1 . It is indeed true that age is not a barrier (障碍) to learning. Priscilla Sitienei, a 90-year-old woman, has ________ it and is an inspiration to all of us who tend to give up so ________.

Priscilla, as a young girl, did not have the ________ to read and write. What she could not do then did not stop her from dreaming and ________ making those dreams come true. She has ________ Leaders Vision Preparatory School in her village in Kenya for the past five years. What is even more ________ is that she goes to school with her great-grandchildren! She says that she has big________ and that she'd like to be able to ________ the Bible (圣经). She also wants to ________ children to receive schooling and to follow their ________.

Her day at school is the same as any other student's. She wears her ________ to school and attends English, Maths, Drama, Singing, Physical Education, and Dance classes. Above that, she lives in one of the school dormitories, where she________ the room with her great-great-grandchild. All pupils ________ her and want to play with her. She sets an example to those who have ________ and think they are too old to get ________. She says, "Well, I am at school, and so should you!"

1.

A．experienced

B．proved

C．fought

D．postponed

2.

A．bravely

B．slowly

C．easily

D．certainly

3.

A．ability

B．courage

C．opportunity

D．talent

4.

A．sticking to

B．taking to

C．imagining

D．risking

5.

A．cared for

B．attended

C．studied

D．visited

6.

A．beautiful

B．frightening

C．interesting

D．intelligent

7.

A．difficulty

B．issues

C．creativity

D．goals

8.

A．read

B．write

C．buy

D．design

9.

A．warn

B．inspire

C．recommend

D．challenge

10.

A．teachers

B．curiosity

C．dreams

D．audience

11.

A．uniform

B．glasses

C．clothes

D．hat

12.

A．exchanges

B．rents

C．selects

D．shares

13.

A．ignore

B．help

C．love

D．attack

14.

A．students

B．kids

C．friends

D．parents

15.

A．paid

B．educated

C．moved

D．noticed

2 . Joseph Conrad, a famous English novelist, said that his goal as a writer was “to make you hear, to make you feel, and above all, to make you see. That, and no more, is everything.”     1     Often it leaves a single sharp impression to be turned over and over in the mind. After finishing the story, the reader should have something to think about: the humor of life, its ironies, or the unpredictability of human behavior.

    2     The first and most obvious level is conveyed through the plot. Plot refers to the sequence of events, to the actions of the characters and the situations in which they are involved. To explain the plot, then, is to tell what happened in the story and to whom. In some short stories, plot is the dominating element. In other short stories, plot plays a very minor role.

In Hemingway’s story, The Old Man and the Sea, however, we must approach the content on another level.     3     To understand and appreciate the story, the reader must be able to identify its general topic or theme. The next step is to identify the device by which the author comments on this theme.     4    

Readers cannot appreciate a short story fully unless they react not only to what has been said but also to how it has been said.     5     Style grows out of the writer’s own personality and can be seen in the choice of words and phrases, the arrangement of sentences, the rhythm and tone. Structure refers to the architecture of the story, the way in which the details are selected and arranged to produce the desired effect.

A．They must look for style and structure.

B．In complex stories, careful readers may not always agree with the author.

C．The impact on the reader comes from the sudden and unexpected response.

D．A good short story tries to give the reader a sense of the actual experience.

E．Finally, the reader should be able to explain the insights which the author has given into the theme.

F．The impact of the story comes from the insight it gives us into the needs and desires of youth and old age.

G．In order to read a short story with full understanding, the reader must approach the content on two levels.

3 . It may not be rocket science, but researchers have found aerospace engineers and neurosurgeons (神经外科医生) are not necessarily brighter than the general population.

Researchers examined data from an international group of 329 aerospace engineers and 72 brain surgeons who completed 12 tasks online using the Great British Intelligence Test.

The tasks examined various aspects of cognition (认知), including planning and reasoning, working memory, attention, and emotion processing abilities. The researchers then compared the results against those previously gathered from more than 18,000 members of the British public.

The findings, which were recently published, reveal that only neurosurgeons showed a significant difference, with quicker problem-solving speed but slower memory recall compared with the general population. “The difference in problem-solving speed exhibited by neurosurgeons might arise from the fast-paced nature of neurosurgery, which attracts those with a pre-existing talent for rapid processing, or it could be, though less likely, a product of training for rapid decision-making in time-critical situations,” the researchers noted.

The researchers said the study was, in part, carried out to lay to rest the question of whether one of the professions had the intellectual upper hand-a tension made famous by a comedy show in which a confident neurosurgeon is slapped down by an aerospace expert who says, “Brain surgery... it’s not exactly rocket science, is it?”

However, the team found few differences between the cognitive abilities of aerospace engineers and neuroscientists, although the results suggest the former had higher scores for attention and mental control—such as turning objects in one’s head—while neurosurgeons showed higher scores in semantic (语义的) problem solving—such as definitions of rare words.

“Essentially what we think it shows is that everyone has a range of skills, some people are better at some things and other people are better at other things, and it is very difficult to be better in everything across the board,” said Aswin Chari, an author of the study.

1. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The research subjects.	B．The research method.
C．The research aspects.	D．The research background.

2. What seemed to be the major cause of neurosurgeons’ quicker problem-solving speed shown in the study?

A．Fast development of neurosurgery.	B．Talent of neurosurgeons.
C．Training for rapid decision-making.	D．Nature of problem solving.

3. The study was conducted partly because the researchers          .

A．attempted to answer the question asked by the aerospace expert in the show

B．were eager to solve the conflicts between neurosurgeons and aerospace engineers

C．intended to settle the argument over the intellectual superiority of the two professions

D．wanted to find out which of the two professions was more intellectually demanding

4. What is most likely to be the purpose of this text?

A．To inform people of the results of a cognitive study.

B．To encourage people to be confident in themselves.

C．To reduce prejudice against certain professions.

D．To correct misunderstandings about intelligence.

4 . Do you want to level up your mask-wearing while also looking like you’re about to battle with Batman? This is life-wearing Razer Zephyr, a wearable air purifier. A version of Razer’s latest appliance made waves in January during the Consumer Electronics Show.

It’s no surprise that tech companies are considering a leap beyond the cloth and surgical masks that have come to define the COVID-19 pandemic. It has a hard shell with two belts to fit onto your head. There are two air exchange chambers (腔) on the front, featuring double circulating fans to help circulate cool air. The chambers feature N95 filters (过滤器) providing two-way protection for yourself and those around you. It’s also transparent (透明的) with inside lights and an anti-fog coating to help solve one of the key issues with mask-wearing: watching mouths move when you speak.

Good as the mask appears, will it protect you from COVID-19? According to Razer, the mask is registered with the Food and Drug Administration and lab tested for 99% BFE, or Bacterial Filtration Efficiency, a measure of how well it filters out bacteria. “It is not tested specifically against the COVID-19 virus, but offers the same functionality and adequate protection due to its 99% BFE rating," Razer’s website says.

There’s also the financial cost to consider. The mask itself is $99, and Razer sells a pack of 10 sets of N95 filters for $30. By comparison, a quick search for surgical masks on Amazon turned up a box of 50 masks for between $11-$14.

“I’ve tried out the $99 Zephyr for roughly a week now. Wearing the Zephyr feels comfortable. The adjustable head straps (带) allow for the ideal fit. Above all, it feels breathable thanks to the air circulating through its fans.” one commented on Amazon.

1. Why is the Zephyr made transparent?

A．To fix lights inside.	B．To circulate cool air.
C．To test the anti-fog coating.	D．To expose mouth movement.

2. What can be inferred from the third paragraph about the Zephyr?

A．It’s officially approved.	B．It’s highly rated by consumers.
C．It’s specially designed against COVID-19.	D．It’s adequately protective against all viruses.

3. What probably appeal(s) to the buyer most according to the comment?

A．Its adjustable fans.	B．Its air circulating system.
C．Its comfortable head straps.	D．Its high but reasonable price.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．An Innovative Mask Makes a Hit	B．Surgical Masks Are Being Improved
C．Wearable Technology Changes Our Life	D．A New Treatment for Covid-19 Is on the Way

5 . Computers have become amazingly exact at translating spoken words to text messages and searching a large supply of valuable information for answers to difficult questions. At least, that is, so long as you speak English or other world's main languages. But try talking to your phone in Yoruba, Igbo or any number of widely spoken African languages and you'll find difficulty in accessing information, trade and other benefits of the global tech economy.

American tech giants don't have a long history of making their language technology work well outside the wealthiest markets, a problem that has also made it harder for them to discover dangerous misinformation on their platforms. Google, for instance, upset members of the Yoruba community when its language app mistranslated a nice African god as a devil. Part of the reason is that there's just not enough online data in those languages for the Al systems to effectively learn how to get better at understanding them.

“We are getting to the point where if a machine doesn't understand your language, it will be like it never existed,” said Vukosi Marivate, who has devoted some of his Al research to the southern African languages of Xitsonga and Setswana. “Considering our history, some of the bias (偏见) is intentional. The history of the African continent and in general in colonized (殖民化的) countries, is that when language had to be translated, it was translated in a very narrow way,” Marivate added.

However, Google and Microsoft are among the companies that say they are trying to improve technology for so-called "low-resource" languages that Al systems don't have enough data for. Computer scientists at Meta announced a breakthrough on the path to a "universal translator" that could translate multiple languages at once and work better with lower-resourced languages. Meanwhile, Marivate and other researchers have founded a research project across Africa. Increasingly, people are joining hands to develop a variety of language approaches.

1. What can we learn from Paragraphs 1 and 2?

A．Yoruba and Igbo are widely spoken in the world.

B．English speakers fail to access online information.

C．The online data of African languages is limited.

D．Computers can translate all text messages exactly.

2. Why does the author mention “Google” in Paragraph 2?

A．To make a prediction.	B．To draw a comparison.
C．To reach a conclusion.	D．To give an example.

3. What is Marivate's attitude towards “American tech giants”?

A．Friendly.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Dissatisfied.

D．Proud.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Joint Efforts to Improve AI in African Languages	B．Computers Good at Translating Spoken Language
C．US Tech Giants Misunderstand African Languages	D．African Researchers Exchange Ideas with Tech Giants

6 . Keeping food fresh without refrigeration is near impossible in the hot climate of sub-Saharan Africa. But it’s hard to power fridges in a region where almost 600 million people live off the grid(电网).

That’s where Brazil’s Youmma comes in. The company has developed a pay-as-you-go(预付费的) solar-powered fridge that is being bought by small business owners. The fridges help to reduce food waste, store medicine safely, and allow shops to keep products fresh for longer, says André Morriesen, research and development manager at Nidec Global Appliance, which owns Youmma.

The cooling system of the small 100-liter fridge has been designed for off-grid use, and it consumes a quarter of the energy of a regular fridge, according to Nidec. That means it can be powered by a smaller solar panel and a smaller battery, reducing costs. The battery can keep the fridge running for a day and a half without sunlight.

Customers pay for the fridge in daily installments(分期付款) via cell phones, through M-Kopa, a Kenyan solar energy company. New M-Kopa customers pay a $100 deposit. Daily payments range from $1 to $1.50 for a package that includes solar lighting and covers the installation(安装) of a rooftop solar panel. M-Kopa says it costs more than a conventional fridge but the package includes lighting as well as continued access to free off-the-grid energy.

Pay-as-you-go “is useful for rural households or businesses with an uneven cash flow such as income based on harvesting seasons”, says Teresa Le, a climate change and energy specialist for the UN Development Program.

However, even when paired with pay-as-you-go systems like M-Kopa’s, solar fridges are still costly for the average person and that’s why they mostly appeal to small businesses, says Le. Of about 2,000 fridges sold since Youmma launched it in 2019, around 80% were to small businesses.

Kioko Mwange runs a small shop in the village of Kithungo, eastern Kenya. Since signing up for the Youmma fridge he has increased his sales. “It helps me preserve milk for up to 10 days,” says Mwange. “I have seen an increase in customers.” Morriesen believes the fridge can be a “life-changing product” for rural families and “bring freedom to women” who often spend hours each day walking to food markets.

1. What can we know about the solar fridge?

A．It is meant for off-grid use.	B．It can’t work without sunlight.
C．It is popular with average person.	D．It costs less than a traditional fridge

2. Who are more likely to buy the solar fridge in Africa?

A．Big companies.	B．Energy specialists.
C．Small business owners.	D．Rich women in big cities.

3. What’s Kioko Mwange’s attitude to the solar fridge?

A．Doubtful.

B．Favorable.

C．Negative.

D．Disappointed.

4. What’s the best title of the text?

A．Technological Progress in Africa	B．Most People Live Off the Grid in Africa
C．How to Keep Food Fresh in Hot Weather	D．The Solar Fridge Improves People’s Lives

7 . On 4 May, Headley Court, a former military (军事) site in Surrey, England, was transformed into the Seacole Center — a temporary hospital for people recovering from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. It is named after the nurse Mary Seacole in recognition of her contribution to medicine.

Seacole was born in Jamaica (牙买加) in 1805. Her mother ran a hotel where people could receive medical care and Seacole learnt a lot about nursing from her. An eager traveler, Seacole learnt more about new medicines and treatments as she journeyed across the world.

During the Crimean War (1853-1856) , Seacole wanted to join a group of nurses, led by Florence Nightingale, who were going to Crimea to treat British soldiers. The Crimean War was an international conflict fought between Britain, France and Turkey on one side, and Russia on the other. However, Seacole’s request to join was rejected. She believed this was possibly because of racism (种族主义) which is when people are treated badly or unfairly because of their race.

Instead, Seacole went to Crimea by herself and set up the British Hotel, which was a place where soldiers could go to receive treatment. Among these soldiers she became known as “Mother Seacole” because of how well she looked after them.

After the war, Seacole fell ill and didn’t have much money. To assist her, people put on a festival in her honor in 1857. Seacole also published a book about her life, called Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, before she died in 1881 in London. Over the years, people have campaigned for Seacole’s story to be more widely told.

Although the Seacole Center is only a temporary hospital, it is hoped that this might lead to more awareness of her achievements.

1. How did Seacole get a deep knowledge of new medicines?

A．By learning from her mother.	B．By traveling across the world.
C．By attending to different soldiers.	D．By studying from medical books.

2. Why was Seacole refused to join the nurses during the Crimean War?

A．She was a black woman.	B．She lacked medical skills.
C．She was too old and fell ill.	D．She showed no mercy to soldiers.

3. How did people help Seacole after the war?

A．They created a festival to honor her.

B．They published a book to remember her.

C．They campaigned to raise money for her.

D．They set up a hotel named “Mother Seacole”.

4. What’s the text mainly talking about?

A．A hospital named in Seacole’s honor.	B．A woman who made history.
C．Seacole nursing soldiers well.	D．The contributions of Seacole.

8 . In recent years, with a rising awareness of sports and health, travelers are beginning to upgrade their expectations. Here are several selected places around China that have a perfect mixture of recreation and sports.

Wanlong Ski Resort, Hebei Province

Wanlong Ski Resort in Shijiazhuang City is nicknamed “heaven for ski lovers”. The 2022 Winter Olympics will be held here, which will boost ski development and tourism activities in Hebei Province. If you happen to be a skiing fan, try the professional trails here!

Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, Shandong Province

The Olympic sailing center has become a new landmark in Qingdao, a coastal city in East China’s Shandong Province. It was a host venue of the sailing games for the 29th Olympics in 2008 and the 13th Paralymic Games. You could visit the match venue and enjoy a cruise around Qingdao.

Shapotou Scenic Zone, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

Shapotou Scenic Zone in Northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region is a transition zone between grassland and deserts. Apart from its unique natural landscape, Shapotou offers sports programs like sand skiing and rafting across the Yellow River.

Wulong Karst Region, Chongqing

Wulong is about 130 kilometers from downtown Chongqing. The 2,900-square-kilometer district is full of karsts, caves, forests, springs and primitive wilderness. UNESCO named Wulong’s karsts as a World Natural Heritage in 2007. Sports options here include mountain climbing and hiking.

1. What’s the unique feature of Wanlong Ski Resort?

A．It is a good place to go sand skiing.

B．It is between grassland and deserts.

C．People can enjoy sailing games there.

D．It is famous as “heaven for ski lovers”.

2. Which of the following is a World Natural Heritage?

A．Shapotou Scenic Zone.

B．Wanlong Ski Resort.

C．Wulong Karst Region.

D．Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center.

3. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To introduce some places to visit.

B．To explain the importance of sports.

C．To compare the tourism of these places.

D．To prove the perfect scenery in China.

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。

Zhao Wenying, a 65-year-old woman from Zhejiang Province, recently became the world’s oldest person     1     (pass) the professional Rubik’s Cube (魔方) B-level exam. She also holds the world record for a person over the age of 60 to solve the Rubik’s Cube blindfolded (蒙上眼睛的).

Before retirements Zhao was a math teacher. After she stopped working, she began to solve the Rubik’s Cube as     2     hobby. As a green hand，Zhao learned a little     3     (slow) at first. Yet she was determined to get good     4     it. She found some online courses and spent more than four years     5     (learn) to solve the Rubik’s Cube by herself.

Later, she learned how to do it blindfolded. “When I first learned to solve it blindfolded, I was     6     (curiosity) about how other people did it. I just thought if they could do it, I could too,” Zhao said. Then she found a professional to teach her. Though it is difficult for people in     7     (they) 60s to learn to solve the Rubik’s Cube blindfolded, Zhao did her best to learn the     8     (skill). During her learning process, she used up four notebooks in all.

“Everyone     9     (have) a dream and you must realize your dreams through hard work. While realizing dreams is a moment, following dreams is a process     10     happiness truly lies,” Zhao said.

10 . 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。

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the Chinese government has adopted the most effective measures regardless of great economic losses     1     (cause) by the precautionary measures, Chinese people have been actively participating in the nationwide fight     2     the virus. Under     3     leadership of the government, the spread of the virus has been     4     (successful) controlled.

However, by the end of last year, more than 270 million people     5     (infect) with the virus globally. We have all realized the fact     6     working together is the best solution to pull through the crisis. In other words.     7     the virus cannot be controlled in other parts of the world, the result we have achieved will be affected. To deal with such a pandemic, there is no denying that     8     (strengthen) the cooperation between different countries is of no delay. Therefore, the Chinese government has made great     9     (contribution) to the world by sending medical teams abroad and donating medical supplies. We believe that by joint efforts we are bound     10     (win) the war.