1 . In a recent email to an old friend, I mentioned that our family planned on taking our four-week road trip in our motor home. My friend emailed back and said he thought I was very “brave” to set out on such an adventure with two young children (aged two and five). I laughed when I read his email and wondered if he knew how much he was missing out on by giving up the idea of such a fun RV (旅行房车) trip with one5s family.

My husband and I have been “RVing” for over ten years. When we first started traveling, we certainly had some troubles that were not so funny at the time but seem to be funny now. We forgot our pillows and failed to cook dinner on an outdoor grill for lack of a flashlight. Then we decided to make our dinner in the motor home but could not get the oven lit! So we went to bed a little hungrier than we had planned!

However, that’s nothing compared with the amazing natural wonders we experienced during our RV trips. In addition, we have discovered a new world of family fun and family bonding. We saw the Grand Canyon when our son was only six months old. We play games inside and : out, walk together, talk together, read, solve puzzles, and enjoy music and movies. We have got used to doing things with one another. Our kids love to pick out good, old-fashioned postcards to send off via snail mail to different family members on every trip.

As our world gets more and more overloaded with cell phones, texting, emails and video games, our family sticks more and more tightly to the wonderfully simple idea of unplugging electronic devices for a while and jumping into the seat to take a trip in our motor home. Then we come home with fun pictures of our wandering, and we’re able to build special memories for our kids. Now we want to spread the word and tell families of all kinds what enjoyment can be had from packing up for a trip in the RV.

1. What did the author’s old friend think of her travel plan?

A．A family trip should not last for too long.

B．A family RV trip might bring unexpected troubles.

C．It was wise of her to let children experience RV trips.

D．It was a good opportunity to teach children to be brave.

2. What can we learn about the first author’s family?

A．It was a pleasant experience.	B．It was ruined by bad weather.
C．They didn’t prepare well for it.	D．They lost many things during it.

3. How did the authors family benefit from RV trips according to Paragraph 3?

A．They learnt how to solve problems.	B．They built a closer family relationship.
C．They developed a great love for nature.	D．They fell in love with adventure travels.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To show how to make RV trips interesting.

B．To encourage kids to take part in RV trips.

C．To advise families to take RV trips together.

D．To share an unforgettable traveling experience.

2 . 语法填空

Charles Darwin, a young man just out of university in 1831,    1    (offer) a job on a ship on a voyage of discovery around the world. Life on board was tough. Darwin was    2    (terrible) seasick and was only happy when he was ashore collecting plant samples and observing animals. It was to be the most important journey in his life. It    3    (last) for five years. 

Darwin studied nature in South America and in a group of small islands in the South Pacific. On each island there were birds. They were very similar,    4     the shape of their beaks, and even their eating habits varied. Darwin wondered why they were different. Then he realized that over millions of years, all plants and animals have gradually changed into the forms we see today.    5     we call “the survival of the fittest” he named “natural selection”. He also called this slow process of change “evolution”. 

By 1846,he had published an article describing his voyage. Darwin spent the years    6     followed developing his theories and making them perfect. In 1859, he published them in The Origin of Species. It caused a huge    7    (argue). His The Descent of Man, 1871, pointed out that mankind    8    (come) from the same ancestor. Other scientists agreed with his ideas and took up    9    (he) cause. The church prohibited the    10    (teach) of The Theory of Evolution in some countries. However, today most people believe that Darwin is right.

3 . When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense that she could hardly see her support boats. Against the freezing cold water, she struggled on-hour after hour-while millions watched on national television.

In one of the boats alongside Florence, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn’t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. However, with only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

Still warming her chilled body several hours later, she told a reporter, “Look, I’m not excusing myself, but if I had seen land, I might have made it.” It was not tiredness or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal.

Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith intact and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, overshadowing the men’s record by two hours!

1. What can we learn about that fourth of July morning in 1952?

A．The thick fog cleared by mid-morning.

B．Chadwick managed to swim the Catalina Channel.

C．The support boats accompanied Chadwick all the way.

D．A live broadcast of Chadwick’s swim was watched on TV.

2. What did Florence Chadwick think was the reason for her failure?

A．Sharks threatened her life.

B．She was completely worn out.

C．The chilly water made her body numb.

D．The destination was out of sight due to the fog.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “intact” in Paragraph 5?

A．Changed.

B．Undamaged.

C．Weakened.

D．Unexplored.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To explain why Chadwick failed in the first attempt.

B．To stress the importance of picturing a clear goal in the mind.

C．To introduce the process of Chadwick’s swimming the Catalina Channel.

D．To report Chadwick was the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel.

5 . 语法填空

I have never wondered what I should do when deciding on a career choice. My top     1     (prior) is finding something that suits my passion. I developed     2    strong interest in information technology in high school, so I     3     (choose) a related university major and studied hard. After I graduated, I worked in a     4     (finance) company and was responsible for processing debt repayments for about five years. Then I wanted to try something new. As travelling was also one of my     5     (passion), I applied for a job that provided the chance     6     (travel) around the world. However, after two years of travelling and always having endless business to attend     7    , I kind of lost my passion. I decided to take a rest, so I resigned     8    my job and worked as a volunteer for an educational organisation. Then I dedicated myself to     9     (help) college graduates fit into society. Now I want to be a career coach. I am still an amateur in this field, but I believe I have acquired a lot of experience, from     10    I think others could benefit.

6 . 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。

Jan Tchamani, an English teacher in Birmingham, UK, suddenly developed a serious illness and had to quit her job. At age 50, she found herself out of work and     1     (stick) at home with only her computer to keep her company. After     2    while, she discovered that     3     (surf) the Internet could help her feel less lonely and bored. She could listen to music, watch films, play games, and explore the world. She also joined an online group     4     she could talk about her problems and get support and advice from others. She realised that one of the greatest benefits of the Internet was its     5     (able) to remove the distance that usually exists between people.

She was so inspired by the people she       6     (meet) online that she decided to start an IT club to teach older people how to use computers and the Internet. She and her friends now organise events and collect money to pay for private teachers. Many people have been helped by the club. A 59-year-old man learnt how to apply for work online and found a great job. Now that he works and can take care of     7     (him), his daughter has time to study at university. A 61-year-old woman who was living alone has started a small online company together     8     two friends. She no longer feels lonely, and her company has become quite successful.

Jan’s life has been     9     (great) improved by the Internet. “When you go through tough times, you meet others who are facing similar challenges,” Jan says. “Thinking about other people’s situations inspired me     10     (offer) help.”

7 . Liam Gamer was just 17 years old when he started out on his big adventure — a 32,000-­kilometer bike trip from Alaska to Argentina. In early January, 2023, he finally finished his trip, 17 months after he started.

Liam, an experienced cyclist, had previously ridden from Los Angeles to San Francisco. He made short videos of that trip, and shared them on the social media app TikTok, some of which became quite popular. After reading a book by adventurer Jedidiah Jenkins, who biked from Oregon to Argentina, Liam decided to cycle from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, the northernmost point in the United States accessible by road, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost point of South America.

Liam set out on August 1, 2021. At first Liam’s parents weren’t too happy about him taking such a long bike trip by himself though it wouldn’t take that much money. But as he carried on, his parents became his strongest supporters.

After about three months, Liam had crossed the US, going south along the West Coast. By early December, he had reached Mexico, from which his parents came to the US many years ago. “So crossing the entire country on a bike and reconnecting with my culture and learning the language in the place my family is from is so deeply important to me,” Liam explained emotionally. But Liam also faced challenges in Mexico.

He was robbed in Mexico, and at one point, he considered quitting because the incredible heat made biking extremely difficult. In all, he was robbed five times on the trip. He got very sick more than once. In Colombia, he had a bike accident that left him injured and required surgery. In spite of it all, he kept going through rain, sun, heat, cold, deserts and mountains.

Liam finally arrived in his destination on January 10, 2023 — 527 days after he started. He had travelled through 14 countries along the way.

1. What contributed to Liam’s decision to bike through 14 countries?

A．His previous related experiences.

B．His parents’ encouragement.

C．A desire to shoot short videos.

D．A book by Jedidiah Jenkins.

2. Why did Liam feel special in Mexico?

A．He went there for the first time.

B．He found his family tree’s roots.

C．He biked there as scheduled.

D．He had to speak another language.

3. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To inspire our love for nature.

B．To promote low­-carbon travel.

C．To encourage us to see our strengths.

D．To call on us to learn a kind of spirit.

8 . 语法填空

After seeing the advertisement in the newspaper, Perce Blackborow resolved     1     (join) the Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton no matter what challenges might lie ahead. Unfortunately, his application was turned     2     because he was too young and not qualified     3    the expedition. However, he managed to get aboard the Endurance with his friend’s help. He     4     (hide) in a cupboard, but was soon discovered and brought to Shackleton. Although the captain was angry, he assigned the boy     5     (cook) for the crew. Their voyage did not go smoothly, and the Endurance became     6     (stick) in the ice. Before the Endurance was crushed and    7     (sink) into the sea, Shackleton had the ship     8     (abandon), and the crew had to camp on ice. They then sailed to Elephant Island. Soon after that, Shackleton selected a boat party and set off     9     South Georgia Island to seek help.