1 . What does the man find difficult about Shakespeare’s plays?

A．The humor.

B．The plots.

C．The language.

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why does the man seldom do exercise?

A．He lacks motivation.

B．He has a heart problem.

C．He works all the time.

2. What does Jacob Sattelmair probably do?

A．He’s an athlete.

B．He’s a researcher.

C．He’s a journalist.

3. Why does the woman speak of a study?

A．To encourage the man.

B．To recommend an exercise.

C．To support her findings.

4. How much time will the man probably spend exercising weekly?

A．300 minutes.

B．150 minute.

C．75 minutes.

3 . Earlier this year, I moved into a suburb of Atlanta. I decided to _________ the area on foot. On my walks, as I admired the range of residential _________, I also admired another type of house: Little Free Libraries. I’d seen them all over Atlanta and _________ it’d be fun to build my own, but when I looked at the website’s official map, it turned out there were already a handful nearby. _________, I decided to seek each of them out.

I’ve since found six sites of these free book _________. Without them, I would never have been able to “meet” people in my community. I quickly _________ my neighbors’ reading tastes, sorting through their small boxes of books. Each library is unique and shows the _________ of the person who built it, with _________ colors and designs. These Little Free Libraries are also the perfect way to _________ conversations with strangers.

Since the pandemic began, Little Free Libraries have become a lifeline for many. They don’t __________ social distancing and everything is on an honor system. People __________ a book in exchange and some libraries have even become __________ food pantries (食品储藏柜) for people in need. In all the __________ they’ve taken on, these libraries have brought people together in a sense, especially when it feels like everything is trying to __________ us. Beyond conversation starters and personality __________, Little Free Libraries find common ground — a precious thing, pandemic or not.

1.

A．explore

B．search

C．measure

D．clean

2.

A．district

B．setting

C．development

D．architecture

3.

A．promised

B．explained

C．thought

D．proved

4.

A．Secretly

B．Fortunately

C．Naturally

D．Cautiously

5.

A．exchanges

B．giveaways

C．reservations

D．publications

6.

A．corrected

B．learned

C．improved

D．satisfied

7.

A．appearance

B．expression

C．health

D．personality

8.

A．standard

B．ordinary

C．varying

D．new

9.

A．go on with

B．strike up

C．break in on

D．act out

10.

A．require

B．permit

C．deserve

D．guarantee

11.

A．leave

B．order

C．edit

D．write

12.

A．fancy

B．traditional

C．private

D．temporary

13.

A．subjects

B．burdens

C．forms

D．risks

14.

A．inform

B．persuade

C．surprise

D．divide

15.

A．balancers

B．indicators

C．testers

D．separators

4 . Millions of us may lose sleep as most states switch to DST, Daylight Saving Time (夏令时) and put the clocks forward by one hour. The time change brings darker mornings and extends light in the evening.

Some policymakers want to make DST permanent to avoid the disturbance of constant switches. Marco Rubio, a government officer, says the formality of changing our clocks twice a year makes no sense. He points to the potential economic benefits DST brings. The key argument is that more light in the evening can stimulate people to go out and that translates into more people shopping in convenience stores for everything from water to sports drinks. Thus, there is a boom in spending.

However, the health impacts have been more complicated to figure out. DST increases evening exposure to light, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night. So in recent years, the time change has been reported to be linked to an increase in atrial fibrillation, a type of heart disease, perhaps due to the sleep disorder. Besides, evidences have linked the transition to an increase in attention problems and mood disorders.

“I am very surprised,” says Jay Chudow, a cardiologist. “It’s just a one-hour change, but this shows how sensitive our bodies maybe to internal clock (生物钟) interruption.” Actually humans’ internal clock is closely linked to the rising and setting of the sun. He emphasizes that restoring permanent Year-Round Standard Time (YRST) is the best option for our health and well-being, for the natural daily cycle of light and darkness is really the most powerful timing reminder that we have to match our body clock with.

So it seems there’s a divide between what’s likely best for our health and what may be good for the economy. Due to the economic burden and tight budget, it is not hard to guess which one will be given higher priority among policymakers this year.

1. What benefit does DST bring?

A．Boosting consumption.	B．Lengthening daytime.
C．Avoiding constant switches.	D．Brightening the mornings.

2. What does the underlined word “transition” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Impact.

B．Exposure.

C．Disorder.

D．Change.

3. What does Jay think of DST?

A．It helps restore energy.	B．It raises health concerns.
C．It is a timing reminder.	D．It matches humans’ body clock.

4. What will the policymakers probably do this year?

A．Choose DST.	B．Adopt YRST.
C．Tighten the economy.	D．Increase funds on healthcare.

5 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When did Google come out with Google Home?

A．In 2016.

B．In 2015.

C．In 2017.

2. How many songs does Google’s product have?

A．35 million.

B．2 million.

C．2.5 million.

3. Which product is aimed at young children?

A．Amazon Echo.

B．Google Home.

C．Mattel’s Aristotle.

4. What is typical of the Mattel’s Aristotle?

A．The lowest price.

B．The earliest product.

C．The best interaction.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the man stop going to the gym?

A．He was too busy.

B．He disliked the exercise machines.

C．He found it more convenient to exercise at home.

2. How does the man make himself run faster?

A．By reading magazines.

B．By timing himself.

C．By watching great videos.

3. How often does the man run?

A．Three times a week.

B．Twice a week.

C．Daily.

7 . 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。

Terracotta Warriors exhibition opens in Spain

The Archaeological Museum of Alicante opened on Tuesday     1     unique exhibition of China’s renowned Terracotta Warriors, known as the “    2     (eight) Wonder of the World.”

The exhibition     3     (title) “The Legend of China’s Qin and Han Dynasties” and open to public between Wednesday and January 28, 2024, showcases more than 120pieces from nine Chinese museums.

The exhibition is divided into three galleries     4     showcase the history of the unification of China by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, his tomb, and the     5     (mystery) Terracotta Warriors. The museum uses advanced technology to create an immersive exhibition space     6     (use) light, music, and scent.

Curator of the exhibition Marcos Martinon-Torres, an archaeologist and professor at the University of Cambridge, said the exhibition would provide an “unforgettable experience” for thousands of visitors.

The exhibition is part of a series of activities intended     7     the China-Spain Year of Culture and Tourism. Apart from the 10 life-size Terracotta Warriors and horses, it also features gold and silver, bronze, pottery, and jade cultural relics.

At the opening ceremony on Tuesday, Carlos Mazon, president of Alicante provincial council, called the exhibition “a     8     (history) moment.” He said his province “will become a cultural center in Europe in the next ten months,     9     it is the first time that the Chinese Terracotta Warriors     10     (exhibit) abroad since the (COVID-19)pandemic.”

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。

My middle child, Jake, was smart and good-looking, but he always sees the cup of life as half empty. Every day when he came home from school, Jake would list everything bad that happened that day!

On his ninth birthday, we saved enough money to take the family to Disneyland for two days. His dad and I didn’t make much then, so it cost a considerable amount, but we felt Jake’s birthday was worth it. After doing Disneyland to death (玩够了), we returned to our hotel room, all exhausted. And I asked the birthday boy, “Did you have fun today, Jake?”

All my fault-finding son could say to me was “Pirates (海盗) of the Caribbean was closed!” “Jake Marshall,” I was clearly unable to contain my anger, “we stood in line for an hour and a half to see The Haunted Mansion. We rode Space Mountain three times. We spent two days playing in the park, and all you can say is, Pirates of the Caribbean was closed?” Clearly, something had to be done about his negative attitude and I was going to be the one to do it!

I was determined to help him. I read every article and bought every book. With the help of great resources, I found my son had the tendency to see the worst in every situation. My research told me that people with negativity have an emotional need for order and sensitivity. That meant I needed to listen to my son’s daily pessimistic reports. My usual reaction was to try to talk Jake out of his negativity, but that wouldn’t satisfy his need for sensitivity, so I had to let him finish his complaints and ask what good things happened. Then I needed to wait until he could tell me. This would help Jake realize that good things really were happening to him.

注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
One day Jake came home from school and complained as usual.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
From then on, Jake came to understand the power of seeing good points.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . When summer night falls and the streetlights go on, a dozen cars arrive at an open outdoor space. Drivers open their car trunks and set up stalls (摊位) outside their vehicles. They are selling handmade cakes, coffee and iced drinks, as well as other inexpensive goods out of trunk, while customers relax nearby in camping chairs, listening to live bands and enjoying the soft summer evening.

Car stall fairs emerged as trendy play last summer in cities across China. For the past six months, selling hand-brewed coffee at car stall fairs on the outskirts of Xi’an, Shaanxi province, has been Zhuang Shenyang’s main way of supporting his family, with a daily income ranging from 50 ($6.98) to 2,000 yuan.

The 40-year-old — who learned oil painting in college — had to find ways to support his family last year after he closed down his training school. “After staying at home for several months without income, I made up my mind to go out to earn money, even if it was running a stall on the streets,” he said. He was inspired by a conversation with a roadside food vendor (小贩) earlier this year and found that the business with little investment can make a living.

He sets up his mobile stall almost every day and has attracted many regular customers. “People don’t just come for coffee, they like to sit and talk, often staying into the night,” Zhuang said. “It’s a way young people like to socialize outdoors.”

He named his coffee stall “A Coffee Bar in Debt” with self-deprecating (自嘲的) humor. “I want to convey an attitude that even though I am in debt, I will never ‘let it rot’,” Zhuang said. “The popularity of the fairs shows that many people’s incomes have been affected by the epidemic, but they don’t want to ‘lie flat’ at home; instead, they work hard,” he said.

1. What do we know about car stall fairs?

A．It is organized by the government.

B．It provides oil painting classes.

C．It enhances the sales of cars.

D．It enriches people’s leisure lives.

2. How did Zhuang Shenyang get the idea to start a mobile stall?

A．He got it on the Tiktok.	B．He learned it in a training school.
C．He knew it from a stall keeper.	D．He heard it from his wife.

3. What words can be used to describe Zhuang Shenyang?

A．Skillful and warm-hearted.

B．Humorous and cautious.

C．Sincere and sensible.

D．Responsible and enterprising.

4. What is main idea of the passage?

A．Night stall fairs are catching on.	B．A 40-year-old refuses to lie flat.
C．How can we start a mobile stall?	D．Young people favor handmade food.

10 . 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。

The Legend of White Snake(白蛇传) is linked to a love story and is a common household tale in China.

The time-tested tale goes that a white snake spirit, with the name of Bai Suzhen, managed to transform     1     (it) into a charming lady after centuries of practice. She fell in love with a respected doctor, Xu Xian,       2     first sight when they met on a rainy day on the Broken Bridge.

After getting married, the young couple managed a medicine shop, enjoying a     3     (harmony) life. But the appearance of Fa Hai caused a change to their sweet life. Fa Hai convinced the husband     4     (trick) Bai Suzhen into drinking a special wine. Xu broke down and died     5     (unexpected) when witnessing his wife turning into a white snake after the drink.

Bai     6     (steal) a magical herb from the land of the immortals and brought Xu back to life. Xu was then imprisoned by Fa Hai to the Jinshan Temple. To rescue her husband, Bai Suzhen employed the waters and flooded the temple,     7     (break) a rule of heaven. Finally, the couple’s son offered sacrifice (献祭) to his mother in front of the Leifeng Pagoda,     8     caused the pagoda to collapse and enabled the family to reunite.

More than     9     love story, the cross-species romance deals with themes of appreciation, struggle and devotion and     10     (regard) as one of China’s most famous folktales.