1 . When we drove through a twenty-foot-tall fence and entered the Okonjima Camp in central Namibia, the first question on our minds was whether the fence was being used to keep animals in or out. Our guide was quick to say, “Out.” The Okonjima Camp works with the AfriCat Foundation that accepts injured big cats. So there was no shortage of cats, and on that first night, we heard growls (咆哮) from our houses. How close we were! I hope nobody left the gate open.
The next day of our Africa trip started with a journey outside the fences and protected zone to track a mother leopard (花豹) and her baby the guide had seen the previous day, and we were happy to find them very quickly. The mother leopard was aware of our presence but was relaxed since our car was a healthy distance away, and we sat for 45 minutes watching the sweet interactions between mother and baby.
Later in the day, the guide said we would go on a hike. Everything we were told before about staying in the vehicle and not leaving the fenced arca of the camp was put aside. We were going to find cheetahs (猎豹). It is safer to approach cheetahs, keeping a safe distance, and our guide got out earphones to listen on the leopards’ radio collar (颈圈) frequency to see if any were in the area. No leopards, no problems. Let’s go look for cheetahs, and we did find them. Well, I didn’t. Our guide’s tracking skills were phenomenal. He quickly found them somehow lying in the shade of some tall grass. After some time, they stood up on their long legs. No cheetah-fast speed, but a silent walk into the bushes (灌木丛).
1. How did the author feel on the first night in the camp?A.Excited. | B.Sleepy. | C.Nervous. | D.Curious. |
A.To find a proper place to build a new camp. |
B.To test his new radio technology. |
C.To track a mother leopard |
D.To observe cheetahs. |
A.impressive. | B.limited. | C.important. | D.different. |
A.Tourism in Namibia. |
B.An adventure with big cats in Namibia. |
C.The importance of wildlife protection. |
D.A conflict between humans and big cats. |
2 . There were smiling children all the way. Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the wastebasket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug. I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
1. The author expected the train trip to be .A.adventurous | B.pleasant | C.exciting | D.boring |
A.The friendly country people. | B.The mountains along the way. |
C.The crowds of people in the streets. | D.The simple lunch served on the train. |
A.choose | B.enjoy | C.prepare for | D.carry on |
A.Johore Baru. | B.The Causeway. | C.Butterworth. | D.Singapore. |
A.Comfort in traveling by train. | B.Pleasure of living in the country. |
C.Reading gives people delight. | D.Smiles brighten people up. |
3 . Do you love fossils and dinosaurs? I’m lucky enough to be a fossil preparator (化石制备师), which means I work with fossils, like removing rocks from fossils and gluing fossils together to make sure they’re not broken. Sometimes, we have dinosaur bones that need to be arranged and put back into place.
I like the job from the bottom of my heart. When we make “jackets” — these are things that store the fossils — we have to accurately and scientifically figure out how to make them for specific bones or fossils, which can be different shapes and artistic expression.
Since I was a kid, it’s been my dream to be a paleontologist (古生物学者). When I was 12, I went to this kind of event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science called Dinosaur Day. I got a chance to meet paleontologists. At the end, I asked, “Hey, can I volunteer?” And somehow, they let me, as long as a parent came with me. At 12 years old, I got to go to a fossil excavation (挖掘), and I got to work with dinosaur bones and fossils in the lab for the first time.
Fossils are very old. We don’t always get all the pieces. We’re working with something that’s incomplete, sometimes. We do our best to fit the pieces we know back together. And as for the pieces we don’t know, we don’t try to make anything up. But sometimes, we have a gap in a specimen (标本) and it needs support. We’ll put some material in there that’s clearly not fossil, so when people go to study it, they know not to study that part.
People would wonder how I find other kids, especially girls, who shared my interests when I was growing up. As a matter of fact, in my friend group, I was the only dinosaur girl. My friends were interested in other things, but they were all super supportive of my love for fossils.
1. Why does the author like her job?A.It is not a demanding job. | B.It combines both art and science. |
C.It is more artistic than scientific. | D.It is about collecting dinosaur bones. |
A.To show her path to follow her dream. | B.To prove her parents supporting her job. |
C.To present the barrier of achieving her dream. | D.To tell her easy access to achieving her dream. |
A.By burying them back in the ground. | B.By breaking and reconstructing them. |
C.By making them up with similar materials. | D.By filling their gaps with distinct materials. |
A.Cautious. | B.Understanding. | C.Independent. | D.Entertaining. |
4 . I didn’t go to Santiago, Chile to look for friendship. In fact, Chile was not even on my wish list.
A mid-life crisis woman, I got a chance to study abroad. I only wanted to learn about global business, taste South American cuisine, and check “study abroad” off my wish list.
On the fifth day, I joined a group for a neighborhood work project aided by the anti-poverty (扶贫) organization. Our tasks were to build a water tower and paint the community center. Upon arrival, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like a scene out of a horrible film. That moment redefined poverty for me because I had never seen such terrible living conditions. As advised, I showed no signs of the motional battle going on inside me.
Just as I was about to start work on painting, a request came through for a few volunteers to help Nadia, a local resident who volunteered to cook for us. I raised my hand to help because I wanted spend time with the people of the neighborhood despite my shortage of Spanish speaking skills.
Nadia had a sincere smile but not overly friendly. Even without speaking each other’s language we started to learn about one another. We chatted about our children, our upbringing, shared picture of our family, struggled to instruct each other to communicate in the other’s language, and laugh many times.
After we fed everybody and the dishes were washed, my day was over. But I found myself hesitant to leave. It was as if I had known her my entire life. I had not predicted the unselfishness heart I would encounter, and it was moving.
As we were waiting for the car to pick us up, Nadia showed me her plants that are well-maintains. I could see that despite the hard conditions she was passionate about life. She made me long to be stronger person. She showed me that poverty was external, but happiness was internal. I was seeking to give 100 percent for a well-intentioned cause, but I left receiving 200 percent from her.
1. What was the author’s initial purpose of going to Chile?A.To find new friends while traveling. | B.To participate in an anti-poverty project. |
C.To fulfill the desire to study abroad. | D.To gain a graduate certificate in business. |
A.She decided to relieve the poverty. | B.She kept her emotions well hidden. |
C.She comforted the shocked volunteers. | D.She refused to continue the present task. |
A.She felt very sympathetic toward Nadia. |
B.She longed to interact with the local residents. |
C.She wanted to improve her Spanish speaking skills. |
D.She preferred cooking to painting the community center. |
A.True friends are never apart in heart. |
B.Happiness is defined by a positive attitude. |
C.Language is not a barrier to great connections. |
D.Unselfishness is putting others before ourselves. |
J. Palacio bases Wonder on August or “Auggie” Pullman, a ten-year-old boy born with a deformed (残缺的) face that made him usually discriminated (歧视) against. Due to the twenty-seven
7 . Pingtan, the biggest island off the coast of Fujian Province, is popular with tourists these days. It has also attracted many
Born in Milan, Strada has a well-developed
Strada
As for the future, Strada plans to
A.foreigners | B.businessmen | C.travelers | D.engineers |
A.model | B.stylist | C.critic | D.graduate |
A.application | B.system | C.appreciation | D.relationship |
A.boosted | B.improved | C.achieved | D.pursued |
A.However | B.Therefore | C.Otherwise | D.Besides |
A.urgent | B.frequent | C.recreational | D.exhausting |
A.contributed to | B.adapted to | C.settled in | D.believed in |
A.political | B.major | C.potential | D.economic |
A.make use of | B.get rid of | C.keep track of | D.take care of |
A.environment | B.flavor | C.fashion | D.record |
A.reopens | B.monitors | C.possesses | D.decorates |
A.awarding | B.announcing | C.offering | D.showing |
A.fund | B.evaluate | C.attend | D.organize |
A.spread | B.acquire | C.compare | D.discuss |
A.virtual | B.dynamic | C.intelligent | D.independent |
1. What is the man doing?
A.Doing a survey. | B.Taking an interview. | C.Hosting a program. |
A.She became an astronaut. |
B.She flew for 1,567 hours in total. |
C.She contributed to the Beijing Olympics. |
A.Calm and interesting. | B.Strong and encouraging. | C.Inspiring and cooperative. |
9 . At my first lesson in Chinese calligraphy, my teacher told me plainly: “Now I will teach you how to write your name. And to make it beautiful.” I felt my breath catch. I was curious.
Growing up in Singapore, I had an unusual relationship with my Chinese name. My parents are ethnically Chinese, so they asked fortune tellers to decide my name, aiming for maximum luck. As a result, I ended up with a nonsense and embarrassing name: Chen Yiwen, meaning, roughly, “old”, “barley (薏米)” and “warm”.
When I arrived in America for college at 18, I put on an American accent and abandoned my Chinese name. When I moved to Hong Kong in 2021, after 14 years in the States, I decided to learn calligraphy. Why not get back in touch with my heritage? I thought.
In calligraphy, the idea is to copy the old masters’ techniques, thereby refining your own. Every week, though, my teacher would give uncomfortably on-the-nose assessments of my person. “You need to be braver,” he once observed. “Have confidence. Try to produce a bold stroke(笔画).” For years, I had prided myself on presenting an image of confidence, but my writing betrayed me.
I was trying to make sense of this practice. You must visualize the word as it is to be written and leave a trace of yourself in it. As a bodily practice, calligraphy could go beyond its own cultural restrictions. Could it help me go beyond mine? My teacher once said to me, “When you look at the word, you see the body. Though a word on the page is two-dimensional, it contains multitudes, conveying the force you’ve applied, the energy of your grip, the arch of your spine.” I had been learning calligraphy to get in touch with my cultural roots, but what I was really seeking was a return to myself. Now I have sensed that the pleasure out of calligraphy allows me to know myself more fully.
During a recent lesson, my teacher pointed at the word I had just finished, telling me: “This word is much better. I can see the choices you made, your calculations, your flow. Trust yourself. This word is yours.” He might as well have said, “This word is you.”
1. What did the author initially think of her name “Chen Yiwen”?A.It was lucky so she gladly accepted it. | B.She felt proud of its symbolic meaning. |
C.She understood the intention but still disliked it. | D.Its strange pronunciation made her embarrassed. |
A.pick up a new hobby | B.reconnect with her origin |
C.gain insights into a new culture | D.fit in with local community |
A.reflects the creator’s spirits | B.comes from creative energy |
C.highlights the design of strokes | D.depends on continuous practice |
A.Appreciate what our culture offers. | B.Find beauty from your inner self. |
C.A great teacher leads you to truth. | D.We are the sum of what we create. |
1. How long did Zara’s round-the-world flight take?
A.Two months. | B.Three months.. | C.Five months. |
A.In Britain. | B.In Belgium. | C.In Canada. |
A.Her visa needed to be renewed. |
B.Her plane had a breakdown. |
C.She ran into bad weather. |