they bore into. Instead, they devour fungi (真菌) that grow on the wood thus exposed.

Researchers have long suspected that this is a form of farming, because they have evidence that the beetles carry spores (孢子) of their preferred crop, R. sulphurea, into their smallholdings—in effect, sowing it there.

Observations of natural fruit-tree pinhole-bore r dwellings suggest that R. sulphurea grows in them more abundantly (大量地) than might be expected, given all the fungal competition around—but not why. To check whether the beetles are, indeed, weeding their crop, Janina Diehl and Peter Biedermann of the University of Freiburg did an experiment.

In the laboratory, they had mother beetles of the little wood bore restablish nests, in which the typical fungal gardens formed. But before the beetles had started laying their eggs, they collected all of the beetles and then returned half to their dwellings while leaving the other nests empty. Genetic analysis of the fungal gardens after 40 days showed that the presence of the beetles had greatly changed the fungal community. Twenty days after that, they sampled the gallery walls for fungi.

As they had hoped and expected, R. sulphurea was much more abundant in beetle-tended galleries than in those without residents. In the former, it made up half of the fungal mass extracted. In the latter, less than a third. These beetles are indeed weeding their crop.

“Further research into how exactly the beetles suppress the growth of weed fungi could alsoprovide worthwhile insights for human agriculture, which is struggling with weed resistance, for example,” says Biedermann. “It’s highly exciting for us to see how nature has been doing this for 60 million years. We humans can still learn something from these mechanisms.”

1. What does the underlined word “devour” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Sow.

B．Tend.

C．Eat.

D．Move.

2. In which aspect were the two groups of nests different?

A．The number of the mother beetles.	B．The presence of the beetles.
C．The quality of food fungi.	D．The types of weed fungi.

3. What did Diehl find about the fruit-tree pinhole borer?

A．They weed crops.	B．They feed on fruit.
C．They live in groups.	D．They lay eggs in trees.

4. What can be learned from Biedermann’s words?

A．The research findings are of little value.

B．Measures should be taken to protect the beetles.

C．Fungi cause much damage to human agriculture.

D．Further research to the beetles might benefit farmers.

3 . There is a five-and-a-half-mile bike path sitting in the middle of an eight-lane highway(八车道公路), topped with a solar panel(太阳能板) that lights up the streets below in South Korea. But this is not an ordinary bike path. It started as an idea to produce clean energy while giving people a place to exercise at the same time. South Korea built this eco-friendly bicycle lane that connects the cities of Daejeon to Sejong in 2014.

The 13-foot-wide path set in the middle of a highway is unique in South Korea, where most bicycle paths are built next to walkways. But what really makes the path stand out is its one-of-a-kind feature—a solar panel-lined roof. Several other city governments in South Korea have built bike roads with solar panels, but this particular road in Sejong remains the longest and the only one set in the middle of a highway.

With 7,502 solar panels fixed at intervals(间隔空间) of about 30 inches, the paneling covers 3 miles of the 5.5-mile cycling highway and is capable of producing an average of 2,200 MWh of eco-friendly electricity every year that powers many of the streetlights and electronic displays in Sejong. The Korea Western Power Co., Ltd. is in charge of checking and repairing the solar panels to keep up the power efficiency(效率).

“Solar panels in public equipment are part of a trend(趋势) in clean energy,” Kim Geun-ho, a researcher from the Green Energy Institute said. “At the beginning stage, solar power generation was mostly built in vast farmland and mountainous areas. It moved on to public equipment rooftops, and finally evolved to play the role of a shelter and power generator at the same time, in this case, a roof on top of a bike road.”

“This is the fastest bike road I can take from my home in Daejeon to my workplace in Sejong,” said Park Yoon-soo, who has been going to work every day using the solar panel bike road for the last two years. “I have always appreciated the solar panel roofs because they become good shade under strong sunlight, and a roof when it rains.”

1. For what purpose was the bike path built?

A．To try out an idea.	B．To get clean energy.
C．To solve traffic jams.	D．To encourage less driving.

2. What makes the bike path different from other ones with solar panels?

A．Its width.	B．Its solar panels.
C．Its location.	D．Its energy output.

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

A．Survived.

B．Happened.

C．Waited.

D．Developed.

4. What does Park Yoon-soo think of this bike path?

A．It is convenient.	B．It is energy-saving.
C．It is a good place to relax.	D．It is money-saving high tech.

4 . A phrase “less screen time and more green time” is popular now. A study from the University of Adelaide found that more time outside and less time spent watching TV is connected with better psychological (心理的) results and school achievements among teenagers. Gardening is a great way to do so.

Jim Carter, a psychologist of America, is asking for teenagers’ return to traditional values of gardening, and thinks that they need to turn off the TV and go outside to do something healthier instead. Carter even considers it important to put gardening as a usual course because it is proven to be good for mental health.

“It’s physical exercise, and it teaches patience,” Carter explains. “The wait for a small sunflower seed (葵花籽) to become a six-foot plant is long.”

“I’m hearing that teenagers are struggling to deal with stress, and every time they open Gardeners’ World, they talk about how gardening helps them deal with stress. They learn so much about life, and so much about themselves through gardening,” said Lee Connelly, a teacher who is carrying out his own green school programme—Gardeners’ World. “The join of gardening into the class course for schools presents a remarkable chance to change education and the benefits are far beyond the classroom, influencing mental health, behavior and developing a lifelong love for horticulture (园艺).”

1. What does Carter suggest teenagers do?

A．Do exercise at home.	B．Go back to gardening.
C．Turn on the TV at night.	D．Pay attention to psychological courses.

2. Why does Carter mention the sunflower seed?

A．To prove gardening is easy.	B．To say dealing with stress is difficult.
C．To show green time is hard to find.	D．To explain gardening develops patience.

3. What can we say about Lee Connelly’s green school programme?

A．It is meaningful.

B．It is useless.

C．It is costly.

D．It is challenging.

4. What is the most suitable title for the text?

A．Time to Get Close to TV

B．Being Sporty, Being Healthy

C．Less Screen Time, Better School Achievements

D．Gardening: A Good Green Moment for Teenagers

5 . “When one door closes,” the saying goes, “another door opens.” For one _______ dog, it appears that saying is also suitable for doggy doors.

A dog named Sheldon took part in a program to _______ a service dog. Unluckily, he couldn’t quite make the _______. Whenever he would _______ something interesting, Sheldon’s concentration flew out of the window and all he wanted to do was _______ the source.

But the very thing that made him a failure as a service dog meant he was likely _______ for another dog job. Sheldon was sent to the State Farm Arson Dog Program, where his sensitive (灵敏的) nose soon put him _______ the class for detecting the accelerants (探测肋燃剂) used to light illegal fires.

_______ John Tadlock of the Saginaw fire department, after his _______ Sheldon went on to become the department’s best accelerant detection dog.

In his first ________, Sheldon and his partner Tadlock were called to a car shop to look into some cars that had been ________ under suspicious (可疑的) circumstances. After three days, no one had been able to figure out how the fire got started — but the cause wasn’t ________ to Sheldon. “I put him to ________. It took him about 30 seconds to give me an alert (警报),” Tadlock said. Sheldon found the evidence with no ________.

For a dog with a super sense of smell, we guess whether you’re tailing bad guys or hunting for a job, it’s always best to follow your ________.

1.

A．old

B．special

C．lucky

D．sick

2.

A．help

B．visit

C．teach

D．become

3.

A．difference

B．mistake

C．grade

D．change

4.

A．find

B．taste

C．smell

D．hear

5.

A．hunt down

B．return to

C．learn about

D．depend on

6.

A．sorry

B．perfect

C．famous

D．responsible

7.

A．in the front of

B．at the bottom of

C．in the middle of

D．at the top of

8.

A．Playing with

B．Paired with

C．Agreeing with

D．Faced with

9.

A．graduation

B．recovery

C．birth

D．death

10.

A．course

B．race

C．case

D．program

11.

A．sold

B．built

C．stolen

D．burnt

12.

A．confusing

B．interesting

C．clear

D．important

13.

A．sleep

B．work

C．flight

D．risk

14.

A．fear

B．choice

C．difficulty

D．experience

15.

A．nose

B．head

C．plan

D．dream

6 . Nature can be unforgiving, especially when it comes to the animal world. As such, squirrels need every advantage they can get in order to protect themselves from a variety of predators that may want to make them their next meal. Squirrels pay incredibly close attention to their surroundings, and they pick up alarm calls from other nearby animals in reference to nearby predators. Now, a new study reveals that squirrels also listen to nearby birds’ conversations to make sure there is no threat close by.

Researchers from Oberlin University say that if the talk from birds is relaxing and normal, the squirrel knows it is not in immediate danger. The authors said that squirrels were listening to bird conversations and sounds to assess their safety, so in order to test their theory they observed the behavior of 54 wild Eastern gray squirrels scattered across various parks and areas in Ohio.

First, a threat was shown by playing a record of a red-tailed hawk(鹰), an animal known to hunt and eat both squirrels and other smaller birds. Then, researchers played one of two different recordings; one recording was of many songbirds chattering among one another happily, and the other was with no bird noises. After playing these recordings, each squirrel’s behavior was monitored for three minutes.

As expected, after hearing the initial record, all the squirrels displayed defensive attitudes, such as running away, looking around, or freezing their movements. Interestingly, the squirrels that heard the happy sounds of songbirds returned back to a normal, relaxed state much faster than the other group that heard the quiet sounds.

The study’s authors say that this indicates squirrels use the sounds of nearby animals to ensure their own safety. This allows the squirrel to either get back to what they were doing in a faster manner, or prepare for potential threats more efficiently.

“Perhaps in some circumstances, cues of safety could be as important as cues of danger,” the study reads. The study is published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

1. What does the underlined word “predators” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Animals that hunt squirrels as food.

B．Animals that make friends with squirrels.

C．Animals that hunt squirrels and birds at night.

D．Animals that steal the food from the squirrels’ nests.

2. What will the squirrels do after hearing the sound of a red-tailed hawk?

A．They will stay and freeze.

B．They will behave normally.

C．They will keep on their guard.

D．They will look around and run away.

3. How did the researchers get the result?

A．By studying the different data.

B．By listing the different figures.

C．By comparing the different responses.

D．By playing different games with the squirrels.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Three interesting experiments.

B．Squirrels listen to birds to stay safe.

C．Judging danger from nearby sounds.

D．Squirrels can record the dangerous sound.

7 . “I'll be back in three hours, ”Dad said as he hurried out for a meeting that late afternoon. “Three hours, ”I told myself. “You can do this. ”I took a _________ breath and turned to Mom. Through her vision problems, at least, she couldn't see the _________ in my face. If she had an Alzheimer's （阿尔茨海默症） attack, I didn't know if I could handle it _________, especially at the end of the day.

I _________ Mom to her chair. “Turn a little more. ”Mom moved her feet slowly while I helped her get into a good position. Once she was _________ with a blanket on her lap, I sat next to her in Dad's chair and hoped she could _________ now. As she fell asleep, I opened a book, and time passed _________ as I became fully absorbed in the words. Then Mom cried, “I'm scared. ” _________ drew lines across her face. “The snow's getting on me. I'm cold, so cold. ”

“Mom, you're safe. You're here at home. ”

“Help me!” She grabbed _________ to my hand.

“I won't __________ you. ” As much as I tried to promise her, I knew she could hear the __________ in my voice. I prayed for Dad to hurry home.

Maybe words weren't the __________. I did the only thing I could think of. I rubbed（揉） her forehead and hummed （哼曲子）, which __________ her. This was what she'd done for me as a child when I had a bad headache.

As the minutes __________, the tension left her face. She began to hum along. It was the __________ sound I'd ever heard.

1.

A．deep

B．sudden

C．short

D．light

2.

A．puzzle

B．unwillingness

C．excitement

D．worry

3.

A．carefully

B．safely

C．alone

D．quickly

4.

A．forced

B．guided

C．waved

D．encouraged

5.

A．warm

B．secure

C．comfortable

D．silent

6.

A．rest

B．talk

C．remember

D．smile

7.

A．sorrowfully

B．peacefully

C．slowly

D．eagerly

8.

A．Wish

B．Dream

C．Care

D．Panic

9.

A．gently

B．bravely

C．lovingly

D．tightly

10.

A．scare

B．leave

C．judge

D．disappoint

11.

A．hope

B．love

C．shake

D．doubt

12.

A．answer

B．objective

C．command

D．permission

13.

A．calmed

B．surprised

C．touched

D．pleased

14.

A．sped by

B．ran out

C．counted down

D．wore on

15.

A．weakest

B．loudest

C．sweetest

D．clearest

8 . “Given that signs of Alzheimer’s disease (老年痴呆症) start to accumulate in the brain several decades before the disease begins, understanding the connection between sleep and cognition (认知) earlier in life is critical for understanding the role of sleep problems as a risk factor for the disease,” said study author Yue Leng, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco.

The study involved 526 people with an average age of 40. They were followed for 11 years. Researchers looked at participants’ sleep duration and quality. Participants wore a wrist activity monitor for three continuous days on two occasions approximately one year apart to calculate their averages. Participants slept for an average of six hours. Participants also reported bedtime and wake-up time in a sleep diary and completed a sleep quality survey with scores ranging from 0 to 21. A total of 239 people reported poor sleep with a score greater than five.

Researchers also looked at sleep fragmentation (碎片化), a measure of restlessness during the sleep period expressed as a percentage. The higher the value, the more sleep is interrupted. Participants were divided into three groups based on their sleep fragmentation score. Of the 175 people with the most interrupted sleep, 44 had poor cognitive performance 10 years later, compared to 10 of the 176 people with the least interrupted sleep.

After adjusting for age, sex, race, and education, people who had the most interrupted sleep had more than twice the possibility of having poor cognitive performance when compared to those with the least interrupted sleep. There was no difference in cognitive performance at midlife for those in the middle group compared to the group with the least interrupted sleep.

However, due to the small sample size, the researchers were unable to fully investigate potential race or sex differences. “More research is needed to assess the link between sleep disturbances and cognition at different life stages and to identify if critical life periods exist when sleep is more strongly associated with cognition,” Leng said.

1. What do we know about Yue Leng’s study?

A．Data collection was an easy process.	B．It aimed to find a cure for Alzheimer’s.
C．The results were far from satisfactory.	D．Higher scores mean poorer sleep quality.

2. What can we learn about sleep fragmentation in the study?

A．It did require outside intervention.	B．It included a series of memory tests.
C．It measured short interruptions of sleep.	D．It determined those participants’ groups.

3. What do the findings indicate according to the text?

A．The quality of sleep may affect cognitive health.

B．Keeping a sleep diary can improve one’s sleep quality.

C．People sleeping well won’t suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

D．People with interrupted sleep won’t have memory problems.

4. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The major limitation of the study.

B．An explanation of the research method.

C．A possible reason for the study findings.

D．The use of careful investigations in real life.

9 . Best Hotels Along the California Coast

Crystal Cove Beach Cottages

These 1938 beachfront rooms occupy a part of Newport Beach’s Crystal Cove State Park. At the beginning, developed as a movie set, these attractive houses, now repainted in lively beach style, aim to remain the original look with Murphy beds.

Advance booking is required, as the rooms sell out the moment they are available (可获得的).

www.crystalcove.org.

Montage Laguna Beach

Standing guard over 30 beachfront acres, Montage Laguna Beach transports you to that pleasant house with marble baths, comfortable bedding and ocean views.

Three swimming pools, including one just for kids and another relaxation space, four onsite restaurants and a kids club are just a small part of the outstanding service offered by this hotel.

www.montagehotels.com.

Terranea

Just south of Los Angeles, atop the Palo Verdes Peninsula, Terranea offers ocean-view guest rooms along with heated baths and rain showers.

Families love the huge swimming pool, the water slide, the kids program, the nightly bonfire (篝火) and the selection of kid-friendly restaurants. The young appreciate the dirt road that snakes away into the distance.

www.terranea.com.

El Capitan Canyon

Just north of Santa Barbara in a coastal corner, El Capitan Canyon promotes a life lived outdoors, with some extra comfort.

Guests stay in heated tents (帐篷) decorated in the Native American style with raised beds, and private outdoor picnic tables. Guests can also access a swimming pool, and taste dinners at the award-winning restaurant.

www.elcapitancanyon.com.

1. What are you required to do to go for your holiday at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages?

A．Bring a quality tent.	B．Book a room in advance.
C．Get a membership card.	D．Prepare food for a picnic.

2. What can Montage Laguna Beach offer?

A．A room with Murphy beds.	B．An original movie set.
C．A special pool for children.	D．An outdoor picnic table.

3. Which website can you visit to learn about the Native American decoration?

A．www.crystalcove.org.	B．www.terranea.com.
C．www.montagehotels.com.	D．www.elcapitancanyon.com.

10 . Recently, video clips of Zhang Jianna, a city cleaner from Chaoyang Sanitation (环境卫生), have gone viral online.

The 49-year-old Zhang is from a village in Hebei province. With only a high school diploma, she had previously worked as a restaurant server and a store seller. In 2012, she took on the role of a sanitation worker in the embassy area of Sanlitun in Beijing’s Chaoyang District. One morning, a foreigner came to her and spoke a long string of unfamiliar words to her. Zhang didn’t know how to react. The special experience deeply moved Zhang and she was determined (下定决心) to learn English.

“I just want to help whenever someone is in need,” said Zhang. Without a teacher, she began learning English from her children’s textbooks, starting with basic words and phrases. With no fixed study hours, she used every free moment. While others rested, she memorized vocabulary and practiced speaking. Upon arriving home after work, she would note down new knowledge points and review them until thoroughly understood.

“Learning English at 40, I would easily forget the words I learned the previous day,” Zhang said. However, she persisted (坚持), reviewing words at night and then repeating them one more time the next day morning. She also downloaded over a dozen English learning apps on her computer and phone. “Learn step by step, learn every day.” Zhang said. To date, she has collected a vocabulary of around 3,000 English words, enabling her to talk fluently with foreigners. “Growing up without a college education, I sometimes feared being looked down upon. But every time I help a stranger in English, I feel incredibly achievable.”

“To serve others makes me happy and it’s where I prove my self-worth,” said Zhang. “After retirement, I also want to introduce my hometown in English and develop local tourism.”

1. What do we know about Zhang Jianna from paragraph 2?

A．She graduated from a university.

B．She understood the foreigner’s words.

C．She wants to be an English teacher.

D．She works as a sanitation worker.

2. For what reason can Zhang learn English well?

A．A college education.	B．A decade-long persistence.
C．A high school diploma.	D．A confident English teacher.

3. What can we learn from the underlined sentence in the text?

A．Persistence is key to learning English.

B．Devote any possible moment to learning.

C．Growing up in a village is looked down upon.

D．Her inspiring journey leads to a new goal.

4. Which of the following word can best describe Zhang?

A．Adventurous.

B．Generous.

C．Curious.

D．Determined.