1 . We partner with destinations for cleanups and conservation efforts. Our expert’s pick of the best choices will help you turn beach dreams into beach days.
Steephill Cove
This traditional fishing cove will make you feel like you’ve gone back in time, with its brightly painted beach huts and old fisherman’s cottages, lobster pots (捕虾篓) and cheery, colorful deck chairs. There is a beach cafe to the back of Steephill Cove, which serves hot and cold refreshments and food, and there are also restaurants serving locally caught seafood during the season.
Sandwood Bay
Located in the very north of Scotland, this beach is considered to be one of the most untouched in mainland Britain. Unreachable by car, the wild and wonderful beach is accessed by a popular and fairly flat 4-mile-long path from the nearest car park, which adds a sense of remoteness to this charming place.
Nanjizal Beach
Due to its more distant location, amazing Nanjizal Beach is usually very quiet, apart from those walkers who have made the hike on the coastal path from either Porthgwarra, Lands End or Sennen Cove. There are many caves to discover and the ruins of an old watermill, too.
Bamburgh Beach
At any time of year, Bamburgh Beach is one of the most dramatic in the UK, thanks to the impressive castle located on a nearby hill that overlooks the skyline. Bamburgh also has some of the best waves in the UK, which makes it perfect for body boarders. Even if that’s not your thing, simply watching from the shore can be a thrilling experience.
1. What is special about Steephill Cove?| A．It showcases its original charm. | B．It has modern buildings. |
| C．It allows visitors to catch seafood. | D．It is home to different cafes. |
| A．By car. | B．On foot. | C．By plane. | D．By ship. |
| A．Steephill Cove. | B．Sandwood Bay. | C．Nanjizal Beach. | D．Bamburgh Beach. |
2 . Have you struggled to save up your pocket money or found it hard not to eat a whole packet of sweets in one go?
Also known as “willpower”, self-control means making short-term sacrifices for long-term rewards. This could be going without things you want to buy now to save up for a future treat, or walking away from an argument in case you say something hurtful.
“It doesn’t always feel like it, but we all have willpower,” says scientist Eric Schulze. He explains that it’s like a muscle because the more you use it, the stronger it becomes. A good way to strengthen self-control is getting plenty of sleep and feeding your brain with healthy food. Focus on small goals so you don’t use up all the energy in one go. “As the day wears on that willpower muscle shrinks (萎缩) and it’s harder to resist temptation (诱惑),” Schulze says.
| A．Success comes from self-control. |
| B．Willpower is like a type of energy. |
| C．It can also help you manage your emotions. |
| D．It takes willpower to resist the two temptations. |
| E．If so, you’ll understand the power of self-control. |
| F．Self-control is a superpower that can help you achieve goals. |
| G．When this happens, exercising helps you give energy to the brain. |
I was the fat kid in school. I was also very shy, and sensitive and I had very bad asthma (哮喘) and other health conditions that made me miss more school than I should have. As such, I was somewhat of an outsider, seen as the strange fat kid who got time off school. I wasn’t very popular and often laughed at. Most of the time, I hated school. I felt anxious about it sometimes. I just couldn’t seem to fit in and it always seemed to be an unfriendly environment. But then, thankfully, some things started to change.
I’d just started my General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSEs). These were the serious years in school and there seemed to be a change in the atmosphere. People wanted to work together and were more comfortable being themselves, which was also true for me. I found myself enjoying the subjects of history and science in particular and could even make jokes with classmates. People were making more of an effort to include me. I was making more of an effort too — making sure my health didn’t hold me back and trying not to be shy and engage and laugh things off. Then a big event was coming up: the school talent show.
I wouldn’t have dared to take part in such a public thing before, but a few kids in school were encouraging me to take part. Rey, a kind girl in my science class said, “Hey, why don’t we sing a duet (二重唱) together?”I couldn’t believe I was even thinking about it but I had the perfect song in mind. It was Tom Jones’s hit — Burning Down the House. This fun song was perfect and it would be funny, because House, is my family name. I mentioned it to Rey and she said, “OK, we’re doing it!”
Well, I was in for it now. This would either help my popularity or it would be the most embarrassing experience of my life.
注意：(1)续写词数应为120左右：
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Rey and I had practiced a lot and finally, the big day came.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________After our performance, positive comments poured in.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . A heroic attempt of a man, Oscar Rivera, risking his life to save neighbors from a burning home is cheered by the whole community. The dramatic
Rivera was relaxing with his children in their backyard when he heard an enormous sound and
Despite the dangerous situation, he kept calm and
Eyewitness Janeen Huth
As residents reflect on this terrifying incident in their
| A．fire | B．rescue | C．change | D．escape |
| A．put off | B．called for | C．fell in | D．sp rang into |
| A．spotted | B．imagined | C．assumed | D．believed |
| A．confused | B．relieved | C．trapped | D．bothered |
| A．select | B．seized | C．prepared | D．built |
| A．blanketed | B．folded | C．hidden | D．filled |
| A．necessary | B．unusual | C．fantastic | D．impossible |
| A．doubt | B．enthusiasm | C．hesitation | D．protection |
| A．clapped | B．parted | C．approached | D．laughed |
| A．clicked | B．posted | C．recorded | D．directed |
| A．ease | B．risk | C．attention | D．bay |
| A．separately | B．mentally | C．equally | D．medically |
| A．worse | B．cooler | C．smaller | D．clearer |
| A．apartment | B．hospital | C．community | D．school |
| A．success | B．hope | C．wisdom | D．peace |
5 . Emergency Mask Pod (面罩舱) is a plastic, 3D-printed and football-shaped case that contains a mask that protects the lungs of someone trapped in a fire until they were rescued. Alexis got the idea for the Emergency Mask Pod after hearing that a mother had thrown her baby out of the second floor window of their smoke-filled apartment during a fire in the building. The family was trapped in their apartment by the smoke.
Alexis wondered whether there was a means for people waiting outside, such as neighbors and first responders, to deliver smoke masks to people trapped in the second floors of burning buildings. Her research showed that there was no such delivery system, so Alexis set about to invent one.
First, she found a small, lightweight smoke mask. The next step was to develop a way to launch or throw the mask up into an open second-story window. Alexis built several different pods, which were tested by local firefighters. Each pod was cast into a second story window more than 290 times by a total of 37 firefighters. The football-shaped pod, which Alexis printed on her MakerBot 3D printer, was the clear winner, with an accuracy rate of over 70 percent.
The firefighters testing the Emergency Mask Pod told her that it is needed by firefighters arriving at the scene of a fire. They told Alexis that when they find people trapped inside, they wish they could give them some form of relief so they can breathe safely while firefighters try to reach them. A smoke delivery system could be used to provide that relief.
The Emergency Mask Pod requires no special equipment, training, or permits; people at the scene of a fire could help fire victims (受害者) trapped inside smoky rooms without hesitation. EMTs, police officers, and firefighters could keep the mask and EM Pod in their vehicles and apartment complexes could store them in approachable places like community centers. The mask could easily be retrieved by victims and put on, giving them precious time for firefighters to rescue them and potentially saving hundreds or thousands of lives.
1. Why is the Emergency Mask Pod invented?| A．To improve the design of smoke masks. |
| B．To provide a way to deliver smoke masks. |
| C．To help firefighters practice throwing skills. |
| D．To protect first responders’ eyes from smoke. |
| A．By burning them in the local fire departments. |
| B．By studying different materials for making pods. |
| C．By doing a survey of people trapped in a fire before. |
| D．By having firefighters throw them into windows many times. |
| A．Returned. | B．Accessed. | C．Relieved. | D．Launched. |
| A．Surviving the Flame: New Rescue Skills |
| B．Smoke and Masks: The Future of Fire Safety |
| C．A Lifeline through the Smoke: The Mask Pod |
| D．Breaking through Barriers: Firefighters’ Creations |
6 . After overcoming a severe stroke (中风) at just 22 months old, a young woman is taking to the Internet to show people how she lives with only one working hand and inspire other stroke and injury survivors to become more independent.
Chiara Beer, 27, who lives in Winchester, suffered a stroke as a baby which left her with lasting effects and a lifelong disability. She now lives with right-sided hemiplegia (偏瘫) — a condition that results in weakness and lack of movement in one side of the body.
Growing up with this disability, as she got older, Chiara realized there was a huge lack of resources and information for young stroke survivors on the Internet and it was unable to find anyone else who was experiencing the similar things on her, so she decided to start sharing some relevant content on social media.
The determined 27-year-old began posting videos, sharing more about her own story of stroke survival and showing her followers various aspects of her day-to-day life, living with only one working arm, for example, how she drives using a specially adapted car and how technology helps her to read and write, other things like tying her hair with one hand, doing up the button on her jeans or applying her make-up.
She received a huge outpouring of love and support from her viewers, including messages of love from other stroke survivors and people who suffer from other similar disabilities, thanking her for showing them some hacks and tricks on how to become a little more independent.
Chiara admitted that she loves knowing that she is able to offer support to other young stroke survivors, saying, “It makes me feel happy that I can help so many people.” She added, “I want to help raise awareness about young people having strokes and also I want to help young people to find a way to be able to be independent. As for me, this has always been my main goal: to be independent.”
1. What is the after-effect of Chiara’s stroke?| A．Unable to drive a car. | B．Unable to use his hands. |
| C．Unable to move his body freely. | D．Unable to communicate with others. |
| A．The disabled are willing to share their life skills. |
| B．Stroke survivors face many challenges in their daily life. |
| C．There was much information about stroke treatment online. |
| D．Young stroke survivors had little guidance to turn to online. |
| A．Her story led them to have faith in life. |
| B．She taught them to cure their disabilities. |
| C．Her experience inspired them to live on their own. |
| D．She served as a role model for them to live ambitiously. |
| A．Roses given, fragrance in hand. | B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Where there is a will, there is a way. | D．Constant dripping wears away a stone. |
7 . A Japanese company has developed an artificial intelligence filter (变声器) that can detect angry screams and translate them into calm speech in order to reduce the stress experienced by call center operators.
Large tech companies have long been aware of the stress their call center operators are exposed to every single day, with many customers taking out their anger and frustrations on them. Some of them have even introduced stress management programs that include relaxation techniques, meditation, yoga, or therapy meant to irritability and anxiety. However, one Japanese company may have come up with a much more efficient solution — using AI to completely take screaming and aggressive speech out of the equation. SoftBank claims to have spent three years creating a voice filter that detects screaming and automatically translates it into calm speech.
SoftBank’s voice filter consists of two stages, one in which the AI identifies an angry voice and extracts key points of speech, and a second where it uses acoustic (声学) tools to transform it into a more natural, even polite tone. Interestingly, the filter doesn’t change any of the words spoken by the person, but significantly softens the intonation. The call center operator will still hear any insults (辱骂) uttered, only in a soft tone, which should help reduce their stress and anxiety.
To train the AI, SoftBank’s engineers asked 10 actors to record at least 100 common phrases including screams, accusations, threats, and demands for an apology. In total, more than 10,000 pieces of voice data were used to train the AI filter.
It’s unclear when SoftBank plans to apply the new scream-filtering AI in its call centers, but it will be interesting to see how well it works and how it impacts the emotional well-being of operators.
1. Why has SoftBank invented the voice filter?| A．To translate calm speech. | B．To improve work efficiency. |
| C．To relieve the operators’ pressure. | D．To introduce relaxation techniques. |
| A．It changes the insult words of customers. |
| B．It reduces stress by removing any insults. |
| C．It makes the operators hear the angry words in a soft tone. |
| D．It transforms key points of speech into a more polite tone. |
| A．They recorded actors’ soft voices. | B．They compared different voice data. |
| C．They analyzed reasons for bad moods. | D．They collected data of angry voices. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Doubtful. | C．Disappointed. | D．Confident. |
8 . In Aleksandra’s studio in Haikou, the capital of Hainan, an oil painting of St. Basil’s Cathedral hangs beside a portrait capturing the grace of a woman from the Li ethnic group, symbolizing two distinct aspects of the artist’s life.
Raised in a family of artists, the 24-year-old Russian woman developed a profound love for painting from an early age. Six years ago, she relocated to Hainan and set up her studio there. Her fascination with Chinese culture was bolstered when she was 10 years old. “I picked up the language through the internet, books and TV. I simply adore Chinese culture.” In 2018, driven by her passion, Aleksandra journeyed to Hainan to study, where she was captured by the island’s peaceful natural beauty and unhurried pace of life.
“It’s an incredibly beautiful place, and the people are kind, charming and authentically simple,” she reflects. “Life unfolds at a leisurely pace, allowing them to harmonize with nature.” Living in Hainan enables her to immerse herself in nature and humanity, two beloved themes in her artwork. The local people and culture have become essential to her life as she and her husband, whom she met on the island, have ventured through its landscapes together.
“We ventured into the heart of Hainan. It was during these journeys that I first encountered the Li people,” she recalls. The Li brocade (织锦) has left a lasting impact on her. This traditional textile of the Li ethnic group in Hainan is regarded as a “living fossil” of the textile industry, boasting a history of over 3,000 years. “When you witness a woman weaving this brocade, she is narrating a tale passed down through generations, such as that of Dalishen, the God of Strength, watching over us. It not only inspires me but also empowers me to create,” she says.
She strives to capture the complicated patterns of the brocade in her paintings, weaving local culture into her creations — a process that has brought her profound satisfaction.
1. What inspired Aleksandra to set up her studio in Haikou?| A．Her passion for painting. | B．The low cost of living. |
| C．Her desire for further study. | D．The local scenery and lifestyle. |
| A．Fueled. | B．Recovered. | C．Blocked. | D．Weakened. |
| A．They tell fairy stories. | B．They reflect Li ethnic culture. |
| C．They center on weaving techniques. | D．They stress the history of the Li people. |
| A．To attract people to Haikou. | B．To highlight China’s cultural diversity. |
| C．To advertise an artist’s works. | D．To introduce a foreign artist in China. |
9 . In 2011, two students from the University of Michigan dreamed of a way to bring the Detroit community together while creating a sustainable food source. That year, Tyson Gersh and Darin McLeskey launched the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI), which converted a residential neighborhood in Detroit’s North End into an agricultural wonderland, run by the community, for the community.
Now, it’s been over 10 years, and MUFI is still running strong. In fact, they have grown to become the first sustainable urban “agrihood” in the United States. The term, coined in 2014, refers to an “agricultural neighborhood” in an urban setting. Today there are 90 such “agrihoods” in the U.S., with another 27 in development.
MUFI’s primary focus has been the redevelopment of a three-acre plot, which they call the “center of urban agriculture.” Their mission is to use urban agriculture as a platform to promote education, sustainability, and community in an effort to empower urban communities, solve many social problems facing Detroit, and potentially develop a broader model for redevelopment for other urban communities.
To accomplish this, they have used a variety of creative techniques to transform residential properties into agricultural landscapes. In one video, on the MUFI YouTube channel, they show how they used the basement plot of a destroyed house as a cistern (蓄水池). They’re also working to turn an old building into a brightly colored community center.
Bringing the community together is the heart of MUFI’s mission. All their support and volunteers are sourced from Detroit and their produce goes right back into the community. Since 2011, MUFI has produced 50,000 pounds of food for the people of Detroit. Once packaged, the food is sent to one of four places: individual households, local markets, restaurants, and food pantries. They note that individual households are provided food on a “pay what you can” model.
The organization has no less than seven community-oriented projects in development. Alongside their agricultural efforts, they have been working to beautify the area with flower gardens, and a covered pavilion (亭子) for community events is in the works. Their efforts also include affordable housing made from shipping containers.
1. What can we learn about MUFI from the first two paragraphs?| A．It focuses on research into climate changes. |
| B．It has changed traditional farming methods. |
| C．It has gained wide recognition in the country. |
| D．It was initially launched as a university project. |
| A．Uplifting the community. | B．Seeking food sources for residents. |
| C．Redefining urban farming. | D．Setting an example to other cities. |
| A．MUFI’s primary mission. | B．MUFI’s agricultural efforts. |
| C．MUFI’s fast development. | D．MUFI’s technological achievements. |
| A．To reduce food waste. | B．To make their food affordable. |
| C．To increase the amount of sales. | D．To promote a new sales strategy. |
10 . In a heartwarming reunion, Patrick Moriarty, a retired science teacher from New York, fulfilled a promise he made to his students decades ago by watching the 2024 solar eclipse (日食) together.
Back in 1978, while teaching his “Earth Science” class, Moriarty
Two years ago, Moriarty,
As the spectacle (奇观)
| A．printed | B．distributed | C．collected | D．delivered |
| A．needed | B．allowed | C．intended | D．expected |
| A．Change | B．Remove | C．Circle | D．Approach |
| A．challenging | B．interesting | C．unacceptable | D．reasonable |
| A．mark | B．keep | C．change | D．design |
| A．attended | B．imagined | C．created | D．witnessed |
| A．pride | B．curiosity | C．determination | D．enthusiasm |
| A．class | B．reunion | C．group | D．community |
| A．got around | B．settled down | C．showed up | D．broke in |
| A．diverse | B．friendly | C．young | D．familiar |
| A．hardly | B．already | C．still | D．ever |
| A．reflected on | B．struggled against | C．took to | D．prepared for |
| A．hardest | B．longest | C．strangest | D．funniest |
| A．unfolded | B．decreased | C．struck | D．existed |
| A．prediction | B．declaration | C．solution | D．suggestion |
