1 . Julian is a 26-year-old grassroots artist. With a bold and humorous style, his creations have earned more than 6 million ________ on several social media platforms and sold more than 60,000 pieces on the video platform.

However, Julian’s ________ to art was not easy. He was born in a poor village. At the age of 6, Julian began to teach himself to ________ by using waste bricks to practice on walls due to the unaffordability of art supplies. Despite facing ________, including the disability caused by an injury at the age of 11, drawing remained Julian’s passion.

________ the increased popularity of short videos, he could ________ his works online, gradually gaining success. Julian's life also got improved by selling paintings. His dreams, however, are even ________. “My goal is to share my work with more people and I also want to ________ and motivate them with humor,” Julian said. Many of his paintings reflect his journey of ________ obstacles. For Julian, it seems that the inspiration for creation is ________. In his eyes, any scene or word can be a source of inspiration.

Some media called Julian as “the Grassroots Picasso”, but he modestly rejected the ________, saying he is just a “painting hobbyist”.

Julian hopes to engage in more exciting adventures, including organizing exhibitions at home and abroad to encourage more young people to ________ their dreams. “I always believe that it is ________ to learn to persevere. If you love something, then put in more ________. The experiences we have are ________ the foundation for the future, and we will always leave our mark.” Julian said.

1.

A．fans

B．friends

C．teachers

D．authors

2.

A．addiction

B．response

C．introduction

D．path

3.

A．knock

B．draw

C．write

D．build

4.

A．difficulty

B．poorness

C．danger

D．failure

5.

A．Similar to

B．According to

C．Thanks to

D．Close to

6.

A．check

B．practice

C．collect

D．share

7.

A．harder

B．weaker

C．bigger

D．farther

8.

A．interview

B．inspire

C．invite

D．involve

9.

A．overcoming

B．decreasing

C．preventing

D．building

10.

A．timeless

B．helpless

C．endless

D．useless

11.

A．topic

B．favor

C．title

D．faith

12.

A．reflect

B．obtain

C．change

D．pursue

13.

A．urgent

B．essential

C．serious

D．smart

14.

A．wisdom

B．emotion

C．knowledge

D．effort

15.

A．laying

B．preparing

C．serving

D．creating

2 . Thanks to researchers from Northwestern Polytechnical University, robot guide dogs that use an artificial intelligence language model may soon be accessible to 17 million people with visual problems in China. The AI guide dog, developed by the university, can assist with tasks like crossing streets, using elevators, and navigating (导航) indoor spaces without being connected to the Internet.

Robot guide dog is an intelligent machine with a physical form. It can interact with the environment in real-time using sensors to execute instructions or make decisions. “Though in recent years there have been some electronic navigation aids, such as electronic navigation helmets, and electronic guide dogs, they cannot engage in conversations with people or fully understand human instructions,” said Sun Zhe, an associate professor at the university.

“They can only carry out tasks according to pre-set programs. They are just cold machines. That’s not enough. The research makes it possible to provide better guidance services for people with visual problems, especially for emotional companionship, ” Sun said.

“People with visual problems face numerous challenges in daily life, including navigation difficulties and safety threats,” Sun said. “Smart guide dogs using the language model can offer them more convenient and safe navigation, effectively improving their quality of life.”

Training a traditional guide dog can cost as much as 200,000 yuan ($ 28,000), and there are fewer than 200 guide dogs in China. Therefore, the research team began developing the smart guide dog based on the AI model, which is much more affordable for people with visual problems. Its findings have been published in the Communications of the Chinese Computer Society.

“The current results prove the possibility of this approach, but there is still some wayto go before it can be put into practical application,” Sun said. “We will put more effort into it and make it available for those in need as soon as possible.”

1. What can the AI guide dog do?

A．Send out all instructions.	B．Navigate without Internet.
C．Improve the AI technology.	D．Imitate human conversations.

2. What does the underlined word “execute” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Change.

B．Guide.

C．Conduct.

D．Explain.

3. Why did Sun Zhe’s team start the research?

A．To analyze AI guide dogs.	B．To use sensors to carry out tasks.
C．To compare different AI guide dogs.	D．To offer better guidance for those in need.

4. Which may be a suitable title for the text?

A．AI Guide Dogs May Offer Visual Aid	B．AI Guide Dogs Will Reduce the Cost
C．AI Guide Dogs May Navigate Indoor Spaces	D．AI Guide Dogs Will Replace Traditional Dogs

3 . Thailand is to ban smoking on some of the country’s most popular tourist beaches, with the prospect of up to a year in prison for those caught lighting up, according to reports by local media. The move follows a recent survey of litter on Patong beach, Phuket — visited by millions of foreign tourists each year — which found an average of 0.76 cigarette butts (烟头) per square metre in a sample area, which would amount to 101,058 butts on the 2.5km-long stretch of sand.

The survey was undertaken by the country’s department of marine and coastal resources, which described it as a “serious problem”. Discarded cigarette butts accounted for a third of rubbish collected by the department.

“Cigarettes have a direct effect on the natural environment,” director general Jatuporn Buruspat told the Phuket Gazette. “The butts clog (淤积) the drains contributing to floods. When the cigarettes stay under the beach sand for a long time, it also negatively affects the eco-system. And then when the chemicals from the cigarette butts reach the water, it also releases cadmium, lead, arsenic and some acid from insecticide which are poison to the natural food chain.”

The ban, which will come into play in November, will affect 20 beaches including Patong, Koh Khai Nok, Koh Khai Nai (Phuket); Hua Hin, Cha-Am, Khao Takiab; Pattaya, Jomtien, Bangsaen and Samila.

After a trial period, the ban is expected to be enforced on all Thai beaches, as well as on passenger and tourist boats, to deal with the problem of butts damaging the underwater environment. Anyone found to be breaking the law will face one year in jail or a maximum 100,000 baht fine, or both.

1. The underlined word “Discarded” in paragraph 2 means “________”.

A．grown

B．lighted

C．thrown away

D．cared for

2. What effect do cigarettes have on the natural environment?

A．Cigarette butts may endanger natural food chain.

B．Cigarette butts will lead to floods directly.

C．Cigarettes positively affect the eco-system.

D．Foreign tourists may not visit beaches with cigarette butts.

3. Anyone found to be breaking the law will _________.

A．face two years in jail	B．face a minimum 100,000 baht fine
C．be in prison or fined	D．be educated in a training center

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Cigarette butts damage the underwater environment.

B．Thailand bans smoking on 20 popular tourist beaches.

C．Smoking is forbidden on all Thailand beaches.

D．Thailand local media pays attention to smoking problem.

6 . David Brunelli has eaten up a huge burger. He starts eating handfuls of French fries. If he eats them fast enough, he could win. The crowd shouts with excitement. Suddenly, a stream of food pours out of Brunell' s mouth. Puking (呕吐) during an eating competition means you lose. So Brunelli catches the food in his hands and pushes it back into his mouth. Welcome to the world of competitive eating.

Thousands of eating competitions take place around the world each year. To win, people like Brunelli eat huge amounts of food as quickly as possible.They eat everything from mountains of hot dogs to hundreds of chicken legs.

Some people say it is time for eating competitions to stop. One reason is that the competitions can lead to serious health problems. These include weight gain, heart disease, and stomach problems. In 2004, a woman died from choking (窒息) during a competition. Eating competitions can make overeating look attractive. This sets a bad example for fans. Also, millions of people in the world go hungry every day. That makes it seem wasteful to eat amounts of food just for fun.

Still, many people love competitive eating. They say it is a fun tradition that goes back many years. Fans point out that the group Major League Eating (MLE) runs professional eating competitions. At these competitions, injuries are uncommon. MLE always has doctors on hand.

Eating competitions allow people like Brunelli to get famous and win money. And the competitions are popular. Each July 4, more than a million people watch Nathan s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on TV. This year, will you be one of them?

1. Why does the author write the first paragraph?

A．To bring up the topic.	B．To introduce Brunelli.
C．To make a comparison.	D．To show some delicious food.

2. What can we learn about eating competitions from the text?

A．They have a short history.	B．They enjoy great popularity.
C．They are attractive to the poor	D．They introduce lots of new food.

3. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The fun of watching eating competitions.

B．The health problems caused by overeating.

C．The difficulties in winning an eating competition.

D．The reasons why eating competitions should be stopped.

4. What can we learn about MLE?

A．It trains many doctors.	B．Its prizes are unusual.
C．Its competitions are relatively safe.	D．It is an organizer of traditional competitions.

7 . Bailey Martin was like many of her sixth-grade classmates at age 12. She played sports and loved to read. But one night, Martin was in bed and covered up her left eye. She realized something wasn’t right. “I noticed I couldn’t really see anything,” she said. She went to the hospital. A doctor in Chicago discovered that it was acute macular neuroretinopathy (急性黄斑神经视网膜病变), a rare disease without a known cure. She was declared blind.

At first, she had to learn Braille (盲文) to read. But what of sports? She didn’t want to lose that part of her life. “I just really didn t want to give up, and I didn’t want to give up who I was as a person,” Martin said. So, that summer, she competed at the Iowa State Fair, showing her horse. When she returned to school at South Hamilton, she joined the cross-country team. “And once I started playing a few different sports again, it not only helped me grow my confidence back, but it also made me realize just how much I love sports and how much sports can really help with finding yourself,” Martin said. She was determined to keep going.

“She chose to run without a guide. It wasn’t easy, but she made it work, running on the team through ninth grade. She made it through the season,” her mother Sara Martin said. “She hit lots of trees. It didn’t t stop her. She wasn’t afraid of getting hurt.” Her parents warned her it could happen, even if she had her sight. “ We’ d rather have you hurt trying something than be too scared to try,” Sara told her daughter.

So, Martin kept going. Now, the 18-year- old senior at South Hamilton High School plans to compete in the Paralympics (残奥会).

Martin is driven to keep going and keep competing. The fact that she’ s overcome as much as she has even surprises and encourages herself.

1. What happened to Martin when she was 12?

A．She quit school because of her disability.

B．She took up running with a coach.

C．She caught a deadly disease.

D．She went blind unexpectedly.

2. How did sport influence Martin?

A．It helped to lift her spirits.

B．It led to-her physical healing.

C．It improved her academic performance.

D．It helped her regain her sense of belonging.

3. What do we know about Martin’ s mother?

A．She gave Martin lots of support.

B．She was good at protecting Martin.

C．She was always very strict with Martin.

D．She was hardly attentive to Martin’ S needs.

4. How might people most probably find Martin’ s story?

A．Uninteresting.

B．Unbearable.

C．Inspiring.

D．Amusing.

8 . Sunlight has a lot more to offer. than just brightening our day. Sunlight helps our body make a certain hormone (激素) in our brains. The hormone not only eases worry but also stabilizes moods.     1    

Our skin produces vitamin D when exposed (暴露) to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays (紫外线).     2    

If you would like to drop a few kilograms, think about spending about a half hour in the sun early in the day.     3    

COVID-19 is sometimes deadly. But some studies suggest that the sun’s UV rays may offer some protection. Last April, a Scottish team published the results.     4    The theory suggests that nitric oxide (一氧化碳), which is released (释放) by the skin when exposed to sunlight, reduces the ability of the virus (病毒) to spread.     5     They agree that more research needs to be carried out.

Sunlight is good for us. So, enjoy some time in the sun.

A．Researchers are very encouraged by the findings.

B．Physical health isn’t t the only reason to get sunlight.

C．The research done in England showed the same results.

D．They found that the sun may be COVID-19’s new enemy.

E．To receive the sun’s benefits, catch some rays before 10 a.m.

F．Vitamin D is necessary for our hearts and bones to remain healthy.

G．Sunlight also increases our body’s production of feel-good materials.

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。

As the Internet calls him, Terry Lauerman is     1     first of his kind, a professional cat napper (打盹的人). Terry has been in his local pet sanctuary for many years. And since he has started, he doesn’t plan     2    (stop).

Terry’s love for cats     3    (date) back to his younger years but he’d never quite been able to work with     4    (they) until he retired. He spent his free time     5    (volunteer) at this local shelter.

Terry would sometimes take a cat nap with a few of his cat     6    (friend). By taking a nap so     7    (comfortable), Terry has actually done more for the cat shelter     8    others. It started when the shelter began posting pictures of Terry’s napping breaks and he went viral (走红),     9    led him to encourage people to donate a few dollars for the cats. And it worked. Within days, a generous     10    (donate) of tens of thousands of dollars had been given to the shelter in his name.