1 . I went to get a coffee this morning. A lovely lady came up to me and said, “You’re so pretty and I love your dress.” It made me feel
Then I dropped my car off for repair, and the girl
I then got an Uber back with a middle-aged Asian man, and on the way, we
Later today, I got an Uber back to get my
I left her a huge tip, too, just as a reminder that sometimes a simple
| A．worried | B．peaceful | C．nice | D．strange |
| A．comforting | B．serving | C．cheering | D．admiring |
| A．beautifully | B．simply | C．thickly | D．completely |
| A．calmed down | B．called on | C．watched over | D．picked up |
| A．speak | B．apologize | C．refer | D．turn |
| A．walked | B．sent | C．forced | D．drove |
| A．healthy | B．energetic | C．grateful | D．safe |
| A．smile | B．tip | C．message | D．card |
| A．goodbye | B．yes | C．thanks | D．sorry |
| A．car | B．groceries | C．bicycle | D．awards |
| A．familiar | B．common | C．lovely | D．expensive |
| A．checked | B．reached | C．rooted | D．brought |
| A．gift | B．prize | C．reminder | D．wonder |
| A．honor | B．encouragement | C．chat | D．praise |
| A．teach | B．lend | C．say | D．introduce |
We’ve been having a heat wave on the East Coast this summer, along with the rest of the U.S. So the very thing you wouldn’t want to do is sleep in a hot car! That’s what I thought when I saw a woman doing just that.
Well, she wasn’t asleep at the time, but I guessed that was her difficulty when I noticed that the inside of the car was piled high with her belongings from the passenger seat to the back seats. I’d been noticing this car parked in the same space on this quiet lot for a few weeks.
I finally went over to the car and asked if I could get her something from the nearby store. She refused but at least I got a look close enough to see that she was normal, not on drugs, spoke English and was not in any immediate suffering despite how it looked. This made me all the more curios. The woman said her name was Justine. As we talked, darkness began to set in, so I told her I had to leave, thinking I’d return another day. Then I started for home.
A week later, I was back shopping at a store near the lot and there was Justine in that car on a hot day! I had had enough. I went over to the car, hoping to hear her story. That’s the way everyone would do. It’s what all kind people should do. But I wonder how many persons would have simply passed by without stopping. I was there to help, not to judge or criticize (批评).
What if we all try our best to help people in trouble? How much better would this world be? How many more good activities than bad would make paper headlines? There would be so many acts of kindness, and the media would have no choice but to switch the focus from the bad to the good. I decided to be such a good person.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My concern touched Justine and she told me about her troubles.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I wanted to help her find a job to build up her confidence in life.
_______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Over eighty years ago, the internationally praised Chinese-French painter
Now, on the 10th anniversary (周年) of his death, Zao’s famous art works have found their way back to their home before.
Exhibition of Zao Wou-Ki opened at the Art Museum of China Academy of Art in Hangzhou last month. Divided
As
“His works create a modern Eastern style by
Zao’s work has found a proper place in the collections of 150 major
In 2017, Zao’s painting “29.01.64” (1964)
4 . During the Halloween season, many people visit pumpkin (南瓜) fields or carve pumpkins. But paddle (用桨划) a 1,000-pound pumpkin in a race? On October 22 in Oregon, paddlers in Halloween clothes did just that.
The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta took place on the lake in Tualatin, a small city outside Portland. Back in 2004, a club called the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG) came up with the idea for the event. The PGVG wanted to alter their large pumpkins into boats and paddle them. They asked the city of Tualatin if they could use the lake for a party.
The first year, about 100 people showed up. Now, about 20,000 come to watch the races. “It’s just a good time to finally have some fun with these pumpkins that we’ve spent countless hours all year long trying to grow,” said Jim Sherwood, a champion pumpkin grower, who is one of the Regatta’s founders and organizers.
The PGVG provides pumpkins for the Regatta’s five races. This year, paddlers came from across the country and from as far away as France and Japan. “Surprisingly, it’s on a lot of people’s wish list to paddle a pumpkin,” said Heidi Marx, the event’s director for the city of Tualatin.
Just before the races began, the growers emptied the pumpkins. The paddlers dressed in holiday clothing jumped in, and the first race started.
Gary Kristensen from Happy Valley, Oregon, won the first race. He was dressed as the movie character Mrs. Doubtfire. It was Kristensen’s fourth year winning a pumpkin race. “Once everybody thinks you will win, it starts to give you a little bit of pressure,” he said. “Fortunately, my pumpkin was pretty fast.”
For the less competitive players, the Regatta was all about fun. “The best part is just watching all the families enjoying the day.” Marx, a player, said. People are going to remember it for a long time.”
1. What does the underlined word “alter” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．Move. | B．Grow. | C．Change. | D．Hide. |
| A．His pumpkin boat ran the fastest. |
| B．He made the biggest pumpkin boat. |
| C．He sold his pumpkins to the players. |
| D．He won a competition by growing pumpkins. |
| A．He had been expected to win the race. |
| B．His pumpkin boat was not fast enough. |
| C．He feared to make mistakes in the race. |
| D．It was his first time to take part in the race. |
| A．Pleasure. | B．The prize. |
| C．Staying with their families. | D．The impression they left on others. |
5 . Back to School Supplies for Savvy Students
Getting your kids ready for the school year can keep you busy. Today’s savvy kids known what they want. Check out these four popular back-to-school must-haves.
Small but Mighty Backpacks
LL Bean is the preferred brand (品牌) for high quality. But did you know that they make strong and durable (耐用的) backpacks too? It is a bag for young students, a small famous original schoolbag. There are five colors to choose from: pink, green, blue, purple, and red. Or check out some of the other styles and patterns.
Eco-friendly Reusable Water Bottles
The must-have reusable water bottle is a Stanley Thirst Quencher. This eco-friendly water bottle is made from used steel and offers benefits of drinking water. Your water will stay ice-cold for hours. The advanced cover has a turning cap with three positions that include a reusable straw (吸管). It’s a must-have for a student who loves the environment.
Colors of Kindness Crayons
Every primary school kid must have a new box of crayons and Crayola’s Colors of Kindness Crayons is sure to bring a smile. This special box of 24 crayons has words of kindness printed on each color that encourages everyone to create with love. The crayons are safe and harmless and can be used by promising artists aged three and up.
Reusable Notebooks
For a school student who understands technology and also wants to save trees, reusable notebooks are a must. The Rocketbook Core allows students to take notes in class and combines (结合) handwritten notes with digital technology. It can also connect to any cloud service you use. While it looks like an ordinary notebook, the Core can be reused over and over again.
1. What is an advantage of the backpacks?| A．They are small and easy to carry. |
| B．They can be used for a long time. |
| C．They suit students of different levels. |
| D．They use environmentally friendly materials. |
| A．They are not expensive. | B．They have advanced covers. |
| C．They can connect to cloud service. | D．They help protect the environment. |
| A．Reusable Notebooks. | B．Small but Mighty Backpacks. |
| C．Colors of Kindness Crayons. | D．Eco-friendly Reusable Water Bottles. |
6 . In the early part of his life, Seiichi Sano was a busy business owner. Later in life, he took on other difficult activities. At the age of 80, he climbed Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. Soon after, he started surfing.
Sano turned 90 this year. After being recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest male to surf, he’s considering trying other activities. “Maybe I’ll try bouldering,” he said, suggesting he might do it first in a gym. “Outside it might be a bit dangerous.”
But maybe he will just stick with what he knows. “I think it would be interesting to surf until I’m 100,” Sano said. “I think I can take better care of myself when I have goals like this. Even now, I take better care of myself than I did before.”
Sano said he got the idea to try surfing from a worker at his local bank. The man’s skin was always dark but healthy. He did not look like a usual banker. His secret, he said, was surfing. So Sano found a teacher.
“I don’t consider myself an old man,” he said in his wet suit, board standing next to him. “I have never thought of myself as an old persona. I always feel that I can still move forward. I can still do it. I can still enjoy it.”
Sano joined hundreds of other surfers recently at Enoshima. All the surfers were younger, of course. Several young students who also worked with Sano’s surf teacher, 46-year-old Kazuto Shimizu, talked about Sano.
“To be honest, I was surprised by his age,” said Shimizu. “I was most worried that he would get injured. I did not know how fit he was, physically.”
Sano still runs a business that supplies wood to building companies. He works 9-to-5 at the job. Surfing reduces tension for him.
1. What made Sano get a Guinness World Record for surfing?| A．His age. | B．His wonderful skill. | C．His fast speed. | D．His competition result. |
| A．The idea of enriching his life. | B．The decision to improve his health. |
| C．His dream of becoming world-famous. | D．The unusual appearance of a bank worker. |
| A．Creative. | B．Adventurous. | C．Careful. | D．Generous. |
| A．He has difficulty training Sano. | B．He prefers to teach young people. |
| C．He was concerned about Sano’s health. | D．He praised Sano for his love for work. |
7 . Cynthia, 72, has worked as a flight attendant (空乘人员) for Southwest Airlines for almost 20 years. After her granddaughter Hannah, 24, graduated from college and wasn’t sure what to do except traveling, she eventually decided to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and applied to Southwest. When Hannah got her acceptance notice, she was overjoyed and so was Cynthia.
Cynthia was present at Hannah’s flight attendant graduation in 2022. And behind the scenes, Cynthia was also trying to make sure she’d be on her granddaughter’s first Southwest flight. When Hannah saw her grandma on her first flight, she was very surprised. Working together for the first time was exciting for both of them. It was a long, multi-stop trip—the type Cynthia, with her years of seniority (资历) at the airline, usually avoids nowadays. She made an exception for Hannah.
When she was little, Hannah loved hearing her grandmother’s stories about her job, and had fond memories of flying with her grandmother during her summer vacation. But while Hannah always thought Cynthia’s job was amazing and exciting, she also saw the tough sides of flight attendants’ life. Often her grandmother would have to work on holidays and couldn’t take part in the family activities.
Cynthia also wanted to pass on wisdom to her granddaughter. She kept telling Hannah that flight attendants flew all the time, so everything was pretty simple and easy for them. Passengers sometimes just flew once a year and so flight attendants had to take it into consideration that they had to help these people, showing them the way, answering questions, and showing some enthusiasm.
Hannah says Cynthia brings this empathy (同理心) to every aspect of her life, and it has always inspired her. “That’s one thing that she has taught me—she’s just so sympathetic and so quick to help anyone. I see it when we’re working or outside of work. She really has the best heart,” says Hannah.
1. What did Cynthia keep secret from Hannah?| A．Holding a big celebration for Hannah. |
| B．Working together on Hannah’s first flight. |
| C．Planning a long, multi-stop trip for Hannah. |
| D．Asking other flight attendants to help Hannah. |
| A．It was easy and well-paid. |
| B．It brought lots of danger and uncertainty. |
| C．It was interesting all the time. |
| D．It sometimes meant missing family gatherings. |
| A．The flight attendants’ fortune to fly all the time. |
| B．Skills in dealing with co-workers during flights. |
| C．The concept of serving passengers wholeheartedly. |
| D．Emergencies flight attendants may meet. |
| A．Trying to cherish good memories of her flying. |
| B．Helping others anytime and anywhere. |
| C．Continuing working till the last minute. |
| D．Correcting every mistake in her flight job. |
The groundbreaking Shaoxing Opera
In a specially
The audience sat very close to the performers,
Upon leaving the theater, these audience members felt a sense of satisfaction that encouraged them
Based on the 1992 classic martial arts film of the same name, the Shaoxing Opera presentation shows spectacular artistic skills,
As the play has gained popularity, Chen Lijun,
9 . The following are some markets which have become tourist attractions.
Wiener Christkindlmarkt, Austria
Known as Viennese Dream Christmas Market, Wiener Christkindlmarkt, or Rathausplatz, is one of the Austrian capital’s oldest and most traditional attractions. It has a 150-square-meter children’s ice rink (溜冰场). Tree of Hearts, a giant maple tree with hundreds of shinning red hearts, is a hot favorite with visitors to have a picture.
Open time: November 10 — December 26
Basel Christmas Market, Switzerland
Basel Christmas Market is divided into two different sections at Barfusserplatz and Munsterplatz. Family attractions include the Christmas fairy tale tree at Munsterplatz with activities such as gingerbread and candle decorating, a star workshop and a festive train.
Open time: November 23 — December 23
Strasbourg Christmas Market, France
One of Europe’s oldest Christmas markets, Strasbourg began back in 1570, drawing in over two million people every year. Place Klebe is probably its most popular place thanks to the great Christmas tree.
Open time: November 24 — December 24
Brussels Winter Wonders, Belgium
Brussels really comes to life at Christmas time thanks to Winter Wonders, which is more like a festival than a market. A light and sound show, ice skating, and pleasure ground rides are among the activities to enjoy, while visitors can also stare in wonder at the huge Christmas tree set up in Grand Place.
Open time: November 11 — December 31
1. What can visitors do at Rathausplatz?| A．Appreciate a sound show. | B．Enjoy a train ride in an ice rink. |
| C．Take photos with many red hearts. | D．Ride wooden horses in a playground. |
| A．They have a great tree. | B．They own a good place for skating. |
| C．They hold various activities for tourists. | D．They are the oldest one in their own country. |
| A．Wiener ChristkindImarkt, Austria. | B．Brussels Winter Wonders, Belgium. |
| C．Basel Christmas Market, Switzerland. | D．Strasbourg Christmas Market, France. |
10 . For more than 50 years, seawater has flowed through the Hong Kong’s toilets. And in 2013, Hong Kong built a system that used seawater to cool part of the city. The system sends cold seawater to a factory with heat exchangers. The seawater takes in heat to cool pipes full of circulating (循环的) water. That cooled water then flows into buildings to cool rooms. The slightly warmed seawater is sent back to the ocean. Known as district cooling, this type of system tends to use far less energy than typical air conditioners.
How much water and energy had this strategy saved Hong Kong? And why weren’t other coastal cities doing this? A team at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology set out for answers. They focused on Hong Kong and two other big coastal cities: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Miami, Fla. The idea was to see what it might look like if all three adopted city-wide saltwater systems.
All three places would save lots of fresh water and energy, the researchers found. These savings came from the more efficient saltwater air conditioning. Though costly to build, saltwater-cooling systems could pay off in the long run for many cities.
The researchers figured out how emissions (排放) of greenhouse gases would drop if each city instead used seawater for cooling and flushing (冲刷). Next, they studied how much pollution would be created to build the new system. They compared these results to see how emissions of climate-warming gases would change for each city.
Hong Kong would see the biggest cut in greenhouse gases if the system were expanded to the whole city. It could drop by some 250,000 tons each year. Miami could see a drop of around 7,700 tons of carbon pollution per year. Saltwater cooling would cause more planet-warming gases in Jeddah than it would save. The reason: Jeddah’s unplanned urban expansion and all the pipes that would be needed to service it. The pollution coming from building such a large system would be higher than what the system would save.
1. What can seawater do in Hong Kong’s district cooling system?| A．It is used to flush all of the toilets. | B．It runs into buildings to cool rooms. |
| C．It circulates in pipes to warm the air. | D．It absorbs heat to cool the water in pipes. |
| A．To test if saltwater-cooling systems are fit for all coastal cities. |
| B．To find ways to build more efficient saltwater-cooling systems. |
| C．To popularize Hong Kong’s energy reduction measures. |
| D．To apply Hong Kong’s experience to Jeddah and Miami. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Unclear. |
| C．Mixed. | D．Opposed. |
| A．Kill two birds with one stone. | B．There is no one-size-fits-all way. |
| C．Two wrongs don’t make a right. | D．One man’s fault is another man’s lesson. |
