1 . You know the feeling. You’re walking down the street, coffee in hand on the way to do some things. Suddenly, you see yourself in a storefront window and check yourself out. You feel you’re a star.

People have been talking about “main character energy” for years. But what exactly is it? It’s when someone puts themselves first and takes control of their narrative, experts say. Not in a selfish way, but in a self-affirming way that prioritizes self-care. As long as it’s not taken to extremes, it’s perfectly healthy to look at life through this lens. If you think you look good in that storefront window, for example, own it!

“When you think of movies, and you think of the main character, that’s the person that you’re following, that’s the person that you’re rooting for,” says Raquel Martin, licensed clinical psychologist. “I see it the same way, like, you should be rooting for yourself, you should be the main character, like there’s nothing wrong with having that energy.”

“Main character energy” is not a specific psychological phenomenon, and should not be confused with narcissistic personality disorder (自恋型人格障碍), which affects about 1% of the population. That’s a disorder someone typically carries throughout their life — not a shift to prioritizing one’s needs and establishing boundaries.

Martin wants her patients to have main character energy. It means they come into a session focused on themselves and what they need, instead of pleasing someone else. This is in line with the phenomena of self-care and self-preservation (自我保护) as opposed to selfishness.

Taking charge of one’s life need not consume all your energy. If it feels that way, it may be time to reassess what is really going on. Think of it in terms of the “main character” metaphor. “Sometimes people have mental health difficulties, because they feel like they’re the main characters in everyone’s story,” Martin adds.

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To remind people of self-care.	B．To tell a story about the readers.
C．To introduce the topic of the passage.	D．To define what main character energy is.

2. Which aspect does this passage benefit us most?

A．Building our bodies.	B．Improving our studies.
C．Developing our abilities.	D．Boosting our confidence.

3. According to Martin, what should we do during a relationship?

A．Always be modest.	B．Try to think in others’ shoes.
C．Only consider our own feelings.	D．Concentrate more on our own needs.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Is “main character energy” outdated?	B．Who possesses main character energy?
C．Is “main character energy” a real thing?	D．Why do we have main character energy?

2 . Fluffy(蓬松的), white snow might look fun to eat. But before taking a bite of the white stuff, let’s talk about what could be in the flakes. Snow is mostly water. When it gets cold, water in the air freezes. The result is tiny, beautiful snowflakes. But snow can also have other ingredients. Let’s take a look.

In the winter, streets and sidewalks can get icy. So people use rock salt to help melt ice. But the salt isn’t clean enough to eat. Also, some bags of salts might have other chemicals in them. These chemicals help ice melt at lower temperatures. But the chemicals aren’t safe for eating.

Snow can also act like a pathway for animals. Squirrels, birds and other animals might stroll in it. So you should never take bites on any snow near bird feeders or animal tracks. Brown snow is off limits, too. This is for the same reason you wouldn’t want to take a lick of mud. And if that snow looks yellow, it’s best to avoid it.

OK, so what about freshly fallen snow? That should be the safest, yummiest frozen water to eat, right? Actually, snow can take in pollutants, or harmful materials. The snow picks up pollutants on its way down to the ground. It picks up the most pollutants in the first hour or two of snowfall. For example, scientists have found that new snow can contain pesticides, which are used to kill or control certain animals such as insects. New snow can also pick up ashes and dirt in the air.

However, all of these things are found at very low levels within snow. This means it’s technically safe to eat. But you can also just wait a few hours. Then, you can taste the snow that piles up midway through a storm. This will give you the best chance of eating clean, frozen, sky water.

1. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To explain how the snow forms.	B．To share ideas on enjoying a snowy day.
C．To talk about why people like eating snow.	D．To discuss the safety problems of eating snow.

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

A．Wander.

B．Work.

C．Sleep.

D．Feed.

3. What can we learn about the freshly fallen snow?

A．It is the safest to eat.	B．It has the best taste of all.
C．It is still very harmful.	D．It has the most benefits of all.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards eating snow?

A．Favorable.

B．Objective.

C．Carefree.

D．Unclear.

3 . Time Flies for Ms. Wiz tells the story of Lorraine Boyce and the students of Wyndclifle Junior High School, Birmingham. With this novel, the reader will experience the adventure towards the 16th century when Queen Elizabeth I ruled the Britain, and the 19th century when the Crimean War happened.

Jack — the naughty boy in the third grade, Nabia — Jack’s classmate, and Ms. Wiz — the famous witch(巫师)who often failed in her spell, are the main characters in this story.

Mr. Bailey, who was giving a history class, was cheated to go to the principal’s office. Shortly after Mr. Bailey left the classroom, Ms. Wiz appeared with a time machine. When Ms. Wiz chatted with the students, Jack — who was seized by curiosity, was messing with Ms. Wiz’s time machine. As a result, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. To bring Jack back to the present, Nabia and Ms. Wiz went to the past with the time machine.

Nabia and Ms. Wiz faced various problems when they were looking for Jack, starting from pretending as Queen Elizabeth to rescue a 16-years-old girl and almost been caught by the villagers, until became prisoners in the arena(竞技场)of the Crimean War. When they were trying to escape from the war, Nabia managed to find Jack, who was also caught by soldiers of the war. Having managed to escape together, the three of them — Nabia, Jack, and Ms. Wiz could go back to the present safely.

The usage of language and words in this novel are easy to understand. Besides, the story tells us that we have to keep our behavior or do not be naughty, so that we won’t bring troubles to others. The other message of the story is do not underestimate others if we cannot do something important like helping others when they have problems.

1. Who cheats Mr. Bailey to go to the principal’s office?

A．Jack.

B．Nabia.

C．Ms. Wiz.

D．The principal.

2. Why does Jack mess with Ms. Wiz’s time machine?

A．He takes interest in it.	B．He wants to go to the past.
C．He plays a trick in Ms. Wiz.	D．He wants to save his friends.

3. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A．Nabia and Ms. Wiz were caught by the villagers.

B．A 16-years-old girl saved Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz.

C．Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz became prisoners in the war.

D．Jack, Nabia and Ms. Wiz failed to return to the present in the end.

4. What is the last paragraph about?

A．Reviews of the book.	B．Positive side of the book.
C．Backgroud of the story.	D．Information of the author.

4 . The Instant Ramen Museum

Momofuku first created instant noodles in 1958. In 1971, after a visit to America, he created Cup Noodles. When he opened his museum in 1999, he filled it with over 800 cups of noodles, as well as fun noodle activities and a kitchen. Here you can also see a cool model of the work shed(工棚) where Chicken Ramen, Momo’s first instant noodle dish was invented.

Cancun Underwater Museum

Located beneath the water’s surface in the Cancun National Marine Park, this museum became a hit with tourists and divers as soon as it opened in 2010. To get a good look at the 500 sculptures in the museum you have to get into your swimming suits first and bring a diving kit with you!

The Museum of Bad Art

Located in Boston, USA, this museum was opened in March 1994. It has more paintings and pieces of art that it can show, so staff choose 40—50 pieces to put on display at different times of the year. Why they choose to hang rather awful paintings on the walls is a mystery. But guess what? Thousands of visitors turn up every month to view them.

International Cryptozoology Museum

To understand anything about this museum, we must know Cryptozoology, which literally means the study of hidden animals. But rather than focusing on hedgehogs hidden among the leaves, the owners of this museum are more concerned with the likes of Nessie, Bigfoot and the Tatzelwurm, a giant lizard-like creature said to live in the Alps. Opened in 2009, this museum is in Maine, USA. Enter if you dare!

1. What might you see in the Instant Ramen Museum?

A．Cooking tools.

B．Ancient sculptures.

C．Beautiful arts.

D．Strange creatures.

2. Which of the four museums has the longest history?

A．The Instant Ramen Museum.	B．Cancun Underwater Museum.
C．The Museum of Bad Art.	D．International Cryptozoology Museum.

3. What do these museums have in common?

A．They try to show something famous.	B．They try to show something unusual.
C．They try to show something popular.	D．They try to show something helpful.

5 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

Outside the back of the supermarket, an elderly lady stood in the cold holding a basket of flowers. “Would you like some flowers? They cost $3 a bunch,” she asked me when I was walking past and I politely responded, “No, thank you.” Then I walked away and went inside the supermarket.

I walked around the supermarket searching for the things I needed. I couldn’t help thinking of that lady standing in the cold holding her basket of flowers. I wondered about her unknown story of standing in the cold with her basket.

Then I had my own personal struggles. As a poor blogger (博主), I had to budget for everything and even $3 was a lot for me and probably for her too. But it wasn’t my first thought when she asked me about buying her flowers. My first thought was that I didn’t have the cash but not as an excuse. I’d not carried cash with me for a few years.

When I went to the checkout counter to pay with my card, I asked for $3 cash out. With a sigh of relief, I was glad that the staff member handed me $3. I walked away and I found the lady around the corner of the supermarket.

“Sorry, I didn’t have cash on me just now. But I’d like to buy some of your flowers.”

As I had a closer look in her basket I saw the bunch of flowers I had admired briefly during our first encounter. I also saw two small pots of plants that were beautiful and healthy. Although I didn’t have a green thumb, I loved them deeply. She told me their names and some details about them. I chose the bunch of flowers I had first sighted. I gave her $3 as she handed me the flowers. She said thank you to me.

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。
Paragraph 1:

As I walked away, I was wishing I could have been able to offer her more help.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:

Helping her sell out all the flowers, I was really happy.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . Thirsty or stressed plants do not suffer in silence. Instead, they make high-pitched(尖锐的) sounds, according to a study published in the journal Cell.

The reason why you have probably never heard the plants’ sounds is that most humans are only able to hear sounds as high as 20 kilohertz (kHz), but the plants made sounds mostly between 40 and 80 kHz, Lilach Hadany, a co-author of the study at Tel Aviv University, tells Business Insider’s Marianne Guenot.

Plants, obviously, do not have organs to make sounds. Lilach says, the present popular theory on how they make noises centers on plants’ xylem(木质部), the tubes that transport water from their roots to their stems(根茎) and leaves. In the process of transporting, when an air bubble(气泡) forms or breaks in the xylem, it might make a little noise; bubbles are more likely to form when a plant is suffering from drought. But the exact process requires further study, Lilach explains.

To listen in to plants, Lilach and her co-workers placed tobacco and tomato plants in small boxes equipped with microphones. First, they stopped providing water to some plants in the boxes and cut the stems of others. Then, the microphones were used to pick up any noises made by the plants even though they couldn’t hear them. Researchers found that the sounds did show the specific types of stresses plants were experiencing. Thirsty tomato and tobacco plants made an average of about 35 and 11 sounds per hour, individually, while cut tomato and tobacco plants made 25 and 15 noises per hour.

In theory, these recorded sounds could help farmers know about which crops are most in need of water. “When more and more areas are exposed to drought due to climate change, efficient water use becomes even more important, for both food security and ecology,” Lilach with her co-workers write.

1. Why do humans fail to hear the sounds of plants?

A．The sounds are stressful.

B．The sounds are beyond human’s hearing range.

C．The sounds are low-pitched.

D．The sounds are between 20kHz and 40kHz.

2. What might cause thirsty plants to produce sounds?

A．Suffering from lack of air.

B．Stems and leaves transporting water.

C．More air bubbles gathering in the roots.

D．Air bubbles’ forming or breaking in the xylem.

3. What did Lilach and her co-workers find in the study?

A．Noises can be picked up by microphones.	B．Plants make more sounds in small boxes.
C．Cut plants suffer the same as thirsty ones.	D．Different sounds indicate plants’ stress types.

4. What’s the potential use of the sound recordings?

A．To harvest the crops.	B．To solve the food problem.
C．To locate the thirsty crops.	D．To prevent climate change.

9 . Environmental groups have long criticized the private jets(喷气式飞机) for being a large contributor to global carbon dioxide emissions, and last week, environmentalists made headlines by interrupting a private jet trade show in Switzerland.

Private jets often cover shorter distances than commercial ones. They are generally less efficient(高效的) and their emissions per passenger are much higher. According to data from European non-profit Transport and Environment, private jets can be 5 to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes, and 50 times more polluting than trains. Research made by Greenpeace showed that private jets in Europe alone emitted 3.39 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2022, nearly equal to the emissions from 753,000 gas-powered cars in the US driven for a year.

But experts say the private aviation(航空) industry can still play a role in the global fight against climate change, and some in the industry are looking at creative ways to diminish its environmental impact.

As a member of the International Air Transport Association(IATA), along with other major commercial airlines, Dubai-based private aviation company Jetex launched the 2050 Project: the zero carbon emissions.

“Jetex is always thinking about how to cooperate with everyone to deal with climate change,” said Dr. Suzanne, a professor of aviation at the University of Waterloo. “And now it is working on changing all of its locations into fully green ones in the future. Once it succeeds, it will offer a new approach to the environmental protection.”

Through a partnership with oil company Neste, in 2021 Jetex started offering sustainable aviation fuels(SAF), made from renewable waste, to passengers at its Helsinki Airport. That same year at its Paris Le-Bourget Airport, it began offering SAF produced by French company TotalEnergies, made from used cooking oil. A limited supply of SAF means it isn’t available at every airport, but the company says it wants to make SAF a fuel option to its travelers across all its locations worldwide.

1. What do we know about private jets according to the first two paragraphs?

A．They enjoy great popularity.

B．They charge passengers more.

C．They give off more carbon dioxide.

D．They travel farther than commercial planes.

2. What does the underlined word “diminish” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Expand.

B．Present.

C．Overlook.

D．Reduce.

3. What is Dr. Suzanne’s attitude to the “2050 Project”?

A．Indifferent.

B．Carefree.

C．Tolerant.

D．Supportive.

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

A．Private Jets’ Green Path.	B．The Birth of SAF.
C．The Future of Commercial Planes.	D．Jetex’s Cooperation with Others.

10 . Born in Ryazan, Russia, the hometown of Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, Anastasia Podareva seems to be destined for a similar career.

Podareva, 28, has loved poetry since she was a girl, when her father would introduce her to works by great Russian poets such as Alexander Pushkin and, of course, Yesenin. Growing up, she wrote many poems in both Russian and English. After she came to China to study in 2013, the world of Chinese poetry opened up before her.

She soon gave herself a poetic Chinese name, Tang Xilan, with “tang” referring to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Chinese poetry entered a golden age, and both “xi” and “lan” are characters taken from The Book of Songs, the earliest collection of Chinese poetry. Her name means an orchid (兰花) that blooms in the morning.

“One thing that strikes me in reading and writing Chinese poetry is the power of the language-it’s melodious (悦耳的) and rhythmic,” says Podareva in My China Surprise, a video series produced by 21^st Century.

Over the past decade, Podareva has won awards in multiple poetry writing competitions, published her own Chinese poetry collections, and participated in Chinese Poetry Conference, one of the leading poetry-themed TV programs in China. On top of that, her most unforgettable memory is that one of her poems was turned into a song. And even better: She sang it herself. The poem, titled If, was written in early of 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After witnessing China’s unity as it faced the pandemic, Podareva felt as one with the Chinese people. “I wanted to create something positive to help inspire and encourage people in times of difficulty,” she says. “Some people may praise China in a very straightforward way, but I prefer to express my feelings about the country through different styles of poems.”

1. What can we learn about Podareva before she came to China?

A．She fell in love with poetry.

B．She learned from Yesenin in person.

C．She became a famous poet in Russia.

D．She translated Russian poems into English.

2. Why did Podareva name herself “Tang Xilan”?

A．It dates from the Song Dynasty.	B．It showcases her success in China.
C．It relates to the Chinese poetry.	D．It has beautiful rhythm and melodies.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Podareva’s poetry journey in China.	B．Podareva’s amazing talent in singing.
C．Podareva’s fight against the pandemic.	D．Podareva’s impression of Chinese poetry.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．People have trouble in gaining inspiration.

B．Podareva has deep love for Chinese people.

C．Poetry is the best form of showing emotions.

D．China’s unity was challenged by the pandemic.