1 . Jokes and humor are often thought of as unimportant. If the lawyer defending you in court couldn’t stop joking, you’d be understandably alarmed.

However, regarding humour as insignificant is a mistake. Humour, jokes and laughter, have a vital role to play in human behaviour and interaction. They are a powerful part of social bonding and are genuinely beneficial for health via their stress-relieving properties.

Why do we respond, in such powerful and rewarding ways, to things that objectively make little sense? A substantial amount of data has been generated regarding how humour works in the brain and on the various types of recognisable jokes that trigger it.

Verbal puns, the most familiar type of joke, involve words that convey two meanings at once. For example, “Why did the golfer wear two pairs of trousers? In case he got a hole in one.” Here “hole in one” has two possible interpretations. Their simplicity and familiarity mean most people recognise the humour in puns. So, the brain’s humour processes are still engaged.

But where does humour arise from in the brain? Considerable research points towards a specific system in the brain for recognizing humour. This system seemingly detects and resolves incongruity (不和谐). Our brains know how things, like language and behaviors, should work. But, in the real world, many things don’t match our expectations. It seems our brains have evolved a system to recognise when this happens.

If normality is subverted, it means we don’t know what’s going to happen, which creates cognitive (认知) tension. However, the system that recognises incongruity seemingly also resolves it, by providing an explanation, or at least a confirmation that the incongruity has no negative consequences. This removes the uncertainty, relieving the tension. So, we experience a rewarding feeling. If the incongruity is not resolved, however, humour is absent. If the answer to “Why did the golfer wear two pairs of trousers?” is “in case the metal owl that lives in his gold bag attacks him”, that’s not funny. There’s unresolved incongruity.

Humour is essentially our brain going, “This isn’t how things usually work... but I’m okay with it!”

1. What does the author say about humor in the first two paragraphs?

A．Its positive role is often underrated.	B．It mainly serves to entertain and amuse.
C．Its harmful effects shouldn’t be ignored.	D．It is essential for professional communication.

2. Why does the author mention the “hole in one” example in paragraph 4?

A．To prove a theory.	B．To draw a conclusion.
C．To illustrate a concept.	D．To make a comparison.

3. What does the underlined word “subverted” in paragraph 6 probably mean?

A．Detected.

B．Overturned.

C．Established.

D．Repeated.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．How Jokes Affect Brain Structures	B．Using Humor to Boost Brain Power
C．Jokes and the Brain’s Reward System	D．Unlocking Brain Secrets Behind Humor

2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What impressed the man most in the US?

A．Personal characters.

B．Cultural differences.

C．Living habits.

2. Why did the man ask his American friend a question?

A．To inquire about an accident.

B．To blame him for his carelessness.

C．To express his concern for his friend.

3. What did the man suggest his American friend do?

A．Have a good rest.

B．See a doctor.

C．Take some medicine.

4. How does the woman feel concerning the man’s American friend’s answer at first?

A．Excited.

B．Angry.

C．Puzzled.

3 . Do you know that all sorts of adventures can happen in educational settings after sundown? Here’s a round-up of sites where the fun continues as night falls.

Ripley’s Aquarium

TORONTO, CANADA

Ever wondered how sweet your dreams would be while sleeping in an aquarium’s shark tunnel that holds around 2.9 million litres of water? You can find out during an Overnight Reef Adventure. Green sawfish, sand tiger sharks, Queensland groupers, and green sea turtles will be your companions for the night.

California Academy of Sciences

SAN FRANCISCO, US

This awe-inspiring museum in Golden Gate Park hosts regular Penguins + Pajamas Sleepovers. As the name suggests, pack your pajamas, grab a sleeping bag, and spend a night under the same roof as a colony of African penguins. You can explore a rainforest full of free-flying birds and foreign reptiles (爬行动物) before lights-out. There’s also a planetarium (天文馆) that’s truly out of this world.

Kennedy Space Center

FLORIDA, US

In the Kennedy Space Center, youth groups and visitors making private bookings can have after-hours opportunity to enjoy hands-on challenges, watch a 3D movie in an IMAX theatre, and go on a Q&A session with a former NASA astronaut who’s travelled into space. What’s more, you get to sleep either underneath a 110 m-long Saturn V moon rocket or beside the space shuttle Atlantis.

1. At Ripley’s Aquarium, what will visitors encounter?

A．Foreign reptiles.	B．African penguins.
C．Free-flying birds.	D．Sand tiger sharks.

2. Who will prefer visiting California Academy of Sciences?

A．Travelers seeking sea adventures.	B．Locals eager for outdoor activities.
C．Teenagers attracted by hands-on challenges.	D．Visitors interested in space and animals.

3. What do the three locations have in common?

A．They are all located in the US.	B．They only open after sundown.
C．They all offer overnight experiences.	D．They all feature interactive sections.

4 . Perhaps a friend you’ve known for years has moved away. It’s normal to feel sad and frustrated at not getting to see him in the way you’d like to.     1     Here are some ideas of how to keep your bond strong.

WRITE LOTS OF LETTERS

Seeing a note or card from someone they care about in the letterbox is a sure way to make your friend smile. While it’s good to keep in touch via technology, putting your thoughts down on paper shows how much you care and that you’ve set aside some time to think about them. It doesn’t have to be an essay.     2     These could be from your holidays, but they can also be found in local shops, museums, and art galleries.

SEND A CARE PACKAGE

    3     You could put in a packet of their favourite candies, photos of significant people and places, and other objects you think they’d love. You could also include handmade gifts. It doesn’t have to be expensive.     4     Such a package will make them feel cared about and act as a reminder that you’re there for them, regardless of the distance between you.

SHARE A SHOW

Is there a TV series that you both love? While you may not be able to share a packet of popcorn and view it side by side, you could arrange to watch it at the same time and then talk on the phone about it afterwards, sharing your reactions and opinions.     5    

A．It’s the thought that counts.

B．But staying connected is possible.

C．It can also be an e-mail with photos.

D．Postcards are a lovely way to stay in touch.

E．This works well as a way of regularly staying in touch.

F．Once in a while, make a parcel filled with items that are meaningful to your friend.

G．Even when you live far apart from someone, they can still be a big part of your life.

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。

Last summer vacation, I worked as a servant at a BBQ restaurant as a part-time job. One day, a man and his son came in and spent a very long time looking through the menu. Eventually, the father came up and started asking me about ingredients because his son was allergic.

At some point, the boy, who was probably about six or seven, handed me a card that listed all his allergies. It was a lot. I don’t remember exactly, but I know eggs, gluten (面筋), and pork were on there, as well as a couple of seasoning (调味品) things, like onions. There was no way I was remembering this, and I didn’t know what the seasoning blends were off the top of my head, so I asked to borrow the card so I could go check. He agreed, and off I went.

It turned out that a lot of our seasonings and sauces used at least one thing the boy was allergic to, and the allergy to pork took over half our menu options away on its own. I spent roughly ten minutes checking basically everything to see what we could serve him safely.

I occasionally went up to update the family on what I was doing. The father seemed mildly surprised that I was going out of my way to figure this out. Eventually, I did figure out what I could serve the boy. Because one of his allergies was meat. I switched out every piece of my cutting board, wiping the table for good measure as pork grease (猪油) gets everywhere. I also cleaned the remains out of the cutting station and made sure anyone else I saw serving them did the same, but that usually took less than a minute.

The father thanked me deeply for being so accommodating. He had apparently had trouble finding a restaurant that served something his son could eat. They quickly ended up becoming regulars, and I would see them at least once a week. Since the boy already knew what he wanted and what was safe, it was much faster.

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。

I tried to serve them well to satisfy them every time they came here.

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They appeared one afternoon and I asked why they hadn’t come here for a month.

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6 . 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。

When you travel in China, you can simply stick to popular attractions. But it can’t be     1     better choice to turn to Chinese food, where you can get bathed in truly authentic local culture.

Chinese food and the differences between Chinese and Western diets are both things that spark the     2    (curious) of most who visit China. You might even be surprised to learn that some of the Chinese dishes in America were     3    (specific) created to suit Western tastes. Moreover, when traveling through China you’ll most likely take notice of a few differences in the way food     4    (eat). For example, soup in the West is generally consumed     5     the start of a meal, while the Chinese prefer to enjoy their soup at the end.

You might also notice some distinct differences in meal preparation and cooking     6    (technique), which you may ignore when dining out in or ordering takeout from Chinese restaurants back home.

Cooking classes now     7    (become) an increasingly popular activity among those     8    (show) an interest in learning more about China’s culture through its cuisine. If you’re looking to take it a step     9    (far), keep an eye out for cooking classes held by residents in their own homes,     10     you can try your hand at cooking in the Chinese way.

7 . A New Jersey high schooler, Selina Zhang is no stranger to the spotted lanternfly (斑衣蜡蝉). The now 18-year-old first noticed it when visiting a market near her hometown of Annandale in primary school. It jumped from a plant to a plant to feed on their sap (汁液), affecting over 70 species. In its wake, the plants became stressed, which increased their chances of falling ill and being attacked.

“As I got older, I wanted to take concrete action,” says Zhang. “So I’ve built ArTreeficial, a solar -powered, self-cleaning and artificial -intelligence-driven tree that attracts the spotted lanternfly and removes it using an electric shock.”

On top of conducting an extensive literature review of existing researches, Zhang carefully observed the spotted lanternflies in the wild for weeks, tracking how they grew over time and how they travelled over unfamiliar structures. She took over 500 photos of them, which she logged in a personal database.

Zhang wanted to create a tree-like structure that copied the tree of heaven, a known host plant of the spotted lanternfly, as the primary lure (诱饵) for her trap. So, she uprooted the umbrella from her family’s yard and got to work. First, she used ultrasound to give off a smell made from the essence of the tree of heaven from ArTreeficial’s trunk to attract them. Second, she designed a double-layered electric net for the tree, which would use machine learning to shock spotted lanternflies once they landed on the tree. Then, Zhang used her database of photos to inform and program her AI model.

Zhang’s net s are divided into multiple squares going up and down the structure. When a spotted lanternfly steps on the inner net, the Al model operates. Electricity courses through that particular section, while the rest remain inactive, and the insect is attacked.

Julie Urban, a spotted lanternfly expert at Pennsylvania State University, says that Zhang’s AI approach is incredibly innovative and could be useful in multiple environments.

1. Why does the spotted lanternfly jump onto the plants?

A．To avoid falling ill.	B．To satisfy its hunger.
C．To attract other species.	D．To play with them.

2. What did Selina Zhang do for her invention?

A．She conducted field observation.	B．She copied online photos.
C．She referred to others’ database.	D．She consulted researchers.

3. What is probably the key to attracting the spotted lanternfly?

A．The electricity.

B．The net.

C．The smell.

D．The umbrella.

4. What is Julie Urban’s attitude towards Selina Zhang’s invention?

A．Critical.

B．Unclear.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Approving.

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。

Have you ever seen the scene?     1     (wear) a traditional Li ethnic group costume, a woman sits on the ground and weaves colorful yarn (纱线) into delicate brocade (织锦缎). These scenes are common in China s southernmost province of Hainan.

Li brocade, created by the Li ethnic group on Hainan Island, has     2     history of around 3,000 years. The entire process of the Li brocade tradition, from spinning, dyeing and weaving, to embroidery (刺绣),     3     (include) in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. Hu is one of the few provincial-level inheritors of Li brocade in Hainan.

In recent years, Hainan has invested     4     (heavy) in opening training institutes to teach the techniques of Li brocade. Since 2012, it has been a course at primary and secondary schools in the province. Local authorities have taken a series of measures to strengthen the systematic     5     (protect) of Li brocade and the development of Li brocade, which is so     6     (benefit) to the survival of the traditional skills.

To spread Li brocade skills as widely as possible, Hu has compiled teaching materials by     7     (she). Over the years, she has taken her brocade work to participate in the exchange activities of intangible cultural heritage in Japan and France on behalf of Hainan. A set of her handcrafted double knit Li brocade was added to UNESCO’s collection when     8     (exhibit) in Paris.

Hainan is vigorously pushing Li culture to go global as well, with the ancient craft expanding its presence on the international stage over the past five years. 2019 was the year     9     Li brocade techniques became the first Chinese intangible cultural heritage project to be put on display at UNESCO headquarters. In addition, Li brocade has appeared in the Boao Forum for Asia annual conferences for many consecutive years and has been presented     10     a national gift to guests in China and abroad.

9 . Ramsay’s heroic act unfolded on April 21, 2022, at Green Lake, where he fearlessly saved a teenage boy from a life-threatening situation. The boy was swimming in the lake when he ________ about 80 feet from the shore and failed to resurface.

________ by shouts for help, Ramsay, a paddleboarder (桨手) seated nearby on the platform, paddled toward the boy. Although the dirty water made it ________ for Ramsay to see beneath the water’s surface, bubbles rising to the surface near his paddleboard led him to ________ that the boy sank at that spot. Ramsay demonstrated extraordinary bravery by diving 15 feet to the lake’s bottom to ________ the unconscious teenager.

Upon resurfacing, he found that his paddleboard was no longer within ________. Ramsay took a deep ________ and repositioned the unconscious boy. He then ________ swam toward the shore.

Ramsay was tired quickly but he ________ to keep both their heads above water. A female paddleboarder in another party then ________ to them at a point halfway to the shore. Ramsay ________ the paddleboard with one arm while still holding the boy. The woman leaned (倾斜) across her paddleboard and paddled until she reached shallow water while ________ Ramsay and the boy.

The boy was moved onto the shore, where Ramsay forced the water out of the boy’s body during efforts to make him ________. He recovered after treatment at a nearby hospital. Ramsay was cold and ________, but he did not require medical treatment.

He was honored for his ________ and selflessness with the Carnegie Medal—the highest accolade (荣誉) for civilian heroism in North America.

1.

A．shook

B．paused

C．sank

D．wandered

2.

A．Alarmed

B．Excited

C．Raised

D．Stressed

3.

A．proper

B．tough

C．easy

D．clear

4.

A．conclude

B．mean

C．add

D．explain

5.

A．recognize

B．direct

C．locate

D．contact

6.

A．limit

B．reach

C．control

D．rescue

7.

A．shortcut

B．chance

C．look

D．breath

8.

A．happily

B．slowly

C．sensitively

D．curiously

9.

A．struggled

B．promised

C．begged

D．failed

10.

A．turned

B．referred

C．responded

D．appealed

11.

A．delivered

B．grasped

C．approached

D．folded

12.

A．dropping off

B．taking over

C．putting through

D．holding onto

13.

A．proud

B．cool

C．conscious

D．responsible

14.

A．tense

B．mild

C．annoyed

D．tired

15.

A．satisfaction

B．skills

C．topics

D．courage

10 . 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。

“Did you hear what I said?” The band director was looking right at me. So was everyone else. “Yes, ma’am. You want me to do the solo (独奏) at the concert.” I said, trying to hide my fear.

I play the jazz saxophone (萨克斯管). I’m the best player in the sax section of my middle school band; I even do concerts with the senior high band. So, what’s my problem? Stage fright. Performing with a group is no problem. Butraying solo? I will freeze like a water balloon in deep space.

The band director continued, “By the way, the director of the Youth Symphony will be there. You know, if he hears someone who’s really good, he invites them to audition (试演).” I tried to look calm as I headed to the door, but the rock in my stomach had just doubled in weight. I’d dreamed of playing in the Youth Symphony for a long time but never had the courage to audition. I could pretend to be sick and stay home. But there are only two concerts each year, and missing one would be really a great pity.

“What should I do?” I went back home and headed downstairs. I usually practice in the basement. The family calls it Kevin’s Dungeon (地牢). I play great in the dungeon. It’s comfortable down there—just me, my sax, and my music. “Why can’t the school auditorium feel like my dungeon?” I said to myself. Then an idea occurred to me—how about sticking a photo of my dungeon inside the bell of my sax? Looking at it while playing might work for me. I immediately took action and practised and practised.

The day finally came. Suddenly, the lights went down, the curtain went up, and we were off and running. Each song started and ended, but it was like somebody else was playing my sax, not me. Then it was time—my solo.

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。

I stood up and walked to the front of the stage.

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With the last long note ending, the audience burst into applause.

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