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.

2. What is advised for air travel?

A．Selecting airports.	B．Flying the border.
C．Carrying more baggage.	D．Having a fixed schedule.

3. What do the four tips have in common?

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 . 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。

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.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

2. What affected Gienger’s career choice?

A．His family tradition.	B．His love for his farm.
C．His promise to his father.	D．His desire for winning a prize.

3. What does the author want to explain in paragraph 4?

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.

4. What do we know about the award-winning pumpkin in 2023?

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.

4 . As my husband and I saw someone publicizing the benefits of spending time outdoors, we were lost in thought. Noticing my daughter had _________ a little homebody, we knew we had to _________ sport into our routine. We were determined to make skiing a family activity. But we needed our daughter’s _________.

When we persuaded my daughter to join us, we _________ two days at an all-inclusive family ski resort aiming to minimize the _________ of skiing with kids and maximize the fun that came on the slopes.

“Well done! You’ve arrived as scheduled,” said our ski instructor as we reached the resort. It was negative nine degrees. It was _________ , but we got ready soon. I could _________ recognize my daughter because her face was wrapped in thick clothes like the others.

The resort took account of almost all the trouble we might have in skiing. Of the fifty-three runs, eight were greens labeled with _________ reading “Route For Beginners”. However, when our instructor _________ us to ski, our hopes of being a __________ skiing family were dashed (使破灭). “Ahh!” escaped our lips. She was __________ and said, “Sorry, I thought you were ready.” Then she went on to lead us down a gentler way. We still __________ many times. Everyone slid down the slope, but not without falls.

While the experience frightened us, it also __________ our dinnertime conversation. My daughter told us, “Although I had a hard time skiing, there is no __________ of happiness.” I responded, “Your father and I enjoyed ourselves, too.” The next day, we __________ there as beginner skiers, but we believed we would be certainly expert skiers.

1.

A．become

B．met

C．criticized

D．blamed

2.

A．persuade

B．introduce

C．divide

D．trick

3.

A．award

B．examination

C．common

D．involvement

4.

A．calculated

B．witnessed

C．booked

D．offered

5.

A．bother

B．moment

C．fine

D．profit

6.

A．overdue

B．aimless

C．freezing

D．mild

7.

A．apparently

B．barely

C．instantly

D．straightly

8.

A．signs

B．trees

C．materials

D．walls

9.

A．convinced

B．warned

C．guided

D．advised

10.

A．permanent

B．legal

C．polite

D．cool

11.

A．modest

B．apologetic

C．motivated

D．depressed

12.

A．fell

B．woke

C．asked

D．admitted

13.

A．delayed

B．discouraged

C．interrupted

D．inspired

14.

A．kind

B．answer

C．shortage

D．check

15.

A．spoke up

B．went back

C．broke down

D．set off

5 . 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。

On March 21, an artist released a video     1     (title) “The Current Status of AI Utilization in Game Companies”, demonstrating the process of using AI in art. She said that her videos     2     (gain) only a few thousand views before. But this one swiftly got hundreds of thousands of views,    3     (cause) heated debate about the influence of AI on society.

AI painting,    4     involves coping human painting techniques, styles and thought processes via algorithms (算法) and models, enabling computers     5     (generate) artistic images, is a form of generative AI. The AI drawing software has achieved great popularity among users for its text-to-image method, which has     6     (dramatic) lowered the threshold (门槛) of artistic creation.

Despite the increased efficiency, people are becoming concerned about the possibility of losing their jobs. Not that long ago, painters     7     (think) to be immune to being replaced by AI. But now it appears     8     they are among the first professionals who might be out     9     a job because of the technology. For the time being, artists do not need to overly worry about being replaced by AI. It takes them years to perfect their ability to express their emotions, values and life experiences in unique ways, which is not     10     (attain) for AI-generated art at present.