A Regret
As I sat on the couch, my heart was filled with guilt. I recalled how terrible my mistake was, regretting my every move.
It was finally the start of the school holidays. As soon as I reached home, I jumped into my bed. “Freedom!” I shouted with joy.
“Tim, stop relaxing. Didn’t you say that you wanted to learn how to skate? Your father bought you a new skateboard. He will start teaching you tomorrow!” my mother said with delight. Immediately, I jumped out of my bed and sped downstairs. Lying on the dining table was a wonderful skateboard with my name carved on it. The colours, shape and size of each pattern were incredible.
“Can I start now?” I questioned impatiently. My mum shook her head and firmly said that it was too dangerous. A frown (皱眉) filled my face. Disappointed, I took my new skateboard up to my room.
As I stared at the window, I realized how perfect the weather was. The sun was shining, and the birds were singing. There were not many people as well. “No one will know that I stole out secretly and it will not be dangerous. There aren’t many people anyway!” Without hesitation, I tiptoed out of the house. “I can’t wait any longer! I can’t wait!” I spoke to myself in a whisper.
At a nearby park, I placed the skateboard on the ground. Despite being clueless on how to skate, I found a creative way to do so. One of my favourite moves was sitting on the skateboard, with two hands on it, using my legs to move forward.
Not long after, I crowned myself “Master of Skating”. I finally got the hang of it and was skating all around. “My method is amazing!” I announced. At that moment, I saw a long and steep slope (陡坡). My face lit up and I quickly headed towards it. I was filled with confidence to the edge. I flew down the slope with excitement and joy.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Suddenly a six-year-old boy rushed into my path because his ball had rolled away.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Fortunately, his injuries were minor and not infected but I got severely lectured by my parents.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . As we get older, we realize that time is short, which often leads to a readjustment of our priorities—whether it’s wanting to spend more time with family, or doing something we really love. As such, many consider upskilling or retraining, to pursue a new passion, or even achieve a lifelong childhood dream that they never had the chance to do before.
However, there may still be apprehension—and you may be wondering, “Is this really something I can do at my age?” Victoria, a 50 Plus Champion at Jobcentre Plus, says, “It can be daunting (令人畏惧的) to change jobs at any age, but it’s never too late. In fact, the older you are, the more you understand what you enjoy and what you’re good at.”
Then how can you get into a new job? The key is to understand your strengths and be able to recognise the transferable skills you have. It’s crucial to make a list of all the skills you’ve acquired from different occupations and life experiences, for instance, attending to children or elderly relatives or managing a household budget. Consider trying the Midlife MOT which can help you plan your work, health and money for the future on the website. It could help you when thinking about the sorts of roles you want to go for.
Numerous employers place a high value on the contributions that seasoned professionals can offer, hence it is advisable not to restrict your job search. For instance, further educational institutions, such as colleges and training centres, are constantly in pursuit of individuals with extensive experience in a particular industry to pass on their knowledge. Additionally, the healthcare and social services sector, including the National Health Service(NHS), acknowledges the significance of incorporating experienced workers into their workforce to enhance its overall efficacy (效力).
People aged over 50 bring life skills and experiences, communication skills and emotional intelligence, which creates a really multi-generational workforce.
1. What does the underlined word “apprehension” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Understanding. | B．Regret. | C．Excitement. | D．Anxiety. |
| A．A web-based tool. | B．A training course. |
| C．A job hunting centre. | D．A social welfare programme. |
| A．The necessity to make yourself stand out. |
| B．The way to demonstrate your relevant skills. |
| C．The types of business you should consider. |
| D．The significance of hiring experienced workers. |
| A．Bosses you should consider when seeking a job. |
| B．Training courses you should take before you retire. |
| C．Specific knowledge you need to do a certain job well. |
| D．Things you should know to secure employment in your 50s. |
3 . Scientists from Tufts University have developed tiny groups of human cells that can move on their own-and in a lab experiment, these so-called “anthrobots” inspired sheets of human neurons to repair themselves when damaged. The researchers hope the collections of cells could one day be used to treat diseases or aid with healing in humans.
The study comes on the heels of earlier work from one of its authors, who produced tiny robots by stitching together frog embryo cells. These robots, known as “xenobots”, could assemble themselves, move across surfaces and travel through liquid.
Since they're not made from human cells, xenobots can't be used to treat humans, writes Matthew Hutson, a freelance science writer. But the anthrobots in the new study could theoretically. Each anthrobot started with a single cell from an adult human lung. It then grew into a multicellular biobot after being cultured (培养) for two weeks.
These lung cells are covered in cilia. But at this point in the research, the cilia were growing inside the clumps of cells. So, for the next week, the researchers grew the cells in a solution (溶液) that caused the cilia to face outward instead, enabling these structures to move the anthrobots, which could move in tight loops, travel in straight lines or wiggle in place. Their speed varied as well.
The researchers also tested how these robots might heal wounds. They mimicked (模拟) a wound by scratching a layer of neurons in a dish. Then, they introduced anthrobots to the site of the scratch, and within days, the neurons regrew, bridging the gap created by the wound. The findings show new structures that might have uses in biomedical settings can be developed without gene editing and without having to design the structures manually, the study authors write.
“Unlike xenobots, anthrobots don't require tools to give them shape, and we can use adult cells-even cells from elderly patients-instead of embryonic cells,” says Gizem Gumuskaya, the paper's lead author. "We can produce these robots in large amounts in parallel, which is a good start for developing a therapeutic tool.”
1. How are the advantages of the anthrobot highlighted in the text?| A．By showing comments from users. | B．By explaining some terms. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By listing the data of questionnaires. |
| A．The weaknesses of the anthrobot. | B．The culture of the anthrobot. |
| C．The structure of the anthrobot. | D．The application of the anthrobot. |
| A．It can travel both on land and in water. | B．It requires no genetic modification. |
| C．It can be applied in a controlled way. | D．It can develop from any cells of humans. |
| A．Regenerative medicine. | B．New materials. |
| C．Environmental protection. | D．Individualized education. |
| A．Understanding how to cooperate. | B．The beginning of how to communicate |
| C．Considering what others need. | D．The first day at the family day-care home |
| A．Children should be taught to share as early as possible. |
| B．By the age of four, most children are ready to share what they have. |
| C．A care provider should never say the toy belongs to a certain child. |
| D．Children can learn to share when playing with other children. |
| A．In a group game, the care provider may decide who the toy belongs to. |
| B．If a child wants a toy back, he will have to ask the care provider for it |
| C．It's important for the care provider to explain the importance of sharing to children |
| D．Care providers need to be patient and explain everything in a way children understand |
I stood in the restaurant kitchen, my eyes wide, arms hanging awkwardly, ready to work but unsure of what to do. “You will be trained first,” my manager Aaron said, “and do remember to check every detail!” With these words, he walked away.
A workmate threw me a dish brush and said, “Let’s get started.” He introduced me to the basics of washing dishes and demonstrated the process. This was the beginning of my part-time job, a new stage where I was both eager to learn and anxious about the challenges ahead.
On a Friday night, Aaron swiftly entered the kitchen. “Who has just bused (收拾) the back right table?” he shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. My hands, slippery with bubbles from the bowl I was washing, nearly let it slip through my fingers. I wanted to say I was guilty, but Aaron’s cold stare didn’t promise a happy reward for the guy who admitted. Finally, a mix of fear and my own conscience pushed the response out of my mouth.
“I did, Aaron.”
“What were you thinking? Get back out here and look at what you missed!” His words forced me forward. I grabbed a rag (抹布) and followed him out to table twenty-two. As we made our way through the restaurant, he said something about rags, but I didn’t hear clearly with other conversations going on around us.
I quickly realized the true issue was the mess beneath the table. A nearly full cup of beer had tipped over, creating a small lake on the floor. It was a significant mistake on my part. “Take care of it!” Aaron tuned and stormed off to the front of the restaurant.
I dropped down to clean up the beer. That was when another problem occurred. I had brought only one rag. One already wet rag. It did nothing but increase the size of the lake. “More rags,” I thought. Immediately, I rushed into the kitchen and hurriedly grabbed five dry rags, hoping Aaron wouldn’t notice my brief absence.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I had just rushed out when I found Aaron standing in my way.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After cleaning up the mess, I reflected on Aaron’s words.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After little Julie lost her parents, she lived with Aunt Clara, who worked day and night to support her and her own daughter Mira. As the school prom (舞会) approached, both Julie and Mira dreamed of buying beautiful dresses for the occasion. However, Clara’s limited budget posed a challenge, as she could only afford one dress.
To determine who would receive the dress, Clara suggested the girls draw lots (抽签). Unfortunately, luck was not on Julie’s side, but she remained optimistic. “Don’t worry about me,” Julie smiled. “I’ll figure something out.”
Julie reached under her bed and pulled out a box containing money from Grandma. Grandma loved Julie and Mira very much. Every year, Grandma would send cash gifts to both of them. Julie had carefully saved her money and now had enough to buy a prom dress. With excitement and anticipation, she purchased a beautiful black dress, imagining being the prom queen at the prom.
The following Sunday morning, Aunt Clara left for work early. When Julie woke up, she was shocked that the dress she had hung over the nearby chair was gone! She looked out of the window and froze in horror at the sight of the family dog tearing it to pieces.
She screamed as she ran toward the dog. “What have you done to my dress?” Mira soon learned of the situation and rushed to help Julie to remove her dress caught between the dog’s teeth. However, it was already completely ruined and unable to be repaired. Julie felt heartbroken at the thought of not being able to afford another dress.
Lost and unsure of what to do, Julie went to her grandma’s house with the remains of her dress, seeking comfort and advice. When Grandma answered the door, Julie cried and said what had happened. Grandma comforted her and offered a glimmer of hope. “I can help you with your dress,” she smiled. “Follow me."
Grandma, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease (帕金森病),walked slowly and led Julie into the dining room. There, she removed the cover from her old sewing machine and instructed Julie to open the top drawer of the dresser, where an abundance of colorful cloth was stored.
Paragraph 1:Julie said, “But I’m afraid that you couldn’t sew anymore. You know, your hands.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:
Eventually, their joint efforts bore fruit, and they completed a new prom dress.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Special#2，Please
My flight arrived in San Diego around midnight, and by the time I drove home and got into bed it was nearly 2:00 a. m. I was tired and jet-lagged when I dragged myself out of the bed. Nevertheless,I had to be up bright and early that morning: I was the opening keynoter(主旨发言人) at a national conference.
In short, I needed to recover quickly. A hearty breakfast in the early morning sun was what I needed. I headed for Carlos & Annie’s, a popular restaurant located in the heart of the seaside town.
“I’d like steak and eggs, please,” I said to the waitress after I had finally found a table in the restaurant. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she apologized. “We're out of Special#2. We've served the last of our steaks. How about Special#14?” “Oh, no steak and eggs?” I couldn't seem to accept it.
I'm not sure if it was my heartfelt sigh that caught Carlos, the owner's attention. His warm, caring brown eyes seemed determined to pinpoint the best solution. He then said, “You know, I think I did see one final steak back
there.”Pressing my luck,I quickly declared, “Wow,that would be great. But you know, I’m not sure if I want a breakfast stenk at all. What I really want is a steak—one that’s two inches thick, tender and juicy, served medium rare.” “Not to worry,” Carlos assured meand left. The young waitress gave me a wink(眨眼) and said with a knowing smile, “Carlosis being Carlos again!” I did not give her words much thought.
Then, I noticed Carlos as he left the restaurant through the side door and walked into a neighborhood grocery store across the street. Carlos exchanged morning greetings with everyone he knew and even helped the owner of the bookstore next door by holding the items that filled her arms. Then he reentered the restaurant with a bag in his hand.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: Within minutes，an exact Special#2 was in front of me.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2: I was about to leave when I learned Carlos had already sold the restaurant.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Another Way
The train ran smoothly on a spring afternoon. At one station, the doors opened, and came in a man. He wore laborer’s clothing, big, drunk and dirty. Screaming, he swung at an elderly couple. Terrified, the couple jumped up and quickly walked away. The laborer aimed a kick at the back of the old woman but missed. The passengers froze with fear.
I’ve been putting in a solid eight hours of martial arts (武术) training nearly every day for the past three years. “We study how to resolve conflict, not how to start it,” my teacher had said again and again. I listened to his words. In my heart, however, I wanted to save the innocent by destroying the guilty.
“This is it!” I said to myself as I got to my feet. Seeing me stand up, the drunk recognized a chance to focus his rage (怒火). His fists upraised, he gathered himself for a rush at me. A second before he could move, someone shouted “Hey!”
I remembered the strangely joyous quality of the voice. We both stared down at a little old man. “Come here and talk with me,” the old man said in an easy voice. He waved his hands lightly. The big man followed, as if on a string. He planted his feet in front of the old gentleman, “Why should I talk to you?” The old man continued, “What have you been drinking?” “Beer,” the laborer replied, “and it’s none of your business!”
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” the old man said with interest. “You see, I love beer, too. Every night, my wife and I take beer out into the garden, and we sit on an old wooden bench. We look to see how our persimmon (柿子) tree is doing. We worry about whether it will recover from those ice storms we had last winter. Our tree has done better than I expected, though, especially when you consider the poor quality of the soil.”
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
As the laborer struggled to follow the old man, his face began to soften.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I turned my head for one last look before getting off the train.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What was thought to be harmful to people’s health?
| A．Salty food. | B．Sugary food. | C．Fatty food. |
| A．Limit carbs (碳水化合物). | B．Avoid meat. | C．Control food intake. |
| A．Overweight teenagers. | B．Sick people. | C．People with poor appetite. |
1. Why did the speaker study psychology?
| A．She wanted to be famous. |
| B．She wanted to study happiness. |
| C．She was interested in it. |
| A．Remember how long it sounded. |
| B．Stop it from sounding immediately. |
| C．Write down something about themselves. |
| A．Wealth. | B．Education. | C．Concentration. |
| A．Her knowing how to be happy. |
| B．Her strong belief in herself. |
| C．Her great achievement in her career. |
