1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. spilled     B. infamous     C. originating     D. local     AB. prompted AC. referred       AD. favourite       BC. classed       BD. features       CD. overtaken ABC. enthusiasm

Unusual foods often gain cult (狂热的) followings. But it’s rare for an odorous dish to become a national     1    , which is exactly what’s happened with luosifen, whose magic has     2     over its birthplace.

Just like the durian fruit, this spiral-based rice noodle soup dish has created a buzz on Chinese social media thanks to its     3     smell. While some claim the scent is mildly sour, others say it should be     4     as a bioweapon.

Luosifen,     5     in Liuzhou, a city in China’s north-central Guangxi autonomous province,     6     rice noodles soaked in a spicy broth, topped with locally grown ingredients including bamboo shoots, string beans, turnips, peanuts and tofu skin.

For a Liuzhou     7    , beyond the initial stench, a bowl of luosifen is a mixture of rich and complicated flavors — sour, spicy, savory and juicy, which is the perfect embodiment of the vital trait of harmony in Chinese cuisine. With a historically elaborate style, Chinese people enjoy the reputation of making food tasty, appealing and colorful.

In the past, it would have been hard for conservatives to share this newly-found     8     for this strange regional dish — or even to try it. But thanks to a DIY ready-to-eat form, luosifen’s magic has unexpectedly     9     the entire country. Pre-packaged luosifen — which is     10     to as the “luxury version of instant noodles” — usually comes with eight or more ingredients in vacuum-sealed packets, and neither the quality nor the freshness has been compromised during the process.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.breakdown               B.masterpieces          C.committed                 D. reduced          E.extreme   F.allowances G.memorable       H.security       I.   attribute          J.tribute        K.conducted

The little thief: How Charlie Chaplin survived his hungry childhood

A recently unearthed interview with an old friend recalls how the actor was looked after by a kindly ‘foster mother’ who made sure he did the right thing.

The     1     poverty endured by Charlie Chaplin while growing up in the slums (贫民窟) of Victorian London    2    him to stealing and being scolded by the woman who took care of him, according to an interview with one of his childhood friends that has remained unheard in the British Film Institute for almost 40 years.

Effie Wisdom, whose aunt gave him a home from home when he needed it most, lamented that Chaplin “had a terrible life” as a child, “always hungry”, dressed in “ragged”, filthy clothes - no doubt later inspiring the comic genius who created the Tramp, society’s eternal victim and one of cinema’s most     3     characters.

In 1983, aged 92, Wisdom gave an interview in which she recalled first meeting Chaplin when he was five and she was seven, with her aunt becoming his “foster mother”, as he used to tell her.

She recalled: “My aunt used to feed him because there was no social    4     in those days, no free milk, no children’s     5    , nothing. You never starved and yet you were on the breadline.”

“He used to go up Lambeth Walk and pinch . He’d come home with four eggs one day in his pocket. He came home with a pair of boots one day he’d nicked.”

Her aunt scolded him: “Do you want me to get the police? If you go on doing this, you’ll be locked up. You realize that, don’t you?”

The interview was     6    by Kevin Brownlow, one of Britain’s leading experts in silent films after researching Unknown Chaplin, the acclaimed three-part 1983 documentary series that he made with David Gill. It has been stored in the British Film Institute’s archive (档案) ever since.

Chaplin’s parents were music-hall performers and his mother was abandoned by her husband. His mother was then    7    to an asylum (精神病院).

After Chaplin’s death in 1977, Wisdom had written to his widow (遗孀), with memories of his mother’s desperate concern for her sons, Charlie and Sydney “I told Lady Chaplin I knew Charlie when he was a little boy. I used to play with him out in the street. When his mother had a nervous    8    , she said to my aunt, ‘If I had to go away, you wouldn’t let my lovely sons go into an orphanage?’ My aunt said, ‘No, I’ll look after them, don’t you worry’. My aunt looked after them, fed them and clothed them.”

Chaplin never forgot that. Wisdom paid     9    to his generosity towards her after finding success in America: “He used to send my aunt so much money because she used to look after him.”He also wrote to her.

Chaplin, with his derby hat (圆顶窄边礼帽)，toothbrush moustache and impossibly large boots, was the protagonist in such    10    as City Lights, The Great Dictator and Limelight.

Wisdom, who left school at 13 and worked in a London pub into her 80s, recalled his natural comedic talent, “He was always falling about being funny. He’d get an old table out in the yard, and he’d get all the kids in there, and get up there, put an old pair of trousers on, an old coat and a stick when he was 12. The kids loved that, he used to fall off the table, then he’d get up.” But she joked: “I never thought he’d get to where he got.”

She remembered him writing to her aunt from America, telling her that he would visit on his return to England: “He said, I’m not like when I left England with nothing. I’m going on to be a rich man.”

She added that Chaplin stayed at the Ritz (一家豪华酒店) and turned up at his aunt’s home in-a chauffeur (私人司机)-driven Rolls-Royce: “He invited my aunt and my uncle and me to the Ritz. My aunt says to me, ‘Of course I’d never been in a place like that’.”

From the Gardian

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

reflect               B. survival            C. horizon             D. contributors       E. success F. informed       G. collective            H. claims             I. tends              J. communication       K. revolutionized

Food is personal – it reflects our cultural background, lifestyles, values and purchasing power. Food is essential to our     1    : it largely determines our health and well-being. In today’s globalized and rapidly urbanizing world, what we eat is changing. Food systems are changing and becoming increasingly complex and this     2     to create uncertainty and concern for us as consumers. It is critical that civil society representatives and governments     3     on how they engage with consumers to “demystify” the global food system, understand consumers’ views and concerns, provide reliable information to guide healthy and safe food choices and create conditions that enable constructive dialogue and trust.

Unsafe food and unhealthy dietary choices are considered major     4     to the global burden of disease. Our behaviours as consumers can lessen risks of unhealthy diets.     5     consumers are willing to increase their consumption of nutritious foods, providing they are affordable and available, but there has been less     6     in persuading consumers to avoid unhealthy food. Governments, civil society groups and progressive elements of the food industry all have an interest in influencing consumer choices to optimize health. Consumers have the power to drive change. For a growing number, food choices are not only about their own health but about that of future generations and the planet, including the impact on climate change. By turning this     7     interest into action, more consumers can be empowered to make food choices that are good for their health and well-being and the world we live in.

Information tools have been     8     in recent years with the Internet and social media becoming important sources of information but also misinformation. The traditional tools to inform consumers about food and risk – such as labelling, brochures, radio, TV programs, workshops – can be complemented (补充) with innovative     9     tools, which also allow for dialogue and consumer engagement, enhance transparency and accountability and facilitate learning and behaviour change.

Our confidence, as consumers, in regulators and in the management of food systems is more important than ever given the sustainability challenges that lie ahead and the innovations on the         10    .

4 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. backed   B. benefit   C. consumption   D. diversity   E. disordered   F. matter G. perceive   H. led   I. snacking   J. treat   K. wandering

Walking past a corner bakery, you may find yourself drawn in by the fresh smell of sweets wafting from the front door. You're not alone. The knowledge that humans make decisions based on their nose has     1     major brands like Cinnabon and Panera Bread to use the scents of baked goods in their restaurants, leading to big increases in sales.

But according to a new study, the food you ate just before your walk past the bakery may impact your chance of stopping in for a sweet     2    —and not just because you're full. Scientists at Northwestern University found that people became less sensitive to food odors (气味) based on the meal they had eaten just before. So, if you were     3     on baked goods from a coworker before your walk, for example, you may be less likely to stop into that sweet-smelling bakery.

The study found that participants who had just eaten a meal of either cinnamon buns (肉桂面包) or pizza were less likely to     4     "meal-matched" odors, but not non-matched odors. The findings were then     5     by brain scans that showed brain activity in parts of the brain that process odors was altered in a similar way. These findings show that just as smell regulates what we eat, what we eat—in turn—regulates our sense of smell.

Feedback between food intake and the olfactory (嗅觉的) system may have an evolutionary     6    , said senior and corresponding study author Thorsten Kahnt, an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "If you think about our ancestors     7     around the forest trying to find food, they find and eat berries and then aren't as sensitive to the smell of berries anymore, "Kahnt said. So it could theoretically help facilitate (促进)     8     in food and nutrient intake.

While we may not notice the hunter-gatherer adaptation having an effect on our day-to-day decision-making, the connection between our nose, what we seek out and what we can detect with our nose may still     9    . If the nose isn't working right, for example, the feedback may be disrupted, leading to problems with     10     eating and obesity. There may even be links to disrupted sleep, another tie to the olfactory system the Kahnt lab is researching.

5 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. figured       B. novelty       C. practical       D. exhausting       E. regret       F. fortune G. hopefully       H. collected       I. perspective       J. conflicts       K. basically

My First Job

Jocelyn, Scotland

I grew up in a rural community where it was common for kids to help out on the nearby farms. When I was about fifteen or sixteen, I started working Saturdays picking potatoes. We’d be     1     at seven in the morning and driven out to the fields, where we’d walk behind these huge machines and bag all the potatoes they’d dig up. It was     2    , but I enjoyed being outside and we all had a laugh together. Of course, as a teenager, I provided cheap labour, but that didn’t bother me. The £30 I earned every week — cash-in-hand, of course — felt like a(n)     3     back then.

ELA, Poland

I did politics at university and I really wanted to go and see more of Europe, so I       4     I needed a part-time job. A friend of mine did market research for this local company and she put in a good word for me. I mostly worked weekends, but once in a while they’d asked me to do the odd evening as well. I    5     went door to door asking specific questions what people drank, who they were planning to vote for, all sorts. It was fun to begin with, meeting so many new people, and the money was quite good too, but the     6     soon wore off. It soon got very repetitive. I don’t       7     it, though. I learned that a smile goes a long way — and as I know that some people were lazy and made up their data, I’ve learned not to take statistics for granted too!

Carla, Chile

I joined the army after leaving school because I was a restless person and didn’t like ‘academic’ things. Funnily enough, I’ve actually spent quite a lot of time in a classroom since I joined, as we get training for things like logistics. It’s OK, though — you see the     8     benefits more than at school, so I don’t regret joining at all. And if I wasn’t in the army, I would never have gone somewhere like Haiti. I went there as part of a UN humanitarian mission. For sure, people associate the army with war, but nowadays it’s more about peacekeeping and helping people involved in       9    . My area — logistics — is really about solving problems and communication. I’m certainly staying in the army and     10     I’ll achieve a high rank.

6 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. confronted        B. prospective   C. manipulating          D. ceased   E. suspecting   F. relentlessly        G. evidently   H. inhabitants   I. revenge   J. collaborative   K. assemblies

High School Life in the UK and US

High school life in the United Kingdom and the United States exhibits both similarities and differences. One key difference that is     1     noticeable is the structure of the educational systems in these two countries.

In the UK, high school is commonly referred to as “secondary school” for students aged 11-18, while in the US, high school typically consists of a four-year period. British students typically study a broad range of subjects in preparation for their     2     exams such as GCSEs and A-levels. Likewise, standardized tests like the SAT or ACT are often required for American college admissions. These exams play a crucial role in determining university admissions, and students are usually    3     by academic challenges.

Apart from academic challenges, the pandemic has significantly disrupted high school experiences in both countries. At that time, schools     4     to be traditional learning environments, with many students transitioning to online classes and virtual learning platforms. As a result, the usual in-person gatherings such as school    5     have been replaced by virtual ones conducted through video conferencing software.

Despite these differences and challenges, both the UK and the US emphasize the importance of     6     learning experiences. Group projects and sports teams provide opportunities for students to work together towards common goals. However, students in both countries start     7     that they are being unfairly graded and treated. For example, the New York State Education Department has been accused of     8     scores to artificially boost graduation rates. Additionally, peer pressure and social dynamics have led to bullying(欺凌) and even acts of     9     from those bullied.

By understanding and learning from each other’s educational practices, we can continue to improve the overall educational experience for students in both countries as well as other     10     of the communities served by these educational systems.

7 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Do note that there is one word more than you need in each passage.

A. functions       B. eventually       C. guess       D. defeated       E. matches       F. silently G. concerned       H. interaction       I. consult       J. suitable       K. feedback

Teaching and learning languages is a challenging endeavour at the best of times. It is easy for learners to feel     1    , thus keeping up learners’ motivation and confidence is one important role of language teachers. In the teaching and learning of writing this concern is even more important. Many teachers, researchers and learners agree that learning to write is the most difficult of all language skills. In addition to being difficult, writing lacks the     2     involved in speaking and listening. Therefore, many learners also find writing to be the least interesting skill. When we think of writing, we may imagine someone sitting alone at a desk     3     with their head down. Writing is seen as a solitary activity.

Language cannot be learnt without plenty of practice. According to Swain’s output hypothesis, when students produce language in speaking or writing they notice gaps in their current knowledge; for example, ideas or concepts for which they do not know the English vocabulary, and     4     which they are unable to perform because of gaps in their grammatical knowledge. After noticing such gaps, they find information about how to express such ideas in English. For example, they may search in their dictionary for appropriate words,     5     a grammar book, search online, or ask a question of a teacher. This contributes to breadth in learner’s knowledge of English.

Once they have found a(n)     6     word or grammatical form, they participate in hypothesis testing; they formulate language to communicate what they would like to communicate, making their best     7     at the appropriate form for the meaning they would like to convey. For example, they select the word in the dictionary that they believe     8     their intended meaning most closely, then they consider how the word is used within a sentence. They use this information to create language to express themselves. This contributes to a learner’s depth of knowledge.

Ideally, learners will receive     9     on the language they have produced. Whether or not they are successful in communicating their ideas at their first attempt, they may use the words or grammatical knowledge again in future language output. This continuing hypothesis testing about language leads the learner to     10     figuring out all aspects of the new language items, and those items are then added to the learner’s language repertoire.

Quoted from Rachael Ruegg’s Teaching and Learning Writing in ESL/EFL

8 . Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Do note that there is one word more than you need in each passage.

What My Wife and I Talk about When We Talk about Love

A. company       B. weather       C. desirable       D. restore       E. readily       F. considering G. sharpen       H. hesitation       I. peacefully       J. access       K. inconvenience

My wife used to believe that romantic love is the most important and exciting thing in the entire world when she was a teenager. And the mark of true love is when two good-looking boys get in a physical fight over her. It’s even     1     that they both get injured but don’t end up going to hospital, not because she is worried about them but because it may cause her a lot of     2     and indirect responsibility. One day this will certainly happen to her, if she’s lucky. So you might understand her anger and frustration when I told her that if the other male competitor I have to “fight” with weighs more than 100 kilograms, I will simply hand her over to him without     3    , wish them a happy marriage and walk away with the feeling that tomorrow is another day.

Fortunately, we’ve both grown a lot older and grown out of expecting our life partner to “die” for us     4    . The older we get, the more honest, open and vulnerable we allow each other to be. One of the hardest things about getting older and being in love is knowing when something is just reality and when it’s too much hard work. Identifying what the calm, joyful but often challenging sensation of long-term love is and identifying what has just become totally intolerable is where we all have to really     5     our instincts.

Shared interests are one of the most overrated     6     factors when it comes to choosing a partner. Deciding that someone is a good person, or your soulmate, or made of exactly the same stuff as you just because you both love the music of Faye Wong is ridiculous. Having the same Agatha Christie collection or enjoying most of the movies directed by Richard Linklater will not help you     7     the various unexpected storms of life together.

A much more crucial factor in terms of finding a partner is how much you love their     8    . Since my son was born, I have experienced firsthand how overwhelming it is to be a working parent of a newborn. It has become even more apparent to me that the most important thing in a relationship is how well married couples work as a team. Couples need to be really, really good friends.

When you’re looking for love, and it seems like you might not ever find it, remember you probably have     9     to plenty of love already, just not the romantic kind. This kind of love might not kiss you in the rain or propose marriage. But it will listen to you, inspire and     10     you. It will hold you when you cry and celebrate when you smile. You can carry it with you and keep it as close to you as you can.

9 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. afford   B. whispers   C. critic   D. commitment   E. title F. passion G. tough   H. troubled   I. soul   J. air   K. modest

Let Enthusiasm Fuel Your Success

Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were!

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang on there when the going gets     1    . It is the inner voice that     2    . “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years for the early work of Barbara Mclintock, a geneticist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t stop working on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.

We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such a youthful     3    , whatever their age. At 90, pianist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach. As the music flowed through his fingers, joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel Ulman once wrote, “Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the     4    .”

Enthusiastic people also love what they do, without being affected by money,     5     or power. Patricia Mellratl, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, who was known for her outstanding management and     6     attitude, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, long ago, told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money.” Again, we can see that the reason for one’s success has little to do with material things, and instead, it is their     7     for the career that leads to their achievements.

If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can do it as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton was 68 when she began to draw. This activity ended periods of depression that had     8     her for at least 30 years and the quality of her work led one     9     to say, “I am tempted to call Layton a genius.”

We can’t     10     to waste tears on the “might-have-been.” We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after the “what-can-be.” We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses-finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a back-yard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old and the beauty of a rainbow.

10 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. essential     B. processed     C. challenges     D adapt     E. switching F. available     G. large-scale     H. strategies     I. opting     J. significant     K. fresh

Cutting Salt May Lower Blood Pressure as Much as Medication

Reducing daily salt intake by just one teaspoon, equivalent to approximately 2,200 milligrams of sodium(钠), can lead to a blood pressure drop comparable to that achieved with prescription antihypertension (抗高血压) medication, reveals a recent study. Conducted on 213 individuals aged 50 to 75, the research included participants both on and off blood pressure medication. Regardless of their initial measurements, all groups experienced a(n)     1     reduction in blood pressure after a week on a low-sodium diet.

The study     2     the common notion that only those not taking medication benefit from salt reduction. Notably, the blood pressure decrease observed was similar to the effect seen when individuals start hypertension medication. The investigation aims to shed light on how excess salt raises blood pressure, aside from the conventional theory of increased water retention causing hypertension.

While sodium is     3     for bodily functions, humans, evolutionarily did not     4     to a high-sodium diet. The average daily sodium intake in the U.S. is around 3,400 milligrams, mainly sourced from     5     and restaurant foods, exceeding the recommended 2,300 milligrams by the FDA. Encouraging people to reduce salt intake proves challenging and experts suggest     6     to lower-sodium options instead of mere reduction. One proposal is transitioning from regular sodium chloride to a blend of 75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride, a form of salt     7     in health food stores.

Changing dietary habits presents a puzzle, but historical precedents, like the introduction of iodized (含碘的) salt in1924 to combat pediatric goiters (儿科甲状腺肿), show that     8     shifts are possible.

Although potassium-supplemented (含钾的) salt may not be mainstream yet, it could become a future staple (基本食物) for those aiming to lower sodium intake. For now, cooking at home and     9     for lower-sodium remain practical     10     for individuals mindful of their salt consumption.