1 . How Can Volunteering Help You Get a Good Job?

Sometimes, by giving just a little, you can get a lot back in return. This couldn’t ring more true for volunteering. Here are just some of the things volunteering can do for your employability.

    1    

Employers like to see evidence of practical work experience on your CV(简历)—it tells them that you have the soft skills needed to work as part of a team and are able to handle responsibility. So, if the “work experience” section of your CV is: looking a little bare, volunteering is a great way to flesh it out. Even if the role isn’t super relevant to the job you want after university, so long as there are transferable(可迁移的) skills, it will be valuable for your CV.

Introduce you to new people

If you are volunteering in the sector you want to eventually work in, it will be a great way for you to network with people who have already broken into the field.     2    . They’d also make great references to refer future employers to.

Help you develop valuable skills

    3    , but getting hands-on experience is key to really being able to transition into employment smoothly. Lectures and seminars can’t really teach you personal skills like leadership, time management, how to best communicate with colleagues or how to act in a professional manner, which are all valuable to employers.     4    

Boost your confidence

You’ll experience so many personal benefits from helping the community or lending a hand for a worthwhile project.     5    . All of this-as well as the practical experience itself-will boost your confidence, meaning you can approach job applications and interviews with renewed courage and belief in yourself.

A．Improve your CV

B．Update your interview skills

C．Volunteering is a great way to push you ahead

D．University prepares you for work academically

E．Volunteering can help you develop all of these and plenty more

F．It can help give you a fresh sense of purpose and make you feel valued

G．Use the opportunity to pick their brains, get insider advice and find out job opportunities

2 . Montreal is one of those diverse cities that offer something for everyone. The best time to visit Montreal is typically in the spring (March ~ June) or during the fall (September ~November). At these times, you’ll likely find fewer crowds, cheaper accommodations and the best weather for sightseeing as it is neither too hot nor too cold.

Things to do

Go back in time in Old Montreal: A visit to Old Montreal is a must for anyone visiting the city. Even if you don’t have a plan, just wandering the scenic stone streets is worthwhile. You ‘ll see centuries-old buildings blending (融合) perfectly with trendy restaurants and cute cafes and you can easily spend half a day exploring.

Do some shopping along Sainte-Catherine Street: From major department stores to boutiques, there is a lot to shop for on Sainte-Catherine Street. From west to east, it stretches 9miles across the city.

Explore the Old Port: Montreal’s Old Port features a range of things to see and do, making it a great area to spend an afternoon or even a whole day. The Old Port is also where you’ll find the Montreal Science Centre and its IMAX theatre, and in the winter, take advantage of the outdoor skating spot.

Hang out in Pare du Mont-Royal: No matter at what time of a year you visit Montreal, you’ll find something to do at Pare du Mont-Royal. The park is popular among walkers, joggers and bikers as well as picnickers in the spring and summer. While in the winter, you can enjoy skating and skiing.

1. Which of the following is the best time to take a trip to Montreal?

A．April.

B．July.

C．August.

D．December.

2. Where can you visit the Montreal Science Centre?

A．In Old Montreal.	B．On Sainte-Catherine Street.
C．In the Old Port.	D．In Pare du Mont-Royal.

3. What can people do in Pare du Mont-Royal?

A．Have a picnic.	B．Appreciate centuries-old buildings.
C．Walk on the stone street.	D．Watch a film in an IMAX theatre.

3 . Since her retirement, an old family friend has begun visually journaling her travels. She isn’t an “artist”, but that doesn’t reduce her joy in her experiences or the truth and appeal of her sketches (素描). It was inspiring and I took it as a good idea for later. When I saw the recent Van der Weel and Van der Meer study about handwriting and cognitive activation (认知激活), I thought about my friend, the passage of time, and aging and realized that it was time to hunt up all my media ( pens, pencils, watercolors, bound journals, and sketchpads) and shift some activities from keyboard to paper as an investment in brain health.

Van der Weel and Van der Meer found writing by hand (rather than tapping away on your keyboard) increases brain connectivity. It may be time to consider deleting some of those list-making and journal apps from your phone and return to paper and notebooks. Healthy media use of any kind is, after all, about balance. I realized that I write very little by hand but if doing so activates the whole brain, then it may join the list of activities, like doing crossword puzzles and learning a new language, which help delay cognitive decline.

Writing helps people process life’s emotional ups and downs through sense-making—the greater the cognitive effort to find meaning, the greater appreciation of the benefits and improved mood. Meaning and positive emotions are central to well-being.

However, I had never considered the physical act of handwriting as a brain health aging activity. The greater brain activity from handwriting compared to typing is thought to explain why handwritten notes are linked to increased learning among students. Learning and memory are both cognitive functions. Learning describes how we gain new skills and knowledge. Memory is how we store and bring back what we learn. Aging messes with both and can prevent new learning as well as the memory of what you just learned. However, social, physical, and cognitively challenging activities have been shown to reduce the negative effects of aging on cognitive function and increase cognitive reserve (认知储备).

1. What made the author begin to notice brain health?

A．The passage of time.	B．The aging of him/her.
C．The recent study about handwriting.	D．His/Her friend’s visual travel sketch.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．The benefits of writing.

B．Ups and downs of life.

C．The meanings of positive emotions.

D．The advantages of writing over computers.

3. How is the last paragraph developed?

A．By giving advice.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By quoting experts’ words.	D．By making a comparison.

4. What may the author say to students?

A．Learn by memorizing.	B．Add handwriting to your list.
C．Be aware of the secret of memory.	D．Join in the healthy aging activities.

4 . Do you believe that most people are greedy or generous? It is easy to come up with examples of stories that could support either conclusion if we are relying on our memories or on our guts (直觉).

Recently, a team of researchers sought to investigate this question in partnership with the TED organization. TED generously gave away $10,000 each to 200 lucky individuals (yes, you read that correctly), which essentially means these participants won a lottery. Besides, they were asked to spend all the money in three months rather than save it). These participants were from three low-income countries (Indonesia, Brazil, Kenya) and four high-income countries (Australia, Canada, UK, USA). Over the next three months, participants were asked to track their spending to examine how generously or selfishly this money was spent. They reported their spending to the researchers a few months later.

Of the $10,000 participants received, they spent $6,431 on other people. To be clear, this also included certain behaviors in which the participants themselves benefited personally (such as taking their friends out to dinner or paying for a family vacation). But still, people are very generous. Participants gave away $1,697 strictly to charity or nonprofit organizations.

The researchers expected that if people publicly shared how they spent their money, they would be more generous. To check if this was correct, they asked half of the participants to post on Twitter about how they spent the money. The other half were asked to keep their spending “private”.

Surprisingly, the researchers saw that “generous spending was similar” between Twitter and private groups. The mini lottery winners were no more or less generous depending on whether they posted their spending on Twitter or kept it to themselves. The authors admitted they expected the Twitter group to spend more generously, but this prediction was not supported by the data. People did not need to have their spending shown publicly to behave generously.

1. What’s the purpose of the researchers?

A．To confirm a scientific theory.	B．To research into human nature.
C．To analyze people’s economic behaviour.	D．To classify people’s spending habits.

2. What do we know about the study conducted by the team?

A．It was divided into two stages.

B．It focused on low-income people.

C．The participants were required to report their spending.

D．The participants could spend the money without restriction.

3. What does the underlined word “this” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．People’s sharing how they spent.	B．People’s keeping their spending private.
C．People’s spending habits in private.	D．People’s being more generous in public.

4. What does the author intend to tell us?

A．Humans are fundamentally generous.	B．Money that is easily got will be spent soon.
C．Sharing spending online makes people generous.	D．People prefer to keep their spending to themselves.

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。

Nola Ochs was born in Kansas in 1911. There were many farms and everybody had a job to do. Nola Ochs was raised under the endless sky, and the long arc (弧线) of the sun marked her chore-filled (满是工作的) days. Her life was common. She grew and married, had children and grandchildren, taught in country schools, and lived the quiet Midwest life. But she was different in one way: After her husband died in 1972, Nola began taking classes and finally earned her associate degree (准学士学位) at the age of 77.

“I still want to go to school. It is fun to go to classes. And if I have homework to do in the evening, that takes up my time in a pleasant way,” she recalled. After some years went by, Nola decided to keep going and get her master’s degree in Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas, where her granddaughter studied. She emailed the university for admission (入学), mentioning that she was 80, and had prepared for studying further.

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。

A week later, she got an mail back for her admission.

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On the day of her graduation, Nola was chosen to be a spokesperson.

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6 . I was sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for my annual check-up. The doctor threw in a(n) ________ that took me off guard.

“So Robin, what are you going to do after high school? Why don’t you go to college to become a(n) ________ like me?” he asked while writing on the file.

Go to college to become a doctor? Who was this man kidding? I thought he was ________ for even suggesting it. My grades were ________ and I wasn’t college material. Embarrassed by his question, I ________ to the doctor, “I’m not ________ enough to be a doctor.”

The doctor immediately looked at me straight in the eyes when he said very ________, “You don’t have to be clever to be a doctor. You just have to be persistent (坚持不懈的).”

Even though I wasn’t college material, what the doctor said ________ me. Three years later, I ________ to a college close to my home and soon found myself walking the campus as a new student.

I began ________ anything that seemed frightening. I put all my energy toward passing the assignments one by one. I ________ that when I was persistent, I could ________ things I never believed possible.

I graduated with a master’s degree in September 2023, two decades after that ________ with my doctor. I ________ I could shake his hand and tell him “thank you”. Sometimes even the smallest moments in time can have a life-changing ________.

1.

A．present

B．request

C．question

D．invitation

2.

A．teacher

B．expert

C．doctor

D．scientist

3.

A．crazy

B．boring

C．strange

D．considerate

4.

A．stable

B．average

C．formal

D．excellent

5.

A．complained

B．apologized

C．lied

D．replied

6.

A．smart

B．careful

C．outgoing

D．patient

7.

A．regretfully

B．proudly

C．gratefully

D．seriously

8.

A．impressed

B．disturbed

C．limited

D．discouraged

9.

A．pointed

B．returned

C．applied

D．adapted

10.

A．taking over

B．breaking down

C．setting aside

D．giving up

11.

A．promised

B．announced

C．agreed

D．discovered

12.

A．understand

B．avoid

C．control

D．achieve

13.

A．cooperation

B．experiment

C．conversation

D．argument

14.

A．wish

B．think

C．insist

D．recall

15.

A．purpose

B．influence

C．chance

D．choice

7 . 2023 年12 月 22 日，第78 届联合国大会将中国春节（农历新年）确定为联合国假日。请你就此事向校英文报投稿，内容包括：
1.简述此事；
2.你的看法。
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。
参考词汇：第78 届联合国大会 the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
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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，并将答案填写在答题卡上。

Bai Tinggui, who was born in the 1990s, is     1     attendant for the high-speed trains on the Chongqing section of China Railway Chengdu Bureau Group Co Ltd. This     2     (year) Spring Festival travel rush marks a decade of her dedicated service.

Every time she met elderly passengers     3     traveled alone, she would think of her grandparents, which made her start to think about how to provide more assistance for the elderly.

Gradually, through her work, Bai became familiar     4     more public welfare work and was     5     (active) engaged in related projects. In the last three years, she     6     (participate) in various activities as a volunteer, offering help to those in need. In addition to her daily work, Bai also uses her time off     7     (help) key groups such as the elderly and children at the railway station.

Bai Tinggui’s story is a beacon(灯塔) of hope     8     a reminder of the impact one individual can make. Her dedication to service extends beyond her professional responsibilities. Her involvement in volunteer activities     9     (be) a testament to her belief in giving back to the community. And there surely will be a growing trend among individuals in the railway sector to participate in social welfare activities,     10     (contribute) to a more inclusive and supportive society.

9 . This year, it was harder than ever to get into Harvard University. The prestigious college announced their lowest acceptance rate ever, welcoming only 1,968 of 57,435 first-year applicants into their hallowed halls. Thanks to Abigail Mack’s moving, insightful essay, she will be one of the lucky students to matriculate this fall.

The Massachusetts high school senior used TikTok to share a part of the essay that made her one of the 4 percent of applicants who made the cut. Her essay focused on an unusual theme: the letter “S.”

“I hate the letter ‘S’,” she read aloud on TikTok. “Of the 164,777 words with ‘S’, I only struggle with one. To condemn an entire letter because of its use 0.0006 percent of the time sounds statistically unreasonable, but that one case changed 100 percent of my life. I used to have two parents, but now I have one, and the ‘S’ in ‘parents’ isn’t going anywhere.”

“‘S’ follows me,” she continued. “I can’t get through a day without being reminded that while my friends went out to dinner with their parents, I ate with my parent. As I write this essay, there is a blue line under the word ‘parent’ telling me to check my grammar; even Grammarly assumes that I should have parents, but cancer doesn’t listen to edit suggestions.”

She went on to explain that she fled that dreaded letter by throwing herself into school activities. She joined clubs, sports, and performed in theatrical productions, all in an effort to lessen the pain of losing her mom. Eventually, she realized she was hiding from her pain and decided to face it head-on. She took over the “S” for her own purposes. Now, instead of thinking about the “S” in parents, she concentrates on the double “S” in passion.

Abigail’s essay earned her a spot at several top colleges and she has officially been accepted into the class of 2025 in Harvard. In the meantime, her essay has gone viral (走红) with over 16 million views!

1. What did the letter “S” mean to Abigail Mack?

A．A terrible failure.	B．An unfortunate fact.
C．A special challenge.	D．A meaningful experience.

2. What can we infer from paragraph 4 about Abigail Mack?

A．She isn’t good at spelling.	B．She has poor grammar.
C．She has been struggling with cancer.	D．She has lost one of her parents.

3. How did Abigail Mack deal with her situation?

A．By writing more and more essays.	B．By reading all kinds of books.
C．By participating in various activities.	D．By competing with others secretly.

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

A．Teen’s Special Feeling for the Letter “S”	B．Teen’s Essay Won Great Popularity Online
C．Teen’s Secret to Achieving Academic Success	D．Teen Got Admitted to Harvard for Her Essay

10 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落的开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

“Look at this,” I said to my friend Mandy, holding up the paper I had got as we entered the library. “There’s a five-day art camp at White Cliff this summer.” Mandy took the paper and glanced at it. “That’s the same time as the Hill County Fair. But we always go to the fair,” she said.

Later, I called my friends Emily and Yoshiko. Yoshiko was going to the fair, and Emily would be out of town in July. I sighed and dropped my head down on the red paper.

“Will I attend the art camp? Probably not,” I said to myself. “None of my friends are going.” I had a hard time jumping into something with no familiar faces around.

“Maybe next year.” I sighed. “I’m going outside to draw the Westons’ pine tree. I’ll be out front.”

I opened the door and blinked (眨眼睛) at the bright sunshine as I sat on the front steps. I thought about art camp and wished I felt a little braver. By the time I started drawing, I had convinced myself I was happy to skip the camp. I drew the pine’s strong trunk. I added the beautiful branches, making sure the upper ones lifted gently toward the sun. Once I started drawing, I didn’t notice the fly buzzing around me or the sound of the lawn mower(割草机) a few houses down. That’s why I jumped when Mr. Weston said, “You’ve done a great job showing the strength of that tree on paper.”

“Thanks.” I smiled, glancing up. Mr. Weston was out for a walk. He used a cane (拐杖) , and I cut the grass for him every week.

“That pine was there when we moved in,” Mr. Weston said, “You have to spread out the roots near the surface so the tree can get enough water and grow tall. If you plant the root ball too deep, the tree will die.”

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 learned that roots grow out, not down.
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That night, I took a deep breath and filled in the application for the art camp.
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