4 . Getting older means greater maturity and wisdom.     1     In a society that is aging fast, it has become crucial to find ways to prevent related mental and emotional disorders. Music emerges as a promising tool for promoting well-being of the elderly.

Music has a great power to cause strong emotions and intense pleasure.     2     singing and dancing to music with others is not only fun but also improves mood. Musical activities are great ways to reduce stress because they take our minds off problems. They also help us feel less lonely and more connected with other people.

    3     A song may become a soundtrack for a particular time, such as a delightful party with friends that you had along time ago. Listening to that song allows you to remember all the happy memories from that time.

Finally, music contributes to keeping our thinking skills sharp. It makes our brains work hard in unique ways to understand the rhythm and melody.     4     For example, exposure to background music, particularly classical music, during cognitive (认知的) tasks is shown to improve older people’s cognitive processes, such as processing speed and working memory.

In conclusion, music is a powerful tool to fight against aging-related emotional and cognitive problems. It is an enjoyable and social activity, available to anyone regardless of their background or previous musical experience.     5    

A．Music can also open forgotten doors to our memories.

B．Recalling happy memories can lift our mood on a bad day.

C．Even passive music listening can help elderly adults think better.

D．This helps people feel better when they are depressed or anxious.

E．However, it often involves a series of physical and mental challenges.

F．The ability to form new memories is essential for processing information.

G．Thus, this accessible intervention should become a major policy priority for healthy aging.

6 . 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。

In our weekly staff meeting, our editor Ashley was not pleased with the quality of our reporting. “Our readership is way down. We need better stories for this Thursday’s school newspaper. Does anybody have any ideas?” she said.

I handed her my article about our basketball team beating Deerfield High School the previous night by one point. “Sports stories are fun,” she said, “but not good enough for the front page. We need something to really get people ‘s attention.”

After our meeting, we left the newsroom together and heard someone screaming, “Perry is missing!” Perry was a big red parrot and had been our school mascot (吉祥物) for ten years. He played an important role in students’ lives, both in and out of class. He had also been a constant presence at school events, inspiring a sense of unity among students.

Everyone gathered around Perry’s empty cage, heartbroken. Suddenly, a student from the crowd came over and showed me a photo. “You’re a reporter for the school paper, right? I happened to take this yesterday,” he said. In the photo was a Deerfield High School basketball player with something large hidden under his shirt around the size of a parrot.

“He must have stolen Perry to get back at us for winning the game!” Ashley cried. We hurried back to the newsroom, agreeing to run the photo on the front page with the headline “Deerfeld Stole Perry.” “This is just the story we need. Everyone will read it,” Ashley said confidently.

After she left, I took a closer look at the photo. The clock in the background read 4:15 pm, but our game against Deerfield hadn’t started until 4:30 pm. Why would the boy have taken Perry before we even played? An uneasy feeling came over me that we might have falsely accused someone.

I went to Perry’s usual caretaker to ask if he knew Perry was missing. ”He’s not missing. He’s retired. He’s ready for some quieter days,“ he said. Learning the truth, I immediately told Ashley and suggested writing a story to say goodbye to Perry.

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。

To my surprise, Ashley insisted on reporting the “Deerfield Stole Perry” story.

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On Thursday, the paper came out with the headline “Bye-Bye, Perry” on the front page.

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7 . Hardit Singh is a high school student from Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute in Waterloo, Ontario. His science project, called Speculor, won second place in the 32nd European Union Contest for Young Scientists.

Hardit said he thought about people who struggle to get eye care after his friend couldn’t get it for a long time. “If this can happen in a richer and more developed area like Waterloo, what could the conditions be like in other poorer areas?”

In Canada, most people have to pay for their own eye care, although some provinces cover some of the costs. That means either paying a monthly fee for an insurance (保险) plan or taking money out of your own bank account whenever you need something like an eye appointment and a pair of glasses. “Our primary healthcare system doesn’t incorporate eye care right now, so it becomes expensive,” said Hardit. “This is a problem that should be solved.”

Hardit’s project is an imager named Speculor, which is an electronic device (设备) that eye experts use to record and examine images of eyes. Speculor uses artificial intelligence (AI) — through a smartphone — to determine which patients require further screening. It’s portable (便携的), which means a doctor can take the device to the patient so the patient doesn’t have to travel. It costs about $300, which is far less than other medical devices, which can cost up to $5,000.

A lot of exploration went into developing the project, said Hardit, so he used the Latin word “speculor”, which is a verb that means to watch, examine and explore, when naming the device. He said Speculor summed up the point of his project, not to mention the entire spirit of science. Hardit won € 5,000 in prize money from the competition. He said he planned to save some of it for university. “I have become a lot more interested in physics, so I think that’s what my next goal is for the future,” Hardit said.

1. Why did Hardit Singh have the idea of inventing such a device?

A．His friend’s experience inspired him.

B．He was influenced by an important contest.

C．His struggle to get eye care caused him much trouble.

D．He felt worried about children’s conditions in poor areas.

2. What does the underlined word “incorporate” in Paragraph 3 mean?

A．Improve.

B．Analyze.

C．Research.

D．Include.

3. What can we learn about Hardit Singh from the text?

A．He is rich but mean.	B．He is creative and caring.
C．He is strict and responsible.	D．He is talented but unfortunate.

4. What would be the best title for this text?

A．A high school student invents an eye care device

B．The device Speculor attracts more and more attention

C．The medical conditions in Canada have improved greatly

D．A new project provides surprising results

8 . If you have been wanting to learn Spanish, or perhaps you once took a Spanish course in college and want to improve your skills, but are too busy to take more lessons, you might have thought about using an app.

Pimsleur

The Pimsleur app offers an audio-based method for learning foreign languages. Its program includes core lessons, role-play speaking challenges, practice activities and games, as well as cultural and historical facts. The Pimsleur system states that you’ll learn the language in just 30 minutes a day without boring grammar lessons or mindless repetition.

Babbel

Babbel is a popular app that is based on conversational skills. Its program is based on real-life conversations about useful topics, and it uses speech recognition technology to help you improve your pronunciation. The app provides you with grammar tips and lots of review activities, and it also tracks your learning progress so that you can see how you are improving.

Duolingo

Its program is made to be game-like to make it fun. It claims to adapt to your own learning style so that you can have lessons that can meet your specific needs. It also offers rewards to keep you motivated (有积极性的). Duolingo includes reading, writing, speaking, listening and conversation practice. People enjoy this method because they feel like they are playing a game instead of working.

Beelinguapp

It is a clean, user-friendly app that focuses on learning a language by reading. It places Spanish and another language side by side using different stories, so you can build awareness of how the language works and listen to a native speaker read your favorite stories. You can choose different text genres (类型) and create flashcards to keep track of everything you learn.

1. What do Pimsleur and Duolingo have in common?

A．They both focus on grammar learning.

B．They both use relaxing ways to interest users.

C．They both reward users for their learning progress.

D．They both provide one-on-one instruction for beginners.

2. What benefit can users get from Babbel?

A．Developing their interest in science.

B．Making friends with native speakers.

C．Getting better grades in Spanish exams.

D．Mastering expressions in daily communication.

3. Which app provides users with reading materials in two languages?

A．Beelinguapp.

B．Pimsleur.

C．Duolingo.

D．Babbel.

9 . 阅读下面的材料，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。

“Mom, I’m ready to go,” called Jason.

Every Saturday, Jason looked forward to going to Chinatown to shop for food because his mom let him pick his favorite snacks: roast pork buns and bubble tea.

The streets in Chinatown were crowded with cars and pedestrians. His mother could not find the same exotic vegetables in the local supermarkets, so they always came here to shop. What fascinated Jason was tasty roast pork, even the whole pigs hanging on big hooks in the windows, their skins roasted to a glistening brown. Jason’s mouth would water just looking at them.

As they passed the newsstand carrying Chinese newspapers and magazines, Jason spotted an old man sitting on the sidewalk. His hair was long, white, and messy. The face beneath was lined, dirty, and unshaven. Frayed and torn clothing wrapped around his thin frame, and in this kind of cold weather, he even wore sandals, his feet blue with cold. He banged an empty can against the sidewalk. As Jason walked by, he could smell a musty odor and pinched his nostrils together. The old man reached out and touched Jason’s left leg. Instinctively, Jason gathered all his strength to jerk(猛拉) his leg away and kick the old man’s hand heavily. Frightened, he hurried to catch up with his mother without looking back.

“Mom, the old man touched me,” he cried, “He touched me with his dirty hands. It’s disgusting! And he smelled too.”

Jason’s mother glanced back at the man with a look of understanding and said gently, “Jason, he can’t help it. He’s homeless. He didn’t mean any harm.”

Mom’s words made Jason look back at the old man with regret, who now was looking up at other passersby, still banging his can.

On their way home, Jason asked, his voice filled with concern. “Why is that old man homeless? Where does he sleep?”

“I don’t know. It’s tough to be homeless, especially in this cold weather. He did look quite weak,” his mother replied.

Mom’s words made Jason’s regret deepened. He confessed his heavy kick to his mother, who reminded him that it was crucial to acknowledge his mistake and try to make up for it.

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。

The next day, with his mother’s help, Jason decided to do something.

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Hearing this, the old man looked at them with watery eyes.

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