1 . 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。

An exhibition     1     (feature) traditional costumes of China’s Miao ethnic group and a show with models wearing Miao embroidery (刺绣) clothing kicked off on Sunday in Milan, the fashion capital of Italy. The event offered the audience an opportunity     2     (appreciate) the craftsmanship of Miao embroiderers at close quarters.

“Fashion first of all is culture,” Raffaela Godi, from the audience, told Xinhua. “This fashion show we just saw is an example of     3     is culture, art and fashion together.”

The Miao ethnic group residing     4     (large) in southwest China’s Guizhou Province has a population of 4.3 million and more than 100     5     (branch). Miao people use needles and threads to embroider patterns representing nature and the ethnic group’s history on their costumes. Due to its     6     (art) charm, techniques and rich culture, Miao embroidery has been recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage.

Shi Chuanying, an embroiderer from Taijiang County of Guizhou Province,     7     (bring) her works to the exhibition in Milan. “Miao embroidery’s presence at Milan Fashion Week will be     8     great significance to us, and I believe the embroidery will be appreciated on a global stage,” said Shi.

As an experienced embroiderer, she has led more than 300 local embroiders to make Miao embroidery products     9     (export) to France and Italy.

Long Youming, director of the Guizhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said the event is     10     good way to present traditional Chinese culture and accelerate the industrialization, internationalization and branding of Miao embroidery.

2 . It is reported that about 14 percent of Americans aged over 12 have trouble in hearing. And hearing loss increases dramatically to 50 percent or more for those aged over 70. It often comes on so gradually that many ignore it. Only an estimated 15 to 25 percent of adults would use hearing aids, and the use is lowest among people who have less access to health care.

However, recent research has revealed that even mild or moderate hearing loss in older adults is associated with cognitive (认知的) decline. Older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop dementia (痴呆), and the likelihood increases with the severity of the loss.

In July, Frank R. Lin, a professor from Johns Hopkins University, presented results from a first-of-its-kind randomized clinical trial. Participants are 977 adults aged between 70 and 84, including those who have more risk factors for developing dementia and those who are relatively healthy. They received best-practice hearing care, including hearing aids. Three years later, hearing aids did make a difference to the participants in cognitive decline. Especially for those who were at the higher risk for dementia, a 48 percent cut in risk of cognitive decline could be made if they got hearing aids.

When hearing loss is untreated, the brain’s organization changes, says Anu Sharma, an auditory neuroscientist of the University of Colorado Boulder. In adults with mild hearing loss, studies show a decrease in gray matter (灰质) in brain. Sharma found early signs that vision and touch areas of the brain cover and change underused hearing areas. Adults with hearing loss also show more activity in working memory areas. They need to make extra efforts just to listen, Sharma says, which may exhaust cognitive reserves.

Hearing loss is also associated with more falls, higher health-care costs, and increased loneliness and social isolation. “Hearing is fundamental to healthy aging,” says Nicholas Reed, who worked with Frank R. Lin on the cognitive-decline study.

1. What can we learn from the figures in the first paragraph?

A．Americans pay special attention to their hearing.

B．Americans are unaware of danger of hearing loss.

C．Many Americans with hearing loss stay untreated.

D．Most Americans are suffering serious hearing loss.

2. What did Frank R. Lin’s clinical trial reveal?

A．Hearing aids helped reduce cognitive decline.

B．Hearing aids worked on healthy people.

C．Cognitive decline could result in hearing loss.

D．Cognitive decline was unrelated to age.

3. What is paragraph 4 centred on?

A．What sign will appear before losing hearing.

B．How hearing loss impacts cognitive decline.

C．Why hearing loss is left untreated by people.

D．How our brain discourages cognitive decline.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．Hearing loss—a new factor connected with dementia

B．Cognitive decline, caused by more than hearing loss

C．Dementia—an incurable but preventable disease

D．Hearing loss, having limited access to healthcare

3 . Humans have made the world less friendly to birds in many ways. One obvious example of this can be found in metal spikes (尖刺), or anti-bird spikes in buildings to prevent birds from landing and even nesting. However, a handful of birds have struck back.

Auke-Florian Hiemstra, a biologist researching animal architecture at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, studies how wild animals use materials made by humans. He has seen nests that include some unusual materials—things like plastic flowers and sunglasses. But he was surprised when seeing a picture of a magpie (喜鹊) nest, the top of which had anti-bird spikes.

Researchers had learned that the smart species, magpies and crows (乌鸦), were stealing anti-bird spikes as a nest-building material. The two species appeared to use the anti-bird spikes in slightly different ways. For the crows, the spikes seemed purely structural, a material used to fashion a solid foundation. But for the magpies, there was an additional layer of intention: They appeared to use the spikes like humans do-rounded covering over their nests to keep other birds from landing.

One recent study reported that nests with man-made materials have been found all over the world and that the man-made materials include all kinds of man-made materials, including knitting needles, candy wrappers, spiky wires, and cigarette ends. Although magpies and crows haven’t been documented doing this, other birds have. Scientists aren’t sure if birds are using artificial materials because they’re better, or simply because they’re easy to find. What is noteworthy is that human-made materials in bird nests can cause injuries. For example, anti- bird netting, often placed over garden plots, is known to be dangerous for birds, which often end up being entangled in it.

For Hiemstra, while the new discoveries are fascinating, he also highlights a broader issue: the unfortunate popularity of anti-bird spikes. “It’s kind of sad to keep fighting against nature instead of accepting it as part of the city,” he said.

1. Why was Hiemstra surprised when seeing the photo of a magpie nest?

A．A magpie decorated its nest with plastic flowers.

B．Magpies and crows are as intelligent as humans.

C．Magpies and crows cooperated to build the nests.

D．The magpie nest was equipped with metal spikes.

2. How do magpies and crows differ from each other in using anti-bird spikes?

A．Crows use them for fashion.

B．Magpies use them for defence.

C．Crows use them to keep off other species.

D．Magpies use them to strengthen the nests.

3. What does the underline word “entangled” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Discovered.

B．Frightened.

C．Released.

D．Trapped.

4. What does Hiemstra intend to do in the last paragraph?

A．Support birds’ using man-made materials.

B．Accept anti-bird spikes as part of the city.

C．Disapprove of humans’ using anti-bird spikes.

D．Stress the popularity of anti-bird spikes in birds.

4 . The stands were always filled with family members to support their favorite players. I attended each of my son’s games. His father worked nights for years, and missed out on most of his games. My son Jorden knew if his dad could, he would be there sitting right beside me.

When Jorden was younger, some family members would occasionally come to watch. But gradually they stopped showing up. Never once did Jorden lead me to believe that this bothered him, but apparently it did. It wasn’t until when he was asked to give a speech at his baseball event that he made it very clear not only to me but a room filled with over 150 people just how important it is to have extra fans in the stands.

His speech was anything but like I thought it would be. It wasn’t short and bittersweet. It wasn’t his quick thank you to his coaches and teammates. He poured his heart out, saying he seldom had grandparents, aunts or uncles coming to support him. He was grateful that his teammates’ family members showed up to support not just their own loved ones but the entire team of boys. Clearly Jorden desired more than just me. Never did I ever think my son would be hurting inside as he looked out to the bleachers to see only me at each and every game.

As he struggled to get each word out through tears, I promised I would attend as many events of the children around as I possibly could. There was no way I could allow another child to feel what my son was feeling. This small simple gesture would mean so much to any child. Neither Jorden nor I was upset with those who never attended his games. Jorden just wanted someone else besides me to witness his craft in action. I understand all of our lives become complicated and that everyone is busy with their own children and jobs that may not allow them as much free time as they’d like.

1. What do we know about Jorden’s father?

A．He had long been misunderstood by Jorden.

B．He had few chances to attend Jorden’s games.

C．He managed to be with Jorden in every game.

D．He had made excuses to miss Jorden’s games.

2. What was Jorden’s speech about?

A．His ambition to win the championship.

B．His gratitude to his mother and coaches.

C．His complaint about his family members.

D．His desire for support from more people.

3. What does the author think of Jorden’s speech?

A．Depressing.

B．Complicated.

C．Astonishing.

D．Absurd.

4. How did the author respond to Jorden’s speech?

A．She tried to be actively involved in children’s games.

B．She promised not to miss out on games of every child.

C．She offered to invite many relatives to Jorden’s games.

D．She decided to lead Jorden to trust his family members.

5 . The construction site of the future is already here as homes, office buildings and industrial sites go up around the country. Robots that can lay bricks and put up drywall are engaging in at a time when the construction industry is in major change.

Meanwhile, start-ups are pouring even more resources into the field, including building robots that survey and monitor, as well as heavy machinery that can operate on its own. They are hoping to automate a complicated field involving moving parts and vastly different sites and buildings.

“Construction robots are a great example of how robotic technology is going to touch people’s lives,” said Matthew Johnson-Roberson, the director of the robotics institute at Carnegie Mellon University. “Many construction jobs that exist today are now going to be alongside robots.”

Fueling the wave on innovation is a construction crisis. Building costs are rising, and hundreds of thousands of jobs remain unfilled. Those who are in the industry are getting older and working under sometimes deadly conditions.

Tessa Lau, the chief executive of Dusty Robotics with a background in artificial intelligence, built her construction robotics firm after remodeling her own home. During that process, she realized how many steps were involved and that there was room for error nearly everywhere, causing potentials for delay. To solve this problem, her company created a Roomba-like device that prints an outline on the actual floor of the building project, which to some extent upgrades precision.

Nik Theodore, the director of the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said the robots could hold promise if they can automate the often injury-suffering and deadly tasks construction workers have “in a very dangerous industry with large numbers of deaths.” But the concern, he said, is “the temptation (诱惑)” for automation to speed up job tasks and increase worker exhaustion, leading to a situation where burnout and injuries occur more, not less.

1. Why are start-ups investing more in the futural construction?

A．To free workforce.	B．To conduct surveys.
C．To update machinery.	D．To realize automation.

2. What motivated Lau to create a new device in her company?

A．Problems in rebuilding her home.	B．The major in artificial intelligence.
C．The desire to create a special device.	D．The interest in the construction industry.

3. What’s Nik Theodore’s attitude to the robots used in the construction sites?

A．Indifferent.

B．Subjective.

C．Objective.

D．Supportive.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The development of robots.	B．The rise of the construction industry.
C．The use of robots in building houses.	D．The establishment of a robotics firm.

6 . In 2019, Wang Jibing, a food delivery rider living and working in Kunshan, East China’s Jiangsu province, had an unpleasant experience due to the wrong address left by a customer. On his way home that day, Wang wrote a poem, Man in a Hurry, expressing his feelings. Since then, Wang has been writing poems inspired by his daily life.

Wang’s poems, simple yet real, are seen as a tool to process his emotions, especially the personal experiences he has during his work. In 2022, one of his friends posted Man in a Hurry online. It quickly went viral and was viewed for over 20 million times. The same year, Wang published a collection of more than 180 poems. The book’s cover is blue, the same color as the uniform that Wang wears. His poems and stories deeply touched many people with similar struggles and negative emotions in their lives, the book’s first 5,000 copies sold out soon. So far, Wang has written about 4,000 poems.

“My wife didn’t understand why I enjoy writing poems. Now, she is very supportive,” says Wang. “My children didn’t know about my habit of writing poems at all. Now they get it, and they are also learning to write poems.” Wang has no plan to quit his job and become a full-time writer. Although he has a great passion for poems, the priority for him is to look after his family.

Poetry is like a distraction from stress and an opportunity for Wang to record his life. Whether it’s coping with pain, dealing with stressful situations, or coming to terms with life’s struggles, poetry makes him confident and happy.

1. What is special about the poem Man in a Hurry?

A．It was created based on an enjoyable experience.

B．It conveyed Wang’s emotions on an unusual day.

C．It was the most popular poem posted online in 2022.

D．It was published with Wang’s second book of poems.

2. What does the underlined phrase “went viral” in paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Got ignored.	B．Got deleted.
C．Became a hit.	D．Became controversial.

3. From the third paragraph we can infer that ________.

A．Wang’s family is what he values most.

B．Wang’s wife objects to him writing poems.

C．Wang is going to stop delivering food someday.

D．Wang’s children dream of becoming writers.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Getting Inspired by Life.	B．Working as a Deliveryman.
C．Becoming a Full-time Poet.	D．Delivering a Feast of Poetry.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

During my early years in school, particularly in the first and second grade, I was incredibly shy. I was afraid of making mistakes, so I would often find myself simply smiling and listening to others’ conversations without saying a word. However, I performed well academically and had a deep passion for writing. Writing allowed me to be myself and not worry about what others thought. In my stories, I was never shy.

My teacher, Mrs. Emily, always encouraged me to write more. She constantly reminded our class to pursue our dreams and put our wholehearted efforts into them. I believe she was one of the first individuals to recognize my inner strength. One day, she announced that our class would be performing a play she had written. “Tomorrow, I will begin casting (挑选演员) everyone,” she declared. “I need someone who isn’t afraid to be on stage in front of a large audience to play the lead role of George. Does anyone want to give it a shot?” A few eager hands shot up, but mine, of course, was not one of them. Mrs. Emily smiled and said we would discuss it further the following day. As the bell rang, my classmates filed out of the classroom.

As I was about to leave, Mrs. Emily asked me to stay behind. She looked into my eyes as if she could see through me. “I truly wanted you to take on this role, but if you truly don’t want to, I won’t force you. It’s your choice,” she said. It shocked me because I had always been a shy person, never daring to speak loudly in public.

Struck by Mrs. Emily’s words, I realized it was time for a change. I made up my mind to shed my shyness and prove to myself that I could overcome my fear in public. After a few moments of hesitation, I confidently nodded and said, “Mrs. Emily, I want to, no, I am determined to play the role, I will try my best.”

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。
Thanks to Mrs. Emily’s guidance and support, I was luckily selected for the lead role.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After the performance, I approached Mrs. Emily with tears of excitement in my eyes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . 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。

Cantonese Opera, known as Local Troupe or Guangdong Opera in the beginning, is one of the regional branches of Chinese operas, mainly     1     (originate) in Guangzhou area. It is popular in Guangzhou, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao.

During Chenghua period of Ming Dynasty, because people in Guangzhou were fond     2     operas, opera troupes (剧团) from other areas came to Cantonese-speaking areas     3     (perform) opera.    4     (gradual), the locals began to sing the operatic songs that were the embryo (萌芽) of Cantonese Opera. In the early Qing Dynasty, some local troupes started singing operas in “Cantonese style”,    5     helped to lay the foundation for the formation of Cantonese Opera. From the middle Qing Dynasty to Jiaqing and Daoguang periods, Cantonese Opera     6     (form) by local troupes frequently absorbing experience of other troupes. During the Tongzhi and Guangxu periods in the late Qing Dynasty, Cantonese opera’s operatic music, acting and script had developed     7     (it) own distinguished features. From the early 20th century to the 1930s, Cantonese Opera experienced a series of transformations, which was promoted to be even     8     (popular). After the     9     (establish) of the People’s Republic of China, Cantonese Opera entered anew period of development.

In 2009, Cantonese Opera has been recognized by UNESCO and added to Chinese local operas of its Representative List of Human Vocal and Intangible Culture Heritage through joint application by Guangdong Province, Hong Kong     10     Macao.

9 . Where to Spend Autumn in Italy

Autumn in Italy is a feast for the senses with bright colours, mild weather and plenty of festivals and traditions to enjoy. Whether you’re a nature enthusiast, a foodie or a culture lover, autumn in Italy promises memorable moments with loved ones.

A Myriad of Colour

The diverse geography and landscapes of Italy showcase various colours in autumn. The rolling hills of Tuscany and the peaceful lakes paint a rich picture of golds, oranges and reds at every turn. Take a leisurely walk through different landscapes and enjoy nature’s beauty as the colours in autumn bloom.

Food Paradise

The harvest season in Italy starts in autumn and fresh, locally sourced ingredients takes centre stage. From truffle (松露) hunting in the Piedmont region, earthy mushroom dishes are born. The olive harvest also offers a glimpse into the ancient olive oil production traditions that have been preserved throughout different generations.

Festivals and Celebrations

Autumn brings Italy’s rich cultural heritage to life with festivals and celebrations held throughout the country. The famous Palio di Siena is a historic horse race which draws in crowds from all over the world. Another highlight is the Alba White Truffle Festival taking place in the Piedmont countryside where lovers of truffle gather to have a taste of this rare and unique cuisine.

Explore the Great Outdoors

The autumn weather in Italy is comfortable and mild, making it the ideal time for outdoor activities. Cycle through pretty villages in the countryside, explore the winding streets of historic towns or go hiking in the Italian Alps without the heat of the summer sun. An Italian city break to Rome, Florence or Venice is also a good choice to enjoy the famous landmarks without the crowds.

1. What can visitors see when traveling in Tuscany?

A．Diverse wildlife species.	B．Breathtaking natural scenery.
C．Traditional festivals and celebrations.	D．Colourful paintings and pictures.

2. Which place is attractive enough for a foodie?

A．Rome.

B．Venice.

C．Florence.

D．Piedmont.

3. How can you enjoy outdoor activities during autumn in Italy?

A．By feeling the heat from the sun.

B．By riding a bike in the Italian Alps.

C．By visiting famous sites with fewer tourists.

D．By helping farmers harvest crops in pretty villages.