2 . No matter where you live in the world, natural disasters are always a threat. Of course, we humans take steps, both at an individual and social level, to prepare ourselves for the possibility of natural disasters. But preparing for these events requires understanding the types of natural disasters, what causes them, and the dangers they cause.

A technical term for a period of very cold weather, a cold wave is a type of natural disaster where the temperature drops rapidly over the course of 24 hours. While cold weather in itself isn’t necessarily enough to cause a natural disaster, a rapid dropping of the temperature could lead to lots of problems for communities in a region.

Interestingly, there isn’t an precise temperature threshold (起点) that must reach to be. Rather, cold waves are classified (分类) by how fast the temperature falls. Since what’s considered to be “cold” varies widely from region to region, local weather services will use local weather averages to determine if a weather event is actually a cold wave.

There are many reasons why a cold wave might occur. One of the most common causes of a cold wave is the arrival of a very strong high pressure system from the polar regions. Alternatively, movement in the jet streams can also drive very cold weather southward in just a matter of hours.

The primary danger of a cold wave is, indeed, the cold weather itself. This can lead to a higher risk of hypothermia (低温症) and other cold-related injuries. Additionally, cold weather can cause ice and frost to build up quickly, damaging basic facilities. Cold waves are also particularly dangerous for aircraft and other machinery. Extreme cold can use up vehicle batteries or cause petrol to come together. So, whenever in extreme cold weather, people need to be careful.

1. Why do people need to understand natural disasters?

A．To remove nervousness.	B．To encourage research.
C．To get ready for its possibility.	D．To build professional departments.

2. How can we define a cold wave?

A．By an exact temperature.	B．By classified temperature.
C．By local climate standards.	D．By fallen temperature in summer.

3. Which of the following contributes most to the cold wave?

A．Sudden big wind.	B．Heavy snow.
C．Rapidly rising temperature.	D．A powerful pressure system from polar areas.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．A natural program.	B．A climate disaster.
C．A scientific method.	D．A scientific experiment.

3 . Zibo city in Shandong has unexpectedly become famous on Chinese social media since late February for its local barbecue specialty, and this trend continues as the local government takes the opportunity to promote tourism and spending.

The latest promotion gives visitors free admission to 10 scenic spots in the city with their train tickets as long as their final destination is Zibo. This move followed another on March 31 under which the Jinan bureau of China Railway added a weekend special round-trip “barbecue tour” train between Jinan.

Passengers who get on the train are greeted by a banner reading “Welcome to the Special BBQ Train”at the entrance of the train. Many also took videos and posted them on social media, drawing more visitors.

Barbecue is popular in China, and Zibo’s barbecue has its own local features: it’s made on a stove, and is served with flatbread and dressings. The food is 70-80 percent cooked before it is brought to the table, where diners can finish cooking it on their own stoves. Diners are served with flatbreads, scallions and other dressings at the table so they are able to assemble their own barbecue parcels, in much the same way Peking Duck is eaten.

The barbecue suddenly became famous after a group of college students shot videos of themselves enjoying a meal in Zibo and posted them on social media in late February. Since then, many people, mostly young, have come to the city from all over the country to try the dish.

On several streets, lines can be seen outside barbecue restaurants, which stretch for more than 100 meters on the weekend.

“Zibo barbecue is bringing more and more people to the city, and the local government needs to think about how to promote the city as a whole, its culture and tourism, as well as its living and business environment,” said Sun Xiaorong, an expert of tourism marketing and promotion. The trend will eventually end if the local government doesn’t take proper follow-up measures, he added.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly talk about?

A．Zibo city’s snacks.

B．Zibo city’s places of interest.

C．The reasons why Zibo is famous recently.

D．The challenges Zibo meets with at present.

2. What can we know about Zibo’s barbecue from paragraph 4?

A．It is usually paired with flatbread and dressings.

B．It is as delicious as Peking Duck.

C．It is totally toasted by the cook on the stove.

D．It is very cheap and various.

3. What made Zibo’s barbecue suddenly well-known?

A．Young people’s dreams.

B．Local government’s measures.

C．Barbecue restaurants in Zibo city.

D．Some college students’ promotion.

4. Which word can describe Sun Xiaorong’s attitude towards the popularity of Zibo barbecue?

A．Objective.	B．Negative.
C．Curious	D．Doubtful.

4 . We have been taught from a young age that red means stop and green means go. So why were these colors chosen for traffic lights? And what’s the history behind the colors?

To trace the connection between the colors and traffic lights,we have to travel back in time to the earliest railroad signals (信号灯) developed in the 1830s. Those first railroad signals were the forerunner of our modern stoplights. Like modern traffic controls,they contained three lights:one for stop,one for caution (警告),and one for go. The original color system was different from our modern system,though. Red meant stop,green meant caution,and white meant go.

The choice of red for stop was fairly obvious,since red — the color of blood — has been associated with danger for thousands of years, long before cars were even around. Scientifically speaking,red is the color with the longest wavelength which means that as it travels,it gets spread less in different directions than other colors,so it can be seen from a greater distance.

Why green and white were chosen for the other signals remains a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that the two colors were chosen because how they contrasted (反差) with red. This system of color-coded signals remained in place (仍然有效) for several decades until it became clear that using white for go could cause serious problems. Around 1914,a train signal’s red lights broke down,causing it to appear white. As a train approached the signal,it was supposed to stop,but the driver believed the white meant go. The result was a terrible train crash. After that,the color for go was eventually changed to green.

To provide the most contrast between red and green,yellow was then chosen as the new color for caution,because it can be seen well at all times of the day. After cars were invented and went into mass production,a similar signaling system was needed to control the flow of traffic. When traffic lights were put up,it became standard for them as well.

1. How does the author describe the original traffic lights?

A．By listing an example.	B．By offering a suggestion.
C．By making a comparison.	D．By showing the importance.

2. Why is the color red chosen for stop?

A．It is the easiest to recognize all day long.

B．It reminds people of accidents and danger.

C．It spreads fastest in all directions in the air.

D．It has proved the least harmless to our eyes.

3. What caused the accident in paragraph 4?

A．The driver’s tiredness.	B．The train’s high speed.
C．The travel system’s shortcoming.	D．The white light’s failing to work.

4. Which can be the best title for the text?

A．How did the present traffic lights form?

B．Why was the first traffic system invented?

C．Why did white disappear from the traffic lights?

D．How did an accident change the traffic systems?

5 . Mack Rutherford,born on June 21, 2005, has become the youngest person to fly around the world alone in a small plane after taking off on March 23, 2022. Five months later, he touched down in the Bulgaria (保加利亚),where his journey began, according to Rutherford’s website. He turned 17 years old during the trip.

Rutherford’s route extended 52 countries on a specially prepared plane, according to his website. His journey was tracked on his website, which showed he set off for the Mediterranean (地中海) then through the Sahara, onwards through the Middle East and then East Asia. He broke two world records, previously held by his older sister Zara Rutherford, as the youngest person to fly around the world alone and also the youngest person to do so in such a small plane. He entered his last leg through the United States, Canada and Mexico before flying back through Europe.

The teenager was just 15 years old when he received his first pilot’s license (许可证), becoming the youngest pilot in the world. “Having flown hundreds of hours with my dad, who is a professional pilot, I have known for certain I wanted to fly. I think there’s something I can actually try to struggle for and achieve,” he said. “I also want to use the opportunity to meet young people on my route who do amazing things or make a difference to their communities or even to the world,” he wrote before flying off.

There were several “hairy” moments during his journey, he said, but he never gave up. His journey even took him to a deserted island in the North Pacific after strong head winds forced him to land during a flight from Japan to the United States. “I was forced to face it on my own — but that was definitely an amazing experience,” he said.

1. What do we know about Mack Rutherford?

A．He started his journey at the age of 16.

B．He was forced to fly around the world.

C．He visited every country of five continents.

D．He is the first to fly around the world alone.

2. What do the underlined words “last leg” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Losing control.	B．The final period of his trip.
C．Injuring his leg.	D．A dangerous situation.

3. Which can best describe Mack Rutherford?

A．Intelligent and warm-hearted.	B．Generous and hardworking.
C．Determined and humorous.	D．Ambitious and adventurous.

4. What is the text?

A．A survey report.	B．A travel guideline.
C．A news report.	D．A book review.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给的段落开头续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I had just a very wonderful day. Although all my days were always wonderful to me, that day was completely different. There was a bulletin(公告)board saying that they would need to find volleyball players for the girls and I was so happy! I have been loving playing volleyball since my mother taught me how to play. I was so excited that I couldn’t wait to play! Then I read more what was on that bulletin board, which said that here would be an audition(试演)after three weeks! “Three weeks?” I thought about it I did know how to play volleyball but I was not much of an expert in doing it but I still wanted to try.

After that I was determined to practice volleyball every day. I practiced hard again and again each day and never got tired of doing the same practice through all the days, and finally, the day came. I was so prepared for this and hurried to the gym to the audition. When I had reached the gym, I was surprised to see that 12 or 14 girls were lining up and I guessed I was the last one to arrive. Then our audition began. Some of the girls failed to pass the audition and some passed.

There was only one position left to complete the 6 girls to join the volleyball team and suddenly I felt nervous because the person in front of me was going to take the serve(发球). Then the girl hit the ball and then the ball didn’t pass over the net! The girl hit her forehead and left, leaving me standing in the middle of the court.

Then the coach spoke, “Okay, you serve.” She handed me the ball and I caught it with my hands. As the ball was in my hands, my hands were suddenly sweating and so was I!

注意：
1．续写词数应为150字左右；
2．请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I then suddenly became nervous about this.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I come to a stop, taking a deep breath and began.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . What started as a sweet gesture on a 32nd birthday has grown into a beloved family tradition for one Midwest family. At the age of 8, Kim Carey made her dad, Ray Ronchetti, a crown(王冠)for his 32nd birthday with the help of her little sister Gina Chandler. Since then, the sisters have_________it and it has been a tradition. Every year, they have such a birthday_________for their dad at home.

“We_________it’s silly, but our dad and our children, who have never seen their_________eat his birthday dinner without a crown, would be_________if we stopped,” says Carey. “It makes Dad so happy. He_________the surprise of seeing it every year.”

Despite their growing families, the sisters still_________the birthday crown themselves, planning about one month _________every year. Each crown over the course of the past few decades has had a different_________.

“One year, we____________to make words with chocolate on the crown,” Carey recalls, “so it kept falling because it was so____________.Every year, we’d like to think up a theme for his birthday crown.”

When a serious disease kept the____________apart, Carey couldn’t go into her dad’s house. She had to leave the crown on her dad’s____________and had a celebration by the Internet. “But with family get-togethers back and my dad____________and in good health, I think we’ll be doing this____________,” said Carey.

1.

A．kept

B．conquered

C．designed

D．sheltered

2.

A．impression

B．invitation

C．blessing

D．celebration

3.

A．accept

B．know

C．guarantee

D．pretend

4.

A．uncle

B．dad

C．grandpa

D．brother

5.

A．disappointed

B．annoyed

C．frightened

D．entertained

6.

A．ignores

B．misses

C．refuses

D．likes

7.

A．donated

B．admired

C．created

D．imagined

8.

A．on average

B．in case

C．at most

D．in advance

9.

A．subject

B．opinion

C．color

D．shape

10.

A．happened

B．decided

C．regretted

D．forgot

11.

A．ordinary

B．sticky

C．strange

D．heavy

12.

A．country

B．family

C．area

D．company

13.

A．hand

B．head

C．doorstep

D．desk

14.

A．retired

B．left

C．protested

D．stood

15.

A．often

B．forever

C．now

D．seldom