1 . An era in which an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can begin in a doctor’s office is now arriving. The new technology can detect early signs of disease from a blood sample, which is helping doctors to identify the memory-robbing disorder more accurately.

Last fall, a blood test developed by C2N Diagnostics in St. Louis, Mo. , became available to most of the U.S. as a routine lab test. It has also received a CE mark as a diagnostic medical device in the European Union — indicating it has met safety, health and environmental protection standards for the region.

The C2N test, called PrecivityAD, uses an analytic technique to detect specific types of B-amyloid, a protein fragment that is a pathological (病理学的) feature of disease. B-amyloid proteins accumulate and form plaques (斑块) visible on brain scans two decades before a patient notices memory problems. As plaques build up in the brain, levels of ß-amyloid decline in the surrounding fluid.   

Such changes can be measured in spinal fluid (脊髓液) samples — and now in blood, where ß-amyloid concentrations are significantly lower. PrecivityAD is the first blood test for Alzheimer’s to be cleared for widespread use and one of a new generation of such assays that could enable early detection of the leading disease — perhaps decades before the onset of the first symptoms.

1. According to the passage, which can help doctors identify Alzheimer’s?

A．hair.

B．blood.

C．skin.

D．tongue.

2. What is the function of B-amyloid in the brain?

A．To decline in the surrounding fluid.	B．To form plaques visible on brain scans.
C．To accumulate and cause memory problems.	D．To serve as a pathological feature of disease.

3. What does the underlined word “assays” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Tests.

B．Trials.

C．Treatments.

D．Analysis.

4. What does the author think of the PrecivityAD?

A．Indifferent.

B．Doubtful.

C．Supportive.

D．Pessimistic.

3 . One day, 12-year-old Sean Redden surfed the Internet and went to a popular chat room. Just as he was about to be offline, he saw a name he’d never seen there before, Susan. Her brief message was “Would someone help me?”

Sean typed back, “What’s wrong?” A moment later he received this message, “I can’t breathe. Help me! I can’t get out of my chair.”

Oh, man, Sean thought. Pretending to be paralyzed (瘫痪) was a bad joke. Then he wondered what if she really is sick? “Hey. Mom.” he called. “There’s a kid here who’s sick or something.” Sharon looked at the computer screen. “It’s not just some game, is it?” she asked.

The message was not a joke. Susan was actually a 20-year-old student, working late at night at a college library near Helsinki, Finland - almost 7,000 miles away from Sean’s home in Texas. While searching the Internet, she began to feel terrible pain all through her body. The library was silent and empty. The nearest phone was outside in the hallway. She couldn’t move that far. Any movement caused the pain to get worse. Then she realized she might get help on the Internet.

“I don’t think it’s a joke, Mom, “Sean said. And he typed, “Where are you?” After a long while, the letters appeared, “Finland.” Sean and Sharon couldn’t believe it. Not knowing what else to do, Sharon called the local police.

Sharon explained the situation to the officer Amy Schmidt. Schmidt told Sharon to try to get the sick girl’s phone number. Texas police called the international telephone operator and asked to be connected to the proper agency (机构) in Finland. The call was put through to a nearby rescue station. The Texas police gave Susan’s address to the Finnish operator. When Sean heard that, he typed, “Help is on the way.”

In a few minutes, Susan heard people running down the hallway outside the door. Suddenly, the door opened. Emergency workers and three policemen ran in. Susan turned once more to the computer, “They are here. Thanks. Bye-bye.”

Four days later, the police in Texas received a message from officers in Finland: “Thanks to her Internet friend. Susan has received medical treatment she badly needed. She is doing well.”

1. What happened when Sean was about to get offline?

A．His computer broke down.

B．A piece of online news attracted him.

C．He came across a friend in the chat room.

D．He noticed an unfamiliar name.

2. What happened to Susan?

A．She fell down on the ground.

B．She was too sick to move

C．She lost her phone.

D．She was locked in the library.

3. How did Sean and her mother Sharon help Susan?

A．They reported to the Texas police.

B．They called the rescue station in Finland.

C．They asked for help online

D．They sent messages to Susan’s friend.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Making Friends Onlines

B．Police Officer’s Act of Kindnes

C．Help on the Way

D．Help on the Internet

4 . India, as a country with plenty of resorts (旅游胜地), is popular with different kinds of travelers. If you’re planning to visit the country, the followings are the places that may interest you.

Delhi

Delhi is a perfect place for those who love history, and there are plenty of attractions here to keep tourists of all interests entertained. It’s often the first city that many tourists visit on a trip around India. There are many resorts including India Gate, the Lotus Temple, Qutub Minar, and Humayun’s Tomb.

Agra

Agra is most well known for the Taj Mahal, which draws a large number of tourists to the city. Built in the 1600s, the Taj Mahal is still standing strong today and is admired by tourists as an important part of India’s heritage (遗产).

Kashmir

Kashmir is one of the most beautiful cities in India. With flower gardens, amazing water-falls, and snow-topped peaks, it’s a simply unforgettable place that tourists want to return to time and time again. Kashmir is especially popular with honeymooners and loved-up couples, because a lot of romantic trips are on sale in Kashmir.

Goa

Though Goa is small in size, it’s one of the top resorts for young tourists and those who love taking beach vacations. The golden sands and coconut palm trees are the charm (吸引力) here, and the sunrises and sunsets are so gorgeous that you’ll never forget them.

1. What do we know about Delhi from the text?

A．It is the highest city in India.

B．It is known for the Taj Mahal.

C．It is attractive to history lovers.

D．It is the coolest city in India.

2. What is the special part of Kashmir?

A．It is the smallest place.

B．It is the capital city of India.

C．It offers many tours attracting couples.

D．It drives young people crazy.

3. Where shall we head if we want to spend some days at the seaside?

A．Delhi.

B．Goa

C．Kashmir.

D．Agra.

5 . New England is the six northeastern states of the United States: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The six states were among the first colonies (殖民地) in America. The colonies were conquered by England, and this is why the area became known as New England. After the American Revolutionary War the colonies gradually became states.

Many things are similar in the six New England states. For example, there are many stone walls, fishing villages and forests in these states. The houses and buildings are similar, too. People cut down trees from the forests to make space for their farms and villages.

They then used wood from the trees and stones from the fields to build houses, schools, and churches. Even today, most of the houses in New England are made of wood.

There are big cities in New England, but there are also small cities and farms, especially in the northern part. There is much industry and business and New England is one of the most populous (人口稠密的) parts of the United States. It has many busy sea ports on its long coast. There are always many tourists who enjoy the beautiful lakes, beaches, and mountains and who visit the historical places.

1. Where is New England?

A．In northern Britain.	B．In northern America.
C．In eastern America.	D．In northeastern America.

2. Why are the six states called New England?

A．They are now ruled by England.	B．They were once colonies of England.
C．There were people from England.	D．The states were close to England.

3. What did the people use to build their houses?

A．Stones and steel.

B．Plastic and wood.

C．Stones and wood.

D．Stones and cement.

7 . 2023珠海马拉松将于 11月26日在珠海举行。假如你是李华，你校的英国交换生Mike对此非常感兴趣，现已报名参加该赛事，请你给他提供一些马拉松比赛赛前准备的建议，内容包括：
1．马拉松赛前准备的建议；
2．预祝比赛顺利。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：Marathon马拉松
Dear Mike,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

8 . 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。

It was a short flight from Shanghai to Xi’an. Xi’an is one of the four great ancient capitals of China with a history of over 3,100 years. Dating from the Ming Dynasty,     1    (it) ancient walls are the best preserved in the world. There are bicycles for people to hire. It is     2    (amaze) to ride along the walls to survey this fascinating city.

The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance show     3    (be) not to be missed, but my favorite is     4     art gallery, where we can enjoy some beautiful artwork and learn how to write Chinese characters.

Most visitors make their way     5     Xi’an to see the life-size terracotta warriors (兵马俑) and we were not different at all. The collection,     6     shows the armies of the first Emperor of China, remained hidden until 1974 when they     7     (discovery) by a farmer digging a well.     8     (walk) among the statues is forbidden unless you are a VIP — but there are plenty of souvenir     9    (shop) in which tourists can buy the replicas (复制品) of them.

All too soon it was time to leave. I     10     (true) enjoyed my stay in Xi’an. It is indeed a place of interest worth a second visit.

10 . For decades, the homework standard has been a “10-minute” rule, which suggests a daily maximum of 10 minutes of homework per grade level.

But some schools have begun to give their youngest students a break. An American elementary school has announced a no-homework pilot program(试点项目) for the coming school year, extending the school day by two hours to provide more in-class instruction. “We really want kids to go home at 4 o’clock, tired,” Kelly Elementary School Principal Jackie Glasheen said. “We want them to enjoy their families. We want them to go to soccer practice or football practice.”

New solutions to homework differ by community. These local debates aren’t easily understood by the fact that even education experts disagree about what’s best for kids.

The most all-round research on homework so far comes from an analysis(分析) by Duke University professor Harris Cooper, who found evidence(证据) of a positive relationship between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school. Cooper’s analysis focused on how homework influences test scores. The relationship was stronger for older students from the 7th to the 12th grade than for those in younger grades, for whom there was a weak relationship between homework and performance.

However, Cathy Vatterott, an education professor at the University Missouri-St. Louis, thinks there is not enough evidence that homework is helpful for students in elementary school, “Relationship is not a cause,” she said “Does homework cause achievement, or do high achievers do more homework?” Vatterott thinks there should be more stress on improving the quality of homework tasks, and she supports efforts to ban homework for younger kids.

1. What will Kelly Elementary School have in the new term?

A．No homework.	B．Some football practice.
C．“10-minute” homework.	D．More physical education classes.

2. Who can perform better according to Cooper’s analysis?

A．Younger students in all grades with no homework.

B．Younger students in lower grades with no homework.

C．Older students in lower grades with more homework.

D．Older students in higher grades with more homework.

3. What’s the writer’s attitude towards “10-minute” homework?

A．Positive.

B．Negative.

C．Unknown.

D．Angry.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Is homework good for students?

B．Which subject’s homework matters the most?

C．Shall younger students do the same homework as the older students?

D．Do students really hate homework?