1 . Our neighbors had a loud party last night. We weren’t
What
And it really worked in their favor. My husband and I were so friendly that even when the event went past the
It takes such little effort to make people feel that they
| A．located | B．explored | C．challenged | D．invited |
| A．trapped | B．impressed | C．annoyed | D．embarrassed |
| A．later | B．closer | C．earlier | D．further |
| A．shocking | B．frightening | C．puzzling | D．amazing |
| A．call number | B．room number | C．account number | D．car number |
| A．anxiously | B．politely | C．regularly | D．obviously |
| A．imagination | B．consideration | C．recognition | D．organization |
| A．promised | B．supplied | C．designed | D．compared |
| A．stress | B．anxiety | C．worry | D．anger |
| A．respond | B．adapt | C．contribute | D．stick |
| A．figure | B．succeed | C．matter | D．access |
| A．sleep | B．maintain | C．travel | D．relax |
| A．noticed | B．delivered | C．explored | D．proved |
| A．surrounding | B．respect | C．curiosity | D．distance |
| A．strategy | B．apology | C．communication | D．inspiration |
1. Who is the main audience for the announcement?
| A．Soccer players. | B．Parents of soccer players. | C．The youngest soccer players. |
| A．They are too young to play. |
| B．The transportation will be arranged by the speaker. |
| C．There aren’t enough players to make teams. |
| A．Some insurance. | B．Some reservations. | C．Some paperwork. |
| A．His name is Steve. | B．His child plays soccer. | C．He is a soccer coach. |
3 . How similar are language and music?
Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world.
Both language and music have a writing system.
Both language and music have their own systems of notation. Language uses alphabets to represent sounds and create meaning.
Listening to the language someone speaks can provide valuable clues about their geographical origin. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation.
Both share emotion.
| A．Both are expressive. |
| B．Both vary with culture. |
| C．How do you know that I am annoyed? |
| D．Similarly, music is part of many people’s lives. |
| E．Equally, music uses notes to represent pitches and rhythms. |
| F．We use language to express our thoughts. |
| G．In contrast, you probably also listen to sad music when you are feeling down. |
4 . New York Times best-selling author Susan Casey travelled globally, joining scientists and explorers on dives to the deepest places on the planet. She takes us on an interesting journey through the history of deep-sea exploration, from the legends of the ancient world to storied shipwrecks we can now reach on the bottom. Throughout this journey, she learned how important the deep is to the future of the planet, and how necessary it is that we understand and protect it. The Underworld is Susan Casey’s most beautiful and thrilling book, a wonderful show of the natural world.
Event location: The lecture and book signing (签名) will be held at the Linda Hall Library,5109 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Missouri.
Event time: Thursday, January 14th,7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Book signing: Hard copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event courtesy of Rainy Day Books. A book signing will immediately follow the lecture.
Admission package (admits one)
Click to order tickets through the Kauffman Center. Admission is $40.00 plus Kauffman ticket fee and includes one hardcover of the book and one admission ticket. Reserved seating.
Please note: Attendees (参与者) will receive their books as they arrive at this event. Your electronic ticket will be needed for event entry and to receive your hardcover of the book as you arrive.
Disclaimer (免责声明): All Rainy Day Books Author Event sales are final and non-refundable.
1. What is the topic of Susan Casey’s book?| A．A show of the heights of the earth. | B．Some discoveries made by explorers. |
| C．Some measures to protect the ocean. | D．Journey s to the depths of the ocean. |
| A．A lecture and book signing. | B．A discussion between readers. |
| C．A sales meeting of a new book. | D．A party of celebrating the success. |
| A．Return them to the Kauffman Center. | B．Get a discount of the book with them. |
| C．Get hardcovers of the book with them. | D．Exchange them with other book lovers. |
Exciting action, excellent organization and touching stories of athletes made the just finished 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou a huge success,
The whole world was
The Hangzhou Asian Para Games attracted over 3, 000 athletes from 44 countries, making it the
Organizing such
At the Games, Team China won 521 medals,
6 . It was a regular school day, and the air was filled with the usual sounds of chatter and laughter as students prepared for their lessons. Little did I know that this day would soon take a
As the bell rang, signaling the beginning of our English class, we entered the classroom, completely
Panic spread as we understood how
In all the chaos, I noticed my
As we reached the door, it felt hotter, and we knew we had to hurry. With hearts
Outside, we took a moment to catch our breath,
After everything happened, I couldn’t help but reflect on the events of that day.
| A．classic | B．dramatic | C．powerful | D．graceful |
| A．independent | B．tolerant | C．fluent | D．unaware |
| A．into | B．onto | C．behind | D．against |
| A．destroyed | B．interrupted | C．buried | D．sheltered |
| A．formal | B．unique | C．severe | D．awkward |
| A．hurried | B．delivered | C．jogged | D．hesitated |
| A．sister | B．mother | C．classmate | D．teammate |
| A．protested | B．reminded | C．stressed | D．realized |
| A．flight | B．step | C．wave | D．foot |
| A．racing | B．debating | C．suffering | D．begging |
| A．greeted | B．conducted | C．surrounded | D．attracted |
| A．stress | B．sadness | C．confidence | D．relief |
| A．Breaking through | B．Going through | C．Making out | D．Working out |
| A．tough | B．plain | C．various | D．specific |
| A．contribution | B．ambition | C．determination | D．addiction |
The game of basketball was created by Dr. Naismith,
The New England winters were very cold, and the students were unwilling to do outdoor
Five years later, a championship (锦标赛)
8 . Studies show that females usually have better handwriting than males. University of Warwick researchers note that “Girls are generally better handwriters than boys. Girls also usually write faster than boys”. But why do females have better handwriting than males? There are a number of reasons.
Handwriting differences may be because of cultural label. Researchers asked boys and girls aged 7 and 8 to model after each other’s handwriting. When modeling after writing, boys tried to make theirs “smaller and neater” while all the girls said that they had made their handwriting larger, and half of them said they had made it less tidy. Do females work hard to write neater because there is an expectation that they have neat handwriting? Are females encouraged to write better because there is an expectation?
Handwriting may be influenced by the writer’s female hormones (激素). Babies before they are born receive various amounts of female hormones with males receiving less and females more. One sign of female hormone effect is the relative length of a person’s index finger to ring finger (called the “2D: 4D rate”). This study found that the higher the 2D : 4D rate for right-handed female writers,the neater their handwriting is.
Neural development differences between males and females may be the reason for the differences. During the early school years, when kids are learning to shape letters, the neural fibers that control fine motor skills in boys’ brains usually haven’t matured (成熟) as much as girls’ have. Boys’ brains finally catch up and their handwriting gets better than before, but it’s still usually not as neat as that of the girls. That’s because women usually have more neural connections between the two sides of the brain, which also helps with correctness.
1. What’s the purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To list some reasons. |
| C．To summarize the text. | D．To provide examples. |
| A．neater | B．larger | C．more correct | D．longer |
| A．Boys’ handwriting is too large to be neat. |
| B．Boys’ 2D: 4D rate becomes higher and higher. |
| C．Boys’ brains don’t get enough exercise like girls do. |
| D．Boys usually have less neural connections inside the brain. |
| A．Who perform better in handwriting? |
| B．Is handwriting well a difficult task? |
| C．Are girls cleverer than boys? |
| D．Why do we need to write well? |
9 . In 1823, a young woman noticed a strange fossil (化石) on a beach near Lyme Regis, England. She dug out the bones and had them carried to her home. She carefully arranged the skeleton on a table. Then she saw something extraordinary. The neck was a meter long — more than half the length of its body. It was unlike any animal living on Earth.
Even at a young age, Mary Anning had a talent for hunting “curies” fossils. In 1811, aged just 12, she made her first major discovery, a crocodile-like skull with a long skeleton. It was the first extinction animal known to science.
Fossil hunting brought in money, but it was dangerous. One day, a rock fall killed her dog and almost buried Mary. However, she still continued to look for new findings. The long-necked fossil she uncovered in 1823 was another long-dead sea reptile.
Mary was not only a skilled fossil hunter, she also carefully examined and recorded her finds. However, she didn’t get approval (认可) of other scientists. Only one of her scientific writings was published in her lifetime, in 1839. She was not allowed to join London’s Geological Society as only men could become members. She didn’t care about these. Instead, she kept moving on.
Mary died in 1847, but her contributions (贡献) have not been forgotten. Her finds are now on show in museums in London and Paris. The beach near her home is a UNESO World Heritage Site (遗址), known as Jurassic Coast. Her life continues to inspire visitors hoping to find their own fossil wonders. According to Britain’s History Museum, Mary Anning was “the greatest fossil hunter the world has ever known”. She was also a scientist who changed the way we think about life on Earth.
1. The word “curies” in Para. 2 means .| A．huge | B．beautiful | C．common | D．unusual |
| A．She won high praise from other scientists. |
| B．She published several scientific articles in her lifetime. |
| C．She had a narrow escape from a rock fall. |
| D．She was later a member of the London’s Geological Society. |
| A．To show how Southern England has the most important fossil finds in the world. |
| B．To show the readers that Jurassic Coast is in need of protection. |
| C．To give an example of how important Mary’s discoveries are to the world. |
| D．To encourage more people to find their own fossil wonders. |
| A．We shouldn’t risk our life doing things at any time. |
| B．We should still continue though others don’t support us. |
| C．We should fight for our own rights bravely when treated unfairly. |
| D．We should listen more to others’ opinions when there is disagreement. |
10 . A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without travelling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, parks, beaches and so on.
Others take the term “staycation” word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together, or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has both its advantages and risks. Since you are not travelling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably cheap. You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really expensive, so the farther you go, the more expensive it is. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distance or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
1. What is the purpose of the text?| A．To introduce the general information on staycations. |
| B．To compare staycations with other vacations. |
| C．To provide different ways of staycations. |
| D．To advise people to have staycations. |
| A．usually travel to cities far away |
| B．spend all day eating and sleeping |
| C．visit famous attractions of different cities |
| D．either relax at home or travel near their homes |
| A．How to have a staycation safely. | B．Why people prefer a staycation. |
| C．What risks a staycation has. | D．When to take a staycation. |
