1 . Fill your free time with these options on offer in New York City this month.

Pop & Rock

Dec. 1 at Webster Hall, Manhattan

On tour in support of her new release of Softscars, the singer and producer Nat Cmiel will play at Webster Hall on Sunday. A frequent subject of her songs is the solution to the tensions between digital and physical existence. Tickets are $25.

Family Concert

Dec. 10 at the Scheuer Auditorium, Manhattan

Joanie Leeds is adding her voice to those calling for children’s books in libraries and children’s classrooms. With a guitar and other musicians, she’ll celebrate the release of her new work, starting at 10: 30 a. m., in an hour-long concert intended to make young listeners first grow up and later sit down and read. Tickets to the concert are required to be reserved online, starting at $14. Children are admitted free.

Jazz

Dec. 20 at the Village Vanguard, Manhattan

Bold and carefree, Johnathan Blake has come to represent certain of present jazz. This week’s Vanguard stand features his My Life Matters, calling for people to let one another live and grow. Watching the performance of the band will have a lasting impression on you. Tickets are $40.

Sketch Comedy

Dec.22 at the Peoples Improv Theater, Manhattan

The Peoples Improv Theater is welcoming comedy troupes (剧团) across the country for a celebration and discussion of sketch comedy, with Birch & Caven as the opening show. Tickets start at $ 15 per show. Four-day passes are $79, and one-day passes are $30. Tickets are to be bought at the ticket office in person.

1. Whose song discusses digital and real-life interaction?

A．Nat Cmiel.

B．Joanie Leeds.

C．Birch & Caven.

D．Johnathan Blake.

2. Where is the performance of Joanie Leeds held?

A．At Webster Hall.	B．At the Scheuer Auditorium.
C．At the Village Vanguard.	D．At the Peoples Improv Theater.

3. What is the most economical choice to appreciate Sketch Comedy for four days?

A．Online tickets.

B．One-day passes.

C．Four-day passes.

D．Separate tickets.

2 . 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。

Another school year was beginning. I had thirteen excited first graders eager to learn and ready to fill my classroom with laughs, tears, and everything. I realized that I had a small class size and got excited about the special projects we could do. One project that I had been particularly interested in was finding a doctor in Doctors Without Borders as a pen pal for my students, which could definitely broaden my students’ horizons.

I began by sending out an e-mail to our school district employees asking for names and contact information of any doctor in Doctors Without Borders which they knew of. I sent an e-mail to each one asking if we could communicate with them, but only one reply came: Dr. Denisar, who was in Africa for humanitarian medical work. Since six-year-olds’attention spans were short and many of the students were just learning how to read and write, I thought it would be the best to correspond through e-mail. Dr. Denisar quickly became a reward system. If students practiced and could read a book fluently, I would record it and e-mail it. If they finished a writing assignment, I would scan it and e-mail it. If students were misbehaving, I caught myself saying, “What would Dr. Denisar think about that?”

We also used the information Dr. Denisar included in his e-mails as learning opportunities. As we communicated with him, we learned more about him, as well as his missions from disease outbreaks to malnutrition of the locals. We started to lighten things up by recording songs and jokes, and sending art projects and care packages. He appreciated the communication. After Dr. Denisar returned, we continued to communicate with him, as my students had got quite attached. He promised that he would make a trip to our small town in Illinois to meet my class when he could.

The school year was beginning to wrap up when he contacted me in April about coming up to visit in May. For the first time, we began talking on the phone about his visit.

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。

As the day of his visit approached, the kids began to get nervous.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A whole morning had passed before we knew it.

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4 . 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。

Dating back thousands of years, Chinese art focuses on many different areas including landscapes, animals, and other     1     (beauty) with careful detail.

As a style of painting that is unlike any other in the world, Chinese art     2     (remember) today for its distinct characteristics and incredible landscapes that can be seen throughout the nation.

Wu Guanzhong, a Chinese painter, is honored as one of the most famous artists of the modern era in the history of the nation.     3     (consider) a pioneer among Chinese artists during the 1940s, Guanzhong’s career didn’t take off until later in his life     4     he developed his own unique style of painting. He painted many works that     5     (virtual) launched a new style of modern Chinese artwork in his lifetime.

His most famous work titled Water Village in Jiangnan was done in 1980s. It is a very simple painting that consists     6     large white surfaces that are outlined by sharp, bold black edges.

Guanzhong’s simple yet straightforward style of painting captured the attention of both Eastern and Western art critics and enthusiasts in     7     way that brought new focus on Chinese culture as a whole.

He painted many additional works     8     (feature) birds, plants, landscapes and other scenes, but few matched the artistic     9     (high) of this painting, which was seen to be one of the most     10     (influence) pieces in modern Chinese art. It is regarded as one of the most famous Chinese paintings of all time.

5 . “I’m sorry, but visiting hours are over,” The nurse said _________. My husband Eric had just got out of surgery. I wanted to stay with him, but the hospital’s visiting policies allowed no _________.

The nurse handed me a piece of paper. “That’s my cell number. You can _________ me tonight if you’re worried or just want a（n）_________.” I knew Eric would be _________ OK, but I couldn’t be with him when he needed me, which still _________ my heart.

I _________ Eric’s nurse once I settled in my room in a hotel. She texted back, saying he was still feeling sick. I sighed, feeling the _________ rush in. Then I turned on the TV to distract myself, which didn’t _________. Around midnight, Eric’s nurse texted me. “He’s fine now and just fell asleep. You should get some __________ now, too.”

When I had checked into the hotel, the clerk said, “We have a cabinet full of books and games in the corner. We’ll feel __________ if you use anything there during your stay.”

I made it to the hall to __________ a book. I was looking through the titles when I heard a sound behind me. It was an elderly woman, who __________ herself as Shirley, adding that she had been there to accompany her husband in hospital. During our talk, her __________ attitude made me feel much better.

The next morning, when __________, I felt much better at that time than when I came into the hotel yesterday.

1.

A．angrily

B．eagerly

C．apologetically

D．worriedly

2.

A．guidance

B．negotiation

C．comment

D．emotion

3.

A．believe

B．remind

C．assess

D．reach

4.

A．promise

B．update

C．exchange

D．prediction

5.

A．physically

B．spiritually

C．practically

D．typically

6.

A．lightened

B．melted

C．broke

D．touched

7.

A．invited

B．visited

C．emailed

D．texted

8.

A．worry

B．duty

C．sympathy

D．anger

9.

A．matter

B．work

C．count

D．show

10.

A．air

B．nutrition

C．rest

D．advice

11.

A．awkward

B．natural

C．annoyed

D．honored

12.

A．find

B．purchase

C．donate

D．publish

13.

A．introduced

B．enjoyed

C．behaved

D．regarded

14.

A．carefree

B．guilty

C．positive

D．careful

15.

A．giving up

B．waking up

C．pulling through

D．checking out

6 . With about 100,000 new cases diagnosed (诊断) annually, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US.     1     It’s estimated that over $8 billion is spent annually to fight the disease. Now, scientists may have some help from 14-year-old Heman Bekele. The ninth grader from Annandale, Virginia, has created a cheap bar of soap that could potentially help fight skin cancer. His invention won him the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” at the 3M Young Scientist Challenge on October 10, 2023.

    2     However, a bar of soap is just so simple, so affordable, so accessible in comparison to these modern new skin cancer treatments. As an immigrant from Ethiopia at four, he recalls seeing the locals constantly working under the hot sun. Since most skin cancers result from too much exposure to the sun’s rays, Bekele wondered if he could find an affordable way to fight the disease. He came up with the idea of making soap.     3    

“I have always been interested in biology and technology, and this challenge gave me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas,” Bekele said.

Shripriya, a ninth grader from California, won the second prize for her invention “EasyBZ”. This sticker-like patch can be used to administer medicine without pills or needles.     4     The seventh grader created a glove that can detect epileptic seizures (癫痫发作) with common hand movements.

    5     It invites students from grades 5 through 8 to find a unique solution to an everyday problem. The three winners will be awarded the title of “America’s Top Young Scientists”. The first place winner receives a $25,000 prize. The second and third place winners each receive a $2,000 prize.

A．Besides, it’s also expensive to treat.

B．The third place was Sarah Wang from Massachusetts.

C．After all, soap can be easily made and used worldwide.

D．It promotes the youth to learn science with interest.

E．People might not have the equipment to treat this disease.

F．The kid suffered great hunger and lack of proper education.

G．This is the 16th year of the annual 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

7 . Long-term exposure to low-frequency noise can cause many health problems, but the solution may be found in an unexpected object, a ping-pong ball. Conventionally thought of as the plastic balls that speed through the air during a fast-speed game of table tennis, with a few changes, ping-pong balls can help absorb the city noise.

Low-frequency noise is everywhere in cities, near roads, and by airports. Though potentially heard as background in the acoustic (声学的) landscape, it can lead to earaches, breathing problems and other long-term harmful effects. Because it is produced by a range of sources and is less affected by structures than higher-frequency sound, low-frequency noise can be challenging to avoid.

In Journal of Applied Physics, researchers from the University of Lille and the National Technical University of Athens describe an acoustic metasurface (超表面) that uses ping-pong balls to prevent sound passing through.

“Ping-pong balls are well-known, everyday objects, present in large numbers all over the world,” said author Robine Sabat. “Our motivation was to use these easily accessible objects to create a low-frequency soundproof panel structure. Ping-pong balls therefore present a suitable alternative to sound insulators.”

Acoustic metasurfaces are materials specially engineered to handle sound waves. This metasurface uses ping-pong balls with small holes, acting as Helmholtz resonators (共振器). More resonant frequencies meant the device was able to absorb more sound. At the success of two coupled resonators, the researchers added more, until their device looked like a square sheet of ping-pong balls covered with holes, multiplying the number of resonant frequencies that could be absorbed.

By adjusting the number of balls, number of holes, and hole sizes, the researchers could change the metasurface’s acoustic properties, proving it is possible to design a sound absorption panel without expensive materials.

“The potential of this metasurface extends beyond sound absorption,” said Sabat. “It can be broadened to achieve various functions similar to other metasurfaces. These functionalities include sound focusing, unconventional sound reflection and more.”

1. What makes low-frequency noise hard to avoid?

A．Its dull background.	B．Its covering range.
C．Its various sources.	D．Its surrounding structures.

2. What does the underlined word “insulators” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Sources.

B．Levels.

C．Effects.

D．Barriers.

3. What is an advantage of the newly developed metasurface?

A．It costs little to make.	B．It has light weight.
C．It is convenient to use.	D．It is environmentally friendly.

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

A．Low-frequency Noise Can Cause Diseases

B．Ping-pong Balls Function Well as Sound Absorbers

C．Acoustic Metasurface Can Address Noise Problem

D．Ping-pong Balls Show Potential in Many Research Fields

8 . People in Detroit, Michigan take their sport seriously. Comerica Park, the home of the Tigers, a baseball team, and the Little Caesars Arena, which is home to the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings and the NBA’s Detroit Pistons, draw enormous crowds. Far older than both is the Cadieux Café, on the eastern edge of the city. Locals there take part in a game called “feather bowling” most nights.

In the game, developed from Flanders, players roll a wooden wheel along a rough earth lane (路) towards a pigeon feather planted at the other end. The idea is to get your wheel as close as possible—while blocking those of the opposing team or knocking them out of the way.

Everyone in Grosse Pointe in Detroit plays feather bowling. Photos of champions line the wall of the Cadieux Café, which is founded in the 1930s by Belgian immigrants, says John Rutherford, a musician who has co-owned the place since 2019.

Having been preserved for the best part of a century, feather bowling is now spreading. A few other bars in Michigan have set up their own lanes. Having seen a video of people playing feather bowling at the Cadieux Café, Dave Plate decided it was exactly the game to bring to a large space he had rented, and flew to Michigan to learn it. Last year, he opened a bar with the game in a neighborhood in New York City. The lanes are now booked up for weekends in advance. Most of the players are young, and a growing number of parents are bringing their children, too.

Mr. Rutherford welcomes the copycats. The Cadieux Café, he says, could become to feather bowling what St. Andrews in Scotland is to golf: somewhere true fans will always want to play. But he’s critical of what competitors are offering—something like golf court. “For it to be truly feather bowling, you need a real dirt course like ours,” he says. Even worldwide, Detroit may now be a good place to play the game.

1. Where does the Detroit Pistons basketball team usually play?

A．At Comerica Park.	B．At Grosse Pointe.
C．At the Little Caesars Arena.	D．At the Cadieux Café.

2. What can be learned about feather bowling?

A．It was held mainly in broad daylight.	B．Its players have to roll a wooden wheel.
C．Its competition rules are friendly and fun.	D．It was invented by the Belgians in the 1930s.

3. Why does the author list Dave Plate in paragraph 4?

A．To praise his contributions to feather bowling.

B．To prove the limit of feather bowling in big cities.

C．To show the growing popularity of feather bowling.

D．To illustrate the importance of bowling for children.

4. What should the bowling field be like according to Mr. Rutherford?

A．A wooden court.

B．A grass court.

C．A concrete court.

D．A dirt court.

9 . Every June, we have a tradition at our house. Our children are given bowls and asked to collect pieces of summer nature. They leave those bowls on the front doorstep and we go for a walk. When we return, we find fairies (仙女) have transformed the bowls’ contents into ice cream.

“When are the fairies coming?” Six-year-old Anna had been asking last June with expectation. Meanwhile, Joshua, nine, was getting wise to fairies and such silly things. As the evening arrived, the children collected leaves, grass and dead insects. We put their bowls on the front doorstep and we were on our walk. After a while, I said that I had forgotten my keys and needed to go back, but then I said I found them. Joshua smiled knowingly, and then was beginning to get a bit confused.

Back near our house, I warned that the fairies might not have arrived—we might need to walk a bit longer. Joshua seemed relieved. “Yes,” he said, “they probably hadn’t come.” Yet when we reached the front door, the bowls were in the same place we had left them—filled with ice cream.

Anna accepted all this with complete innocence. She felt happy, excited and eager to eat. But Joshua was astonished, speechless. He looked up at me, at his dad, then gazed around the neighborhood in amazement. “The fairies must have come,” he whispered as we all sat down to feast. “But was this really magic?”

I kissed Anna and Joshua good night, but at 2:00 a. m., Joshua crawled into bed next to me, whispering, “Mummy, how did you do it?”

I told my nine-year-old boy the truth. I had asked a neighbor to help us. Shortly after we left on our walk, she had slid over to our house and switched the bowls. Joshua smiled in relief and thanked me for telling him. Then he fell asleep. Just at that moment, I believed in magic, too.

1. What’s the author’s family tradition in June?

A．Lining up to greet the fairies.

B．Filling the bowls with charity food.

C．Attracting kids to nature with ice cream.

D．Teaching the kids to make ice cream.

2. How did Anna react to the bowls of ice cream?

A．She felt grateful neighbors are so kind.

B．She was pleased fairies had prepared them.

C．She was aware her mother had made them.

D．She felt relieved she finally went back home.

3. What kept Joshua from falling asleep at 2:00 a. m.?

A．His appreciation of a neighbor’s kindness.

B．His excitement from the outdoor experience.

C．His strong desire to stay with his mother.

D．His curiosity about the source of the ice cream.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Collecting Fruit from Nature in Summer

B．Watching the Magic of Making Ice Cream

C．Revealing the Secret of Nature to Children

D．Growing up with the Ice Cream Fairy Tradition

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Who does the woman travel with?

A．Her classmates.

B．Her parents.

C．A travel guide.

2. Where does the woman want to travel at first?

A．Beijing.

B．Dunhuang.

C．Xi’an.

3. Why does the woman refuse to travel to Mogao Caves?

A．Her parents are busy.

B．She isn’t interested in it.

C．Her parents don’t like it.

4. What does the man advise the woman to do in Beijing?

A．Taste Peking duck.

B．Visit the Great Wall.

C．Tour the Palace Museum.