1 . Novels. Why do I read them? I was most ____ to read when I was a kid. I suspect this was because my only purpose was ____ and escapism. From all 21 Famous Five stories — in order, naturally — to Anna Karenina, ____ into a basket on a cycling holiday, I was ____ to another world. Then, for A-levels and a degree, I read to pass ____. Slowly, tellingly, the joy ____. And I was no good at the exams either. When those last exams were done, more than 30 years ago, I was done with novels. I had ____ love.

Gradually, it has come back, but it’s all ____ now. I find I’m reading whole novels mainly to ____ intelligence to help understand what I’ve been feeling; feelings that I’ve been ____ to express myself. For some reason I ____ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. The _____soon starts to fade, and all you are left with is how it made you feel. This is nice, but what makes it all worthwhile is those specific ____ that I make sure to harvest and go back to. ____, Helen says of her new life in the big city: “At first, I was ____ with the novelty and excitement of our London life, but soon I began to be tired of its ____.”

A few months later, I ____ Anne Bronte’s resting place in Scarborough. Standing there, I____ this little passage and appreciated anew how ____ it resonated (产生共鸣) with my own feelings about London. And there the poor young woman lay, gone 173 years and still making ____ friends. That’s quite something.

1.

A．surprised

B．eager

C．qualified

D．welcome

2.

A．education

B．judgment

C．enjoyment

D．family

3.

A．divided

B．turned

C．rolled

D．stuffed

4.

A．transported

B．limited

C．admitted

D．followed

5.

A．inspection

B．exams

C．messages

D．time

6.

A．declined

B．arose

C．remained

D．gathered

7.

A．sought for

B．suffered from

C．fallen out of

D．broken away from

8.

A．different

B．wrong

C．difficult

D．normal

9.

A．prove

B．unearth

C．explain

D．untie

10.

A．unwilling

B．unhappy

C．unprepared

D．unable

11.

A．identified

B．selected

C．wrote down

D．took back

12.

A．plot

B．memory

C．reputation

D．vision

13.

A．fruits

B．happenings

C．insights

D．characters

14.

A．In addition

B．In short

C．At random

D．For instance

15.

A．content

B．familiar

C．bored

D．occupied

16.

A．misfortune

B．beauty

C．authority

D．unrest

17.

A．lost sight of

B．sorted out

C．chanced upon

D．kept track of

18.

A．let out

B．made up

C．edited out

D．looked up

19.

A．intensely

B．simply

C．possibly

D．gradually

20.

A．lifelong

B．personal

C．new

D．local

2 . An apology tells someone that we’re sorry for the hurt we caused—even if we didn’t do it on purpose. It’s a way of saying we’re aware of what we did and we’ll try to do better in future.

    1    . Sometimes we hurt people’s feelings without wanting to. Sometimes, we do it on purpose and feel bad later on. So we apologize.

Apologies are one of the tools that we use to get along better with other people. Saying that you’re sorry is more than just words.     2    . Apologizing shows you can understand the other person’s feelings as if they were your own. What’s more, after apologizing, you might feel a little better. The other person probably will, too.     3    , you can feel good because you are trying to make things right again.

Everyone needs to apologize when they do something wrong. For example, if someone is irritated because of something you did, you need to apologize. If you say something that hurts someone, even if you don’t mean it, then you should apologize.     4    .

When someone apologizes to you, you may welcome it and be ready to forgive.     5    . If a person keeps hurting you and apologizing without making an effort to change, you might not want to hang out with that person anymore. However, it’s always good to accept an apology.

A．When you apologize in a caring way

B．When you accept an apology in a desirable way

C．It’s difficult to mend a relationship if we don’t apologize

D．Or you might not feel like being friendly again right away

E．It isn’t always easy for us to get along well with everyone all the time

F．If you lose or break something belonging to someone else, you should say sorry

G．You’re also saying that you respect and care about the other person’s feelings

3 . BBC foreign correspondent Jeremy Bowen’s recent assignment — a three-part series on Radio 4 in which he made “a personal journey through Wales”, the country of his birth — must still have left him a little shocked. Bowen, born in Cardiff but living in England and a non-Welsh speaker, did the most dangerous thing — he attacked what he saw as the way the Weish-speaking minority in Wales dominates the cultural conversation. This argument has not gone down well in the land of his fathers.

The Welsh online media has suggested this is the view from Camberwell where Bowen lives, rather than Criccieth — a journalist’s whistle-stop tour of a country he last resided in more than 40 years ago. Fellow BBC journalist Welsh speaker Huw Edwards responded to that criticism: “We are all products of upbringing — this take is 1970s Cardiff.” Edwards was even ruder about an attack on Welsh by Jonathan Meades in The Critic. “So long as it’s a hobby language it is as harmless as a Sunday painter,” wrote Meades. “But in pockets of Snowdonia and mid-Wales it is a tool not only of communication but of identity and exclusivity, thus of self-harm.” To which Edwards responded: “Meades is a brilliant writer and I have enjoyed his work over many years. I can only assume he’s crazy. Nothing else can explain this rubbish.”

Bowen’s argument is that because bilingualism (双语) has become essential for many jobs in Welsh government and media, the English-speaking majority has been disadvantaged. Meades is more concerned with a project to create a million Welsh speakers (a third of the population) by 2050. At present, only a fifth of the population speaks Welsh regularly. Such views are, however, either outdated or exaggerated (夸张的).

Largely rural Welsh-speaking Wales was discovering new confidence, thanks to the start of the Welsh-language channel S4C in 1982 and the growth of Welsh-medium education. But Welsh-speaking Wales is not responsible for the difficulties of English-speaking Wales, and the two have to find a way to coexist. The survival of Welsh is a miracle, and every Welsh person, whether or not they speak it, should celebrate that fact.

1. Why was Bowen recently shocked?

A．He had a narrow escape in Wales.

B．He was refused entry into his fatherland.

C．He was assigned to do a series about Wales.

D．He was criticized for his Radio program about Wales.

2. What was Edwards’ attitude toward Meades’ comments?

A．Disapproving.

B．Supportive.

C．Tolerant.

D．Uncaring.

3. What put the English-speaking majority at a disadvantage?

A．They could not speak two languages.

B．They held outdated ideas about language.

C．A third of the Welsh could speak the native language.

D．The government attached less importance to English.

4. What does the author say about the survival of Welsh?

A．It establishes Welsh dominance.

B．It is unexpected and welcome.

C．It occurs at the cost of English-speaking Wales.

D．It owes to the efforts of Welsh-speaking Wales.

4 . 你校学生李华在上学路上做了一件好事。为了弘扬社会正气、树立助人为乐的社会风尚，你校决定在下周一的升旗仪式上宣读此事。请你结合下列要点写一篇表扬稿。
1. 时间、地点；
2. 事情的经过；
3. 向他学习。
注意：1. 词数100左右：
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear fellow students,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

That’s all. Thank you.

5 . Brewing Up the Best Cup of Coffee

Editor’s note: In the world of coffee, there is a hierarchy (等级) based on brewing (酿制) methods and coffee bean quality. Manual brewing is superior to machine brewing. Italian-style coffee is usually preferred over the American style. At the top of this world, it is specialty coffee (精品咖啡). And becoming a specialty coffee barista (咖啡师) requires specific training. Let’s go to the story of one such barista.

To customers, specialty coffee may be just a simple drink, but for specialty coffee baristas, it is a demanding science. Fei Teng, a 35-year-old barista with 10 years of experience, considers various factors like altitude, climate and grinding (研磨) when making specialty coffee. Fei also has his own principle of developing creative coffee. The Salty Mocha, created by Fei, gained popularity among coffee enthusiasts. “The sea salt neutralizes the sweetness of the mocha, adding layers of flavor to the taste. By introducing innovative changes to classic coffee, it can bring new and wonderful experiences to the taste buds,” Fei told Teens.

Fei majored in fine arts in college but chose to become a coffee apprentice (学徒) after graduation. He began by learning the basics of coffee, including its varieties and roasting levels. Through training and participating in competitions, Fei improved his barista skills, like grinding beans and frothing milk (打奶沫). “Becoming a barista is easy to get started, but difficult to master,” said Fei. To enhance his sensitivity to the quality of coffee beans, Fei tasted a wide variety of coffee, often drinking more than 20 cups a day. That led to diarrhea (腹泻)at times.

“In addition to coffee knowledge, service skills are crucial but often overlooked by baristas,” Fei said. Baristas need to patiently address customer questions and convey the concept behind their coffee in an attractive manner. “Some baristas even create music introductions for their coffee and share them with customers,” added Fei.

“Many view being a barista as a cool job, but actually, it is quite hard and there is a lot of physical labor, like cleaning the cafe,” Fei said. However, despite the challenges, career prospects are promising. A 2023 report reveals that Chinas coffee industry reached 200.7 billion yuan in 2022.

Having dedicated a decade to the coffee industry, Fei plans to continue focusing on specialty coffee and further contribute to the growth of the Chinese coffee sector.

1. What sets the Salty Mocha invented by Fei apart?

A．Its flavor.

B．Its popularity.

C．Its aroma.

D．Its price.

2. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．Why Fei chose to be a barista.	B．What Fei learned about coffee.
C．How Fei understood his career.	D．How Fei upgraded his skills.

3. What does Fei think of baristas service skills?

A．They determine a baristas success.	B．They are more important than basic skills.
C．They require creativity and talent.	D．They are frequently ignored.

4. What does Fei want to do?

A．Promote Chinese coffee overseas.	B．Establish his own unique cafe.
C．Continue pursuing his barista career.	D．Teach people how to make coffee.

6 . How to Start Applying for Colleges

Most U. S. universities follow the same standard application process. If possible, begin the following approach several months before the submission deadline.

Get Informed.

Colleges want to know the real you. When applying, don’t try to make yourself look better by listing the accomplishments or writing the essay you think they want to see. Be honest and you’re more likely to end up at a college that’s a good fit for you. Here’s how you can prepare to apply to colleges:

● Understand the common terms you’ll see during the application process. Have a good grasp of such things as frequently used acronyms, supporting documents, and government departments.

● Review the appropriate application timeline you should follow when signing up for college. Every school has its own deadlines, but you may have certain milestones to hit during your senior or even junior year.

● Discover the individual components of a complete application. For example, schools usually ask for supplemental application materials like letters of recommendation, transcripts, and written essays.

Get Organized.

How do you apply for colleges efficiently? If you can keep track of everything you need and get organized, you’ll be ahead of the game. For each college you’re applying to:

● Create a real and a virtual folder for storing documents.

● Print a checklist to track your progress on each part of the application.

● Build a spreadsheet to stay on top of submission deadlines.

Gather the Necessary Documents.

● Your Social Security number.

● Your high school code.

● A copy of your high school transcript.

● Your score report from a college admission test.

Review Your Application Before Hitting the Submit Button.

● Make sure you’ve included all required information and that the information filled out on the forms is accurate and spelled correctly.

● Confirm that any required attachments are the correct files and have been properly uploaded.

● Double-check that you filled out all fields and followed all instructions.

● Take a deep breath. Click submit!

1. How many parts will you generally go through before applying to the college?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

2. Which of the following is helpful for the application?

A．Show a perfect you so that you will get more qualified.

B．Discover the individuals who also apply to the same college.

C．Get fully prepared in the second or third year of school in case of some specific deadlines.

D．Figure out every single technical term to better understand the application process.

3. At the very last minute before submitting the application, you’d better __________.

A．check whether you have filled out all the forms and followed all instructions

B．gather all the necessary documents like your high school transcript

C．create a physical and virtual folder for all the documents

D．confirm the submission deadline

7 . I had been swimming for years but was ready to quit. My _________ reason was that I kept receiving “Honorable Mentions”, just because I showed up.

One day before a big swim meet, I decided to _________ the news to my grandma that I was _________ the swim team. When I told her, she said, “Baby, remember: Quitters never win and winners never quit.” I was _______   to say anything but “Yes, ma’am.”

The next day we arrived at the swim meet late, _________ my group. My coach _________ I swim with the older group. I knew she was _________ me in the race so our journey to the meet would not be wasted, and she had no expectations that I would _________ anything but eighth place as there weren’t nine _________.

As I was __________ the board, my grandmas words rang in my head. I shut my eyes and took a deep breath.

SPLASH! I swam harder than ever. After a little while, I was __________ to find that I had a half-body length ________ over others. However, they soon __________ the gap. Halfway through the race, the girl to my left almost ________ me. Right then, the powerful words __________ again in my ears. I __________ my arms and legs and used every last bit of __________ to swim the last 50 meters.

I made it! Narrow victory as it was, I did win my first real __________ that day. Everything felt like a dream as I stood on the winner’s __________. Back at home, I __________ replaced all the “Honorable Mentions” on my shelf.

1.

A．laid-back

B．number-one

C．first-hand

D．ground-breaking

2.

A．break

B．deliver

C．acquaint

D．remind

3.

A．choosing

B．depositing

C．joining

D．quitting

4.

A．satisfied

B．choked

C．excited

D．exhausted

5.

A．missing

B．finding

C．departing

D．building

6.

A．assumed

B．defended

C．insisted

D．expected

7.

A．telling

B．endeavoring

C．inviting

D．including

8.

A．come out

B．come about

C．come in

D．come to

9.

A．arenas

B．lanes

C．courts

D．tracks

10.

A．assessing

B．approaching

C．inspecting

D．mounting

11.

A．surprised

B．energized

C．terrified

D．refreshed

12.

A．pioneer

B．lead

C．edge

D．session

13.

A．jumped

B．bridged

C．widened

D．narrowed

14.

A．joined up with

B．put up with

C．drew level with

D．filled up with

15.

A．blessed

B．echoed

C．called

D．clarified

16.

A．willed

B．tried

C．shook

D．swung

17.

A．confidence

B．motivation

C．strength

D．pursuit

18.

A．goal

B．medal

C．reward

D．diploma

19.

A．podium

B．orbit

C．zone

D．format

20.

A．devotedly

B．awkwardly

C．hesitantly

D．joyfully

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the woman recommending to the man?

A．A book.

B．A club.

C．A course.

2. What is the woman reading now?

A．The Beautiful Mind.

B．The Kite Runner.

C．The Great Gatsby.

3. How much time does the man have to read the book?

A．About two weeks.

B．About three weeks.

C．About one month.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. When did the woman start architecture studies?

A．Last week.

B．Last month.

C．Last year.

2. What can we learn from the conversation?

A．English is very useful in the woman’s job.

B．The woman will work in England after graduation.

C．The woman’s English is very good.

3. What has made the woman choose architecture as a career?

A．Her teacher’s suggestion.

B．Her parents’ expectation.

C．Her personal qualities.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What are the speakers probably doing?

A．Watching a match on TV.

B．Listening to a programme on the radio.

C．Reading advertisements in the newspaper.

2. What kind of person does the company need?

A．A junior sales manager.

B．A general manager.

C．A secretary.

3. What will the man most probably do next?

A．Make an application for the job.

B．Go and look for another job.

C．Give the job a serious thought.