1 . 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。

I drove to Yosemite Valley, California, for the first time in years. This was the first time I’d traveled to the valley by myself. I connected with my friends and found out about Facelift, a project started by a rock climber, Ken Yager. The goal was to spend a week volunteering to clean up trash in Yosemite Valley.

Thankfully, Yosemite Valley only has one or two roads, so it was impossible for me to stay lost for long. I pulled into Yellow Pine, the campground set aside for volunteers at the event.

I felt shy and insecure as a new comer. When I found the Group camp area, I saw eight event coordinators (协调者) I’d been talking with recently but had never met. These were outdoor people. I found a campsite, parked, got out, and walked over and introduced myself. They were nice.

The week turned into a wonderful learning experience. Meeting new people was a bonus. A few became forever friends. But the nights were really hard! I was alone in my tent in the thick, black forest. There were absolutely no lights. I rarely slept. A ranger (护林员) warned us about recent bear activity in our campground. A mother bear and her cub had been spotted wandering around during the day. The ranger explained that bears with cubs are especially dangerous. Great information, I thought. What should I do with it? I knew, my fear doubled.

Each night, I wrapped the band of my headlamp around my wrist so I could instantly turn on its bright light. I placed a couple of metal pots by my sleeping bag to make noise if I heard anything. I lay awake most of the night staring at the tent door to see if it moved.

The week flew by. I enjoyed every part of it, except for the sleepless nights. My daughter Leah joined me on the last day. We would drive together back home.

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。

Leah asked how I did camping alone for the first time.

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After I finished, Leah gave me a funny look.

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3 . 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。

Birds have been closely related to big harvests in the culture of the Miao ethnic group. The Miao people have loved birds for generations. That’s     1     people see delicate birdcages hanging in front of many households in the Miao villages.

    2     (locate) in the northeast of Danzhai county, Guizhou Province, Kala village is famous for its time-honored cage-weaving craft, which     3     (date) back over 400 years. In 2009, it     4     (list) as a provincial intangible cultural heritage of Guizhou.

Kala birdcages are famous for their remarkable firmness. Each cage is     5     (careful) crafted from the strong moso bamboo and the flexible water bamboo. The former provides hardness, while the latter contributes resilience (韧性) resulting     6     a cage that is durable.

With the growing     7     (aware) of wildlife protection, the population of people who hunt and raise birds has been decreasing, so has been the need for birdcages. Wang Qiu, a 35-year-old inheritor, decided to combine closely art with everyday life,     8     (meet) the needs of a broader range of consumers. Wang designs and makes everyday items, from bookshelves and lampshades to graceful earrings in     9     shape of Kala birdcages. As a member of the younger generation, Wang Qiu injects vigor (活力) into the centuries-old craft. She hopes more people learn about the fascinating skills of Kala village     10     the splendid culture of the Miao people.

4 . After their three children grew up and left home, Margaret Thompson and her husband, Kenneth, stretched their legs together on walking holidays in Switzerland. In Interlaken, they would head up the mountain and watch the paragliders (滑翔伞运动员) launch themselves into the sky. Back in town, in a large park, they watched them return to the earth. “Some day I’d love to do that,” Thompson told Kenneth.

But there was always so much to do in Interlaken. Besides, Thompson didn’t know if Kenneth would have enjoyed it. He was not so keen on heights as I was, she said. So she continued to watch the gliders take flight and land.

Kenneth died in 2005. Eleven years later, Thompson finally took to the skies herself, in a paraglider at the age of 80. Although some people get scared while flying, she said she just feels free. Thompson did her second paraglide when she turned 85, and raised nearly £2, 000 for a local charity.

Before leaving Interlaken after her second flight, Thompson asked the organizers about the age limit for paragliding. They said: “Any age, as long as you’re fit.” Thompson, now 86, plans her third flight for when she is 90.

Thompson grew up living above her parents’ shop in Belfast. At 18, she helped in the shop while studying for her music diploma in Stranmillis, south Belfast. She started to teach piano to local children, and at the height of her teaching she gave 70 lessons a week. She still has 15 pupils. “Over the years I’ve had so many that I’m teaching their children now.”

Is she scared of getting older? “Fear? No. People say: ‘Isn’t getting old awful?’ I say: ‘No. You are free to do more of the things that you want to do.’” “People might worry about falling, it being the end of them. But that doesn’t bother me at all. When it’s your time, it’s your time. No matter where you are.” Thompson added.

1. What can we know about Thompson from the first two paragraphs?

A．She appreciated being alone.	B．She was crazy about paragliding.
C．She often worked overtime.	D．She didn’t fit in with her husband.

2. Which of the following best describes Thompson?

A．Courageous and optimistic.	B．Sensitive and open-minded.
C．Romantic and cautious.	D．Considerate and humorous.

3. Why does the author mention Thompson’s words in the last paragraph?

A．To compare different old people.	B．To inspire people to care for the old.
C．To show getting old isn’t so unpleasant.	D．To erase doubts about old people’s health.

4. What can we learn from Thompson’s story?

A．Aging makes a difference.	B．Time and tide wait for no man.
C．Rome wasn’t built in a day.	D．It’s never too late to fulfill a dream.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What produces all the energy in BedZED?

A．Special boards.

B．The British climate.

C．The roofs of the buildings.

2. What contributes to the energy-saving BedZED?

A．The natural environment.

B．Shared work stations.

C．Back gardens.

3. What does the man like about BedZED?

A．The green lifestyle.

B．The parking space.

C．The public transportation.

4. How will Molly go home?

A．By underground.

B．By bike.

C．By car.

6 . I’ve never had a great sense of direction. And I often wander into shops and, upon coming back out, can’t remember which way I’ve come from — left or right? Many people are like me, and why do some constantly have no idea where they are?

The hippocampus (海马体) is a region of the brain associated with memory and involved in sense of direction. And a nearby region has also been associated with sense of direction. There are four known types of navigation-related neurons (神经元), found in these regions place cells, grid cells, border cells and head direction cells.

In short, you can think of place cells as an internal cognitive (认知的) map; they identify where you are. Grid cells are like a GPS system in our brain; they tell us about the relationship of this place to other places we’ve been to. Border cells respond to the presence of environmental boundaries at a specific direction and distance from us. Lastly, head direction cells are activated when our head faces a specific direction. These cells will fire electrical impulses when we enter familiar locations, with each group of cells relating to a specific place.

Our reliance on GPS and smartphones may have decreased the ability to use our internal maps. Older adults who regularly used GPS had less activity in their hippocampus, compared with those who did not use GPS. They also performed slightly worse in a cognition test. In contrast, a study involving London taxi drivers found they significantly larger hippocampus than ordinary people.

You can improve your way-finding ability specifically by practicing the skill, according to Aziz, PhD of neurology at Temple University School of Medicine. “The more you get out and go to places, the better,” he says. Physical exercise improves the blood flow to the brain, while mental exercise, such as doing puzzles or learning a new language, stimulates the development of new nerve cells and connections in your brain.

1. How does the author introduce the topic of the text?

A．By raising a question.

B．By making a comparison.

C．By stating personal opinions.

D．By referring to scientific research.

2. What can we learn about the four types of navigation-related neurons?

A．They depend closely on each other.

B．They are responsible for different jobs.

C．They will decrease in numbers as one ages.

D．They will fail to function in unfamiliar situations.

3. What will happen it we rely too much on GPS?

A．We will easily be misled.

B．Our hippocampus will get enlarged.

C．Our cognitive ability will be affected.

D．We will have our hippocampus relaxed.

4. What are we advised to do according to the last paragraph?

A．Build up our body.	B．Take training courses.
C．Try different brain exercises.	D．Get out to connect with people.

7 . I found a wonderful picture of Maolan karst cones online and presented it to the innkeeper. “You can’t go there,” the innkeeper ______ me. “The viewing platform has been closed due to ______ that too many visitors could cause geological damage.”

Despite our disappointment, we ______ an alternative: a seven-hour hike through the “funnel forest”. Initially, we were ______ to run the risk. However, I had ______ the tourism motto in the nature reserve: “If you don’t do it now, you won’t do it in your lifetime.” Three of our group ______ decided to venture into the forest. The innkeeper responded with a knowing ______ : “Great. Bear Grylls went there.”

The next morning, we set off with a local ______ . Rain came and went three times, and before I actually ______ to climb over the first mountain, I had already got wet to the skin. I was a walking ______ of mud and water.

Our guide, in his 50s, behaved like a botanist, introducing the locally specific plants to us, but I was hardly in the ______ . Every step sank into the muddy, sucking ground. Every log or rock in front of us was a physical ______ . “One can never reach those places without strong willpower,” I murmured, reciting that millennium-old ______ , over and over again.

Sinkholes and entrances to underground rivers kept popping up along our ______ . Thinking of them leading to an unknown world, I began to ______ the road that I can control even more.

Wandering in a green chaos without any obvious landmarks is also breathtaking.

1.

A．answered

B．told

C．followed

D．favored

2.

A．news

B．matters

C．concerns

D．conclusions

3.

A．worked out

B．took in

C．set down

D．ruled out

4.

A．unwilling

B．surprised

C．calm

D．inspired

5.

A．forgotten

B．promoted

C．interpreted

D．noticed

6.

A．shortly

B．lately

C．eventually

D．suddenly

7.

A．taste

B．tone

C．smile

D．sigh

8.

A．botanist

B．keeper

C．farmer

D．guide

9.

A．managed

B．decided

C．planned

D．agreed

10.

A．visitor

B．mixture

C．log

D．stranger

11.

A．eagerness

B．mood

C．humor

D．pity

12.

A．contact

B．energy

C．activity

D．challenge

13.

A．prediction

B．line

C．deal

D．secret

14.

A．route

B．landmark

C．platform

D．rock

15.

A．guarantee

B．ignore

C．doubt

D．appreciate

8 . Contrary to the commonly-held view, the brain does not have the ability to rewire itself to make up for the loss of sight, or a stroke, for example, say scientists from the University of Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University.

Writing in eLife, Professors Tamar Makin (Cambridge)and John Krakauer (Johns Hopkins) argue that the belief that the brain, in response to injury or deficit, can reorganise itself and repurpose particular regions for new functions, is fundamentally incorrect-despite being commonly cited in scientific textbooks. Instead, they argue that what is occurring is merely the brain being trained to use already existing but possible abilities.

In their article, Makin and Krakauer look at ten pioneering studies that aim to show the brain’s ability to reorganise. They argue, however, that while the studies do indeed show the brain’s ability to adapt to change, it is not creating new functions in previously unrelated areas—instead it’s using possible capacities that have been present since birth.

Examining other studies, Makin and Krakauer found no convincing evidence that the visual cortex (大脑皮层) of individuals that were born blind or the uninjured cortex of stroke survivors ever developed a novel functional ability that did not otherwise exist.

Understanding the true nature and limits of brain plasticity (可塑性) is crucial, both for setting realistic expectations for patients and for guiding clinical practitioners (从业人员) in their reconstructive approaches, they argue. Makin added: “This learning process is a proof of the brain’s remarkable—but limited—capacity for plasticity. There are no shortcuts or fast tracks in this journey. The idea of quickly unlocking hidden brain potentials or tapping into vast unused reserves is more wishful thinking than reality. It’s a slow, gradual journey, demanding persistent effort and practice. Recognising this helps us appreciate the hard work behind every story of recovery and adapt our strategies accordingly.”

“So many times, the brain’s ability to rewire has been described as ‘miraculous’—but we’re scientists, we don’t believe in magic. These amazing behaviours that we see are rooted in hard work, repetition and training, not the magical reassignment of the brain’s resources.” They said.

1. What is a common misunderstanding of the brain’s function?

A．The brain can be trained.	B．The brain can compensate-blindness.
C．The brain can rewire itself.	D．The brain can react to sudden diseases.

2. Why are the related studies mentioned in the text?

A．To tell the limits of brain plasticity.	B．To analyze the structure of the brain.
C．To find productive research methods.	D．To explore the new functions of the brain.

3. What is Paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．The realistic expectations for patients.

B．Supporting evidence for the research results.

C．Further explanations of the medical strategies.

D．The medical significance of the new finding.

4. What will Makin and Krakauer suggest people do?

A．Make the impossible possible.	B．Reassign the brain’s resources flexibly.
C．Try to develop the brain’s possible ability.	D．Use the magic to accomplish difficult tasks.