1 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入 1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

A cashless society is defined as one that doesn’t use cash in monetary transactions (交易). These societies favor alternative means of payment, such     1     credit cards, or contactless payment.

Of all the companies     2     (move) closer to becoming cashless, most people agree that Sweden is the closest. 85% of the country has access to online banking and only 2% of the country’s transactions consist of cash.

There     3     (be) a number of reasons for this cashless trend. Sweden has access to a popular payment app     4     (call) Swish, which more than 50% of the country uses. But the     5     (big ) catalyst (引发变化的因素) so far is that most Swedish merchants don’t access cash payment.

China also has a vast cashless market,    6     is mostly dominated by Tencent’s WeChat Pay or Alipay, which is owned by Alibaba. But unlike many other countries, China hasn’t embraced (欣然接受) credit card payment. Instead, most Chinese consumers make payment by scanning QR codes (二维码) on     7     (they) phones.

Most merchants request payment via QR codes and it’s not uncommon     8     (see) QR codes located all throughout China. And this trend is starting to spread to other countries that have a lot of Chinese     9     (travel).

The growing cashless trend has led many people to wonder     10     the U.S. will eventually go cashless. It is possible since U.S. consumers are increasingly moving away from cash and embracing other forms of payment.

2 . When it comes to protecting your mental health, you can take steps to adjust your daily routine to be a bit kinder to yourself. Here’s some of the advice some experts offered.

    1    

Stephanie Roth-Goldberg, a licensed clinical social worker, says this could mean allowing time to relax with your coffee for a few minutes before leaving the house or getting some physical activity before work. See how long you need to accomplish something good for yourself.    2    !

Take breaks during the workday

    3     — it can do wonders for your concentration and overall mood. If you don’t have a lot of opportunities to take breaks, Goldberg recommends going for a short walk or even visiting a friend at their desk to help break up the day.

Designate a screen-free time during the day

Goldberg explains that designating a time during the day when you completely disconnect from screens is “a great mental health tool that people don’t make use of.”    4    It’s commonly recommended to disconnect before bed, though. “Spending time away from screens allows for creativity, connection and feelings that otherwise would not happen,” she says.

Set up a bedtime routine

Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential to our mental and physical health. Katie Leikam, a licensed clinical social worker, recommends setting up a nighttime routine to ensure you get the shut-eye you need.     5    and turn off your lights at the same time every night. “This will help you obtain better sleep, which is one of the best things you can do for your mental health,” says Leikam.

A．Start the day off on a positive note

B．Keep it cool for a good night’s sleep

C．Wash your face, put down your phone

D．It’s healthy to do this at any time of day

E．Dance around while you do your housework

F．Sometimes it’s just three to five minutes of letting your brain do nothing

G．Get away from your computer screen by stepping outside for some fresh air

3 . The Savitzs who move to Newton had found themselves welcomed into the neighborhood with truly open arms. Glenda was pregnant before the move and within three months, they gave birth to Samantha. About a week after Glenda and RaphiSavitz welcomed their daughter Samantha to the world, they learned that she was deaf. “We knew right away that we had to get involved in the deaf community, learn about the culture, and start getting fully lost in American Sign Language,” Glenda says. What the new parents didn’t know was that their neighbors in Newton, Mass., would decide they needed to start learning sign language, too.

“We really wanted to communicate with her and play with her,” says McNeil, who lives across the street from the Savitzs. “And since she couldn’t learn our language, we thought we wanted to learn hers.” McNeil and three other neighbors quietly signed up for local adult education classes in American Sign Language. “We met a teacher there that we really loved, and we asked him if he would come here and teach more neighbors,” McNeil explains. “So that’s how it started.” About 20 neighbors immediately signed up for the class. With the help of their instructor, Rhys McGovern, the neighbors are able to help Samantha feel like she belongs.

“We know how to say, ‘Are you riding your bike?’ or ‘You have pretty new pink sneakers.’ There’s a dog across the street that she loves to play with. So we all know the sign for ‘dog.’” McNeil adds, “Her parents translate for us because her fingers are very small right now and she signs very fast, so we’re trying and we’re getting better. ... Her first sign to all of us is ‘friend,’ which feels very good.”

The classes have been such a hit that there are now two offerings, on two different weeknights, bringing the number of neighbors learning the language to about 40. As a result of that neighborly effort, Samantha moves with ease where her family lives. She’ll stop in at neighbors’ homes just to draw pictures and chat.

1. When did Glenda and RaphiSavitz find Samantha deaf?

A．Within three months of her pregnancy.

B．About a week after their learning ASL.

C．When Samantha was about one week old.

D．Three months before their move to Newton.

2. Who is Rhys McGovern?

A．A teacher who instructs Savitz’s neighbors to learn ASL.

B．A neighbor who helps Savitzinteract with her neighbors.

C．A neighbor hired an instructor for Savitz’s neighbors.

D．An organizer who calls on Savitz’s neighbors to help her.

3. What did little Savitz say to her neighbors firstly with ALS according to McNeil?

A．Bike.

B．Sneakers.

C．Dog.

D．Friend.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．Good neighbors, a piece of treasure.

B．Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

C．Better to be friendly with a neighbor than to wear a fur jacket.

D．Communication is one of the most efficient ways to understand.

4 . When my experiments didn’t produce the exciting results they were supposed to, I thought I just needed to work more, for the idea that I would be ______ if I worked hard enough was deeply rooted in me. It was late in the evening. A postdoc (博士后) ______my suffering and gently asked how I was doing. I told him about my ______ with the experiment. He said, “I think it’s time to go home and get some sleep. Taking a break is also hard work, you know?”

Those comments planted the seed of a new ______. Previously, when my friends questioned whether the “always working” view that is _______among academics was normal or healthy, I had __their concerns. Now, I ____ that they were on to something. I started to go __ on myself, trying to make being in the lab from early morning to late evening the exception rather than the ______. Pushing back against the______that long working hours are the ______of a good researcher was hard, and I ______ back into my old routine more than once. In the back of my head I still felt __ for not working “enough”. I hadn’t_______ understood what the postdoc was trying to ______ to me.

During my Ph.D., the penny _____ the rest of the way. One day, my adviser said, “We need to work smarter, not harder.” The conversation helped me ____ it —that novel ideas do not come from a mind constantly under _______. My best ideas almost always come after I allow my mind to_______—whether that’s playing video games with my brother or cooking a nice dinner. Part of working smarter, I realized, can be taking a _____.

1.

A．rewarded

B．served

C．abandoned

D．misunderstood

2.

A．respected

B．noticed

C．accepted

D．declined

3.

A．faith

B．thoughts

C．intelligence

D．struggles

4.

A．experiment

B．invitation

C．approach

D．assistance

5.

A．abstract

B．consistent

C．common

D．cautious

6.

A．brushed off

B．took on

C．turned down

D．made up

7.

A．realized

B．checked

C．assessed

D．stressed

8.

A．stricter

B．purer

C．hotter

D．easier

9.

A．accident

B．dilemma

C．normal

D．procedure

10.

A．attempt

B．growth

C．request

D．belief

11.

A．quality

B．project

C．burden

D．prejudice

12.

A．risked

B．slipped

C．prayed

D．exited

13.

A．refreshed

B．lonely

C．guilty

D．dizzy

14.

A．hopefully

B．fully

C．carefully

D．silently

15.

A．promise

B．contribute

C．write

D．convey

16.

A．cost

B．dropped

C．benefited

D．ended

17.

A．take no notice of

B．show interest in

C．make sense of

D．find fault with

18.

A．control

B．darkness

C．guard

D．pressure

19.

A．wander

B．relax

C．forget

D．recover

20.

A．break

B．turn

C．walk

D．test

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Which school is the university most famous for?

A．Social Science.

B．Medicine.

C．Law.

2. Who will say something more about the courses?

A．The visitors.

B．The receptionists.

C．The lecturers.

3. What is required for degree courses?

A．Informal lectures.

B．One group discussion.

C．A long essay.

4. Who is the speech most probably intended for?

A．Students at high school.

B．Teachers at university.

C．Teachers at high school.

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

A．A teacher.

B．A host.

C．A doctor.

2. What is the conversation mainly about?

A．How to save money.

B．How to spend money.

C．How to be a good housewife.

3. Where does the woman like shopping?

A．In supermarkets.

B．In department stores.

C．In outdoor markets.

4. What does the woman highly recommend?

A．Fixing things by ourselves.

B．Hiring someone to repair things.

C．Asking friends to help with the repairs.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How does Joanna feel?

A．Tired.

B．Happy.

C．Anxious.

2. Why does Joanna want to make breakfast?

A．To look after her sick mum.

B．To pay back her mum.

C．To practise cooking.

3. What can we know about Joanna?

A．She has got married.

B．She can get up early every day.

C．She loves her father more than her mother.

8 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

As a child, I grew up in a modest neighborhood where access to books was limited. My parents installed in me a love for reading, and I longed for more knowledge. That’s when Mrs. Henderson, a retired teacher with a passion for books, decided to establish a little library in our community.

The library was a small wooden structure, almost like a dollhouse, situated at the end of our street. Mrs. Henderson filled it with a variety of books, from children’s stories to classics and non-fiction. The library was free for anyone in the neighborhood to use, and it quickly became a hub for the curious minds of our community, myself included.

I vividly remember the first time I stepped into that tiny library. The shelves were packed with books of all kinds. I felt like I had entered a treasure trove. I started borrowing books regularly, and the more I read, the more I thirsted for knowledge.

It wasn’t just the books that made this library special; it was Mrs. Henderson herself. She would spend hours talking to each child, helping them choose books that matched their interests. She made learning fun and accessible, and she inspired us to dream big.

注意：续写词数应为 150 左右。
As I continued to visit the library, my horizons expanded. I read about places I had never seen, met characters with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and learned about different cultures and perspectives.
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Every time I entered the library, I could always see Mrs. Henderson busy with the books. She knew us by name, our favorite genres, and our wildest dreams. One day,
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9 . Nowadays, with the improvement of people’s living standards, there are more and more teenagers having the problem of obesity (过度肥胖). It becomes a concern to society. What should we do to deal with it? Please write a composition in not fewer than 110 words to express your opinion.

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10 . Please read the information given below and write a summary in not fewer than 90 words.
DJ: Hello. A lot of you have probably just got your A-levels and you’re looking forward to going to university. But more and more young people are deciding to take a gap year before they start their degrees. Today I’m talking to a group of young people who’ve all decided to take a year out before they go to university. What are they going to do? Rosie? What are your plans?
Rosie: I’m going to work in a department store.
DJ: Why do you want to do that?
Rosie: Two reasons really. I’m going to study Management at university and this will give me the chance to find out what it’s like to work in a big organization. And I’ll also be able to earn some money.
DJ: What about you, Christopher?
Christopher: I’m going to do community work with a conservation group. I think it’ll be good to do something really useful. And I’ll meet a lot of interesting people, I’m sure.
DJ: Will you get paid for it?
Christopher: Well, we won’t get rich doing it, but we’ll be all right. We’ll get about £20 a week plus food and accommodation.
DJ: Helen, what are you going to do?
Helen: I’m going to travel around Europe.
DJ: Are you going to work there?
Helen: I hope so, or I’ll have to come home again. I might try and get a job—you know—in a hotel or something like that.
DJ: Why do you want to do it?
Helen: Well, mainly because it’ll be a change. After all, I’ve been at school for 13 years. I just want to do something different. It’ll give me new experiences and I’ll need to be more independent.
Note: A-levels英国普通中等教育证书考试高级水平课程, 也是英国学生的大学入学考试。
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