As Valentine’s Day, a time for expressing affection through the exchange of presents, drew near, Kendra found herself seated at the kitchen table, carefully penning her name on Valentine’s cards for her classmates. She recognized her own hesitation; words didn’t come easily to her. While she envied the ease with which her peers talked and laughed, her shyness often kept her quiet.
Kendra grabbed another card. . Her eyes lit up at the phrase “You’re dynamite (引起轰动的人或物)!”—a term that would undoubtedly delight her Grammy, who frequently used the expression to praise their festive decorations. “Well, that looks dynamite!” Grammy would exclaim, her approval filling Kendra with warmth.
Just as Kendra was signing the cards, her mother came in, sharing the sad news of Elise, their neighbor, and her recent accident that led to a broken leg, restricting her to home schooling for the coming weeks. Kendra felt sorry for Elise, and quickly picked the most splendid valentine, hurrying to Elise’s home.
Upon arrival, Kendra’s look fell upon the life-sized deer statue decorating the front yard. She studied it, saying to herself, “Wouldn’t this deer look cool with a big heart around his neck? Elise could look out of the window and see it decorated for Valentine’s day.”
With this idea, Kendra got the sizable red heart her Grammy had given her, tied it with string, and hung it around the statue’s neck like a festive chain. The next day, she decorated the antlers (鹿角) with a variety of smaller hearts. It was during this act of kindness that Colin and Amy, Elise’s fellow classmates, happened upon the scene. “Are you decorating Elise’s deer for Valentine’s Day?” they asked. Kendra confirmed with a nod, explaining her intention to cheer up Elise. Despite her uncertainty about what to add next, Colin proposed adding some color, while Amy suggested putting decorations on the deer’s back and forehead. United by a shared purpose, they agreed to meet later.
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。
That afternoon, they met to decorate the deer with the materials they had sourced.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Just then, Elise’s front door opened, and Elise stuck her head out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Leo and Alex were close friends. They had been friends since childhood, sharing countless memories, and growing up side by side. They were as close as siblings, sharing countless happy moments and supporting each other through thick and thin. However, one fateful day, a misunderstanding tore them apart, leaving their friendship in shreds.
Leo was a die-hard fan of the local football team, the Metropolis Eagles, while Alex was passionate about the city’s rival team, the Metrostars. Their differing loyalties often led to lively debates and friendly jokes, but it never affected their friendship. Until one fateful game day.
The Metropolis Eagles were playing against the Metrostars, and Leo and Alex were both determined to watch the game together. However, when the game got intense and the score was tied, Leo’s and Alex’s passions boiled over. Leo accused Alex of favoring the other team, while Alex felt Leo was being unreasonably stubborn. The argument escalated (升级) quickly, and words were exchanged that neither of them would soon forget. “You’ve gone too far. I don’t want to see you again,” thundered Leo. Both friends were left feeling hurt and disappointed.
The next day, there were heated discussions about the game, but Leo and Alex avoided each other like the plague (瘟疫). Leo deeply regretted what he had said and wanted to apologize, but pride got in the way. Weeks passed, and the silence between them grew deafening.
One day, while walking home from school, Leo came across a lost dog. He couldn’t help but notice the collar around the dog’s neck, with a tag that read “Alex’s Best Friend.” Leo realized this dog was Alex’s.
注意：1．续写词数应为150左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡上相应位置作答。
At that moment, Leo was in a difficult position.
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With a deep breath, Leo knocked on Alex’s door.
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Liu Dai’e is known as
In the Tujia language, the local brocade is known as xilankapu, which translates as “flower-patterned cover”. Made by skilled weavers and
Liu Dai’e was named a national inheritor of the craft in 2007, Liu said, “Handwork is involved throughout the process, and
“Many of my customers like to wear these scarves,
4 . Going on a solo travel is more than just a holiday; it’s a journey of self-discovery, growth, and transformation. However, it’s not easy to make a decision because of the potential risks.
Self-discovery beyond your comfort zone
Solo travel forces you out of your comfort zone, pushing you into an environment where self-reliance becomes common. You do everything on your own, from choosing destinations to exploring unfamiliar streets.
Cultural involvement and global view
From understanding foreign languages to managing unexpected changes in plans, you are regularly meet with challenges that demand creative solutions. The ability to think on your feet and find innovative solutions to unexpected issues equips you to tackle challenges in various aspects of your personal and professional life.
Mindfulness and living in the present
In busy daily life, it’s easy to lose sight of the present moment. Solo travel allows you to fully expose yourself to the experiences at hand. Whether it’s enjoying a breathtaking sunset, or simply wandering through the streets of an unfamiliar city, solo travel encourages a deep appreciation for the present.
| A．Enhanced problem-solving skills |
| B．Still hesitate to lake a solo travel adventure |
| C．Increased self-confidence and independence |
| D．Solo travel is the opportunity to expose yourself lo diverse cultures |
| E．This newfound mindfulness helps you gain a more fulfilling existence |
| F．Enjoy the loneliness, and allow solo travel to bring a positive change to your life |
| G．Through these experiences, you’ll build a stronger, more self-aware version of yourself |
5 . Issues such as global warming and sustainability have become passionate concerns for many of the concert industry’s fans and increasingly for the musicians. Coldplay, a pop band whose members scored their first big hit in 2000 with a song called Yellow, announced in November that it wouldn’t go on tour to promote its latest album, Everyday Life, until it could find a way to make concerts more sustainable and greener to the environment.
It’s not always easy to walk the talk. A growing number of artists, including Peggy Gou, have environmental demands built into their contracts when they tour, such as bans on plastic tableware. But there’s almost no way of avoiding carbon emissions produced by a tour, which involves moving hundreds of people and tons of equipment across large distances.
Lisa Pomerantz, who books travel for acts says that real change will require action by venue owners, concert promoters, and the fans. Major acts like Coldplay can afford to stop touring while figuring out how to lessen their environmental impact. But lesser-known artists can’t stay off the road, since streaming earnings haven’t been able to compensate (弥补) for the collapse in CD and downloaded music sales. Even when concerts are aggressive about being more sustainable, the impact of audience travel can easily swamp (淹没) their efforts. For bigger acts, this can represent as much as 80% of the carbon footprint, according to a 2015 study. Another analysis showed that roughly a third of the tour’s carbon footprint came from a venue’s power consumption.
Still, even the most green-conscious bands must balance their desire to be more sustainable against the financial necessity of touring. “I absolutely think you can go on tour and have a concern about the environment. It’s a matter of just keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible,” says Flavian Graber, lead singer of We Invented Paris.
1. Why did Coldplay stop its promotion tour?| A．Because it had already released a hit. | B．Because it wanted a more environmentally friendly concert. |
| C．Because its latest album needed further improvement. | D．Because they could afford the money. |
| A．Make it. | B．Talk it. | C．See it. | D．Appreciate it. |
| A．Stopping bands’ promotion tours. |
| B．Downloading music on the Internet. |
| C．Cutting down venues’ water and electricity consumption. |
| D．Combining efforts of bands, audiences and venue owners. |
| A．Achievable. | B．Fruitless. | C．Challenging. | D．Controversial. |
6 . A tragic case of Kitty Genovese, who was killed, happened in New York in 1964. However, subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.
None of us like to think we’d walk on by when someone needed our help. But sometimes we behave in ways we wouldn’t expect when faced with a situation we are unsure about. While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back. Research from the British Heart Foundation has suggested that a third of people would not give first aid if they saw someone collapse on the street, with some even admitting they wouldn’t call an ambulance.
There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything.
Other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best solution to it. When facing an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and go with your gut (直觉) — If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action. The worst that can happen is that you’ll look a little foolish at having overreacted. You might also save someone’s life.
1. What is the author’s purpose of telling about the case of Genovese?| A．To show the high frequency of killing. | B．To highlight the indifference of bystanders. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the passage. | D．To lead to the investigations. |
| A．No one would like to admit the truth. | B．People tend to help when no people are present. |
| C．Few people will encounter uncertain situations. | D．Many people will not rush to help in an emergency. |
| A．The consequences of the phenomenon. | B．The reactions to different accidents. |
| C．The seriousness of an emergency. | D．The reasons for not helping. |
| A．Don’t Be A Bystander | B．Life-Saving Response |
| C．Importance of First Aid | D．Reactions in Emergency |
No matter your age, who can resist a tasty, low-priced meal? At noon, Tongxin Cafeteria near Shanghai’s Jing’an Temple downtown has a queue that shows its multi-generational popularity. The menu,
These cafeterias, once known as “senior canteens”, were originally established
Some community cafeterias have become so popular
8 . It was January 2016, and Jeremy and his girlfriend, Molei, were leaving Denver for a weekend of fun with friends on the slopes in Colorado.
The snow came earlier than they’d
“Life was really great,” he says. Then, within a blink of an eye, everything
A truck that came out of nowhere hit them. One minute, Jeremy’s Ford SUV was
Statistically, Molei should have died. Inside her neck, the vertebrae (脊椎) had basically been crushed. Her head was attached to her shoulders by
Henry Rodriquez, an officer on holiday, was driving on the same road not far behind the Ford and
For 45 minutes, Rodriquez
| A．observed | B．expected | C．enjoyed | D．realised |
| A．slope | B．tunnel | C．route | D．town |
| A．exactly | B．surprisingly | C．specially | D．correctly |
| A．grateful | B．terrible | C．difficult | D．awesome |
| A．happened | B．disappeared | C．moved | D．changed |
| A．driving | B．rolling | C．jumping | D．running |
| A．pinned | B．lay | C．sat | D．placed |
| A．terror | B．pain | C．panic | D．frustration |
| A．something | B．everything | C．nothing | D．anything |
| A．drove away | B．drove on | C．pulled back | D．pulled over |
| A．Since | B．After | C．While | D．Although |
| A．kept | B．left | C．appealed | D．improved |
| A．laid | B．rushed | C．dragged | D．walked |
| A．shook | B．touched | C．pounded | D．felt |
| A．rescue | B．check | C．response | D．arrival |
9 . Besides getting out into nature yourself, the next best thing is to take it all in through the pages of a book. But where to start? Check out our natural history book recommendations.
Living as a NaturalistBy Liu Huajie, China
Have you ever wanted to get down to the level of plants and see the world through their “eyes”? Living as a Naturalist invites you into this world. This book makes natural history accessible and attractive. It interprets ancient Chinese educational and philosophical ideas of knowing about nature from a natural history perspective. It also introduces key figures in the West’s approach to the subject. This is all done with a humorous and engaging writing style while featuring beautiful images of plants and animals.
My First Summer in the SierraBy John Muir, US/UK
In the summer of 1869, John Muir, a 31-year-old Scottish immigrant, joined a group of shepherds in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range for an adventure that proved life-changing for him. During those four months, he kept a diary while following a flock of sheep, painting a glorious picture of idyllic forests and majestic mountain peaks. This diary was titled My First Summer in the Sierra, which inspired thousands of Americans to visit the area. It later became the well-known Yosemite National Park.
The PeregrineBy J. A. Baker, UK
In 1965, John A.Baker gave up his work and lived on his earnings, devoting all his time to observing the peregrine falcon(游隼). From autumn to spring, Baker tracked the comings and goings of a pair of peregrine falcons in eastern England by bicycle and on foot, documenting their lives and the environment they live in. Like the bird itself, Baker has a keen eye for detail. The bird’s most exciting moments, like fast flying and hunting prey, are brought to life by Baker. In his eyes, the most important aspects of natural history and its documentation are patience, passion and observation.
1. What is included in Living as a Naturalist?| A．Stories about shepherds. | B．Drawings of western figures. |
| C．Pictures of creatures. | D．Theories about natural science. |
| A．Immigrants’ pursuit of an independent life. | B．The popularity of natural history books. |
| C．John’s dedication to animal protection. | D．People’s affection for the region. |
| A．Great patience and subtle observation. |
| B．The humorous and engaging writing style. |
| C．The concept of “wilderness” rooted in Baker’s heart. |
| D．Practical examples of living harmoniously with the bird. |
When he was around 5-6 years old, my brother Ted, who is four years younger to me, suddenly found his legs unable to move one night. What followed was one of the hardest times of my parents'life. Months passed with them meeting various doctors, visiting different hospitals, and knocking at the doorstep of every possible chance — all the time with Ted in their arms, since he wasn't able to walk on his own anymore.
There were doubts of permanent paralysis（瘫痪）— the very mention of which was enough to break us down. From finding it extremely painful to walk, to not being able to get up on his own, and to not being able to stand at all, Ted's problem was worsening day by day. Most surprisingly, all this while, he was as strong as, perhaps, only children can be in such difficult times.
During this period, it was not unusual for my mother to have sudden breakdowns. Once, she burst into tears while watching Ted playing joyfully. He wiped off her tears, and said, “Don't cry, mummy. See, I can stand and even run on my own!” Saying this, he tried to get up, stood on shaking legs for just about a few microseconds and fell down, only to be safely caught in the arms of my mom, who hugged him dearly and cried some more.
This was the most heart-breaking thing that I had ever experienced. But it was also a powerful one for the simple fact that it was my little brother who taught us what life was all about—HOPE.
Witnessing my brother's strong will and positive attitude inspired me as well. As a brother, I could not stand by doing nothing at all. Hope was burning in my heart when I had the idea to train my brother to walk again. I firmly believe Ted could stand up and walk as he used to. Whenever school was over, I would put Ted into a pushchair and tell my mom that we'd just go to the park.
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。
In the park, I would put Ted one meter away from me, encouraging him to walk.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________We agreed to keep this a secret from our parents until mom's birthday.
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