2 . Roughly 2,000 years ago, Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. In 1752, workers digging in Herculaneum uncovered a home that had belonged to a rich person. Inside, workers discovered over 600 scrolls (卷轴) , most of which were made from papyrus — a paper-like material.

The heat from the volcano had burned the scrolls so much that they looked like chunks of charcoal (木炭块) . These scrolls were so fragile that just touching them could make them fall apart. So scientists have been looking for ways to read the scrolls without opening them. Brent Seales, a computer scientist at Kentucky University, has been working on this for over 20 years.

Dr. Seales has developed a method of using a CT scanner to take 3D X-ray images of a papyrus scroll. Then he uses a computer program to "unroll" the scroll, and gets pictures of what it looks like on the inside. In 2016, his team used this method to read a burned scroll found near the Dead Sea. But the ink in the scrolls from Herculaneum was made from charcoal and water and didn't show up well in CT scans. So he decided to train an AI program, hoping to find the writing on the scrolls by looking for places where the papyrus was rougher.

Though Dr. Seales was making progress, it was slow going. Then he encountered two businessmen, who had the idea of creating a contest for decoding (破译) the scrolls. The contest, called the Vesuvius Challenge, was announced in March. About 1,500 people have participated in the contest and they're sharing information as they make progress. In August, Casey Handmer found a pattern that revealed where the ink had been on the scrolls.

Following Mr. Handmer's lead, Luke Farritor, a 21-year-old student at Nebraska University, created an AI program that found a whole word: “”, or “porphyras” which means “purple”. This was the first word ever read from these ancient scrolls. For his efforts, Mr. Handmer won $10,000.

“Now it is time to explore these words,” Dr. Seales says.

1. What is paragraph 1 intended to show about the scrolls?

A．Their features.	B．Their creation process.
C．Their source.	D．Their historic value.

2. What can we know from paragraph 3?

A．The CT scanner couldn't work well for all scrolls.

B．The materials of the Herculaneum scrolls were rare.

C．An AI program is the most useful in decoding the scrolls.

D．Seales went to the Dead Sea to search for decoding methods.

3. What is the purpose in holding the Vesuvius Challenge?

A．To share scroll-reading technologies.	B．To develop ways to write on the scrolls.
C．To push researchers to study AI.	D．To attract people to explore the scrolls.

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

A．Reading Burned Ancient Scrolls Without Opening Them

B．Organizing an International Contest to Write Scrolls

C．Developing Technology to Help Appreciate Scrolls

D．Unearthing Many Ancient Scrolls in Herculaneum

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。

It began as a typical January day. The grey sky was heavy with snow and the wind damaged the drifts (雪堆) in front of Valleyview School. This was in my first year of teaching.

When gentle snow began falling, the headmaster kept a careful eye on the brewing (酝酿中的) storm. It soon took on qualities of something more terrible. By mid-day he called the school buses back so the three hundred kids could get home safely before it was too late.

My students gathered their belongings and felt excited to be going home early. Then the buses arrived but the storm suddenly became heavier before the waiting kids could board and it was quickly clear that no one was going anywhere any time soon.

Snow fell cruelly. By then the bus drivers and a couple of snowplow (扫雪机) operators who'd been forced off the road were discussing the situation. There were over three hundred children, staff, bus and snowplow drivers trapped inside the school.

As night approached and the storm showed no signs of stopping, we realized we were prisoners and these kids had to stay at the school overnight. And we faced some basic questions. What would we feed several hundred children for dinner? Where would they sleep?

After every parent was called to tell them their children were safe, people who lived close enough to brave the elements were called and asked if they could help. Soon, a handful of people managed to travel through the heavy drifts and blinding snow, bringing bags of sandwiches, tinned juices, blankets and a couple of board games.

One woman, who lived near the school, travelled through the blinding snow with a huge kettle and enough ingredients to make tomato soup for at least half of the school. Those who didn't get soup fed on sandwiches delivered by someone else. There wasn't a lot of food, but everything was shared with no one going hungry and no one complaining.

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。

When night fell, we worked out sleeping arrangements for the kids.

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The next morning we awoke to find that the storm had stopped.

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6 . 假定你是校英语俱乐部负责人李华，为缓解同学们的学习压力，俱乐部拟于下周五下午举行户外游戏活动。请你代表俱乐部写一则通知，内容包括：
1. 活动时间、地点；
2. 活动形式；
3. 希望大家积极参加。
注意：1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

Notice

Dear fellow schoolmates,
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The English Club

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。

The Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival, has been officially listed as a UN floating holiday in its calendar of conferences and meetings as from 2024.

The UN General Assembly, in resolution (决议) , acknowledges the significance of the Lunar New Year, which     1     (observe) in many UN member states and invites the UN bodies at headquarters and other duty stations to avoid holding meetings on the Lunar New Year. The resolution encourages this arrangement     2     (take) into account when future calendars of conferences and meetings are drafted.

Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the adoption of the resolution     3     Spring Festival featuring family reunion and good wishes for the     4     (come) year has been listed as a UN floating holiday is very meaningful. It not only bears the ideas of the Chinese civilization of peace and harmony but also carries the common values of humanity like     5     (harmony) family, social inclusion (认同感) and sound relationship between man and nature.

The resolution serves     6     a showcase of the influence of Chinese civilization and aims to enhance interactions between diverse     7     (civilization) worldwide. “It also reflects the values of diversity and inclusion     8     (promote) by the United Nations,” he said.     9     listing of Spring Festival as a UN holiday was     10       (wide) welcomed among member states and staff members of the UN Secretariat, Dai added.

9 . 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。

I attended a birthday party in 1991. My teacher was then 59 years old.     1     her fellow teacher said that we     2     (celebrate) her 39th birthday! We were all     3     (surprise) and puzzled.

After the party I was told by the fellow teacher that American women have a special saying about     4     (birth). If a woman is over 40, or even if she is 80, her birthday is always     5     39th. If she is in her thirties, her birthday will be the 29th. And in her twenties, it’s the 19th. They usually have     6     (they) “real” birthday when they are     7     20. This shows that American women,     8     (special) elderly women, are very sensitive about their ages. But my teacher always says, “We want to be     9     (young).” So about the age of Western women, my advice is     10     if you don’t know it, don’t ask about it; if you really know it, don’t mention it.