1 . The sun is going to expand into the orbit of Mercury according to scientific calculations, which will result in the entire Earth catching on fire. Who will save the world?
This imaginative tale is at the heart of the latest Chinese sci-fi movie The Wandering Earth. Unlike many American space-themed films where the solution to a disaster Earth faces is always fleeing (逃离) the planet in spaceships, this time we’re taking the Earth with us. The film, which has become the country’s most successful film of all time, has offered a different and more ambitious idea.
The “ambition” didn’t come from nowhere. For thousands of years, “homeland” has had a soft spot in the hearts and minds of Chinese people. One old idiom that shows a strong feeling that Chinese people have had for their homeland is “luoyeguigen”, which means returning to one’s homeland in old age, like fallen leaves returning to the roots of their tree.
“What is Chinese sci-fi?” Guo Fan, the film’s director, said in an interview. “A vehicle that really expresses our cultural and spiritual core (核心) can be called Chinese sci-fi. Otherwise, we’re just following others and telling the same Hollywood stories.”
And the makers of The Wandering Earth may have chosen the best time to tell its Chinese sci-fi story. The film was released on Feb. 5, the first day of Chinese New Year. It was a time when many people had just made the hard journey back to their hometowns. So to them, there is only one possible way to tell the story: Earth goes wherever humans go, because it’s our home.
1. The main purpose of the opening paragraph is to __________.| A．give a brief account of the film |
| B．warn people of the coming threat |
| C．explore ways to avoid the disaster |
| D．introduce the topic of the passage |
| A．fleeing the Earth in spaceships |
| B．bringing in huge success |
| C．filling the gap in Chinese sci-fi movies |
| D．helping Earth make its escape |
| A．The rich imagination of the story. |
| B．Hollywood-style space stories. |
| C．The special cultural background. |
| D．The time chosen to release the film. |
| A．Chinese Sci-Fi Catches Up |
| B．The Most Successful Chinese Sci-Fi |
| C．Chinese Sci-Fi Sets a New Path |
| D．Chinese Sci-Fi Challenges Hollywood |
2 . I will never forget the year I was about twelve years old. My mother told us that we would not be
Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my
So I
| A．sending | B．receiving | C．marking | D．exchanging |
| A．found | B．prepared | C．got | D．expected |
| A．doubt | B．hope | C．suggest | D．accept |
| A．broke in | B．settled down | C．turned up | D．showed off |
| A．relief | B．loss | C．achievement | D．justice |
| A．blamed | B．loved | C．forgotten | D．affected |
| A．highly | B．little | C．poorly | D．enough |
| A．present | B．first | C．recent | D．previous |
| A．hardly | B．instantly | C．regularly | D．occasionally |
| A．strength | B．independence | C．importance | D．safety |
| A．kept up with | B．caught up with | C．came up with | D．put up with |
| A．none | B．few | C．some | D．each |
| A．fine | B．special | C．helpful | D．normal |
| A．reminded | B．guaranteed | C．convinced | D．promised |
| A．after | B．until | C．when | D．since |
| A．chance | B．gift | C．moment | D．reward |
| A．lit | B．took | C．burned | D．cheered |
| A．atmosphere | B．sympathy | C．calmness | D．joy |
| A．it | B．such | C．something | D．everybody |
| A．by | B．till | C．for | D．from |
1. What can we learn about the traffic then?
| A．There will be no taxi. | B．It will be heavy. | C．It will not be busy. |
| A．Taking the man’s car. | B．Taking a taxi. | C．Taking the train. |
4 . “Charlieeeeeeee, do your homework now!” his mother was shouting.
Charlie thought, “Well she doesn’t have to do it.” and he spent hours with his books, hoping that time would pass and it would soon be time for supper. As usual, he was lying on his bed, busy staring at the ceiling, daydreaming. Suddenly some little elves (精灵), no more than a centimetre tall, appeared by the window.
One of the elves asked Charlie politely to give them his homework so they can play with it.
Charlie agreed and watched his guests, and was so surprised to see what they did. In less than a minute, they had formed teams and were busy playing with the pen, the eraser, the book, and the pad of paper. Very strange stuff they were getting up to. Like with the sums, instead of moving the pen across the paper, they would hold the pen still and move the paper instead. Or like how they had races to see who could do the sums fastest. They also used well-known songs to learn the words to them.When they had done that they put on a big concert to sing those songs.
Charlie really enjoyed watching those little students. He even joined in with the singing.
“Aww, this is so much fun...”
“Of course, it’s fun! Why don’t you try it for a few days yourself? We’ll all come back to see you again from time to time.”
“Deal!” agreed Charlie.
So, every evening, Charlie started playing with his homework, inventing new and crazier ways to make it more fun. He would sing loads of songs and do all manner of other things too. Now and again, his elf friends would turn up.
Neither Charlie’s parents, nor his teachers, nor anyone in the whole school could understand the great change in him. From that day on, not only did he spend a lot more time doing homework, he did it perfectly. He was very happy, and was always singing. His mother told him how proud she was at seeing him work so hard.
But Charlie said to himself, “Well, she doesn’t have to do it. It’s fun!”
1. What did Charlie think of his homework at first?| A．It’s difficult. | B．it’s boring. | C．It’s tiring. | D．It’s upsetting. |
| A．They politely asked Charlie to watch their performance. |
| B．They patiently taught Charlie to sing songs together. |
| C．They finished Charlie’s homework in a fun way. |
| D．They tried to stop charlie doing his homework. |
| A．Singing the well-known songs. |
| B．Playing with the homework. |
| C．Moving the paper instead. |
| D．Performing in a big concert. |
| A．He created his own songs to perform with his elves. |
| B．He succeeded in finishing his homework in a shorter time. |
| C．He tried elves’ method and found his homework very easy. |
| D．He made up some funny new methods to finish his homework. |
5 . Do you ever hear a friend speak on a topic with the belief that “everyone”thinks the same way? Do you often find yourself surrounded in a social media feed that is completely tailored to you and your beliefs, reading along without the immediate realization?
A social media echo chamber (回声壁) is when one experiences a tailored media experience that leave out opposing viewpoints and differing voices. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube connect groups of like-minded users together based on shared content preferences. As a result, people see and take in information according to our preexisting beliefs and opinions. Social media companies therefore rely on algorithms (算法) to assess our interests and flood us with information that will keep our attention. The algorithms focus on what we “like”, and “share” to keep feeding content that makes us comfortable.
In order to truly get access to all information and to evaluate our media, we must give ourselves the opportunity to step out of our comfort zone. While this becomes increasingly challenging, there are things we can do. The first step is to beef up your media consumption sources. Adding in a few media sources with differing opinions will allow you to at least understand what people are saying outside of your echo chamber. Next, read each thing you see with a critical eye. Make sure that each thing you accept as truth is truly fact. Lastly, attempt to search out reliable new sources that are known for trying their best to leave out false information. By accepting that our media buffet on social media is a product of our present beliefs and opinions, we can work to make sure we are not simply stuck in a social media echo chamber.
1. What is a result of the social media echo chamber?| A．People contact like-minded online users effectively. |
| B．People keep reading for more differing viewpoints. |
| C．People rely on algorithms to evaluate their interests. |
| D．People only get information confirming their beliefs. |
| A．Track. | B．Improve. |
| C．Provide. | D．Identify. |
| A．Criticizing fake news on social media. |
| B．Exposing ourselves to opposing voices. |
| C．Researching primary sources of information. |
| D．Accepting our present beliefs and opinions. |
| A．To call on people to use algorithms frequently. |
| B．To ask people not to take in information blindly. |
| C．To promote the use of various social media sites. |
| D．To inform people of new technology developments. |
6 . With evolving technology comes no surprise that our life is becoming increasingly dependent on digital devices.
The
With faster
You might think, “She could be
It all sounds great, but every
What if your daughter dated with someone she met
To
| A．In | B．On | C．Without | D．Throughout |
| A．improved | B．highlighted | C．committed | D．threatened |
| A．definitions | B．benefits | C．distributions | D．breakthroughs |
| A．lost | B．annoyed | C．envied | D．urged |
| A．ripe | B．domestic | C．virtual | D．optimistic |
| A．human | B．finance | C．network | D．database |
| A．curiosity | B．investigation | C．recognition | D．imagination |
| A．son | B．daughter | C．pet | D．victim |
| A．Accused | B．Engaged | C．Attacked | D．Broadcasted |
| A．lying | B．laying | C．travelling | D．drinking |
| A．deny | B．monitor | C．analyse | D．kill |
| A．coin | B．theft | C．warning | D．barrier |
| A．crimes | B．sensors | C．licence | D．capacity |
| A．got across | B．broken into | C．smoothed out | D．counted on |
| A．hacked | B．predicted | C．buried | D．cloned |
| A．faraway | B．online | C．outside | D．abroad |
| A．get over | B．put in place | C．spy on | D．fall victim to |
| A．after | B．though | C．because | D．before |
| A．justify | B．release | C．decrease | D．conclude |
| A．massive | B．academic | C．initial | D．illegal |
When Jackie came to his first piano lesson in his mother’s car, he was already 11 years old.I preferred that students began at an earlier age, but owing to his insistence, I took him as a student. As much as Jackie tried, he lacked the sense of basic rhythm (节奏). At the end of each lesson, he’d say, “My mom’s going to hear me play someday.” But it seemed hopeless. I only knew his mother from a distance as she waited in her aged car, but never stepped in.
Then one day Jackie stopped coming to our lessons. I thought about calling him but assumed (认为), because of his lack of ability, that he had decided to quit. I also was glad that he stopped coming—he was a bad advertisement for my teaching!
Several weeks later I mailed a letter on the upcoming concert to the students’ homes. Surprisingly, Jackie received and asked me if he could be in the concert. I told him that the concert was not for dropouts (辍学者), but for current pupils. He said that his mom had been sick and unable to take him to piano lessons but he was still practicing. I didn’t know what led me to agree eventually.
The night for the concert came. The high school gymnasium was packed with parents and friends. I put up Jackie last in the program. I thought that any damage he would do would come at the end of the program and the negative effect would be reduced to the minimum (最小值).
The concert went off smoothly. Then Jackie came up on stage. His clothes were wrinkled (皱巴巴的) and his hair looked messy (凌乱的). “Why didn’t his mother at least make him comb his hair for this special night?” I thought.
注意：续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1:
Unexpectedly, Jackie chose Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.21 in C Major.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
Immediately I ran up on stage and held Jackie firmly in great joy, asking “How did you do it?”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . The idea of low material desire, low consumption and refusing to work, marry and have children, concluded as a “lying down” lifestyle, recently struck a chord with many young Chinese who are eager to take pause to breathe in this fast-paced and highly-competitive society.
Many millennials (千禧一代) and generation Zs complained to the Global Times that burdens, including work stress, family disputes and financial strains, have pushed them “against the wall”. They said they hate the “involution(内卷),” joking that they would rather give up some of what they have than get trapped in an endless competition against peers.
“Instead of always following the ‘virtues’ of struggle, endure and sacrifice to bear the stresses, they prefer a temporary lying down as catharsis (宣泄) and adjustment,” said a scholar. “It is no wonder that some young people, under the growing pressures from child-raising to paying the mortgage (按揭) today, would try to live in a simple way and leave the worries behind.”
Interestingly, the majority of millennials and Gen Zs reached by the Global Times, who claim to be big fans of the lying down philosophy, acknowledged that they only accept a temporary lying down as a short rest. It is true that with the great improvement of living conditions, some Chinese youth have partially lost the spirit of hardship and are not willing to bear too much hard work. But in fact, lying down is not entirely comfortable. Young people who lie down always feel guilty about their constant loss of morale (士气) far beyond their reach.
“Young people on campus have both aspirations and confusion about their future, but most of us have rejected setting ourselves up in chains to waste opportunities and challenges,” a postgraduate student told the Global Times. “It’s no use running away. I have to ‘stand up’ and face the reality sooner or later.”
1. What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Warned. | B．Punished. | C．Amused. | D．Touched. |
| A．Improvements in living conditions. |
| B．Growing pressure from family and social life. |
| C．Increasing material possessions from families. |
| D．Temporary adjustment to failure in competitions. |
| A．Understanding. | B．Intolerant. | C．Supportive. | D．Unclear. |
| A．They never really drop their responsibilities. |
| B．They really enjoy the “lying down” lifestyle. |
| C．They find their dreams far beyond their reach. |
| D．They would rather escape than take challenges. |
9 . A 23-year-old woman has achieved an unbelievable feat that many of us dream of -visiting every country on Earth.
Lexie Alford was born into a family of travel agents, which gave her the opportunity to
I also loved visiting Northern Pakistan, for the natural beauty of the mountains and kindness of the locals were astonishing,” Lexie Alford said. “The most pleasant surprise about travelling to all these misunderstood areas of the world was that the countries that I had the
“My
| A．remark | B．settle | C．tour | D．love |
| A．fund | B．quit | C．switch | D．register |
| A．powerful | B．ideal | C．developed | D．remaining |
| A．ranked | B．modified | C．followed | D．criticized |
| A．inspire | B．grill | C．understand | D．accompany |
| A．occasionally | B．simply | C．completely | D．temporarily |
| A．dream | B．button | C．family | D．observation |
| A．platform | B．agency | C．process | D．country |
| A．dull | B．official | C．natural | D．challenging |
| A．adult | B．youth | C．bosses | D．agents |
| A．most | B．least | C．greatest | D．worst |
| A．started with | B．showed off | C．ended up | D．searched for |
| A．advice | B．compromise | C．belief | D．information |
| A．save | B．appreciate | C．worsen | D．make |
| A．honor | B．career | C．time | D．assessment |
10 . Master Gardener Volunteers Wanted
What is a Master Gardener?
A master gardener is a citizen that is interested in gardening and can fulfill the training and volunteer hours necessary. Requirements vary by county and state,and the course is tailored for that specific region. You will receive special education on the soils in your area,the types of native plants，insect and disease issues，basic botany，and other information pertinent(相关的)to your gardening zone.
The educational opportunity to learn specifics about where you garden will not only help you be-come a better gardener but is then passed along to the general public in lectures,clinics,and through newsletters.
What Qualifications Must You Meet?
Anyone can apply to be a Master Gardener——you don’t need to be an expert or have a degree. You do, however, need to:
●Have certain experience or know a little about gardening or landscape management.
●Be willing to share horticulture(园艺学)information with others.
●Be willing to attend a training program and can devote time to volunteering and continuing education.
Besides,to become a Master Gardener volunteer, each applicant needs to complete an application,prepare background screening paperwork and schedule an interview with Extension staff.
What Does the Training Involve?
Training sessions are offered one day a week over a three-month period and are led by expert educators in the region. Approximately 60 hours of classroom instruction and field study and 50 hours of volunteer internship(实习)work are required to complete the program and become certified. In order to remain a certified Master Gardener,30 hours of volunteer work and 10 hours of continuing education or advanced training are required each year.
1. What does a Master Gardener do?| A．Promote gardening practices abroad. |
| B．Train volunteers to help with agriculture. |
| C．Teach the youth about diets and agriculture. |
| D．Donate time to the local gardening extension. |
| A．Having some relevant knowledge. | B．Acquiring excellent teaching skills. |
| C．Completing given training sessions. | D．Obtaining rich volunteer experience. |
| A．About 40 hours. | B．Three months. | C．About 150 hours. | D．About 110 hours. |
