1 . Twelve-year-old Catherine has a lot of friends—632, actually, if you count up her online friends. And she spends a lot of time with them.

But is it possible that Catherine’s online friendships could be making her lonely? That’s what some experts believe. Connecting online is a great way to stay in touch, they say. However, some experts worry that many kids are so busy connecting online that they might be missing out on true friendships.

Could this be true? During your parents’ childhoods, connecting with friends usually meant spending time with them in the flesh. Kids played Scrabble around a table, not words with friends on their phones. When friends missed each other, they picked up the telephone. Friends might even write letters to each other.

Today, most communication takes place online. A typical teen sends 2,000 texts a month and spends more than 44 hours per week in front of a screen. Much of this time is spent on social media platform.

In fact, in many ways, online communication can make friendships stronger. “There’s definitely a positive influence. Kids can stay in constant contact, which means they can share more of their feelings with each other,” says Katie Davis, co-author of The App Generation.

Other experts, however, warn that too much online communication can get in the way of forming deep friendships. “If we are constantly checking in with our virtual world, we will have little time for our real-world friendships,” says Larry Rosen, a professor at California State University. Rosen also worries that today’s kids might mistake the “friends” on the social media for true friends in life. However, in tough times, you don’t need anyone to like your picture or share your blogs. You need someone who will keep your secrets and hold your hand. You would like to talk face to face.

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To tell about true friends.	B．To start a discussion.
C．To encourage online friendships.	D．To summarize(总结) the text.

2. What does the underlined part “in the flesh” mean in paragraph 3?

A．In any case.

B．In public.

C．In person.

D．In advance.

3. What is Katie’s attitude toward online communication?

A．Unconcerned.

B．Positive.

C．Worried.

D．Confused.

4. Which of the following is the Rosen’s view?

A．Teenagers need to focus on real-world friendships.	B．It’s easier to develop friendships in real life.
C．It’s wise to turn to friends online.	D．Social media help people stay closely connected.

2 . 假如你是某中学学生Lily，你的英国笔友Peter对中国元宵节很感兴趣，请给你的英国朋友Peter写一封信，告知他元宵节相关活动。内容包括：
1. 写信目的；
2. 活动内容：吃汤圆，赏灯，猜灯谜，舞龙舞狮（the dragon and lion dance）等；
3. 期待他的到来。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear Peter,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Lily

3 . 语法填空

Young Chinese    1     (be) fighting against society through a simple act of resistance: lying down. Examples of the “tangping”, or “lying flat”, way of life include not getting married, not having children, and refusing to work extra hours or to hold a job at all. “I stay at home and sleep and watch television series.” said Zhang, who described herself as “lying flat” for the last two weeks     2     leaving her job in the film industry in Wuxi.

“Tangping”     3     (emerge) over the last few months. Some compare them to the 1950s Beat Generation in the United States.     4     (other) call their behavior a form of nonviolent resistance. “People realize there is no upward mobility,” said Yicheng Wang, a PhD student in political science at Boston University. The term developed after     5     April post on the Tieba forum, whose author, unemployed for the last two years, described a low-effort, low-cost lifestyle consisting of just a few months’ work out of the year.

“Lying flat is my movement,” he     6     (write), referring to the Greek philosopher Diogenes, who was known for living in a large container. He posted a picture of himself lying in bed in the middle of the day with the curtains     7     (draw).

But as “tangping” gained     8     (popular), it also brought a level of dishonor. Nanfang Daily called the philosophy “shameful”. Global Times made light of it describing “lying flat” as “not a serious philosophy”.

For Zhang in Wuxi, lying flat is not about giving up or withdrawing from society. “Many people want to lie down because 996 is too     9     (tire),” she said, referring to the constant hours common in tech industry,     10     the staff are expected to work from 9 a. m. to 9 p. m. , six days a week. The philosophy is also about giving oneself a break.

4 . Chloe Smith is a girl aged 6 from Atlanta, Georgia. One day, while taking a walk with her father near their home, she________something shiny under a pile of rubbish. She picked up the ________ to take home, as she often did on her treasure-hunting walks. Chloe was later ________ to discover she had found a stolen Olympic gold medal.

The medal belongs to former canoeist (划艇运动员) Joe Jacobi, who won gold while ________ for Team USA in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games. The medal, along with other personal belongings, was ________ in May of 2016 when someone broke into Jacobi’s can. Though police managed to ________ some of his stolen items, they hadn’t been able to find his ________ Olympic medal. It may have been lost forever, if not for a 6-year-old girl’s treasure-hunting ________ .

Chloe’s dad had seen Jacobi’s story on the news, and ________ realized it was his stolen property. He found Jacobi’s email and sent him pictures of the treasure. After________ the medal, Jacobi was astonished, just speechless.

Chloe was ________ to give it back after speaking with Jacobi on the phone. ________, Jacobi promised to speak to her class when school begins again this fall. The ________ of this little girl reuniting an Olympian with his beloved possession is ________ . When we talk about character and doing the ________ thing, Chloe represents the Olympic values in every sense of the word.

1.

A．sought

B．buried

C．noticed

D．dropped

2.

A．waste

B．object

C．material

D．antique

3.

A．embarrassed

B．satisfied

C．frightened

D．shocked

4.

A．competing

B．applying

C．coaching

D．preparing

5.

A．broken

B．stolen

C．replaced

D．deserted

6.

A．purchase

B．register

C．preserve

D．recover

7.

A．secured

B．prized

C．advertised

D．priced

8.

A．project

B．decision

C．habit

D．idea

9.

A．quickly

B．gradually

C．really

D．carefully

10.

A．identifying

B．obtaining

C．evaluating

D．investigating

11.

A．sorry

B．eager

C．upset

D．hesitant

12.

A．In addition

B．In fact

C．In return

D．In advance

13.

A．purpose

B．report

C．attempt

D．story

14.

A．heart-warming

B．breath-taking

C．eye-catching

D．life-changing

15.

A．important

B．simple

C．interesting

D．right

5 . Adding to the achievements of a remarkable year, Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023.

Already a superstar before 2023, Swift’s career has reached new heights thanks to the beginning of her Eras Tour that brought her 3.5-hour performance to 66 shows in 23 cities across North America, Argentina and Brazil. Promoted by her tour, Swift has been named the most-streamed female artist in the history of Spotify and Apple Music. According to Billboard, the tour made about $900 million (about 6.4 billion yuan) in 2023. In addition, the tour’s movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the biggest concert movie of all time, taking more than $250

million globally.

As she was declare a billionaire by Bloomberg in November, a hidden “Taylor Swift economy” also promoted sales for business owners across the US. From soaps to a cruise inspired by her different “eras”, interest in Swift-related products went way up.

Apart from her financial contributions, Swift made a significant cultural impact by taking back control of her music. In 2019, her old record label, Big Machine, sold the master tapes of her first six albums (专辑) to Scoot er Braun. The sale meant that she didn’t have the rights to the albums. In response to this, Swift began re-recording her first six albums, tagging (加标签于) them “Taylor’s Version”. This move stressed her belief that artists deserve to own their work. “It’s all in how you deal with loss,” she told Time. “I respond to extreme pain by resisting.”

Heading into 2024, Swift will start the Eras Tour again in Japan and Australia. As USA Today noted, “Her current top has been a long time coming, but it may also be just beginning.”

1. What do we know about Taylor Swift?

A．She broke a new record on her tour.	B．She toured South America before 2023.
C．Her achievements received great recognition.	D．Her performance began with the Apple Music.

2. What other contribution did Taylor make except economy?

A．She proved herself to be an artist.	B．She learned to make some products.
C．She had influence on music culture.	D．She sold her master tapes to a company.

3. What can we learn about Taylor Swift from the last paragraph?

A．She will end her music career.	B．She will continue her Eras Tour.
C．She will reach her top in Japan.	D．She will make a record in Australia.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards Taylor Swift?

A．Admirable.

B．Uncaring.

C．Doubtful.

D．Critical.

6 . That artificial food dyes (染料) are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity (多动症) in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies (监管机构) around the world don’t necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. A 2021 peer-reviewed report by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes “cause or worsen neurobehavioral (神经行为的) problems in some children” and that the current levels that are regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.

California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.

Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, salad dressings and other products that don’t seem to cry out for a color boost.

In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered (引发) companies’ decisions to reformulate. “If you’re a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product.” says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts (同类商品).

Given that artificial food dyes are used far more than needed, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don’t dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition,” he says. “If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better.”

1. What can we learn about artificial food dyes from paragraph 1?

A．A 2021 report confirmed their negative effects.

B．The fact that they are harmful is newly revealed.

C．Regulatory agencies consider them a serious problem.

D．The Federal government thinks their current standard too high.

2. What does the underlined part “on par with” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．In opposition to.

B．In line with.

C．Ahead of.

D．Behind.

3. Which might be a possible result of the new rule according to the article?

A．Food companies will stop coloring their products.

B．More fresh fruits and vegetables will appear in the market.

C．Food companies may replace artificial dyes with natural products.

D．It will be hard to find packaged foods without warning labels of dyes.

4. What’s Joe Schwarcz’s attitude towards artificial food dyes?

A．Approving.

B．Neutral.

C．Tolerant.

D．Concerned.

8 . 假定你是李华，你准备邀请外教Peter参加学校即将举办的运动会，内容包括：1.相关时间地点；2.活动内容。
注意：1.写作词数应为80左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
Dear Peter,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours.

Lihua

9 . I was blind, but I was ashamed of it if it was known. I refused to use a white stick and hated asking for help. After all, I was a teenage girl, and I could not bear people to look at me and think I was not like them. I must have been a terrible danger on the roads. Coming across me wandering through the traffic, motorists probably would have to stop rapidly on their brakes. Apart from that, there were all sorts of disasters that used to occur on the way to and from work.

One evening, I got off the bus about halfway home where I had to change buses, and as usual I ran into something. “I’m awfully sorry,” I said and stepped forward only to run into it again. When it happened a third time, I realized I had been apologizing to a lamppost (街灯柱). This was just one of the stupid things that constantly happened to me. So I carried on and found the bus stop, which was a request stop, where the bus wouldn’t stop unless passengers wanted to get on or off. No one else was there and I had to guess if the bus had arrived.

Generally in this situation, because I hated showing I was blind by asking for help, I tried to guess at the sound. Sometimes I would stop a big lorry and stand there feeling stupid as it drew away. In the end, I usually managed to swallow (吞下) my pride and ask someone at the stop for help.

But at this particular evening no one joined me at the stop; it seemed that everyone had suddenly decided not to travel by bus. Of course I heard plenty of buses pass, or I thought I did. But because I had given up stopping them for fear of making a fool of myself, I let them all go by. I stood there alone for half an hour without stopping one. Then I gave up. I decided to walk on to the next stop.

1. The girl refused to ask for help because she thought ________.

A．she might be recognized	B．asking for help looked silly
C．being found blind was embarrassing	D．she was normal and independent

2. After the girl got off the bus that evening, she ________.

A．began to run	B．hit a lamppost by accident
C．hit a person as usual	D．was caught by something

3. Finally the girl decided to walk to the next stop, hoping ________.

A．to find more buses there	B．to find people there
C．to find the bus by herself there	D．to find people more helpful there

10 . 假定你是李华，上周五你校举办了一场主题为“健康与运动”的演讲比赛。请你为校英文报写一篇报道，内容包括：
1.参赛人员； 2.现场描述； 3.比赛反响。4. 80词左右。

A Speech Contest About “Health and Sport”

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