1 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(一个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Year of the Dragon comes with inspiration for creativity and the power to bring big ideas     1    life.

Designer Wang Zijian’s Dragon Out of Water, a creative tea infuser (泡茶器),shines on the wall at the exhibition of the winning works of the 2024 Global Zodiac Design Competition at the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center.     2     (it) cute dragon design and special function are bound to appeal to young consumers. “It’s     3    unique product, and we expect a positive response from young customers,” Wang told Beijing Review.

The item belongs to China Chic, or guochao, also     4     (know) as “national wave”,    5    refers to products of all sorts including traditional Chinese cultural elements. These products    6     (embrace) by the country’s younger generations in recent years. According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, Gen Z    7     (account) for 74 percent of consumers of China Chic goods in 2022, and the search volume of China Chic products has increased five times over the past decade.

As a young designer, Wang hopes     8     (capture) young consumers with his creative interpretation of dragons. “I’ve been    9    (thorough) studying the dragon’s historical connotations (言外之意) and the     10     (psychology) characteristics of Gen Z consumers,” the 34-year-old designer told Beijing Review.

2 . Things To Remember On Your First Solo Travel Adventure

If you’ve ever thought about just taking a trip yourself instead of waiting for someone to join you, you’re not alone.     1     However, do you count yourself among the many who have tried it? If you’re planning your own solo trip, here are four important things to keep in mind.

    2     Since you’re traveling solo, how you choose to explore it is entirely up to you. This is your chance to do whatever you want whenever you want because this time, you’re running the show.

Don’t be afraid to talk to random people. Though there is someone who poses a threat, it’s important to remember that not everyone is out to get you.     3    That’s because you’re a novelty, a person from another country who is visiting theirs. Therefore, instead of putting on your headphones or instantly seeing them as weirdos, use this spontaneous chat as a chance to meet the locals or get recommendations for things to do during your trip.

It’s okay to have bad days.     4     It happens and it’s completely okay to take some time to process whatever it is you’re feeling. Take yourself to a movie or spend the day dong something relaxing like writing in your journal or reading on the beach.

It’s okay to start small.     5     Start by doing a staycation in another part of town, spending a few days in a new locale a bus or train ride away. Just do whatever you’re comfortable with and see how it all feels for you.

A．You are the boss of your own adventure.

B．You need to make an unusual travel choice.

C．It’s no secret that solo travel is on the rise.

D．Sometimes things can go incredibly wrong.

E．People like you simply don’t know how to start.

F．Most of the time people are just curious and try to be friendly.

G．Remember, your first solo trip doesn’t have to be to a whole other continent.

3 . 18 years ago, a 14-year-old boy from Kasungu district in Malawi was forced to drop out of school for lack of fees. At the same time, a severe famine was destroying his village, claiming people’s lives and leaving desperation in its wake.

This was a situation to break the strongest of minds but William Kamkwamba did not give up. Young as he was, he knew that education was where his future lay. He found hope in the library and feasted on the knowledge that he harvested from its books. It was there that he came across a science textbook entitled Using Energy. He learned that he could generate electricity using wind. The youngster realized that, if mastered, this power could help his village in exceptional ways.

Armed with determination and an iron will, the teenager set out to build a windmill out of random materials from a scrapyard (垃圾场). Though his outside world was collapsing to dust, the youngster did not hesitate about his purpose. He defended himself from all doubt and criticism. He worked tirelessly until his dream of bringing electricity to his village became reality. Soon, he was caught in the center of media attention that took him to new places that he would never have stepped on without his invention.

In his village, the dust has not settled yet and the winds of change continue to blow across the land. Windmills pump water to irrigate crops, sweeping away another period of hunger. William’s former primary school boasts new and stronger buildings, thanks to the help of well-wishers and the villagers’ united efforts.

What seemed like a hopeless situation has been turned into an inspirational story that motivates each and every one of us, persuading us that no misfortune is set in stone. William refused to be a school drop-out forever. He sought solutions for his problems and continued fighting even when the going got tough. He was able to rise above poverty to become a graduate from one of America’s best universities, Dartmouth College.

1. What inspired William to bring electricity to his village?

A．His realization of the impact of electricity.	B．His awareness of the role of education.
C．The science textbook entitled Using Energy.	D．The severe famine destroying his village.

2. What can we learn from paragraph 3?

A．All people didn’t support William’s dream at first.

B．The public had little interest in William’s invention.

C．The invention enabled William to make a big fortune.

D．The windmill is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

3. What does the underlined words “set in stone”in the last paragraph mean?

A．Visible.

B．Avoidable.

C．Unchangeable.

D．Unpredictable.

4. What message does the author want to convey in this story?

A．Knowledge feasts mind and education promises wealth.

B．Necessity inspires invention and hardship makes heroes.

C．Criticism promotes success and doubt facilitates creation.

D．Adversity motivates inspiration and support pushes solutions.

4 . They thought it was going to be easy. A piece of cake. The band, Suenalo, were excited that they would present their skills to a group of troubled youth at a detention center (少管所).   

They arrived at the invitation of a friend, who was an adviser at the center. He had mentioned a career day where members of the community came to speak to the teens about their jobs. Usually the speakers were bankers or lawyers, so he thought it would be interesting for the kids to meet some musicians and maybe even hear some music. “They need something cool to get their attention” was the pitch from the friend.

The kids, about 40, were brought in, looking distant, some even angry. Chad Bernstein, the trombone player, started telling the career of a musician from touring to copyright to the business aspects, trying to draw their interest. However, it didn’t. Sensing that they couldn’t win, the band, a little thrown, decided to play one song. With music going, the kids seemed to respond, their heads nodding to the beat. One of them sang a lyric (歌词). The band sang it back. Then, one by one, the musicians began picking up the beat. Chad started free styling a rap, going back and forth with the kid, and in no time, other kids jumped in. Suddenly the band and the kids were creating a song from scratch and all of them were in musical heaven.

For Chad, that moment inspired him to found Guitars Over Guns, an organization that pairs at-risk middle-schoolers with professional musicians. As both music teachers and life coaches, the musicians give the kids a way to find their creative voices and get through dark times. Over time, the kids have dropped their tough fronts and shared personal stories, from family tragedies to ordinary struggles at school with friends.

“So far we’ve helped over 2,700 students. Our work is highly satisfying because it shows us that a music career is more than a job, it can have more impact,” says Chad Bernstein.

1. Why did the band come to the detention center?

A．To get attention.

B．To display skills.

C．To plan their careers.

D．To chat about music.

2. What can we learn about the song created on the spot?

A．Its lyrics were from the kids.	B．Chad owned its copyright.
C．It was composed cooperatively.	D．The kids picked up its beat.

3. What does Guitars Over Guns do to help at-risk teens?

A．Offer guidance on life.	B．Give full school instruction.
C．Relate personal stories.	D．Promote awareness of risks.

4. What kind of person is Chad Bernstein?

A．Disciplined.

B．Purposeful.

C．Humorous.

D．Traditional.

5 . A Maryland couple stranded (滞留) without food in the freezing cold on a Virginia highway. They were getting ________ and more discouraged by the minute.

After almost 21 hours of being ________ on 95 South, Casey and her husband John slept there overnight and not ________ access to food or water. At that time, they ________ a Schmidt Baking Co. truck ahead of them in the standstill. “People around us were very much ________. Many of them had small children, some were elderly and hadn’t eaten in almost a whole day. ” In a desperate bid for a ________, they decided to call the Schmidt Bakery and see if it could help ________ some much-needed food for them, as well as their fellow highway captives.

“I didn’t think it would ________ work,” said Casey, who left a message with customer service. But to their ________, 20 minutes later, they actually got a ________ from Chuck Paterakis, the owner of the bakery. He told them to walk over to the truck driver, Ron, who was given the go-ahead to start handing out ________ to 50 motorists. Then, the couple joined the driver in making ________. Soon, others joined the effort, in which some 300 loaves were ________.

“It felt incredible just hearing people say thank you and hearing them so ________ to finally have food in their car. This was one of the ________ moments I have ever witnessed.” recalled Casey.

1.

A．farther

B．hungrier

C．poorer

D．angrier

2.

A．hit

B．rescued

C．stuck

D．fined

3.

A．seeking

B．having

C．limiting

D．allowing

4.

A．spotted

B．rented

C．searched

D．repaired

5.

A．cheering

B．begging

C．joking

D．struggling

6.

A．job

B．shelter

C．gift

D．bite

7.

A．provide

B．prepare

C．store

D．select

8.

A．occasionally

B．suddenly

C．actually

D．routinely

9.

A．credit

B．amusement

C．surprise

D．honor

10.

A．loan

B．call

C．request

D．visit

11.

A．bread

B．cash

C．flyers

D．permits

12.

A．bookings

B．comments

C．schedules

D．deliveries

13.

A．put away

B．given out

C．cut up

D．hunted for

14.

A．honored

B．concerned

C．generous

D．relieved

15.

A．hardest

B．kindest

C．proudest

D．longest

6 . I’ve always loved horses, but for years my riding took a back seat to my four kids’ soccer games, dance recitals and so on. As my children became more _______,I decided it was time to put myself _______the calendar, not always being at the beck and call of my family.

I have a work-to-ride rent at a nearby stable (马厩). As soon as I arrive at the stable, I always _______ to take a deep breath or two, inhaling the sweetness of freshly mown hay (干草). Then I go for a joyride. Sometimes, I’m_______by a friend and other times I ride solo, but it’s always a reset and _______ of my batteries for another week in the real world.

One day, as I wiped off my bridle (马笼头), my friend Mary asked with sad eyes, “Did you hear about Heather? She _______ her son last week.”

“No, how awful! Heather’s son is around my age.” I murmured.

“Yes, it’s tragic,” she said. “I _______to her yesterday. She seemed okay despite everything.”

“Yesterday? She was out here?”

“She and her grandsons went for a trail _______. This is the best place to be when you need to _______real life,” Mary commented knowingly.

I nodded ________. Mary’s husband had just ________a horrible disease, and whenever she wasn’t taking care of him, she was here to take care of herself. We all ________ various levels of heart-hurt on a daily basis. Our stable is pure________— from worry, frustration, hurt, even unimaginable loss.

Relief from real life. We all need it, somewhere, somehow, because life is ________. I’m so glad I’ve found that horse time can make the hardest landings a little ________.

1.

A．ambitious

B．enthusiastic

C．independent

D．responsible

2.

A．on

B．in

C．off

D．behind

3.

A．forget

B．hesitate

C．regret

D．stop

4.

A．persuaded

B．joined

C．refused

D．forced

5.

A．replacement

B．recovery

C．recharge

D．repair

6.

A．lost

B．beat

C．abandoned

D．raised

7.

A．wrote

B．talked

C．explained

D．whispered

8.

A．adventure

B．walk

C．visit

D．ride

9.

A．get through

B．get over

C．get away from

D．get across

10.

A．silently

B．hurriedly

C．gratefully

D．eagerly

11.

A．spread

B．developed

C．controlled

D．prevented

12.

A．result from

B．recover from

C．depart from

D．suffer from

13.

A．concern

B．affection

C．escape

D．value

14.

A．tough

B．precious

C．simple

D．unclear

15.

A．neater

B．smoother

C．softer

D．higher

7 . For want of a chip, the factory was lost. On May 18th Toyota became the latest carmaker forced to cut production in a global shortage of microchips, announcing it would stop work at two of its plants in Japan. Other car makers have also had to send workers home.

The pain is not limited to the car industry, for the shortage spans all sorts of chips, from the expensive, high-tech devices that power smartphones and data-centers to the simple sensors and micro-controllers that have become a vital commodity (商品). This chip drought is the result of the covid-19 pandemic interacting with an industry that is subject to cycles of boom and bust.

“The most important thing”, says Malcolm Penn, who runs a chip-industry consultancy, “is that shortages are a natural part of the industry.” Chipmaking is a good example of a “pork-cycle” business, named for the regular swings between under- and over-supply in pork markets. As with pigs, the supply of chips cannot quickly react to changes in demand. Capacity was tight even before the pandemic, says Mr Penn, pointing out that investment by chipmakers in factory equipment has been below its long-term average for many years.

The pandemic arrived at the worst possible time. After an early crash, demand in several fields boomed. Locked-down consumers bought laptops and other devices. Cloud-computing operators added servers to deal with the wave of home-workers. The car industry was particularly badly hit by a decision to cut orders early in the pandemic-demand for cars has since recovered. But the complexities of the production process mean it takes time to recover. “I can cancel my orders in an afternoon,” says Mr. Penn. “If I want to start them up again, that takes months--and that capacity is now busy serving other customers.”

But the pork cycle is turning once again. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s biggest chipmaker, plans to spend $30bn on new capacity this year. Two other giants, have also decided on further investment. That will bring relief to the wider economy, but not immediately. The boss of IBM said he thought the shortages might last for two years. And, says Mr Penn, when the drought eventually ends, chipmakers may find they face a familiar problem on a bigger scale: a capacity investment in response to serious shortages today could well mean a sizeable surplus (过剩) tomorrow.

1. How does the author illustrate the cyclical nature of chipmaking in paragraph 3?

A．By referring to a quotation.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By drawing a conclusion.	D．By presenting an argument.

2. What may the investment mentioned in paragraph 5 eventually lead to?

A．Improved supply chain stability.	B．Timely assistance to the business.
C．Economic growth in related sectors.	D．Possible future oversupply of chips.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Production capacity would recover soon.

B．A combination of reasons led to chip shortage.

C．An investment of S30bn was enough for the problem.

D．Toyota was the first carmaker to suspend production.

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Loading, please wait	B．Dying, please act
C．Calling, please respond	D．Over-supplying, please stop

8 . Summer may well be the favourite season of classical music lovers, with numerous festivals spanning all genres and composers taking place worldwide. And what’s better than enjoying a live performance of your favourite piece? Enjoying it in the great outdoors, of course!

Verbier Festival, Switzerland

Nestled in the breathtaking Swiss Alps at 1500 metres altitude is a picturesque little village called Verbier. Its magical two-week celebration festival has become known for attracting the biggest soloists in the world, and this year, marking its 30th anniversary, is no exception with its all-star cast: Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, the young superstar cellist Sheku-Kanneh Mason and many others.

July 14 — July 30, verbierfestival.com

Granada International Festival, Spain

Since 1952, the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada has taken up residence in Alhambra Palace and its gardens during the months of June and July, to showcase classical music, opera ballet, Spanish dance and flamenco. The outdoor Generalife Theatre presents the visual spectaculars of the Spanish National Ballet, Hamburg Ballet and Spain’s National Dance Company. Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan will also draw crowds to the breathtaking Generalife.

June 21 — July 19, grandafestival.org

Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland

With the Edinburgh International Festival around every corner, there’s a wonderful atmosphere on the historic streets of Edinburgh in August. Historic squares become circles as people gather to watch miraculous performers. This year, it welcomes violinist Nicola Benedetti as festival director with a fresh programme that invites international guests including the Alvin Ailey from American Dance Theatre, and South Korea’s KBS Symphony Orchestra in their first ever UK performance.

August 4 — August 27, eif.co.uk

Grand Tet on Music Festival, USA

Located at the base of the Tet on mountain range in Wyoming and within easy reach of Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Teton Music Festival offers unrivalled access to the natural world as well as eight weeks of music. The programme will open with a cycle of Beethoven piano concertos with local pianist Garrick Ohlsson and close with concert performances of Puccini’s La bohème.

July 3 — August 27, gtmf.org

1. Which festival is suitable for ballet enthusiasts?

A．Verbier Festival.	B．Grand Teton Music Festival.
C．Granada International Festival.	D．Edinburgh International Festival.

2. What do these four festivals have in common?

A．They are all held in mountains.

B．They are all over three weeks long.

C．They all offer outdoor venues to enjoy music.

D．They all invite famous musicians from home and abroad.

3. Where is the text most probably taken from?

A．A music magazine.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A commercial advertisement.	D．An art guidebook.

9 . 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。

Shoes may not be the first thing one would notice of these 2, 200-year-old Terracotta Warriors,     1     an initial analysis of their footwear showed that these humble accessories might have played a “vital role” in the Qin army. Two Chinese researchers made     2     copy of the footwear using the shoe-making techniques and materials known to be used by the Qin people when the warriors     3     (build). The study found that the replicas provided the wearers with “a more comfortable, stable and efficient”     4     (walk) experience.

    5     (equal) fascinating are the warriors’ clothes: they were candy-coloured. When the Terracotta Warriors were originally created, they were painted a bright array of reds, blues, and greens,     6     are believed to have matched the colours of the clothing worn by the Qin soldiers. In many cases, the paint has not survived the centuries after the warriors     7    (burn) by fires or soaked in floods, but a few of the warriors have been unearthed     8     their original colouring still largely undamaged. A 2019 study found that the colors were mixed with various protein-based binders, such as egg, animal glues and milk, before     9     (paint) onto the soldiers to help secure the paint.

    10     (reconstruct) based on this research seem to suggest the Qin fashion-at least in the army-was to clash colours (撞色).