2 . Direction: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. labour              B. manner              C. highlighting        D. circumstances              E. updated F. characterised        G. integrated             H. admirable              I. accommodate              J. overseeing       K. flexible

The house of the future? A sun-filled, shape-shifting, shed-share paradise

What will homes be like 10 years from now? Judging by the winners of the Home of 2030 competition, sharing will be key.

Shared home-working spaces, communal garden sheds and houses built using apps—these are just some of the ideas in the winning proposals for the government’s Home of 2030 competition to develop prototype “homes fit for the future”,    1    the “best of British design”. The aim was to imagine what the best age-adaptable, energy-efficient, healthy homes might look like in 10 years’ time; but, according to the winning architects, most of the best ideas have been around for generations.

“You can’t get much more     2    and adaptable than the Georgian townhouse,” says Jennifer Beningfield of Openstudio, leader of one of the two winning teams announced today. “We’ve taken this very simple model and     3    it for the 21st century. Our idea was to create infinite choice and variation from something very simple.”

Her team’s scheme imagines a terraced (排房的) housing type made from two standard components, a base unit and a loft, joined with “connector” pieces, taking into account multiple configurations (布局) over time as family     4    change. Standing between the homes, the connectors would     5    stairs and a lift, as well as storage and shared workspace. One of the most important aspects since the pandemic, says Beningfield, is providing “space to work from home, without having your laptop on the kitchen table”. Each home would have its own private outdoor space, while they would all back on to large communal gardens, arranged in the     6    of a traditional London square.

Built off-site to demanding Passivhaus standards, with a twin wall timber frame, the homes would be     7    by generous 2.7m high ceilings and tall 2.5m windows and doors, massively increasing the amount of daylight brought into the rooms, compared with most new-build spec housing. Beningfield, who studied and worked in South Africa and the US, says that off-site construction is crucial, given the shocking build quality of so many new homes in the UK – which she fears will only get worse after Brexit, if much of the skilled     8    is forced to leave.

As is so often the case with blue-sky (纯理论的) ideas competitions, the ambitions of the Home of 2030 winning teams are     9    – and, in this case, completely buildable – but there is little evidence to suggest that either the government or the volume housebuilding sector has any intention of putting them into practice. For that, we must look to Sunderland in 2023, and hope that a(n)    10    union of other councils, communities and smaller-scale builders have the imagination to follow their lead.

3 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. capture          B. guaranteed        C. resume          D. engage        E. multiple        F. tracks   G. issues H. personalized     I. incredible     J. integrated       K. feeds

What Is TikTok(抖音)

TikTok is the destination for mobile videos. On TikTok, short-form videos are exciting, spontaneous, and genuine. Whether you’re a sports fan, a pet enthusiast, or just looking for a laugh, there’s something for everyone on TikTok. All you have to do is watch,     1     with what you like, skip what you don’t, and you’ll find an endless stream of short videos that feel     2     just for you. From your morning coffee to your afternoon errands(差事), TikTok has the videos that are     3     to make your day. We make it easy for you to discover and create your own original videos by providing easy-to-use tools to view and     4     your daily moments. Take your videos to the next level with special effects, filters, music, and more. Watch endless amount of videos customized specifically for you. Personalized video     5     might be based on what you watch, like, and share. TikTok offers you real, interesting, and fun videos that will make your day.

Explore videos, just one roll away. Watch all types of videos from Comedy, Gaming, DIY, Food, Sports, and Pets to Oddly Satisfying, and everything in between. Pause recording     6     times in one video. Pause and     7     your video with just a tap. Shoot as many times as you need. Be entertained and inspired by a global community of creators. Millions of creators are on TikTok showcasing their     8     skills and everyday life. Let yourself be inspired. Add your favorite music or sound to your videos for free. Easily edit your videos with millions of free music clips and sounds. We provide music and sound playlists for your with the hottest     9     in every type , including Hip Hop, Rock, Rap, and Country, and the most viral original sounds. Express yourself with creative effects. Unlock tons of filters and effects to take your videos to the next level. Edit your own videos. Our     10     editing tools allow you to easily cut, merge and copy video clips without leaving the app.

4 . Coffee is increasingly earning scientists’ approval. Studies continue to suggest that the beverage (饮料) may have some __________ effects on health.

In the latest analysis, published in the BMJ, researchers scanned nearly 220 studies on coffee and found that__________, coffee drinkers may enjoy more health benefits than people who don’t drink the brew.

Scientists learned that people who drank coffee were 17% less likely to die early during the study period from any__________, 19% less likely to die of heart disease and 18% less likely to develop cancer, compared to people who did not drink coffee. Research group found that the strongest benefit __________ among people who drank around three cups of coffee a day.

Other studies have tried to figure out which ingredients in coffee __________ to its health benefits. Those might include its antioxidants (抗氧化剂), which can combat cancer, and anti-inflammatory (抗炎的) compounds, which can reduce the __________ of chronic (慢性的) diseases such as heart conditions and even nerve disorders like Alzheimer’s, __________ that of liver diseases.

__________ research results support moderate coffee drinking as a relatively healthy habit, some experts say the findings don’t go far enough to __________ the changes of their coffee-drinking habits in the hopes of improving their health. The study did not confirm, for example, that people who do not __________ drink coffee should start adding a cup or two a day in order to lower health risk. The __________ also do not support the idea that current coffee drinkers should drink even more coffee to enhance whatever benefits they might be receiving. Too much coffee, the survey suggested, starts to bend the benefit curve back down.

The only negative health effects the review found were __________ women, who were at slightly higher risk of developing cracks in the bones if they drank more coffee. Pregnant women who drank more coffee __________ have higher rates of miscarriage, more premature births and more babies born with low birthweight than women who drank less coffee, the study found.

The findings should be reassuring for coffee drinkers, as long as they drink__________. Further studies will hopefully look deeper into the type and __________ of coffee that brings the most health benefit.

1.

A．definite

B．creative

C．ideal

D．beneficial

2.

A．average

B．total

C．overall

D．besides

3.

A．possibility

B．cause

C．reason

D．potential

4.

A．occurred

B．operated

C．counted

D．awoke

5.

A．adapt

B．apply

C．contribute

D．donate

6.

A．result

B．risk

C．remark

D．resistance

7.

A．without

B．as well as

C．apart at

D．except for

8.

A．While

B．Since

C．Despite

D．When

9.

A．prosper

B．preserve

C．promote

D．protect

10.

A．currently

B．permanently

C．accurately

D．objectively

11.

A．media

B．instances

C．systems

D．data

12.

A．with

B．along

C．among

D．between

13.

A．tended to

B．pretended to

C．regretted to

D．intended to

14.

A．for sure

B．in moderation

C．at all cost

D．without hesitation

15.

A．amount

B．number

C．quality

D．deal

5 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

“This belongs to Iraq.” reads the poster held by Iraqi student Zeidoun Alkinani at the Babylonian Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum of Berlin.

Excavated and acquired by German archaeologists in     1     is today’s Iraq, the Ishtar Gate is one of the many artifacts shipped back to Western countries prior to World War I as part of a larger trend by European colonists across the Middle East. In 2002 Iraqi officials urged Germany to return the gate.

There are still no plans made for its return. The viral image does, however, bring to light the long-argued debate between museums in the US. and Europe     2     the ownership of ancient artifacts and the objects countries of origin.

Another example of the stolen artifacts displayed in Germany is the famous bust of Nefertiti a statue     3     (represent) the pharaoh of Egypt Akhenaten’s royal wife. Around 1340 BC the bust was constructed of limestone, gypsum, and wax in Egypt.     4     ancient items usually show their age with time passing by, it seems     5     (have) relatively little effect for the bust of Nefertiti. Its shape remains largely undamaged its colors are intact and the face of the queen appears unsullied by age.

It is rare to find so pristine an ancient figure in the modern era. The bust     6     (unearth) by German archaeologists in 1912. The following year, it found its way to Germany and     7     (stay) there ever since. In 2011, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities sent a request to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation for the artifact’s return. It is in the museum run by the foundation     8     the bust is now displayed. However, the foundation replied that the bust was obtained legally and Egypt has no grounds to reclaim it.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities explained “This request is a natural consequence of Egypt’s long-standing policy of seeking the restitution of all archaeological and historical artifacts     9     have been taken illegally out of the country.

The foundation’s president disagreed:“The bust of Nefertiti is and remains the ambassador of Egypt in Berlin. Besides, the long trip home     10     cause permanent damage to the delicate statue.”

6 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. respectively       B. vision                 C. rebounded       D. decoupling       E. respectably F. promoting          G. commitments       H. emitters          I. peak                 J. remaining            K. urgent

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Asean (东盟) region are estimated to increase in the same period, based on the latest Nationally determined contributions (NDC) targets up to 2030.

To keep the Paris Agreement temperature goal within reach, Dr Beni Suryadi, Centre for Energy Manager at the Asean Secretariat, stated that ASEAN needs to achieve     1    emissions as soon as possible after 2030 and net-zero GHG emissions as soon as possible after 2050.

However,     2    of the growth in GDP and energy-related CO2 emissions is observed only in a handful of the Asean member states.

“It is vital to reduce energy intensity through lower energy demand and further energy savings and to reduce emission intensity by     3    renewable energy expansion,” he said.

“Current policies need to be enhanced to achieve the NDC targets. The     4    under the NDCs will provide Asean with a better perspective of the need for a more ambitious course of action on mitigation（缓解） in the future. Ambitious energy policies can significantly reduce GHG emission and helps our     5    towards low carbon economies and climate resilient nations.”

Earlier in his presentation, Dr Beni highlighted, “a brief record-breaking drop in climate change – causing carbon emissions during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. However, nowadays we continue to hear the news and read reports that say that global emissions have already     6    to near pre-pandemic levels”.

“While we are grateful to learn that the economy is reviving and we see economic activities taking place everywhere, there is a(n)     7    need for us to limit the growth of emissions. Global GHG emissions continue to rise, at a time when they need to be rapidly falling.”

At the global level, he said, “It is recorded that almost three-quarters of the GHG emissions come from energy use; almost one-fifth from agriculture and land use; and the     8    eight per cent from industry and waste”.

He also noted that the electricity and transport sectors start out as and remain the biggest     9    of GHGs and air pollution in Asean.

“If the Asean member states do what is needed to fully achieve their own national energy efficiency and renewable energy targets, as well as their climate commitments, Asean’s total energy- related GHG emissions in 2040 will be 3,002 MtCO2-eq, 28 per cent lower than in the baseline scenario.

“Power generation remains the largest sectoral contributor, accounting for about 40 per cent and 46 per cent of total GHG emissions from energy in 2025 and 2040,     10    .

“Furthermore, if Asean fulfilled its regional aspirational targets on the energy efficiency and renewable energy, Asean will be able to reduce GHG emissions more sharply to only 2,264 Mt CO2-eq in 2040,” he said.

7 . In the Death Zone of Mount Everest

Mountain climbers call the part of a mountain over 7,000 meters the Death Zone. The human body can’t live for very long at this height, because the air is too thin and there isn’t enough oxygen. Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, is 8,848 meters high. What happens to the bodies of people who climb it?

Their lungs have to work very hard. Normally, people breathe about 20 times every minute when they are resting. On top of Everest, climbers must breathe 70 to 80 times a minute to get enough oxygen.     1     Other parts of the body work very slowly, to save energy. For example, the stomach stops digesting food.

    2     They have insomnia (失眠), so they always feel tired. They get very bad headaches. The sun burns their skin through the thin air, and the bright light from the snow hurts their eyes. Because they have nausea (恶心) and indigestion, they don’t want to eat, and that makes them weaker. In the dry air, they feel thirsty all the time.

Climbing on Everest also affects the brain.     3     Scientists have tested this by speaking to climbers with radios. They ask questions like, “If John is taller than Tom, who is shorter?” This is probably very easy for you to answer. But at the top of Everest, climbers have to think a long time to find the answer, and they often make mistakes. Because the climbers can’t think well, they sometimes make bad decisions and get into accidents.

Even with all these difficulties, more than 2,500 people have reached the top of Mount Everest.     4     Now, almost all climbers breathe from oxygen tanks. They use radios to communicate with people at the bottom, so they can get advice if they’re not thinking clearly. There are medicines to help them with headaches and lung problems.

A．But Mount Everest is still one of the most difficult and dangerous environments on Earth.

B．As they get closer to the top of the mountain, climbers feel worse and worse.

C．Your brain thinks very slowly, because it doesn’t have enough oxygen.

D．Scientists have found ways to solve some of their problems.

E．Only the strongest bodies can survive up there in the Death Zone.

F．The heart must beat faster to move the blood through the body.

8 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Chekhov (契科夫)wrote more than 500 short stories, which, in terms of depth and artistry, rival the great novels of other writers. He was the first     1     (focus) not on overblown drama, but on everyday life. Maxim Gorky wrote to Chekhov that no one could equal him when it came to     2     (write) about the simple things. “After reading even your     3     (insignificant) story, everything else seems crude, written not with a pen, but with a log.”

Here are 2 of the master storyteller’s must­reads.

1. The Chameleon《变色龙》, 1884

A minor episode occurs on the market square of the city of N: a dog bites the finger of the goldsmith Khryukin. Police inspector Ochumelov arrives to sort out the issue. At first, the inspector exclaims that the animal     4     be put down and its owner fined. But when he learns     5     the dog belongs to a general, his opinion changes. All of a sudden, Khryukin is     6     (blame) for provoking the animal.

One of Chekhov’s first stories, read by all schoolchildren, it is a humorous critique of how people’s attitudes change chameleon­like, depending     7     who they are dealing with.

2. Man in a Case, 1898

Even in warm weather, Belikov wears a coat and carries an umbrella in a case. In fact, all his possessions have their own personal case. He hides his face behind his collar. Suspicious and paranoid, he craves order and neatness in     8    . Only in his coffin     9     he wear an almost cheerful expression on his face.

In Russian, the phrase “man in a case” has become an idiom, said about people     10     are afraid to open up to the world and lose many opportunities by never leaving their comfort zone.

9 . Group-Centered Societies Have Just as Much Creativity

What does culture have to do with creativity? The answer could be “a lot”. For decades, psychologists trying to understand the roots of creative imaginations have looked at the ways in which two different types of cultures can come to have an effect over its artistic and _________ output. Individualistic cultures encourage people to be unique and to _________ their own interests even if doing so comes at a cost to the group overall. Collectivistic cultures are based on relationships and duties to other people. These types of cultures often _________ the individual’s wants for the needs of those who are close to them or for those in their community.

Individualism has long been thought to have a creative _________. Individualists _________ social convention, the logic goes, and that pushback supports innovation. For instance, around the world, individualistic cultures have more patents than collectivistic cultures do. _________, a new study suggests that these ideas about culture and creativity could be off base. People in collectivistic cultures actually do better with a particular type of creative thinking than those in individualistic cultures. And the findings overall reveal the shortcomings of thinking about innovation too _________.

The new work comes from comparing communities in different parts of China. Though it scores high, as a nation, on measures of cultural _________, China’s 1.4 billion people are more than just a single culture. People from areas north of the Yangtze River tend to be more _________, open to strangers and self-confident, whereas people along the river and farther south are often more inter-dependent, partial to friends over strangers and likely to try harder to __________.

In the new creativity study, researchers investigated innovation with these two groups in mind. The team used a drawing test that had been created by psychologists. They gave kids a sheet of paper with just a few basic elements printed on it: some dots here, squiggles (弯曲的线条) there, and a rectangle that suggested a drawing frame. The children got 15 minutes to use the elements already on the page to draw whatever they wanted. They could get “adaptive creativity” points for doodling in ways that connected the squiggles and lines into an original and __________ image. In addition, a judge checked whether the children chose to incorporate a small shape that could be found just outside the rectangular. This element was easy to __________, so those who included this outside-the-box detail could get points for “boundary-breaking creativity.”

The researchers gave the test to 683 middle school students from north and south of the Yangtze River. When the scientists got the scores back, they discovered that there were no differences in the children’s overall creativity. When they broke down the results into components, they found that students from collectivistic regions scored __________ in adaptive creativity while those from individualistic areas did better in boundary-breaking creativity.

The findings are also a warning against cultural chauvinism (极端民族主义). Western countries have tended to lead the way in innovation — at least as defined by the metrics (指标) we Westerners have created. Perhaps we have been __________ China’s adaptive creativity. For example, while the country may not have invented the assembly line, it is largely thanks to the __________ its people have made to this system that the country has such a thriving manufacturing sector today.

1.

A．theoretical

B．inventive

C．productive

D．regular

2.

A．prioritize

B．deprive

C．tolerate

D．abandon

3.

A．satisfy

B．stimulate

C．cherish

D．sacrifice

4.

A．shelter

B．edge

C．border

D．alternative

5.

A．embrace

B．propose

C．resist

D．create

6.

A．However

B．Therefore

C．Meanwhile

D．Moreover

7.

A．broadly

B．objectively

C．seriously

D．narrowly

8.

A．individualism

B．identity

C．collectivism

D．flexibility

9.

A．selfish

B．collective

C．individualistic

D．realistic

10.

A．fall apart

B．fit in

C．give in

D．show off

11.

A．separate

B．ugly

C．unified

D．tiny

12.

A．catch

B．miss

C．target

D．misuse

13.

A．higher

B．averagely

C．lower

D．vaguely

14.

A．capturing

B．approaching

C．imitating

D．overlooking

15.

A．improvements

B．drawbacks

C．insights

D．attempts

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. fatigue       B. qualified          C. challenge       D. routine       E. persistent F. meant        G. necessarily       H. fueled            I. suffer          J. recognize       K ideally

For the entirety of our life we have been coping with anxiety. But having some anxiety, especially in a stressful situation, isn’t     1     bad and can actually be beneficial, experts say. The right amount of anxiety can improve performance.

Anxiety is an uncomfortable emotion, often     2     by uncertainty. It can create intense, excessive and     3     worry and fear, not just about stressful events but also about everyday situations. There are usually physical symptoms too, like fast heart rate, muscle tension, rapid breathing, sweating and     4    .

Too much anxiety can be debilitating (使体弱力衰). But a normal amount is     5     to help keep us safe, experts say. “The emotion of anxiety and the underlying physiological stress response evolved to protect us,” Wendy Suzuki, a neuroscientist and the author of “Good Anxiety,” said, “Managing stress may be more useful than getting rid of it.” According to the Yerkes-Dodson Law, a theory that originated in the early 20th century from experiments on mice, increasing amounts of cognitive arousal, or stress, can improve performance — but only up to a certain point. The theory, represented by a curve shaped like a mountain, shows that after it peaks, greater levels of stress cause performance to     6    .

When anxiety is turned up too high, Dr. Suzuki added, it tends to become less useful. The first step in controlling anxiety that holds you back is to     7     when you’re feeling overly anxious and try to dial it down.

A certain degree of anxiety can help people prepare for a potential     8    , remain cautious and stay organized. But if anxiety is making you “uncomfortable more often than not” or interfering with     9     functioning and preventing you from living the life you want to live, that signals the need for additional support,     10     from a mental health professional.