2 . It is difficult to name a female architect more iconic than Zaha Hadid, whose name can be translated from Arabic as glorious. She passed away five years ago at the age of 65, but the impact she has left on the world of architecture is profound.

Hadid was born into an upper-class Iraqi family in 1950. At the very beginning, she wanted to become a mathematician and studied science at the American University of Beirut, But at some point she realized that she preferred shapes to numbers. And she turned her concentration to architecture and went to London where she met the famous Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.

“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?” Hadid once said. Despite her abundance of amazing ideas, before the beginning of the 90s, not a single building based on her blueprints had been built. Her highly expressive style, while initially criticized and believed to be crazy, is now regarded as pioneering work. Her striking contemporary architecture, inspired by natural landforms, has graced the skylines of major metropolitan cities.

“Women are always being told, ‘you’re not going to make it; It’s too difficult. You can’t do that Don’t enter this competition; You’ll never win it’,” Hadid said. “They need confidence in themselves and people around them for support.”

Never one to be boxed in by conventions, Hadid proved society wrong. She received her first prize, the “Gold Medal Architectural Design” for her British Architecture in 1982. From then on, the awards kept rolling in. But the true triumph for Hadid came in 2004. Her project for the London Olympics Aquatic Center won her the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She became the first woman and first Muslim to earn the award, making a name for herself and paving the way for female architects.

Hadid’s genius lives on in the array of many other spectacular buildings she has left behind in the world. Among them are the Guangzhou Opera House, the Beijing Daxing International Airport, as well as the Al Wakrah Stadium in Qatar where the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held.

Hadid may be gone, but her global influence on a new generation of female architects is here to stay.

1. What made Hadid quit science to learn architecture?

A．Her talent in architecture.

B．Her interest in architecture.

C．Her difficulty in learning science.

D．Her encounter with Rem Koolhaas.

2. What can we learn about Hadid’s works?

A．Her architecture was inspired by mathematics

B．Her British Architecture won her the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

C．Her architecture style was too bold to be accepted at the very beginning.

D．Her works can only be found in European countries and the Middle East.

3. What does paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．The talk between Hadid and her colleague.

B．The reason why women fail to be architects.

C．The prejudice from society against women.

D．The difficulty Hadid faced being an architect.

4. What is the most profound impact Hadid has left on the world?

A．She formed a unique style.

B．She broke away from the convention.

C．She received various architecture awards

D．She encouraged other women architects.

3 . The tea that has delighted and fascinated the world for thousands of years has finally received top-level global recognition as a shared cultural treasure of mankind. China’s traditional tea-making was added on Tuesday to the intangible cultural heritage list of UNESCO.

The traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China consist of knowledge, skills and practices concerning the management of tea plantations, picking of tea leaves, manual(手工的)processing, drinking and sharing of tea. Since ancient times, Chinese people have been planting, picking, making and drinking tea. Tea producers have developed six categories of tea: green, yellow, dark, white, oolong and black teas. Together with reprocessed teas, such as flower-scented teas, there are over 2, 000 tea products in China.

Tea-related customs are not only found across the country, but also influence the rest of the world through the ancient Silk Road and trade routes. Tea is ubiquitous in Chinese people’s daily life, as steeped(浸泡)or boiled tea is served in families, workplaces, tea houses, restaurants and temples, etc. It is also an important part of socialization and ceremonies such as weddings and sacrifices. The practice of greeting guests and building relationships within families and among neighbors through tea- related activities is common to multiple ethnic groups, providing a sense of shared identity and continuity for the communities.

In China, 44 registered national-level intangible cultural heritage entries are related to tea. There are over 40 vocational colleges and 80 universities that have set up majors in tea science or tea culture, resulting in over 3,000 graduates specializing in tea production and art every year, according to the ministry.

China now has 43 items on the intangible cultural heritage list, continuing to be the most enlisted country in the world.

1. What can be learnt from the passage?

A．Chinese producers developed 44 categories of tea.

B．Tea is quite popular with people all over the country.

C．More than 2,000 tea products could be found in China.

D．There’ re about 300 graduates specializing in tea production every year.

2. What does the underlined word “ubiquitous” probably mean?

A．rare

B．common

C．temporary

D．available

3. How does the author emphasize the promotion of tea culture in Paragraph 4?

A．By listing figures.	B．By making definitions.
C．By giving examples.	D．By making comparisons.

4. In which kind of book may this text appear?

A．A textbook.	B．A travel journal.
C．A story book.	D．A cultural magazine.

6 . Award-winning Chinese shoe designer, Huang Qinqin, shares her transformative journey, combining cultural heritage and international design to shape the art of practical wear.

Believing that the value of her products doesn’t lie in business operation, Huang always focuses on how to convey the stories behind her shoes to customers instead.“It is like storytelling, a natural ability I possess,” she said with a smile.

However, Huang’s journey into design was unforeseen and it took her several years to discover her true passion. Huang switched her major from physics to international communications studies at university.While she found great enjoyment in these courses, she still didn’t know what she could do in the future.

“One day, I grabbed a sheet of paper and began drawing some shoe designs I saw online.It was at that moment that the light suddenly dawned.” recalled Huang.

To her astonishment, Huang discovered while international luxury shoe brands like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin are household names, Chinese brands are rarely seen.This finding fueled Huang’s determination to pursue her career as a shoe designer, hoping to fill the blank in the international market.

After returning to China from the UK, Huang established her own shoe brand.“I think Chinese students studying abroad today all share a strong sense of mission—to showcase what China truly has to offer to the world,” Huang said.

Looking back, Huang said that she took a long time to finally find her lifelong passion.“There is a saying that one must achieve fame at a young age, but I believe it is never too late to unlock one’s potential, since everyone operates on their unique ‘time zone’,” she said.

Before her current career path, Huang never stopped trying new things, including garden design and dance.These diverse experiences have all become precious treasures in her life, nurturing her self-directed learning abilities, which have turned out to be essential skills for her startup business today.

1. What does Huang value most about her products?

A．Design concept.	B．Market share.
C．Quality standard.	D．Business operation.

2. What further motivated Huang Qinqin to be a shoe designer?

A．Passion for fashion and design.

B．Lack of Chinese brands in the field.

C．Desire to challenge conventional norms.

D．Love for international luxury shoe brands.

3. What can best describe Huang?

A．Creative and flexible.

B．Ambitious and easy-going.

C．Talented and accessible.

D．Responsible and humorous.

4. What might Huang agree with?

A．Well begun is half done.

B．Think twice before you leap.

C．Every step counts in your life.

D．It matters much when you succeed.

7 . 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。

The 78th United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution (决议) on Friday, officially     1     (announce) the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, as a UN floating holiday. Experts said the move shows the     2     (significance) influence of Chinese culture and will contribute     3     the promotion of the Global Civilization Initiative.

The Lunar New Year not only bears the ideas of peace and harmony     4     (value) by Chinese civilization but also carries the common values of humanity such as family harmony and harmonious coexistence between humans     5     nature.

The reason why the Lunar New Year can pass national borders and is increasingly welcomed by many countries     6     (lie) mainly in the rich cultural heritage of China and the driving force of globalization. As the world’s second-largest economy, China’s cultural elements have spread alongside its economic influence. In the trend of globalization, people’s interest in diverse cultures is     7     (gradual) increasing, and the Lunar New Year has become a major means for people     8     (communicate) and connect.

Therefore, the official     9     (recognize) of the Chinese New Year as a UN holiday fully reflects an emphasis on the inheritance and innovation of civilization,     10     will promote exchanges and mutual learning among diverse world cultures and actively embody the UN’s values of diverse and inclusive cultural ideals.

8 . At ancient sites across the Amazon River basin, mysterious plots of unusually rich soil dot (点缀) the landscape. Scientists have long debated the origin of this “dark earth”, which is darker in color than surrounding soils and richer in carbon. Some people think this dark earth formed naturally, but the latest research has shown that modern Kuikuro people in Brazil create similar soil around their villages on purpose, which adds evidence to the idea that long-ago Amazons deliberately made such soil too. Perron, an earth scientist at MIT, reviewed interviews of Kuikuro people conducted by a Kuikuro filmmaker in 2018 and found that Kuikuro villagers actively make dark earth by using ash, food bits and controlled burns. “When you plant in hilly land, the soil is weak,” explained elder Kanu Kuikuro in one of the interviews. That is why we throw the ash, manioc peelings and manioc pulp. When comparing soil samples from ancient and modern sites, researchers found “striking similarities” — both were far less acidic than surrounding soils and contained higher levels of plant-friendly nutrients.

Analyses also revealed that dark earth holds twice the amount of carbon as surrounding soils on average. Scans (扫描) of the Xingu region suggest that the area is dotted with dark earth, and that hold as much as about 9 million tons of carbon — the annual carbon emissions of a small, industrialized country. “This number could roughly equal the annual carbon emissions of the United States when all dark earth across the Amazon is taken into consideration,” Perron says.

Figuring out the true value of carbon stored in the Amazon’s dark earth will require more data. Still, the research has significant influences on the Amazon’s future. The technique highlights how ancient people were able to live in the Amazon by developing sustainable farming that doubled as a carbon-storing technique. With more and more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, it could also provide a blueprint for developing methods of sustainably locking atmospheric carbon in the soil, helping fight climate change.

1. What can we infer from the dark earth across the Amazon River basin?

A．They are more acidic than surrounding soils.

B．They contain more organic nutrients.

C．They formed naturally.

D．They contain less carbon.

2. Why does the author mention the annual carbon emissions of the US?

A．To explain the difficulty of protecting dark earth.

B．To show the wide distribution of dark earth in Amazon.

C．To stress the huge carbon-storing capability of dark earth.

D．To reveal the large carbon emissions of the United States.

3. What does the author stress in the last paragraph?

A．The importance of developing sustainable farming.

B．The advanced farming technology in ancient tomes.

C．A possible solution to climate change.

D．A way of green agriculture.

4. Which is the best title of the text?

A．Urgency of Sustainable Development	B．Facts About the Dark Earth
C．Advantages of the Dark Earth	D．Wisdom of Ancient Amazons

9 . Here are four festival s around the world that can offer you special and unique experiences.

Carnival of Oruro, Bolivia       

As one of the largest events in South America which has been held since the 18th century, it was recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Every year, dozens of groups wear colorful costumes or masks and perform folk dances that draw crowds up to 400,000 annually, celebrating pre-Columbian traditions.

Underwater Music Festival, the USA       

It starts from 1985 and its founder took music festival s to a whole new level with the aim to protect the corals (珊瑚). The event houses radio playlists and ocean-themed songs streaming live from underwater speakers along with musician-divers and local people playing instruments with strange shapes.

Day of the Little Candles, Colombia

This festival can date back to 1854 and Colombia’s windows, balconies, and sidewalks would come alive on the night of every December 7. And houses and streets are decorated with candles in varying colors and paper lanterns by families. Many people also consider it the unofficial start of the Christmas season when cities and towns debut (初次登场) their Christmas lights and decorations.

World Toe Wrestling Championship, England

This competition is not a new competition, with its history going back to 1976. The sport involves two opponents who lock feet in an attempt to pin each other’s foot down in the least time possible, similar to arm wrestling. There are three rounds played on a best of 2 out of 3 bases. Rounds kick-start with the right foot, then left and followed by right again.

1. What do we know about Carnival of Oruro?

A．It features colorful costumes and folk dances.

B．It is a time for families to reunite.

C．It is no use for the local economy.

D．It only has one single presentation.

2. What does Day of the Little Candles feature?

A．Body strength.	B．Colorful candles.
C．Underwater creatures.	D．Christmas goods.

3. Which festival has the shortest history?

A．Carnival of Oruro.	B．Day of the Little Candles.
C．Underwater Music Festival.	D．World Toe Wrestling Championship.

10 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

December strode (阔步走) into the mountains of Colorado, shooting snowflakes and blowing them into a thick blanket of white. As Christmas approached, the farmers there closed down most wooden houses for a holiday cheer. Not all were closed, however. There was still work to be done, and someone had to stay. That someone was Slim Carter.

Old Jake, another farmer there, had offered to keep him company, but Slim shook his head. “After all, a young man like me has got plenty of Christmases ahead,” Slim joked. Before Jake offered to stay again, Slim hurried on. “I’ll just have a private Christmas this year, and that’s the way I want it.” So he was left alone at the house. Alone, with his horse in the farm and the wolves roaring in the forest nearby.

Truth was, Slim had decided not to celebrate Christmas at all. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Christmas. In fact, his Christmas memories were good ones. His mother would fill their house with the light of candles and the smell of candy. His father would make their Christmas tree hunt an all-day, men-only affair. Slim smiled as he remembered sitting on the broad back of their horse with the freshly cut tree along behind. Back home, they would cover the tree with paper snowflakes and homemade decorations and sing all the Christmas songs they knew. And that’s the way he liked it. Those were the memories he pulled out on nights when he was working alone. Such memories warmed him inside, even if his outsides were aching with cold.

This was Slim’s first year away from home. “Christmas is nothing if not spent with family,” Slim declared to the empty house. That was the real reason he’d sent Jake away. He figured he would handle Christmas better if he just pretended it was an ordinary winter workday.

But on Christmas Eve, as Slim headed back with snow beneath his feet and stars overhead, his head hung low. It was Christmas, even without the tree and the gifts. Christmas, and he was all alone.

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。

Then he remembered decorating the tree with his family again.

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While singing to his decorated Christmas tree, Slim heard a knock on the door.

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