1 . Insider Flight Tips for Your Journey
Anyone can book a trip, but not everyone can plan an ultimate adventure that is affordable, accommodating and fun. At www. tripinsiders. org, we aim to provide you with the best insider secrets in the travel business. And on this website, we also offer a state-of-the-art travel comparison tool to make planning easier than ever. Here are some insider tips that we'd like to share with you about flights.
Look for Glitch (小故障) Fares
Online booking systems for airfare don’t come without a pricing mistake every once in a while. Follow deal-minded travel sites and blogs to learn about pricing mistakes that work in your favor. This is the most useful if you live near a major airport and have a flexible schedule.
Consider Alternate Airports
Some major cities have more than one airport, so make sure to check them all for the cheapest fares. For example, if you’re planning to visit the Bay Area of California, check for rates in both San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.
Cross the Border by Land
Domestic flights are often cheaper than international ones, so if you live near a border and want to fly to a neighboring country, you can save by crossing the border by land and then catching a domestic flight. For example, Toronto residents may save by crossing the American border into Buffalo and then flying to another American city.
Use a Digital Luggage Scale
There’s nothing more frustrating than learning that your bag is too heavy to fly or that it’ll cost you extra when you arrive at the airport. Digital luggage scales are great for making sure that you’re not going over the baggage limit with your new souvenirs.
1. What is the main purpose of www.tripinsiders.org ?| A．To recommend travel websites. | B．To fund the travel business. |
| C．To advertise a travel agency. | D．To uncover travel business secrets. |
| A．Selecting airports. | B．Flying the border. |
| C．Carrying more baggage. | D．Having a fixed schedule. |
| A．They cover all aspects of a trip. | B．They help travelers save money. |
| C．They merely apply to businessmen. | D．They are only for Toronto residents. |
2 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had
When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we
“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was negative nine degrees. It was
The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with
While the experience frightened us, it also
| A．become | B．met | C．criticized | D．blamed |
| A．persuade | B．introduce | C．divide | D．trick |
| A．award | B．examination | C．common | D．involvement |
| A．calculated | B．witnessed | C．booked | D．offered |
| A．bother | B．moment | C．fine | D．profit |
| A．overdue | B．aimless | C．freezing | D．mild |
| A．apparently | B．barely | C．instantly | D．straightly |
| A．signs | B．trees | C．materials | D．walls |
| A．convinced | B．warned | C．guided | D．advised |
| A．permanent | B．legal | C．polite | D．cool |
| A．modest | B．apologetic | C．motivated | D．depressed |
| A．fell | B．woke | C．asked | D．admitted |
| A．delayed | B．discouraged | C．interrupted | D．inspired |
| A．kind | B．answer | C．shortage | D．check |
| A．spoke up | B．went back | C．broke down | D．set off |
3 . Travis Gienger set a record for growing the world’s heaviest pumpkin, which weighed about 1,247 kilograms, in 2023. The middle-aged man was named the winner on Monday of the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. He won the same con test in 2022, whose pumpkin weighed 1,161 kilograms. The past world record for the heaviest pumpkin was set by a grower in Italy who produced a 1,226-kilogram pumpkin in 2021. “I was not expecting that,” Gienger said. He added that it felt good to win the world record.
Gienger is a teacher at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, Minnesota. He teaches agriculture and growing methods. And he has been producing pumpkins for nearly 30 years like his elders, especially his father, who used to raise pumpkins in the home property, which got him interested in planting. Gienger later devoted himself to working the land to plant.
Gienger first competed in Half Moon Bay’s yearly con test in 2020. He won three of the city’s last four pumpkin contests. “I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people’s faces, and it’s just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town,” Gienger said.
Gienger, who grew the pumpkins on the farm, had given his plants more care. This included watering them up to 12 times a day and feeding or fertilizing them, a little more than usual. Those contributed to his greater success in 2023.
The pumpkin champion won a $30,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin and setting a world record. Gienger’s pumpkin would be shown along with the second-place winners at the city’s upcoming Pumpkin Festival. At the event, visitors would be able to look at the pumpkin prize and take pictures with the growers.
In the United States, pumpkins are popular throughout the autumn. During the US holiday Halloween, on October 31, many people turn them into “jack-o’-lanterns”. A jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved, usually to show a frightening or funny face.
1. How did Gienger feel about his winning the world record?| A．Surprised. | B．Suspicious. | C．Expected. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．His family tradition. | B．His love for his farm. |
| C．His promise to his father. | D．His desire for winning a prize. |
| A．How many awards Gienger got in 2023. |
| B．How long Gienger worked a day in 2023. |
| C．Why Gienger grew pumpkins on the farm. |
| D．Why Gienger’s pumpkin was heavier than before. |
| A．It would be given to a visitor. |
| B．It would be made into a lantern. |
| C．It would be on show at a festival. |
| D．It would be used to decorate pictures. |
I was not sure why my dad and my uncle always disagreed with each other in the beginning. They spent many Sundays sitting at opposite ends of the table, arguing about everything. I didn’t think they got along well.
When I was eighteen, I got a call in my college dorm that my dad was having a health problem. My mom picked me up at midnight, so I could be there the next day when my dad was scheduled to transfer(转移) to a better hospital. I didn’t sleep that night, not a while. I was nervous and almost crazy when we arrived at the hospital early the next morning before the transfer.
That morning, as my mom and I walked down the hallway of the hospital, we could see straight into my dad’s room. A tall man wearing a stylish suit stood beside my father’s bed with his back to us. In surprise, my mom said to me, “How nice it is for a doctor to come by to see your dad so early in the morning.” The man was quiet and still, looking down, but he was holding both of my dad’s hands in his own. It seemed not to be a typical doctor’s behavior.
“It’s not a doctor,” I whispered softly to my mom. When the man turned around, we found that it was my uncle. However, little did I know I would continue to reflect on that quiet moment for decades. And it would be the beginning of something truly wonderful.
The hours that followed were some of the most hardest time of my youth. My dad had a serious stomach problem and had to be in hospital for quite a long time. My uncle stayed with us the entire time. For one thing, my uncle tried every way to get my dad to eat something. For another thing, he brought me healthy snacks and made sure I actually ate them even though I had no appetite. When my mother and I were scared that my dad’s illness would get worse, my uncle was always by our side.
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。
Throughout those difficult days in the hospital, I watched my uncle in a new light.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From then on, the relationship between my dad and my uncle became closer.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On March 21, an artist released a video
AI painting,
Despite the increased efficiency, people are becoming concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs. Not that long ago, painters
6 . When I tried out for the football team during the summer before 9th grade, I never imagined how important this sport would become in my life. Football is a
In the first year, I played on the defensive line. This was an amazing
In September, during my junior year, my name was mentioned in the local newspaper as the key defensive lineman on the team. After playing a fantastic season, I was given the
In this sense, the world of football has taught me an important life lesson:
| A．tough | B．popular | C．typical | D．dynamic |
| A．set | B．control | C．test | D．require |
| A．mistakes | B．adventures | C．accidents | D．injuries |
| A．performance | B．position | C．moment | D．advantage |
| A．with | B．over | C．through | D．into |
| A．valuable | B．lost | C．extra | D．regular |
| A．pride | B．choice | C．name | D．honor |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Similarly | C．Happily | D．Gradually |
| A．practices | B．tryouts | C．seasons | D．operations |
| A．But | B．Or | C．So | D．And |
| A．examined | B．changed | C．provided | D．completed |
| A．shoulder | B．hand | C．leg | D．foot |
| A．explore | B．avoid | C．love | D．support |
| A．Knowledge | B．Belief | C．Experience | D．Opinion |
| A．enjoyable | B．possible | C．sensible | D．responsible |
7 . Reggie couldn’t hear a thing. He was a
His friend Michael didn’t like this. He decided that things had to be
People liked the
On that day nobody was thinking of Reggie as just a deaf person. This meant he could be
| A．healthy | B．poor | C．normal | D．brave |
| A．close to | B．fond of | C．strict with | D．thankful for |
| A．seldom | B．never | C．sometimes | D．always |
| A．hurt | B．cheat | C．punish | D．shock |
| A．home | B．direction | C．classroom | D．car |
| A．understand | B．encourage | C．protect | D．support |
| A．worked | B．changed | C．acted | D．prepared |
| A．managed | B．prepared | C．helped | D．learned |
| A．journey | B．term | C．week | D．festival |
| A．excuse | B．course | C．idea | D．game |
| A．clothes | B．hands | C．rooms | D．ears |
| A．victories | B．meals | C．jokes | D．lessons |
| A．difficult | B．dangerous | C．short | D．useless |
| A．treated | B．taught | C．comforted | D．fed |
| A．bad | B．new | C．proud | D．selfish |
8 . Martin Henfield talks about some of his experience as a twin: when we were small my mother dressed us
At school our classmates
Before I went to college, during my secondary school
| A．in | B．for | C．on | D．with |
| A．badder | B．worse | C．good | D．better |
| A．all boys | B．another boy | C．all the other boys | D．all the boys |
| A．day | B．holiday | C．night | D．mid -night |
| A．called | B．knew | C．told | D．made |
| A．didn’t | B．needn’t | C．mustn’t | D．couldn’t |
| A．very | B．each | C．both | D．all |
| A．middle school | B．college | C．high school | D．school |
| A．weekday | B．week | C．weekend | D．holiday |
| A．received | B．got | C．find | D．made |
| A．off | B．free | C．on | D．back |
| A．came | B．will get | C．got | D．are |
| A．miss | B．lose | C．lost | D．losing |
| A．coat | B．shirt | C．shoes | D．trousers |
| A．None | B．Nobody | C．All | D．Each |
9 . In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the class I teach in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, about my plan. “Since all of you have done extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said, “then we’ll buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.” I hoped they could experience a sense of their own power to bring change.
I watched them while they walked up and down the supermarket. “Flowers!” Kristine cried. The group rushed towards the holiday plants.
“You can’t eat flowers.”—It was wiser to use any extra money to buy something that could be turned into meals.
“But Mrs Sherlock,” came the begging voice, “we want flowers.”
Defeated finally, I put a pot of “funny” purple mums (菊花) in the cart full of foods. “She’ll like this one,” the children agreed.
An organization had given us the name and address of a needy grandmother who had lived alone for many years. We finally pulled up in front of a small house. A slightly-built woman with a weary face came to the door to welcome us.
My little group ran to get the foods. As, each box was carried in, the old woman kept on saying “Thanks.”-much to her visitors’ pleasure. When Amy put the mums on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. She’s wishing it was a bag of rice, I thought.
We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window. The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, past the turkey, past the goods, straight to the mums. She put her face in them. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips. She was transformed (转变) before our eyes.
The children were quiet. At that moment, they had seen for themselves the power they have to make another’s life better. The children had sensed that sometimes a person needs a pot of funny purple flowers on a dark November day.
1. What is the author’s plan aimed at?| A．Helping students focus on their happiness. |
| B．Teaching students the necessity of doing housework. |
| C．Letting students feel their ability to make a difference. |
| D．Getting students to know how to be financially independent. |
| A．Because she thought they were too ugly. |
| B．Because she thought they were for children. |
| C．Because she thought they were too expensive. |
| D．Because she thought they couldn’t help people in need. |
| A．The old woman preferred food to flowers. |
| B．Flowers are more important than food to the poor. |
| C．The old woman’s dark day was brightened by the children. |
| D．All the money the children earned was transformed to food. |
| A．A Perfect Lesson | B．The Importance of Giving |
| C．A Happy Shopping Day | D．The Secret to Happiness |
10 . Last month, a study was published that examined climate change’s direct effects on the Earth’s seasons. Scientists found a connection between climate change and the temperature and duration of the summer season. Summers in the Northern hemisphere(北半球) could last nearly six months by the year 2100 if global warming continues, according to the study. With the seasons off-balance, there will be harmful effects on human health and agriculture.
Yuping Guan, a physical oceanographer at the State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his colleagues combined daily climate data from 1952 to 2011 to get a sense of the start and end of each season in the Northern hemisphere. Over the nearly 60-year period, they discovered that, on average, summers grew from 78 to 95 days, while winters shortened from 76 to 73 days. The spring and autumn seasons also shortened. Guan and his team used the findings from the data to create a model to hypothesize (假设) about how the seasons would possibly change in the future. They found that if left untouched, summers in the Northern hemisphere could last nearly six months, while winters could contract to less than two months.
If the Earth’s seasons continue to shift, it will bring negative effects to human health and agriculture. Longer and hotter summers, for example, can cause mosquitoes and other disease-carrying insects to potentially expand their scope and land in places where they’re usually not found. “Because seasons influence the life cycles of plants and animals, climate change could disturb species’ ability to adapt,” said Scott Sheridan, a climate scientist. “If seasons continue to change, everything isn’t going to change perfectly as they should. If we take the example of flowers coming out of the ground, those flowers could come out, but bees aren’t there to pollinate them yet or they’re already past their peak.” With negative effects like these, human health and agriculture will face hardship while moving forward.
This study further demonstrates how cruel climate change is to humans, plants and animals, reminding us how much we are all connected with the environment we share.
1. What did scientists find according to the study?| A．Some seasons will disappear in their tracks. |
| B．Global warming will be at its worst in 2100. |
| C．Climate change affects the days of summers. |
| D．Human health remains unharmed by climate change. |
| A．Add. | B．Extend. | C．Keep. | D．Shorten. |
| A．Mosquitoes can survive in more places. |
| B．The environment will change as we wish. |
| C．Human health and agriculture are hardly affected. |
| D．Some species are more able to adapt to the change. |
| A．Is the Earth getting warmer? |
| B．Is climate change bringing hardship? |
| C．Is mankind to blame for longer summers? |
| D．Is summer taking over from all other seasons? |
