1 . When Laura Smith was 14 years old, she volunteered at a nonprofit food community organization. As she was filling bags with donated (捐赠) food, she noticed something that didn’t seem right: Canned and packaged goods were plentiful, but she saw nothing fresh or green to give to families in need. She thought it would be great to change that. She wanted to start a garden on part of her parents’ farmland to provide families with home-grown produce.

While being proud of her, Laura’s father expressed worry about the workload involved. Laura had raised rabbits and lambs before, but she had never tried growing vegetables on such an extensive level. However, he soon realized that his daughter was ready. Laura did a lot of research online to find out what worked and what didn’t, which plants needed shade, which needed more water, and when was the best time to harvest each crop.

In spring 2021 Laura planted 15 types of vegetables on a land of 5,000 square meters. When the first green shoots appeared, it was an exciting feeling. Yet, that’s where the real work began. “Our summers are very hot and dry, so I had to water every day,” said Laura. Throughout the summer, she checked her plants daily for weeds and watered them by hand, using two water tanks attached to a farm vehicle to continually refill her watering can.

Laura was soon ready to harvest and weigh her first crops-the first batch weighed 40 pounds. She then packaged them and donated the products to eight local groups. “It felt really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables could get them,” Laura said.

Over the past two years, Laura has donated more than 8,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. “Laura’s confidence and generous hand in helping those in need have made a greater impact than she could have imagined,” said Remi Freeman, an official from one of the charity groups. “It helps our mission to end hunger, and also demonstrates the selflessness and kindness that is so wonderful to see in younger people.”

1. What inspired Laura to start a garden?

A．Her interest in gardening.

B．Her parents’ expectations.

C．Lack of fresh produce in the donated food.

D．Poor quality of canned and packaged food.

2. What concerned Laura’s father about her plan at first?

A．The money needed.	B．The amount of work.
C．Her farming knowledge.	D．Her working experience.

3. What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Laura’s hard work.	B．Laura’s ambitious plan.
C．The poor weather condition.	D．The skills needed for farming.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Great Gardening Dream

B．A Journey to Green Living

C．A Close Study on Organic Food

D．A Harvest of Growing Kindness

2 . 10-year-old Jack created a plastic minifigure (人偶) that looks much like him. Fondly named “Mini Jack,” the toy was carried with him wherever he went.

One day, after arriving at school, Jack ________ dug into his backpack to find Mini Jack. He was overcome by a wave of ________ after realizing it had slipped out of his backpack on his morning walk to school.

In order to ________ the toy, Jack decided to create a missing person poster. He immediately created a(n)________ drawing of the figure with an accurate description: “Light brown hair with matching eyebrows. Hawaiian shirt in blue with palm trees.” Jack added a ________ in large letters at the top of the picture: “________ !!! He is very special to me.” He also offered a reward of two pounds and included his home address.

After learning about the ________, Jack’s mother shared a picture of her son’s ________ online. But she was still ________ about the chance of finding the figure considering how small it was.

________, Jack’s poster served its intended purpose. People in the community were ________and left helpful comments. A girl found the figure during her journey to school and her mum informed Jack’s mother ________. Both Jack and his mother expressed their gratitude for the ________ from their community, and ________ the two-pound reward, they gave the girl a box of chocolates.

Once reunited with the minifigure, Jack was filled with joy and placed him in a ________ place — inside a small car. “I want to make sure I never lose him again,” said Jack.

1.

A．eagerly

B．unwillingly

C．unhappily

D．respectfully

2.

A．gratitude

B．sadness

C．inspiration

D．loneliness

3.

A．pass on

B．pay for

C．pick up

D．get back

4.

A．detailed

B．abstract

C．imaginative

D．mysterious

5.

A．message

B．poster

C．word

D．logo

6.

A．Damaged

B．Lost

C．Sold

D．Injured

7.

A．toy

B．money

C．news

D．picture

8.

A．story

B．backpack

C．poster

D．letter

9.

A．nervous

B．doubtful

C．ashamed

D．annoyed

10.

A．Unusually

B．Besides

C．Undoubtedly

D．However

11.

A．curious

B．supportive

C．moved

D．excited

12.

A．secretly

B．shyly

C．immediately

D．patiently

13.

A．trust

B．wisdom

C．sharing

D．response

14.

A．in place of

B．in spite of

C．at the cost of

D．for the purpose of

15.

A．convenient

B．public

C．distant

D．safe

5 . Four ideas for the best Easter holidays

When the kids breakup from school it can be difficult to choose what to do. With the Easter holidays just around the comer, here are four different ideas to inspire you to make the most of the break, whatever your age.

York

Bursting with museums, attractions, and events for everyone, York is the perfect Easter holiday destination. Going with grandparents? They’ll love walking the cobbled streets for sweet treats or stopping for an afternoon tea at one of the many historic hotels. Or learn about the diverse history of this amazing city at one of the museums. There really is something for everyone in this attractive city.

Botany Bay

Botany Bay is a great spot to spend a day relaxing and playing on the sands. Located in Kent and with lifeguards on duty, it’s a great spot for surfing, exploring the rockpools, and hunting for fossils. For a longer stay, why not hire a car for the Easter holiday and take a road trip along the Kentish coast British seaside break?

Bristol

Travel to the southwest to explore bustling (熙熙攘攘的) Bristol. Bristol is full of amazing restaurants housed in warehouses that remind you of the city’s maritime history. There are also wonderful museums, amazing parks for picnics and games, and even a surf centre nearby. Shop. eat, play — whatever you fancy doing, Bristol has it all.

Snowdonla

Head to North Wales if you’re after some wild adventures. There are plenty of hills, lakes, rivers, and benches to explore, but if your kids have a lot of energy to burn, then Mount Snowdon should be your choice. Standing 1,085 metres tall, it’s sure to provide an exciting adventure for the whole family. Local guides are available to lead you to the top, if you wish.

1. Where will a family with grandparents choose to go?

A．York

B．Botany Bay.

C．Bristol.

D．Snowdonia.

2. What do Botany Bay and Bristol have in common?

A．Parks.

B．Restaurants .

C．Fossil museums.

D．Surf spots.

3. What can you do in Snowdonia?

A．Have a picnic.

B．Play games.

C．Look for fossils.

D．Climb mountains.

6 . We humans are comparison creatures.     1     This quality may have evolved as a means of helping us fit into the social hierarchy (等级) of the cultures we inhabited. Regardless of the reasons, social comparison plays a significant role in how we view and evaluate ourselves, and how we interact with our world.

It used to be that our primary reference of comparison was our local communities, primarily neighbors and co-workers. Because we tend to gather around those similar to ourselves in terms of educational level, work income, and shared interests, the range of differences when we compared ourselves to others was fairly small. Unfortunately, with the emergence of the Internet, we can now compare ourselves to literally anyone in the world.     2     What had in previous generations been a small gap in our comparisons has now become so large and unattainable.

    3     When so many people that are easily discoverable on the Internet seem to be so successful. famous, influential and beautiful, given our preference to compare, it is difficult not to have it influence how we view ourselves. Sadly, these comparisons usually result in our feeling inadequate and “less than”.

These harmful comparisons also damage our emotional lives. When we feel lacking, we experience a variety of unpleasant and unhealthy emotions. We feel jealousy and envy for what others have and what we lack.     4    

It’s one thing to realize that you compare yourself to others. It’s another thing to recognize that social comparison is often corrosive (逐步侵蚀的) to you in so many ways psychologically and emotionally. It’s an entirely other thing to stop yourself from comparing yourself to others.     5    

A．We are constantly measuring ourselves against other people.

B．Yet it is possible, and it is worth the effort for your mental health.

C．Thus, we are now exposed to groups that are quite different from us.

D．We believe that there is something wrong with us compared to others.

E．We can even feel bitterness and anger at others for the unfairness of it all.

F．Comparing ourselves to others has the potential to increase our life experience.

G．This new level of comparison has huge implications for our psychological lives.

7 . Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2024

The Novel Fair is an annual competition initiated by the Irish Writers Centre (IWC). Described by The Irish Times as “A Dragons’ Cave for writers”, each year the Fair aims to introduce up-and-coming writers to top publishers and literary agents.

The Prize

The twelve winners will have the opportunity to present the summary of their novel directly to industry professionals. Leading publishers and agents will be invited by the IWC to meet these writers in person or through a series of online meetings. To get fully prepared for the meeting with publishers and agents, the winners will receive a place in a workshop on “How to Promote Your Novel”, two weeks in advance. Also, applicants who are longlisted (初选) but do not make it to the shortlist of twelve will have their works evaluated and criticized by the judging panel.

How to Enter

Entry fee for application is £55 (Members of IWC can enter for a discounted fee of £45). This competition only accepts manuscripts (原稿) for novels. Applicants are required to send a summary within 300 words and up to five chapters of their novel, which should be 10,000 words (+/-10％). Manuscripts should be submitted online. There is a limit of one entry per applicant.

Entries are welcome from anywhere in the world. Before entering the competition, please ensure that you have read the Novel Fair Terms & Conditions 2024 very carefully as the Fair is open to only novelists who have never published work previously. If you have any questions about the application process, please email novelfair@irishwriterscentre.ie.

1. What’s the purpose of the Fair?

A．To advertise local stories.

B．To encourage literary reading.

C．To serve as a platform for writers.

D．To arouse enthusiasm for writing.

2. What can the workshop help the winners do?

A．Deal with the judging panel.

B．Improve their writing skills.

C．Learn about publishing process.

D．Present their novels attractively.

3. Which of the following meets the requirement of the Fair?

A．A summary of 200 words.

B．A novel published in 2023.

C．A paper manuscript by post.

D．A submission of seven chapters.

8 . A China plane struck a bird after taking off in Chengdu, Sichuan, and had to immediately return to the airport last October, and it wasn’t the first accident between an aircraft and a bird last year.

In fact, more than 20,000 wildlife strikes with aircraft were reported worldwide in 2023 — the vast majority of those animals being birds. The strikes can also include run-ins with bats or creatures on the ground, such as deer or turtles. Expanding wildlife populations, increases in number of aircraft movements, and a trend toward faster and quieter aircraft all have contributed to the increase in wildlife strikes.

Bird strikes are a hazard not just to commercial airplanes, but to all sorts of aircraft. However, historical data shows that damage is reported in a small percentage of incidents. Last year, 95% of the global strikes involved some kind of damage — and only 5% of those caused “substantial” damage.

Some of the most disturbing types of strikes can happen when one or more birds go into a plane’s engine, which might cause a lot of damage to the aircraft. The pilot would need to return to the airport or find a safe place to land.

In last October’s China plane incident, the Beijing-bound flight was able to land normally in Chengdu after taking into account what the airline described as security concerns. Senior captain Chen Jianguo said pilots are trained on how to respond if they have a bird strike in flight. The pilot in this case did exactly what he was trained to do.

“There are lots of things that are being used by airports to try to manage the habitat and birds around the airport,” said Chen Jianguo. Airports need to manage bird habitats to reduce or get rid of trees and plants that shelter birds, or address wetlands that can attract birds. Collecting data on what kinds of birds are involved in strikes is equally important so the risks can better be managed. Many airports also use audible signals to scare birds away, such as the sounds of fireworks.

1. What is a cause of the increase in wildlife strikes?

A．The poorly designed aircraft.

B．The growing number of birds.

C．The destruction of wildlife habitats.

D．The absence of environmental awareness.

2. What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Danger.

B．Delay.

C．Accident.

D．Reminder.

3. What does the historical data tell us about bird strikes?

A．They are a rare occurrence.

B．They usually damage engines.

C．Most of them cause slight damage.

D．Most of them involve one single bird.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Ways to study bird behavior.

B．Measures to drive birds away.

C．Efforts to restore bird habitat.

D．Attempts to take care of birds.

9 . Suppose you come across two doctors. One is handsome while the other looks plain. Who would you trust with your surgery? Most people would probably want to get treated by the handsome one. And most people are likely to be wrong about that.

When you look at the sun, you sometimes see it clearly. But sometimes you’ll see it shining way bigger than its actual shape. That circle of light called a halo makes it look bigger. This effect, known as the halo effect, also happens when a person, product, or company shines like the sun. Then we don’t see them clearly and associate all sorts of unrelated qualities to them.

The halo effect was once studied by the psychologist Edward Thorndike, who asked flight commanders to evaluate their pilots in various distinct aspects such as physical appearance, intelligence, and leadership. He found that the pilots who got high scores for their physical appearance, also got rated high on intelligence and leadership skills — a link that seemed wrong. It appears that the commanders were unable to evaluate specific qualities independently of others. They thought of their pilots in broad terms, either “good” or “bad”, and allowed this general feeling to influence the specific qualities they credited to their pilots. Some pilots profited from their halo.

The halo effect also explains why some teachers give better-looking students higher grades. One study looked at the grades of 4,500 pupils, who were sorted by volunteers into three groups: below-average, average, and above-average looking. The researchers then compared students’ grades between classes taken in conventional classrooms with those taken online where there was no face-to-face interaction. The researchers found that students who were rated as good-looking earned significantly lower grades in online courses compared to conventional classrooms.

Since the physical appearance of good-looking people seems to naturally make them also appear intelligent, strong, and trustworthy, here is one good rule. If you meet with an accident and have to choose between two equally qualified doctors, ignore their halo and choose the less handsome one. He might have worked twice as hard to gain the same reputation and is likely better at his job.

1. What is the purpose of the second paragraph?

A．To explore a natural wonder.

B．To spread scientific knowledge.

C．To explain a psychological tendency.

D．To interpret social rules at the workplace.

2. How did the commanders tend to evaluate their pilots in Thorndike’s study?

A．In a general way.	B．With common sense.
C．From a specific aspect.	D．By an objective criterion.

3. What does the 4,500-pupil study find about better-looking students?

A．They were fairly treated by their teachers.

B．They were less attentive in online courses.

C．They probably had natural learning abilities.

D．They were overvalued in conventional classes.

4. What can be learned about the halo effect?

A．It relieves appearance anxiety.

B．It leads to inaccurate judgments.

C．It causes trust crisis among people.

D．It intensifies workplace competition.

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。

A rural basketball league in China attracted well close to 100 million live views across the country in 2022 and 2023 respectively.

The Village Basketball Association,     1     (base) in Guizhou Province, is better known as “CunBA”, Cun being the word for “village” in Chinese. The grassroots league was established in 2016 but has recently attracted     2     whole new generation of basketball fans nationwide. Amateur basketball players representing their villages compete not     3     cash prizes; instead, the winning team take home live ducks, rice and     4     (tradition) Miao-style silver headdresses.

The CunBA drums up a special kind of emotion and     5     (excite) among spectators (观众). However, none of the 20,000 spectators     6     made their way to the year’s final game had to pay for their tickets, and they were welcome     7     (enjoy) the game in creative ways.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the sport has a long history in the region     8     (date) back to 1930s. Annual games     9     (hold) during the region’s Miao ethnic harvest festival in the sixth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The CunBA, during the 2022/2023 season,     10     (have) a total of 176 participating teams from the various farming villages in the region, hosting nearly 5,000 grassroots games.