1 . Voluntourism — a new trend (趋势) of volunteer tourism

Have you ever thought about going abroad to volunteer? Nowadays there’s a trend that more and more people are interested in volunteer tourism.

Making a difference in a country less lucky than your own is seen by most as a really good thing to do. More and more volunteers are seeking meaning and a sense of purpose in life. “They use their skills to help on projects abroad, such as building hospitals, teaching English in schools, looking after children in orphanages (孤儿院), etc.”

However, some people are against this so-called “voluntourism”. Volunteers take away jobs from locals who would have otherwise done that work. Yes, sometimes volunteers have specific knowledge which can benefit communities, such as IT skills or speaking English as a native language. But sometimes they are put to work on construction sites (建筑工地), for example, depriving (使失去) locals of a job on project.

Besides, many young travelers are untrained for the role. This could become a health and safety problem on construction sites or when caring for children. I volunteered myself last year in a library and school in Ghana. I helped to reshelve books, talked to the librarian about the running of the library and played games with the children. However, I’m not an experienced teacher or librarian, and I felt like the locals were far too trusting of my opinions and decisions, just because I come from a more developed country.

Furthermore, volunteer tourism is seen by some as just that-an industry, a way for companies to make money. About $2 billion was spent by volunteers in 2015.Surely it would be better if this money were directly given to places where it is needed the most. Instead, most of the money is going to tourism companies, while local communities only see a very small amount of it. I met some Danish girls who had paid €7,000 each to a company to volunteer at an orphanage, but very little was spent on the orphanage itself.

I think volunteering abroad helps us develop as a person, and is a shining addition to a CV. Volunteer projects are usually very valuable for communities, but often good for those who take part in voluntary work just as much, if not more, as those they are helping.

1. What do we learn about volunteers working abroad?

A．They have no safety problems.

B．They may cause the locals out of job.

C．They become less willing to be volunteers.

D．They would like to work in richer countries.

2. Which statement is true according to the passage?

A．Volunteer tourism has become an industry.

B．Volunteers spend lots of money helping with the charity work.

C．Some volunteer travelers are very experienced and suitable for the role.

D．Volunteer tourism provides locals with more and more job opportunities.

3. What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．Voluntourism offers volunteers good jobs.

B．Volunteering gives a lot to poor countries.

C．Voluntourism brings volunteers advantages.

D．The quality of volunteering needs improving.

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage?
I：Introduction            P：Point             Sp：Sub-point (次要点)        c：Conclusion

A．

B．

C．

D．

2 . Sunday evening, October 30, 1938, was peaceful in New York City. Some people were returning home from a trip to the countryside, and others were sitting down to dinner. In those days, televisions were not very common. Most people listened to the radio for news and entertainment.

At eight o’clock that evening, there was a concert of dance music, but Suddenly, the programme was cut off by a news report: a large spaceship had landed in a field and an army of Martians (火星人) was moving towards New York City and then the radio went silent.

People felt worried. Some drove out of the city as quickly as possible, but soon the roads were crowded with cars. Some people put wet towels on their faces because they thought there was a gas attack. In New Jersey, some farmers went out with guns. Although it was dark, they found a large cylinder (圆柱体) standing in a field, and, thinking it was the Martian spaceship, the shot at it many times.

Many people were so frightened that they did not hear the next announcement on the radio: “Ladies and gentlemen, you are listening to a radio play called The War of the Worlds.”

A message was sent to police stations that there was no real Martian attack, and the police Offices soon returned calm to New York City.

Many people were very angry that they had been fooled by the play, and complained to the radio station. But what about the spaceship that the farmers found in the field? The next morning, they found that they had damaged a large water tank (罐)!

1. According to the news report, ___________.

A．a Martian spaceship had landed	B．a spaceship was found at the airport
C．there would be a concert that evening	D．there was a gas attack in New York City

2. The road was crowded with cars because ___________.

A．many people wanted to see the Martians

B．the Martian army was standing in the way

C．people were trying to get home from work

D．many people were trying to leave New York City

3. Who went out in the fields with guns to fight the Martians?

A．Policemen.

B．Firemen.

C．Dancers.

D．Farmers.

4. What can we learn about the radio station from the article?

A．it was fooled by a news reporter.

B．It played a joke on the listeners.

C．It called the police to catch the Martians.

D．It often announced the news about spaceships.

3 . 阅读下列短文,根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词,在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Unfortunately, in 1995 disaster     1     (strike) Reeve. While horseback riding, he was thrown     2     his horse and broke his neck. His injuries were so severe that he had no     3     (move) or feeling in his body at all and even needed a machine to help him breathe. He wished that he was dead and even thought of ending his life. He fell into a depression     4     lasted for many months. It was only due to the ongoing support of his wife, parents and friends that he eventually found the will to live again.

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why did the speaker go on the tour?

A．It was the prize of a competition.

B．John asked her to go with him.

C．It was her travel plan.

2. What did the speaker dislike about the hotel?

A．The drinks.

B．The food.

C．The waiters.

3. What did the speaker think of the trip to the museum?

A．Disappointing.

B．Amazing.

C．Terrible.

4. What did the speaker do in the second week?

A．She rode an elephant.

B．She went to the mountains.

C．She relaxed in the hotel.

5 . 语法填空

Our school, Chairo Technical School in Australia, has a strong service idea that covers two of     1    (we) core values, namely “life-long learning” and “life-long serving”. All the students are encouraged to become     2    (active) involved in these programs and many opportunities exist at all the     3    (level) through the country.

Teams of teachers and students from the school     4    (send) to every part across the whole country and other countries regularly to participate     5     different programs, including a regular English teaching tour of our sister school in China. As a school we are always seeking different service opportunities,     6     will encourage our students to devote their time and efforts to     7    (assist) those more needy than themselves.

As     8     matter of fact, many programs     9    (aim) at helping the needy and elderly within our local communities also occur throughout each year, including an annual activity, Service Week. While these programs do assist those in need, it is also exciting to see the    10    (person) growth that occurs among our participating students. The real-life experiences strengthen our teamwork effectively in order to better serve the society for life.

6 . The Sydney Opera House has become, with the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney’s best-known landmark and international symbol.

The base for the building was started in 1959 — years before the designs were finished. It took four years to design by Danish architect Jorn Utzon and by 1962 the designs were finalized and construction began. In total, it took 14 years to build and was officially opened on the 20th of October 1973 by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Sydney Opera House is a fascinating building and heart of the city’s cultural scene. It opened with a concert hall, an opera theatre, a drama theatre and a recital (音乐演奏会) hall, as well as restaurants and bars. A fifth theatre was added within the structure in 1998.

The Sydney Opera House cost some $160 million to build and was paid for by the public who bought $10 tickets in a series of lotteries with a first prize of $1million.

More information about the Sydney Opera House:

Conducts 3,000 events each year

Provides guided tours to 200,000 people each year

Has an annual audience of 2 million for its performances

includes 1,000 rooms

Is 185 metres long and 120 metres wide

Has 2.194 pre-cast concrete sections as its roof

Has roof sections weighing up to 15 tons

Has roof sections held together by 350 kms of tensioned steel cable

Has over 1 million tiles on the roof

Uses 6,225 square metres of glass and 645 kilometres of electric cable

1. When were the designs of the Sydney Opera House started?

A．In1960.

B．In1962.

C．In1958.

D．In1973.

2. The Sydney Opera House doesn’t consist of ______.

A．a drama theatre	B．an opera theatre
C．a concert hall	D．a reception hall

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The Sydney Opera House has an audience of 2 million per year for its performances.

B．There are about 3,000 events held in the Sydney Opera House each year.

C．The Sydney Opera House is made up of more than 1,000 rooms.

D．The roof of the Sydney Opera House is made of concrete and steel.

7 . Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old student from Annandale, Virginia, has created a bar soap (肥皂) to treat melanoma, the most common kind of skin cancer, which earned him the title of America’s Top Young Scientist and a $25,000 cash prize after his innovation won first place in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge.

“I made this soap by mixing regular medicinal soap with different cancer fighting chemicals.” Bekele said in an interview. Rather than a cure, Bekele’s soap aims to help the patient’s immune cells stay active while fighting melanoma.

While similar methods are available for skin cancer treatments, his solution is a more affordable alternative, especially for those in developing countries. Though the product is very promising on paper, studies would have to be carried out to test its efficiency in the real world.

For now, the young scientist said he has a five-year plan: At the end of it, he hopes to have created a nonprofit organization where he can provide fair and accessible skin cancer treatment to as many people as possible. But to accomplish his goal, he would have to get his treatment through clinical trials, obtain a temporary patent and have it licensed by the Food and Drug Administration, he said.

“I applied for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge because I believe that young minds can make a positive impact on the world,” Bekele said. “I have always been interested in biology and technology, and this challenge gave me the perfect platform to showcase my ideas. The opportunity to work with 3M mentors and show my project to judges was an exciting prospect. I am passionate about finding sustainable solutions to global problems, and I hope to inspire others to do the same.”

1. Why does Bekele invent the bar soap?

A．To deal with a kind of skin cancer.

B．To reduce the cost of making soap.

C．To change people’s immune system.

D．To complete the task for 3M challenge.

2. What aspect of the soap does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Its making process.	B．Its working method.
C．Its advantage.	D．Its development.

3. What is Bekele’s next plan for his invention?

A．To create a company.

B．To get approval by the authority.

C．To promote the soap in the market.

D．To work with a nonprofit organization.

4. Which of the following can best describe Bekele?

A．Innovative and ambitious.	B．Inspiring and tolerant.
C．Honest and accessible.	D．Energetic and thoughtful.

8 . The rate of childhood obesity in the U. S. has tripled over the past 50 years. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) made waves this year by recommending that doctors put obese kids as young as two years old on intensive, family-oriented lifestyle and behavior plans. It also suggested prescribing weight-loss drugs to children l2 and older and surgery to teens 13 and older. This advice reflects the organization’s adoption of a more active position on childhood obesity.

Yet the lifestyle programs the AAP recommends are expensive, inaccessible to most children and hard to maintain. Few weight-loss drugs have been approved for children. And surgery has potential risks and few long-term safety data. Furthermore, it’s not clear whether interventions in youngsters help to improve health or merely add to the psychological burden overweight kids face from the society.

Rather than paying close attention to numbers on a scale, the U. S. and countries with similar trends should focus on an underlying truth: we need to invest in more and safer places for children to play where they can move and run around, climb and jump, ride and skate.

Why is it so hard to get kids moving? Experts blame the problem on the privatization of sports — as public investment in school-based athletics dwindles, expensive private leagues have grown, leaving many kids out. In addition to fewer opportunities at school, researchers cite increased screen time and a lack of safe places for them to play outside the home. New York City, for example, had 2,067 public playgrounds as of 2019 — a very small amount for its large population. In Los Angeles in 2015, only 33 percent of youths lived within walking distance of a park.

Kids everywhere need more places to play. Public funding to build and keep up these areas is crucial, but other options such as shared-use agreements can make unused spaces available to the public. These opportunities aren’t primarily about changing children’s waistlines — they’re how we keep childhood healthy and fun.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Childhood obesity is well under control in recent years.

B．Weight-loss surgery are recommended to children 12 and older.

C．AAP plays a more active role in fighting against childhood obesity.

D．Expensive as it is, lifestyle programs are practical for most children.

2. The underlined word “dwindle” is closest in meaning to ______.

A．decline

B．quit

C．increase

D．develop

3. In the author’s opinion, what measures should be taken to create more safe areas?

A．Prepare fitness equipment at home.

B．Live within walking distance of a park.

C．Promote investment in private athletics.

D．Open up playgrounds when school’s out.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Sports play an important role in children’s growth.

B．More safe areas for outdoor fun are in urgent need.

C．Family-oriented lifestyles are crucial to children’s health.

D．Medical intervention is important to ease psychological burden.

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The audience and viewership for this year’s Spring Festival TV gala, which was aired on Feb 9, Lunar New Year’s Eve or Chinese Lunar New Year, both reached record     1    (high), according to ratings statistics.

    2    (support) by ultra-high-definition production, the gala was telecast on TV screens, public large screens, and mobile devices. A total of 250 million people watched the live streaming of the show via     3    (they) mobile phones with the total views reaching 420 million, up by 37.97 percent and 57.58 percent,     4     (respective), compared with 2023. The China Global Television Network (CGTN) worked with over 2,100 media organizations in about 200 countries and regions to live broadcast or report the show in 68 languages,     5    (result) in over 1.5 billion instances of viewing,    6     increase of 12.69 percent year on year.

This year, the gala, in addition     7    Beijing, had four branch venues. Audience enjoyed a diversity of local cultural elements from those places, such as folk     8     (music) instruments and folk dances.

Since its broadcast in 1983, the annual CCTV Spring Festival Gala     9     (become) an essential part of celebrations in the country to greet the Chinese New Year. As a major entertainment during Lunar New Year’s Eve, the gala marks the joyous moment     10     families gather together to celebrate.

10 . Discover the Huge Health Benefits of Strength Training

One of the best ways to stay fit and healthy as you age is to do strength and power training exercises. It is known that when you are in your thirties, you will begin to lose muscle mass. This loss actually contributes to achy joints, the increased risk of injury, and the “middle-age spread” we all fear. What’s more, the older you get, the faster muscle mass loses. It means that eventually, simple tasks like getting out of a chair and climbing stairs can become more difficult.

Strength training can help you build muscles, make you strong, increase your staying power and make everyday activities easier. By combining strength and power training exercises, you’ll not only get stronger, but also improve your reaction speed. As you grow older, that’s critical because it can help prevent falls. Here is a book, Strength and Power Training for All Ages, for your reference.

Common sense about fitness in the book:

·The key muscles to work for an injury-free body

·How to tell how much weight is suitable for you

·How to strengthen the bones most likely to break

·How to take pressure off your knees when walking or running

·Why you’ll want to apply heat to sore joints before you exercise

Four total body workouts in the book:

·Build bones

·Fight diseases

·Improve balance

·Strengthen muscles &Increase muscle power

Get a copy, start training, and then you’ll discover a whole new self.

1. What will happen as people age according to paragraph 1?

A．They will need less exercise.

B．They will improve reaction speed.

C．They will experience muscle loss.

D．They will have better staying power.

2. What does Strength and Power Training for All Ages mainly teach people to do?

A．Train their brains.	B．Build a sound body.
C．Treat bone diseases.	D．Cut down their weight.

3. What is the text?

A．A notice.	B．An oral folktale.
C．A scientific paper.	D．An advertisement.