1 . In 2015, Misty Copeland was named a principal dancer-a ballerina of the highest rank — at American Ballet Theatre. She is the first African American woman to ________ it.

In her childhood, Misty was shy and ________ the spotlight. But she loved music and ________. When she was 13, Misty’s teacher suggested she ________ a ballet class. For two weeks, Misty sat on the gym bleachers (露天看台) watching the class, ________ to join in. She felt ________ in the class. Over time, however, she began to enjoy the lessons. She discovered her ________ — especially her long legs and strong, flexible muscles — was just right for ballet. ________, ballet meant a lot to Misty. “For the first time in my life, I felt like I belonged in ballet, she says.

Misty suddenly gained ________ and developed curves at 19. “I was being told that my weight and proportions just weren’t ________ anymore. ” This shook her ________. Even though Misty felt ________, she didn’t quit. She learned to eat healthier foods. She learned training techniques ________ to her body type. When she wasn’t performing, she was practicing. When she wasn’t practicing, she was stretching. As she did, she began to believe again that she ________ in.

“No matter what that dream is, ”she says, “you have the power to make it come true with hard work and ________. ”

1.

A．finish

B．create

C．make

D．perform

2.

A．prohibited

B．avoided

C．abandoned

D．ignored

3.

A．movement

B．practice

C．gesture

D．cycle

4.

A．confirm

B．attend

C．sign

D．tend

5.

A．anxious

B．curious

C．eager

D．afraid

6.

A．out of date

B．out of place

C．out of order

D．out of breath

7.

A．appearance

B．limbs

C．body

D．organs

8.

A．Approximately

B．Obviously

C．Partially

D．Gradually

9.

A．weight

B．muscle

C．strength

D．independence

10.

A．true

B．fair

C．right

D．real

11.

A．self-esteem

B．self-confidence

C．self-consciousness

D．self-discipline

12.

A．disturbed

B．ashamed

C．confused

D．discouraged

13.

A．specified

B．tailored

C．expected

D．positive

14.

A．broke

B．fitted

C．took

D．gave

15.

A．engagement

B．contribution

C．subscription

D．commitment

2 . Formula One Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024

From April 19 to 21, the much-anticipated 2024 Formula One Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix will come alive with the roar of engines at the Shanghai International Circuit. Details about tickets for the event are as follows.

Ticket Price:

[Grandstand]              [Session]                                        [Price (RMB)]

A Platinum                    3 Day Ticket                                        3880

• A High                    3 Day/Fri./Sat./Sun. Ticket              2880/490/890/2490

• A Low                    3 Day/Fri./Sat./Sun. Ticket              2280/390/690/1990

• H/K                           3 Day/Fri./Sat./Sun. Ticket              1480/290/590/1290

• C/F/J/L                    3 Day Ticket                                        480

Ticketing Instructions:

• This event adopts electronic tickets with one ticket per person. Children require a full-priced ticket, and children under the age of three are not allowed entry.

• For each session of this event, a maximum of 4 tickets per mobile phone number and 1 ticket per ID card number can be purchased. When purchasing tickets, buyers must provide the audience’s real name, a valid personal ID, and a valid mobile phone number. After a successful purchase, ticket purchasers should retain e-ticket seat information appropriately.

• Ticket refunds can be requested without fees from the date of purchase until 24: 00 on February 29, 2024. From 00:00 on March 1, 2024, to 24: 00 on April 15, 2024, refunds will invite a 10% handling fee. No refunds will be accepted from 00: 00 on April 16, 2024. Returned within 7 working days.

• This event implements real-name verification with ID card and facial recognition for entry.

• The schedule and arrangement of the competition may be subject to changes, and please stay tuned to Formula One Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix official WeChat and Weibo for the latest information.

1. What should be offered to buy a ticket?

A．The audience’s nickname.	B．The audience’s e-ticket seat information.
C．The audience’s WeChat number.	D．The audience’s available phone number.

2. How much will be returned if a couple return their Sat. Ticket of K on March 15?

A．59 yuan.

B．531 yuan.

C．1, 062 yuan.

D．1, 180 yuan.

3. What can we know about Formula One Lenovo Chinese Grand Prix 2024?

A．It will last 7 days.	B．It will be exciting and noisy.
C．It doesn’t limit the audience’s age.	D．It will never be postponed or cancelled.

3 . The world’s largest ape Gigantopithecus blacki (G. blacki) vanished from Earth between 295, 000 and 215, 000 years ago, more than 100, 000 years earlier than once thought, pushed to extinction as the environment around it shifted, researchers reported recently in Nature.

The fate of G. blacki, twice the size of the largest modern apes and resembling a super-sized version of its close cousin, the orangutan, has long been a mystery. For about 2 million years, G. blacki inhabited a landscape of forests and grasses in what’s now southern China. It left behind only scattered remnants: thousands of teeth and four jawbones, unearthed in cave sediments in the region.

To establish a chronology for the ape’s extinction, paleoanthropologist Yingqi Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and his colleagues used different dating techniques to determine the ape’s habits, diet and environment. In the teeth, they looked for data on the ape’s diet, measuring isotopes (同位素) of carbon and oxygen as well as examining the teeth for tiny evidence of wear and tear — which can reveal not only diet, but also give hints of repeated behaviors and stress. The team also analyzed the cave sediments bearing the fossils, hunting for fossil pollen and conducting luminescence dating (光释光测年) on radioactive elements within the sediments.

The team’s reconstruction revealed that — around 700, 000 to 600, 000 years ago, southern China shifted from its forested landscape to a more seasonally-driven environment. Some apes, including the orangutans, were able to adapt to these changes. But G. blacki was unable to change rapidly enough, and its numbers slowly dwindled before going extinct, the team suggested.

The assembled evidence told a convincing story that “the extinction of G. blacki coincided in southern China with a decrease of forest cover and expansion of savanna-like environments,” said Hervé Bocherens, a biogeologist at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. Still, he said, documenting the extinction of this species from the fossil record is tricky — and it’s impossible to rule out the possibility that pockets of G. blacki may have lingered in still-undiscovered caves for longer.

1. What can be known about G. blacki according to paragraph 2?

A． G. blacki shared certain similarities with the orangutan.

B． G. blacki was twice larger than the largest modern apes.

C． G. blacki lived in places full of basins and deserts.

D． G. blacki might have thousands of teeth.

2. What did Zhang and his workmates do to figure out information related to G. blacki ?

A．They checked the situation of G. blacki.

B．They repeated the behaviors done by G. blacki.

C．They applied radioactive elements to the analysis of the cave sediments.

D．They measured isotopes of carbon and hydrogen in G. blacki diet.

3. What is the meaning of the underlined word “dwindled” in paragraph 4?

A．Increased.

B．Reduced.

C．Unchanged.

D．Multiplied.

4. What can we learn from Bocherens’s words?

A．Many hands make light work.

B．One good turn deserves another.

C．Knowledge advances by steps and not by leaps.

D．Experience must be bought.

4 . 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。

On a sunny afternoon, the off-duty registered nurse, Samantha Baxer, at St. Mary’s Hospital was on her way to a store for mothers and babies with her best friend Kieran Horn, preparing to buy some necessities for her unborn baby — she was six months pregnant (怀孕的).

Samantha was in such a good mood at that moment, just like the white clouds in the blue sky, because as a nurse, she seldom had time to relax. “She was always on-duty and putting everybody first before herself.” Kieran said.

Suddenly, terrible things happened. A loud crash came into her ear, followed by people screaming. A car crashed at the comer of West Broad Street and West End Drive in Henrico. The damaged car rolled round and round, and finally stopped at the side of a telephone pole. “Jesus!” passers-by stood there stunned. Seeing this, two police officers and a citizen soon rushed towards the car, positioning their body weight against the vehicle to keep it from moving.

“Help! Help! The driver is bleeding heavily!” A man shouted anxiously. Samantha’s heart was in her mouth, and her professional ability sent her rushing to the scene of the accident, even if she didn’t know whether anyone was alive or not. Although she knew that pregnancy might cause trouble to her actions, she did not hesitate because she knew that every second could make a difference between life and death.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Paragraph 1: Samantha hurried to the driver.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2: An ambulance soon arrived and Samantha was rushed to the hospital.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . 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。

Ali heard her sing when she played the piano. And he saw his grandmother diagnosed with disability was singing together with him. He was absolutely shocked. The disease took her legs away as long as he could remember. His grandmother even danced to the music, totally attracted by the piece of music. Out of curiosity, he asked his grandmother what had happened on earth. She giggled and began her story.

Oh, dear, let me share a story with you. When your grandfather went fishing on the boat, I was so afraid of losing him, and I was so afraid that he would never come back. The only way I could stay calm was to dance. I pretended to feel good. However, from my bottom of my heart, I experienced the pain of not knowing whether my love would come back safely. Every day I went home, excited but frightened to read his letters. He always ended his letters with “I love you with my life and God blesses you good health.” And then one day came a letter only with three sentences, “I have lost my arms. I give you back your freedom and you deserve a better one.” Thinking for a long time, I made a decision that I would pretend I was disabled too. I bought a stick and a wheelchair myself. I told my friends and families as well as him that I got a car accident, losing both of my legs, unable to dance anymore. Then I went to see your grandfather. I told him “you are the better one I should deserve; and we are the same, without feeling sorry for ourselves.” I leaned forward and showed him a wedding dress. “Now show me you are still a man,” I said, “I won’t ask again.” He finally smiled and managed it on me, walking towards me and giving a big hug.

Looking at grandmother for a while, Ali was deeply inspired by her. “You are an angel and I will love you forever.” Ali murmured quietly.

注意：1．开头已给出；
2．所写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1：

Grandmother smiled at Ali and asked him to make a promise not to tell his grandpa till the end of her life.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

A few years went by and six months after grandmother’s funeral, Ali found grandpa sitting in grandma’s usual chair by accident and sobbing sadly.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Researchers from ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich, and the University Hospital Zurich have made a significant breakthrough in the field of precision medicine. They have developed a machine learning approach known as CellOT that can predict how individual cells react to specific treatments. This development promises more accurate diagnoses and therapeutics, particularly in the fight against cancer.

Precision medicine, which aims to find the most effective drug combination and dosage (剂量) based on individual patient characteristics, has been a critical goal in the battle against cancer. Central to this is understanding how individual cells respond to treatment, a challenge that the research team from Zurich has tackled head-on with their innovative method.

CellOT is a groundbreaking approach that identifies the distinct reactions individual cells within a larger population can have to a drug. The average response of a cell population often does not capture the full complexity of how certain tumor cells survive or develop resistance to drugs. CellOT addresses this by predicting the effects of perturbations (扰动) on cells, paving the way for more effective and personalized cancer treatments.

Perturbations are changes caused by chemical, physical, or genetic influences, such as the effects of drugs on cancer cells. By understanding which cells respond to a drug and identifying the traits of resistant cells, researchers can develop new treatment strategies that prevent cell growth or cause pathogenic (致病的) cells to die.

For CellOT, the researchers use novel machine learning algorithms and train these with both data from unperturbed cells and data from cells that changed after a perturbation response. In the process, the algorithm learns how cellular perturbation reactions arise, how they progress, and the likely phenotypes (显性类型) of altered cell states.

The study, published in Nature Methods, shows that CellOT is not just effective for cancer cells. It can also be used on other pathogenic cells involved in autoimmune diseases like lupus erythematosus (红斑狼疮), indicating its potential in advancing treatments for various diseases.

A key innovation of CellOT is its predictive ability. By evaluating existing cell measurement data, and thus expanding the knowledge of cellular perturbation reactions, CellOT can predict how individual cells will respond to perturbations that have not been measured in the laboratory. This capability opens up new avenues for targeted and personalized treatments.

While CellOT holds immense promise, comprehensive clinical trials are still required before the approach can be used in a hospital setting. Nevertheless, the development of this method marks a significant step towards a more nuanced (细腻的) understanding of individual cell responses to drugs. It fuels the hope for more effective cancer treatments and advances in precision medicine.

1. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 3 refers to _______.

A．various responses of a cell population to drugs

B．the average reaction of a cell population to drugs

C．the resistance from a group of cancer cells to drugs

D．the survival of a population of cancer cells to drugs

2. According to the text, CellOT _______.

A．has proved efficient in some Zurich hospitals

B．can cause perturbations inside a human body

C．may bring about better treatments for various diseases

D．focuses on monitoring the development of cancer cells

3. What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．The limitations of CellOT.

B．Suggestions for CellOT improvement.

C．An explanation of further research.

D．Future implications of CellOT.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．A Groundbreaking Medicine for Cancer

B．Precision Medicine is Around the Corner

C．How Machine Learning Helps Zurich Doctors

D．CellOT: Advancing Precision Cancer Treatment

7 . Nancy, a 7-year old girl helped her mother wash the windows of their house after school to get a reward promised by her mother, a purple_________ that she longed for. She watched her mother Order the doll online.

The next day, Nancy asked if she could_________the shipping status. Her mom_________on the webpage and then walked out of the room. Nancy saw that her doll would be arriving the next afternoon but then she noticed some_________about other dolls and toys she could order. 15 minutes and a few clicks_________, with more than $350 worth of dolls in her _________, Nancy placed the order and ran off to play.

The following day, while looking up another_________order, her mother noticed a long list of dolls_________. She was able to call off two of them, but it was too late to _________the rest. She told her daughter they were going to be returned. When the__________arrived, Nancy wanted to open them, but her parents said no. Instead of sending back the dolls, her father__________giving them to the local children’s hospital.

So the next week, Nancy’s family loaded up their car and took all the dolls to the playroom at the__________children’s hospital. Nancy was__________at first, but then she sat with some girl patients, and they __________all the boxes together, laughing and playing happily.

Nancy’s parents took a lot of memorable pictures to cherish the wonderful moments. Nancy thanked her parent and told them she would never forget what she got on this special day and that she had a lot of __________and learned a really good lesson.

1.

A．ball

B．doll

C．bear

D．dog

2.

A．check

B．inform

C．refuse

D．stop

3.

A．stated

B．drew

C．clicked

D．described

4.

A．suggestions

B．wonders

C．worries

D．problems

5.

A．before

B．ago

C．earlier

D．later

6.

A．hand

B．cart

C．room

D．drawer

7.

A．ongoing

B．failing

C．strange

D．online

8.

A．on display

B．for sale

C．on sale

D．on the way

9.

A．cancel

B．consider

C．take

D．sell

10.

A．rewards

B．gifts

C．packages

D．toys

11.

A．advised

B．forbade

C．disliked

D．minded

12.

A．deserted

B．local

C．nearby

D．remote

13.

A．pleased

B．excited

C．depressed

D．frightened

14.

A．put up

B．picked up

C．put away

D．opened up

15.

A．rest

B．fun

C．homework

D．pressure

8 . Scientists have already applied robots like Roomba to work in the agriculture (农业). A Roomba works because it has wheels that function well on flat ground. However, fields are full of rough and rocky environments, which means it is difficult for robots to work in the fields. Luckily, scientists thought of centipedes (蜈蚣). With tens to hundreds of legs, they can move on any places without stopping. If they stop moving their body parts and feet, they basically stop moving instantly.

A team led by Chong developed a theory that proposes that adding leg pairs to the robot increases its ability to move firmly over challenging environments.

To test this, Juntao conducted a series of experiments where he and Daniel Soto built models to simulate (模拟) different natural environments. He then tested the robot by increasing its number of legs by two each time, starting with six and finally increasing to 16. As the leg count increased, the robot could more easily move across the surfaces, even without sensors. Finally, they tested the robot outdoors on real environments, where it was able to move in a variety of environments.

The researchers are applying their discoveries to farming. Goldman has co-founded a company that wants to use these robots to weed (除草) farmland where weedkillers are ineffective. “It’s truly impressive to see the multilegged robot easily moves on both lab-based and outdoor environments,” Juntao said. “Now we are deciding the most suitable number of legs to achieve motion. In the future, we hope to apply them for space exploration, and even search and rescue.”

1. What can we learn about Roomba?

A．It can move on any places without stopping.

B．It can not work well in the rough farmlands.

C．It was newly invented and still in its early age.

D．It was inspired when scientists saw centipedes

2. Which of the following best describes the multilegged robot?

A．Unpractical.

B．Amusing.

C．Ineffective.

D．Promising.

3. What can we expect of the multilegged robot in the future?

A．It will reach consumers soon.	B．It will increase farm production.
C．It will be used in many other fields.	D．It will take the place of weedkillers.

4. What is a suitable title for the text?

A．Centipedes Inspire Multilegged Robots’ Invention

B．Scientists Get a Huge Step in Studying Centipedes

C．Scientists Solved Challenges in Robots’ Creation

D．Multilegged Robots Brought Benefits to Farming

9 . Here is a list of four upcoming book festivals. Registration is either just opening or hasn’t quite opened up yet and not all of the festivals have finalized their attendee lists, but it’s never too early to plan which ones you’d like to attend!

THE IMAGINARIUM BOOK FESTIVAL Washington D. C.

The Imaginarium Book Festival celebrates all things fantasy. science fiction, paranormal (超自然的) and fantastical. In addition to a lecture where authors will answer your questions, you’ll get to meet and acquire signed books from your favorite authors.

BOOK BONANZA Grapevine, Texas

Book Bonanza, started by Colleen Hoover and her sisters, is a celebration of books. It attracts a huge list of incredible author attendees. What makes Book Bonanza stand out is its charitable focus. All the incomes are donated to charitable causes.

NORTH TEXAS TEEN BOOK FESTIVAL Irving, Texas

The North Texas Teen Book Festival brings authors and readers together to celebrate teen literature and inspire lifelong readers. They have not announced their author attendees yet, since the deadline for submission of the authors has not yet arrived.

SAVANNAH BOOK FESTIVAL Savannah, Georgia

The Savannah Book Festival hosts national, regional, and local authors for author presentations and book signings at seven places across three historic squares in downtown Savannah. But the author lineup has not been shown yet.

1. What can people do at the Imaginarium Book Festival?

A．Buy books signed by hosts.	B．Give a lecture about writing novels.
C．Watch science fiction movies.	D．Ask authors some questions.

2. What is special about Book Bonanza?

A．It’s celebrated by many directors	B．It invites few famous authors.
C．It focuses on charity work.	D．It was founded by two sisters.

3. What do the last two book festivals have in common?

A．They haven’t published the list of authors.	B．They haven’t decided on the place yet.
C．They provide the book signing service	D．They celebrate the youth literature.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. In which country do people note at beer?

A．Brazil.

B．Japan.

C．India.

2. What do Chinese usually avoid doing?

A．Wearing slippers in the bathroom.

B．Wearing purple clothes to a funeral.

C．Giving an umbrella to a friend as a gift.

3. What is the speaker mainly talking about?

A．A travel to a new country.

B．Taboos in different countries.

C．Social behavior that is allowed.