1 . Different ways have been applied to dealing with waste paper, specifically used newspapers. Some people put them in the recycling area, while others keep them as wrappers (包装纸). While these are both good measures, a Japanese publishing company had a better idea for their end use.

The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd. invented the “Green Newspaper”, which allows people to grow plants with it. This unique newspaper was published on Greenery Day, which is focused on environmental news and made of green paper with seeds placed into it. What makes it even more special is the ink (油墨) used to print words and photos, which is made from plants. The publisher advises readers to tear the used newspaper into small pieces and plant them in a container with soil. They should water them, like they would do for any plant. Within a few weeks, the seeds will grow into plants.

This brilliant concept was invented by Dentsu Inc., one of Japan’s most famous advertising companies, which works with the publishing company on the initiative (倡议). The publisher’s belief is environmental sustainability (持续性). As its mission statement says, “The Mainichi doesn’t take action only through information, but also by solving global issues.” With joint efforts, this initiative has reached the corners of Japan and sold around millions of copies daily. Other such initiatives producing plantable paper are also seen in India and the US.

About 95 million trees are lost for producing newspapers every year. The Internet, the number of whose users stands for 62.5 percent of the population worldwide, has influenced how people read news and the print readership has dropped greatly. However, the reinvention and reimagination of this newspaper will bring about a change in the publishing industry as well as having an environmental influence.

1. Why was the Green Newspaper invented?

A．To get newspapers cheaper.	B．To make the most of waste paper.
C．To improve the printing.	D．To advertise the publishing company.

2. What can be learned about the “Green Newspaper”?

A．It uses high-tech materials.	B．It provides energy for seeds.
C．It’s printed with plant-based ink.	D．It’s published to celebrate Greenery Day.

3. What message does the publisher’s mission statement convey?

A．It’s easier said than done.	B．Everything comes to one who waits.
C．Many hands make light work.	D．Actions speak louder than words.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．About 59 million trees are lost for producing newspapers.

B．The Internet has changed the way people read news totally.

C．The popularity of the Internet leads to the fall of the print readership.

D．The “Green Newspaper” will encourage more people to protect the environment.

3 . Walking in the city is very different from walking in the park. A small psychology study suggests urban(城市的) environments can slow your step and possibly increase your mental load. A walk through nature, on the other hand, appears to ease your mind and quicken your pace. The findings show that natural settings may potentially reduce cognitive (认知的)tiredness and improve reaction times straight away. The study, which includes two experiments with two different approaches, was conducted among 65 university students in the lab.

The first of the two experiments in the new study focused on people’s way of walking and cognitive load. During this trial, participants were fitted with sensors and a dozen motion control cameras were set up to watch them repeatedly walk down a 15-metre room at their natural speed. The wall opposite them showed an image of either a nature scene or a city scene. After each walk, participants were asked to rate their feelings of discomfort in the visual environment. On the whole, when walking in city settings, people reported more discomfort and they walked at a slower pace, indicating a higher cognitive load.

The second experiment dug into some of the higher-level cognitive processes that might be at play. In the trial, participants were asked to distinguish between basic visual shapes on the computer while also in the presence of a natural or urban image(the same ones from the first experiment). Measuring reaction times in both natural and urban settings, the team found results to support their idea. In urban environments, participants were slower in distinguishing between simple shapes. The authors think this is because urban environments are more distracting(令人分心的) for our brains and take longer to process, but more research is needed to prove that idea.

1. How were the experiments conducted mainly?

A．By comparing.	B．By giving data.
C．By giving examples.	D．By explaining facts.

2. What are the advantages of walking in natural environment over in urban environment?

A．It can make us feel relaxed and react quickly.	B．It can activate our thinking and speed up our step.
C．It can make us less tired and improve our memory.	D．It can make us become more focused and creative.

3. Why were participants slower in identifying simple shapes in urban environments according to the authors?

A．They had a lower cognitive load.	B．They had to slow down their pace.
C．They couldn’t concentrate properly.	D．They felt uncomfortable after walking.

4. What can be inferred from the text?

A．Urban environment makes us more concentrated.	B．People’s feelings are decided by their pace of walking.
C．The result of the experiments is widely appreciated.	D．People tend to get tired more easily walking in the city.

5 . In 2019, Wang Jibing, a food delivery rider, had an unpleasant experience due to the wrong address left by a customer. Wang searched three buildings and climbed 18 floors before he finally managed to deliver the food to the customer, who rudely scolded Wang for arriving late. Wang was sad and frustrated. As a husband and father of three children, who shouldered the majority of the financial responsibility in his family, he had to bear all silently. 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, including a poem New Temple, which occurred to him after he delivered food to construction workers repairing an old temple, and Forgive, based on his observation of a young couple fighting.

Wang’s poems, simple yet real, are seen as a tool to process his emotions, especially the personal experiences he has during his work. His heart is healed by writing the poems, and he has shared them with his friends. 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, under the same title. So far, Wang has written about 4,000 poems. This April, Wang published his second poetry collection, titled I Love This World Clumsily, featuring about 130 poems he has written since July 2022.

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

“The feedback from the readers is a big encouragement to me. Those poems carne to me naturally and I enjoyed writing them very much. However, the priority is to look after my family, so I will keep my regular job delivering food,” says Wang.

1. What can we know from paragraph 1?

A．Wang was in a hurry for the bad weather.

B．Wang released his feelings by writing a poem.

C．Wang lost his job for an unpleasant experience.

D．Wang misunderstood the customer’s need.

2. What does “went viral” mean in paragraph 3?

A．Became a hit.	B．Got updated.
C．Disappeared online.	D．Received criticism.

3. What kind of person is Wang according to the passage 3?

A．Talented and generous.	B．Responsible and creative.
C．Ambitious and considerate.	D．Intelligent and humorous.

4. Which can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．An unpleasant experience.

B．A good way to process emotions.

C．A man delivering a feast of poetry.

D．A popular collection of poems online.

6 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.

One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.

Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.

As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.

Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim (声称) to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.

1. The underlined word “hurdle” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.

A．aim

B．difficulty

C．result

D．step

2. Why did many people refuse to buy the electric cars in the past?

A．They were very poorly made.	B．They were not widely promoted.
C．They were expensive.	D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed.

3. What is the function of Paragraph 4?

A．To introduce the history of electric travel.

B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars.

C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars.

D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used.

4. Which is the best title for this passage?

A．Driving into a Cleaner Future	B．History of Electric Cars
C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars	D．Best Means of Transportation

7 . What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Brush your teeth, wash your face, or eat your breakfast?     1     When you arrive at the office, do you first check your email or make small talk with your colleagues? After you get home in the evening, do you exercise or make your dinner first?

    2     However, they are not. Most of those actions are the byproduct of your habitual patterns. According to a research published by Duke University, 40% of peoples’ daily activities are born from habits, not decisions made after careful consideration.

Habits play an essential role in our lives. They profoundly impact our health, productivity, financial security, and happiness.     3     Nevertheless, most of us fail to do so and easily stick to our regular patterns. However, once we understand the science behind habit formation, we can break habits into parts and restructure them to develop good ones.

Actually, many people are eager to develop good habits and drop bad ones.     4     The answer is to start with keystone habits. Keystone habits are the most influential habits for transforming lifestyles. Studies show that people who routinely exercise also are more productive at work. Families that habitually eat dinner together are found to raise children with better grades and improved emotional control. These are examples of keystone habits bringing a chain reaction in one’s life.     5    

A．Where should we begin?

B．What should you do next?

C．Which route do you take to work?

D．As a result, we all want to develop good habits or break bad ones.

E．We can redesign many of our habits by changing our keystone habits.

F．You may think that all of these choices are the result of careful thinking.

G．They help create the basis for good practices and greatly improve people’s lives.

8 . Snowboarding genius Su Yiming made a name for himself by winning China’s first Olympic gold in the sport on Tuesday. By cleanly stomping back-to-back 1800 tricks, the teenager landed the biggest prize so far in his young career—gold in the men’s Big Air at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The notable achievement realized a childhood dream to reach the peak of the sport, which he began to learn at the age of 4.

Now with two shinning medals hung around his neck, the 17-year-old described his superb Olympic debut ( 首秀) as an unbelievable experience that has made all his sacrifices worthwhile. “This feels so surreal that I’ve finally accomplished what I’ve dreamed of since I was little,” said an emotional Su.

Over the past four years, Su has combined his talent with hard work to produce one of the swiftest rises to prominence the sport has ever seen. When the Shougang Big Air venue hosted its first international event, Su was an unknown qualifier, who didn’t even make the final runs. Just over two years later, Su is the name on everyone’s lips at the venue’s Olympic debut—drawing the whole nation’s attention to the sport he loves.

“The biggest motivation (动力) for me is my love for snowboarding,” Su said, when asked about the secret to his success. “In snowboarding, I feel like I can show my own style and creativity. Every time I ride my board, it’s always a joyful moment. I hope through my experience, I can inspire more young people to get interested in the sport.”

Su, a former child actor who featured in action movies, said the Olympic gold will encourage him to seek for more breakthroughs—even beyond his athletic career. “I enjoy snowboarding just as much as I enjoy acting,” said Su, who turns 18 on Friday. “I think I still have a lot of possibilities to explore in my future career either in snowboarding or in acting. But now I just want to enjoy the moment and celebrate it as the best possible birthday gift.”

1. What does the underlined word “landed” in Paragraph 1 mean?

A．Arrived.

B．Gained.

C．Created.

D．Dreamed.

2. According to Su himself, what is his secret to his success?

A．His acting experience.	B．His talent and hard work.
C．His being fond of snowboarding.	D．His life dream of achieving success.

3. Which of the following words can best describe Su?

A．Talented and thoughtful.	B．Lovely and famous.
C．Creative and kind-hearted.	D．Hard-working and devoted.

4. What’s Su’s attitude toward his future?

A．Upset.

B．Hopeful.

C．Anxious.

D．Satisfied.

10 . I was at a new school in a new state and needed something solid to stand on: a place to feel grounded. I also needed to do laundry, so I walked to a nearby self-service laundry and stuffed a machine with my clothes. As I struggled to close the washer door, the woman working behind the counter told me to give it a good hit with my hand. The washer did its job, yet even after an hour, the dryer seemed to have barely warmed my clothes. I left, having decided to air-dry them on my car in the August heat.

A month later, I learned her name was Sandy, which she told me after I’d helped her stop a washing machine from moving across the floor. I was grading poems at a table when one of the washers broke loose and skipped an inch into the air. I jumped to the machine and held on while she unplugged it. The next week, Sandy told me dryer No. 8 was the fastest.

It went on like this. I’d do laundry once a week, usually Thursday or Friday. Sandy worked Tuesday through Saturday and we’d talk small while I folded clothes. She told me about her son and his grades, as well as the new dog they’d just adopted. She was fascinated that I was studying poetry. She teased (开玩笑) that it was harder making a living as a poet than as a laundry attendant. Even then I knew she was probably right.

I began to recognize others there: workers taking breaks by the door, a mother and her baby, and even some delivery drivers. But Sandy was the center of my community. For nearly three years and almost every week, I’d do laundry and talk with her. We checked on each other, expecting the other to be there. We asked where the other had gone when we missed a week. There was a note of concern for the other’s absence, a note of joy at their return.

I’d found a place to stand on solid ground.

1. Why did the author leave with his wet clothes?

A．He liked the August heat better.	B．He had to go back to the meeting.
C．He wanted to show off his new car.	D．He didn’t think the dryer worked well.

2. Why did Sandy tell the author to use dryer No. 8?

A．She was warm-hearted.	B．She needed a volunteer.
C．She wanted to thank him.	D．She was sorry for the mess.

3. What did Sandy think of a career in poetry?

A．It was harder to fulfill.	B．It was really fascinating.
C．It was badly-paid work.	D．It needed a lot of effort.

4. What can be inferred about the author from the passage?

A．He formed a close friendship with Sandy.

B．He made a lot of friends in college.

C．He expected Sandy to do laundry for him.

D．He often wrote to Sandy after graduation.