1 . Antarctica (南极洲) is a great, icy land mass, surrounded by the huge Southern Ocean. The ice in Antarctica doesn’t just cover the land. There’s also a huge area of sea ice which floats (漂浮) on the ocean’s surface.

However, scientists have reported that Antarctica’s sea ice is at a record low level. That’s worrying because the sea ice is an important part of the Earth’s cooling system. When it’s frozen, sea ice throws sunlight back out into space. But when the sea ice melts (融化), the water left behind is darker, and takes in and keeps more heat.

Every year, the sea ice at the South Pole goes through a cycle of melting and freezing. In summer, the huge masses of sea ice melt to their smallest point. Over the colder winter months, the sea ice grows and grows until it covers an extremely wide area. For most of this time, Antarctica has seemed to be almost unaffected by the changing weather conditions. In fact, until recent years, Antarctica’s sea ice area mainly set records for growing. That began to shrink.

This year, Antarctica’s sea ice was at a new record low — not just by a little bit, but by a lot. The last time Antarctica’s low sea ice set a record at the end of winter was in 1986. And this year, there’s about 398,000 square miles less sea ice than in 1986.

Scientists are working hard to better understand Antarctica. It’s not yet clear if the low sea ice level is a short-term problem, or part of climate change. The concern is that the melting sea ice could start a cycle that might cause even more ice to melt.

The ice loss problems in Antarctica are fairly recent, but the same is not true at the North Pole. where the low level of sea ice has been a concern for years. But the present situation is now similar in both places.

1. What makes the sea ice important for humans？

A．It helps cool the planet.

B．It increases the area of land.

C．It affects the height of the sea level.

D．It has the cycle of melting and freezing.

2. What does the underlined word “shrink” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Cooling off.

B．Moving.

C．Breaking up.

D．Reducing.

3. What do we know about the low sea ice level in Antarctica?

A．It will become a long-term problem.

B．It will take time to discover its cause.

C．It will lead to rapid changes in climate.

D．It will affect its melting-and-freezing cycle.

4. The author mentions the 1986 record and the North Pole to show________.

A．the influence of Antarctica’s low sea ice level

B．the seriousness of Antarctica’s low sea ice level

C．the importance of dealing with climate change

D．the differences between Antarctica and the North Pole

2 . If you connected your grandparents with flowers or blooms, what types would they be?

A theory called “orchids (兰花) and dandelions (蒲公英)” was introduced to describe how people adapt to their environment. Just like orchids that need specific conditions to grow, some people show a similar nature. On the other hand, dandelions, like weeds, can grow almost anywhere and stay strong even in difficult environments. The theory, which first came out in 2005, was created to understand how kids grow up. But in 2022, Canadian scientists discovered it also applies to older people. They investigated the lifestyle activities of more than 3,530 older adults, and then studied the influence of these activities on their cognitive (认知的) health, including whether their cognitive patterns changed.

The cognitive patterns of “dandelion” elders appear steady, which means that they tend to have better cognitive health, showing great adaptation and an ability to handle tough conditions. Dandelion-type seniors usually have strong social networks, engage positively with family members and the community, and always seek out the silver linings in life experiences. Having various hobbies or careers, they actively communicate with the world and realize their values, which allows them to find satisfaction in life.

Orchid-type seniors, who tend to have changes in cognitive patterns, maintain limited communication with the outside world. While deeply crazy about one or two hobbies or careers, they tend to focus on these interests. Although they may do well in familiar environments, unfavorable conditions lead them to overreact and struggle.

Knowing what flower type your grandparents are enables you to love and care for them better and helps them enjoy delightful and fulfilling golden years. Dandelions sometimes might struggle with loneliness, so family members’ company is helpful in such cases. For orchids, families should encourage them to express how they feel and what they need.

1. What is the “orchids and dandelions” theory mainly about?

A．The change of lifestyle.	B．Personal response to conditions.
C．Growth habit of two plants.	D．Differences between generations.

2. What do the underlined words “silver linings” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Surprising truths.	B．Unexpected turns.
C．Hopeful aspects.	D．Lasting memories.

3. What can we learn about orchid-type seniors?

A．They are willing to make changes.	B．They have good social connections.
C．They have a wide variety of hobbies.	D．They manage new conditions poorly.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Flowers and their influence.	B．Family members’ care and love.
C．An insight into seniors’ personalities.	D．Tips on how to improve seniors’ health.

3 . Tony, a teenager from India, is a lover of robotics. Recently, he has _______ a smart spoon, which can aid people with Parkinson’s disease to _______ by themselves. The spoon has won many _______ worldwide.

However, Tony’s original _______ of doing this was not for awards. _______ , his idea for this spoon came from his grandpa, who suffers from Parkinson. He often found his grandpa _______ to feed himself. His hands kept shaking and food kept falling off the spoon and flowing out of his mouth. Whenever he saw this, Tony’s heart _______ and he was determined to do something.

The development of the spoon did not go _______ For example, he failed to find some special electronic parts in his country and had to _______ them from other countries. Despite all the difficulties, Tony ________ in making the first model. Now the first ________ has gone through a few ________ based on the users’ feedback (反馈) . “The spoon has been ________ to be waterproof (防水的) so that it can be washed. And it needs to be deeper to hold more food,” Tony said.

Although there exist similar products in the market, they are not ________ for most people. Tony’s spoon solved the problem with its lower cost. He wished that everyone with Parkinson’s could eat without ________ on others.

1.

A．invented

B．suggested

C．sought

D．replaced

2.

A．reflect

B．respect

C．eat

D．tend

3.

A．beliefs

B．honors

C．benefits

D．accounts

4.

A．purpose

B．guideline

C．philosophy

D．opportunity

5.

A．Thus

B．Instead

C．So

D．Indeed

6.

A．rejecting

B．preferring

C．struggling

D．complaining

7.

A．scared

B．responded

C．admitted

D．ached

8.

A．quickly

B．smoothly

C．financially

D．separately

9.

A．import

B．fold

C．elect

D．decorate

10.

A．kept

B．succeeded

C．considered

D．avoided

11.

A．engine

B．software

C．design

D．award

12.

A．features

B．figures

C．cures

D．changes

13.

A．faded

B．selected

C．repaired

D．improved

14.

A．affordable

B．convenient

C．particular

D．fascinating

15.

A．pressing

B．upsetting

C．depending

D．approaching

4 . Patients with memory loss will often remember songs and specific song lyrics (歌词) . Doctors will often use music and lyric recall to help individuals recover lost memories. Music and its effect on memory has been a heated debate in the scientific world, but research now has found the evidence that music can get results on the job.

University of Kansas Medical Center researchers conducted an experiment where they divided 70 healthy adults, aged 60 to 83, into three groups based on their amount of musical experience: no musical training, one to nine years of music lessons and at least 10 years of musical study.

The participants, who had similar fitness and education levels and were free of Alzheimer’s disease, were given several cognitive (认知的) tests:

●Those with the greatest amount of musical experience did best on these tests of mental sharpness followed by those with less musical study followed by those who never took music lessons.

●Compared to non-musicians, the individuals with a high degree of musical experience had much higher scores on the cognitive tests, including those related to visual and special memory, naming objects and the brain’s ability to adapt to new information.

●The really cool part? The benefits of musical study and training were still obvious even in participants who no longer played an instrument.

Music and musical training have been shown to protect the aging brain and keep it healthy. Here’s a story about the power of music from Kimberly Hersey, whose father has Alzheimer’s:

“As a family, we didn’t know what to do when our father was diagnosed (确诊) with this Alzheimer’s disease. We have been through so many stages and now he seems to just be worsening to nothing. However, the music seems to have brought back some of his brain to him!”

Now, you can tell your mom that those hours of musical practice for high school band were totally worth it.

1. How does the researchers of University of Kansas Medical Center conduct their experiment?

A．By definition.	B．By comparison.
C．By listing examples.	D．By making comments.

2. The experiment found that the participants did best on these cognitive tests if ______.

A．they took less musical study

B．they never took music lessons

C．they suffer from Alzheimer’s disease

D．they are equipped with the greatest amount of musical experience

3. What does Kimberly Hersey think of the effect music has on his father?

A．It is fruitless.	B．It is satisfying.
C．It is unclear.	D．It needs further improvement.

4. What does the text mainly focus on?

A．Music benefits workouts.	B．Music helps lift spirits.
C．Music improves memory.	D．Music reduces stress and relieves anxiety.

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。

Stepping into the enormous house in Chullora, I was astonished. Hundreds of volunteers were wrapping presents or filling baskets. It was like Santa’s workshop.

It was December 2018, and I had discovered the Sydney Basket Brigade, a charitable organization that relieves poverty by providing food and other basic necessities of life to individuals or families who are poor, of low income or in need. The charity was packing baskets and gift boxes with basic daily items as well as Christmas treats. Help us change lives one basket at a time, their website read.

It was important to me that my two boys, Kallum, 10, and Brayden, 9, learnt to be kind to others, so I immediately registered (报名) myself, my husband Tony, and the boys for the packing day.

We arrived dressed in Christmas colours, but it was clear my sons hadn’t yet caught the spirit. Brayden made a complaint and asked, “How long do we have to stay here for?”

“All day, dear,” I answered.

My sons’ lives were comfortable, but I wanted to show the importance of making sacrifices (牺牲).

“Why do we have to do this?” Brayden asked.

“Because the world’s a big place,” I said. “It’s not all about us.”

The atmosphere in the house was very lively, but my boys were doing a very half-hearted job with the wrapping. I told them that this might be the only present someone gets. I showed them how to fold the corners and make the present look neat. The boys, both lovers of origami (折纸), finally started to have fun. I praised their work when they showed off their perfected wrapping.

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。

That evening, we delivered the first basket to an old woman.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On our way home, my sons became unusually quiet.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . I grew up in Kazakhstan. Before I moved to America, I never expected that I would experience a culture shock.

The first thing that ________ me was how Americans tend to be very ________. They will start a ________ with passengers on the bus and say hello to strangers on the street. Americans become friends first and build up ________ later. However, for Kazakhs, they have to ________ that someone is good and honest before having a harmonious ________. That’s why at first we may appear ________ because we have to know someone in order to ________ them, but once we do, we are very warm people.

Another aspect of American culture that I found different from my culture was a sense of ________ and personal space. Americans feel ________ when others stand too close. In America when friends greet, they shake hands or give a short hug and immediately step aside to have some ________ for conversation. Also, Americans do not ________ to be asked their age, weight, or personal matters. In Kazakhstan we greet each other with a hug and a kiss and personal space is not a ________. Kazakhs would rather speak sitting or walking quite close to each other. Moreover, it is ________ to ask about someone’s age or weight.

Part of the excitement of living in a new culture is knowing how it differs from your own culture. By learning to ________ the culture of another country, we become more open-minded.

1.

A．encouraged

B．confused

C．annoyed

D．inspired

2.

A．curious

B．honest

C．friendly

D．careful

3.

A．speech

B．fight

C．business

D．chat

4.

A．trust

B．confidence

C．support

D．strength

5.

A．announce

B．promise

C．believe

D．explain

6.

A．environment

B．balance

C．match

D．relationship

7.

A．cold

B．surprised

C．irresponsible

D．emotional

8.

A．catch up with

B．open up to

C．take notice of

D．look up to

9.

A．adventure

B．authority

C．privacy

D．belonging

10.

A．sorry

B．worthless

C．shocked

D．uncomfortable

11.

A．preparation

B．distance

C．chance

D．advice

12.

A．like

B．care

C．wait

D．need

13.

A．cause

B．test

C．lesson

D．choice

14.

A．normal

B．necessary

C．difficult

D．possible

15.

A．change

B．understand

C．describe

D．celebrate

7 . It’s often said that travel is all about the journey, but it can be almost as exciting to travel the world from the comfort of our homes. Just pick up several travel books that share the extraordinary ability to transport readers through time and space.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express

In 2019, American journalist Will Grant took on a 2,000-mile journey on horseback. Grant describes his 142-day adventure following the Pony Express that operated between April 1860 and October 1861. The Pony Express once used riders who traveled on horseback to deliver mall. While Grant reflects on the West’s modernization over time, it’s his vivid (生动的) descriptions of local residents along the way that make the book a real page-turner.

Unforgettable Journey s Europe

The book shows travel really is all about “getting there”. This inspirational book details 150 of Europe’s best slow adventures, such as kayaking through Lithuania and crossing the Arctic Circle by train. Photos, maps and plenty of information(including start and end points for trails, difficulty ratings and website links) are spread throughout the text, making the book as much colorful reference as it is inspiring to read.

Elixir: In the Valley at the End of Time

After a decade of living in the Scottish Highlands, native Bulgarian Kapka Kassabova returned to her roots (根) in Mesta Valley, a rural region known for its wild crops. The poet and writer set out to study the deep relationship between the area’s people and plants, as well as with the land itself. Her text explorers a lesser-known area filled with nature and traditional customs.

The Life Cycle

British writer and cyclist Kate Rawles took a 13-month journey across the length of the Andes Mountains en a self-built bamboo bicycle. During this journey, the author saw firsthand the harmful impacts of extreme biodiversity loss caused by human activity such as cutting down trees. She shared her concerns and insight in her book, and expected to inspire actions.

1. What is The Last Ride of the Pony Express mainly about?

A．A man’s journey along a historic mail route.

B．A comparison of different mail delivery systems.

C．A description of the American West’s modernization.

D．A man’s reflection on the history of the Pony Express.

2. What is a feature of Unforgettable Journeys Europe?

A．It introduces various wild plants.	B．It offers some practical travel tips.
C．It focuses on landscape photography.	D．It shows different traditions in Europe.

3. What does Kate Rawles hope to do with her book?

A．Document cultural diversity.	B．Call on people to protect nature.
C．Suggest cycling for human well-being.	D．Promote tourism in the Andes Mountains.

8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What can ChatGPT do?

A．Write long articles.

B．Give proper responses.

C．Reply to emails interestingly.

2. What do you know about the refund policy?

A．Your satisfaction is guaranteed by the policy.

B．Your refund will be back within 10 days.

C．You can get your refund after you’ve used 17, 000 words.

3. What’s the intention of the speaker?

A．To criticize Chat GPT.

B．To advertise Koala Chat.

C．To introduce Koala Chat.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. Why is the woman in a hurry?

A．She is catching a flight.

B．She will be late for a meeting.

C．She has an appointment to keep.

2. Which place will the woman pass by?

A．A shopping mall.

B．An art gallery.

C．A famous park.

10 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What is the main reason why the woman loves Taylor Swift?

A．Taylor’s songs.

B．Taylor’s hometown.

C．Taylor’s appearance.

2. Where did the woman first see Taylor Swift?

A．In the news.

B．On the Internet.

C．At the concert.