1 . As Christmas Eve approached, I found myself in New York City, far from my family and friends in Taiwan. I was feeling homesick and lonely, but my Jewish friend, Rachel, who, like me, doesn’t get connected with Christmas due to any religious things, invited me to join her for a dinner in a Chinese restaurant. She explained that it was a tradition for many Jewish people to celebrate this holiday by eating Chinese food on Christmas Eve.
We went to Jing Fong, a fancy restaurant in Chinatown. The place was packed with people, and the atmosphere was lively and festive. We ordered a variety of dishes. Everything was delicious, and I felt grateful to be sharing this experience with Rachel. As we ate, we talked about our families and our cultures. We laughed and joked, and for a moment, I forgot about my homesickness.
A moment later, a group of carolers (唱圣诞歌的人) came into the restaurant, singing Christmas songs. At first, I was puzzled. Why were they singing in a Chinese restaurant? But then I realized that this was part of the magic of New York City. People from all different cultures and backgrounds could come together and celebrate the holidays in their own way. Rachel and I joined in the singing, and soon the whole restaurant was filled with music. It was a beautiful moment, and I felt blessed to be part of it.
What a night! I learned that even when you’re far from home, you can still find joy and connection with others. Rachel and I may come from different cultures, but we shared amazing food, joyful music, and most importantly heartfelt company. And that’s exactly what all the holidays are all about.
1. Why did Rachel invite the author to join her for dinner?| A．To show respect to God |
| B．To celebrate Christmas in the Jewish way |
| C．To share stories about their families |
| D．To forget about their homesickness |
| A．Fearful | B．Joyful |
| C．Disappointed | D．Confused |
| A．By focusing on religious traditions |
| B．By celebrating with family and friends |
| C．By enjoying a variety of festive dishes |
| D．By embracing diverse ways of celebration |
| A．A personal blog | B．A commercial promotion brochure |
| C．A travel guide of New York | D．An academic article |
It was time to go home. “Remember to work on your class speeches for homework,” Miss Walker called, as everyone started talking and packing their school bags. Jenny felt sick. She hated having to read aloud in class. She was sure everyone got really bored listening to her. Once, when Jenny was reading out her holiday diary, Lee was even looking at his watch, a silver and blue one which seemed just magical.
Jenny watched Lee walk ahead of her as they left school. He seemed so clever, and he had a certain sort of shining confidence. He was just one of those people who were good at everything. Jenny sighed. As she turned the corner, she saw Lee’s watch lying right in the middle of the path.
Jenny knew she should just pick it up and return it to him, but she didn’t want to run after him. Jenny bent down quickly, picked up the watch and ran home. On arriving home, Jenny put it on almost without thinking. She was surprised it fitted so well. She walked to the mirror and started practicing her speech. Words just flooded out of her. “I’m going to talk about swimming. I have been lucky. I’ve won lots of competitions. But when I’m in a race, I’m not really thinking about winning. I’m just loving the feeling of being in the water...”Jenny laughed with excitement. She walked across the room. She suddenly seemed to have a certain sort of confidence. Turning back to the mirror, Jenny saw a flash of light from the watch in the glass. The flashes of silver seemed almost magical. So maybe Lee’s watch really DID have something magic.
The next day, as the lesson began, Miss Walker asked who was going to be brave and go first. No-body moved. Jenny slowly raised her arm. Before Miss Walker could say anything, there was a shout from behind. “She’s stolen my watch!” Lee said angrily, “It went missing at school yesterday.”
Paragraph 1: Everybody was fixing their eyes on Jenny, waiting for an explanation.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph2: At that moment, Miss Walker smiled and asked the class to listen to Jenny’s speech first.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . Straw Weaving(草编)
What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of wheat straw?
The Origin of Straw Weaving
The Process of Straw Weaving
Straw weaving is a method of manufacturing daily items or artworks. Wu explains the process of straw weaving: selection of materials is the first step of a complicated, time-consuming and labor-intensive process that can take weeks, or even months, to complete. You need to sketch (素描)the piece on paper, which requires drawing skills.
In the past, woven straw items could be found almost in every household in the countryside. But due to the impact of industrialization. manufactured goods have replaced such products, which yield low profits, and there are only about 100 individuals engaging in the work across the country. “The world has changed, and craftsmen need to pursue the beauty and artistry of straw culture to help the craft survive and thrive,” Wu says.
The Future of Straw Weaving
From her perspective, straw weaving should respond to people’s needs and preferences, while still drawing inspiration from traditional culture. “
| A．The Current Situation of Straw Weaving |
| B．Next comes weaving, shaping and preserving of the work |
| C．Craftspeople should try their best efforts to promote products |
| D．It was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2008 |
| E．Most people would probably just see it as a pile of waste in a farmer’s field |
| F．The earliest straw-weaving products were discovered at Hemudu Cultural Ruins |
| G．Craftspeople should be responsive and creative and constantly update their products |
In a busy and stressful town, there was a large square with many trees around. There the collectors came together. These were people who were busy making a living by collecting things that other people had thrown away.
There were pan-collectors, book-collectors and shoe-collectors complaining about the burden of their life on their shoulders.
One day an old man came into the village asking where the collectors’ square was. He carried a large bag, but didn’t seem to be burdened by its weight. Finally, he found the square, and he decided to stay in one corner.
Naturally, the collectors discovered there was a new collector in town, and they asked about what he had in the bag. He simply told them there was nothing in it but his lunch and a raincoat in case it rained. “You mean, you don’t have a collection of some kind?” they asked. “Aren’t you a collector?”
“Oh, yes,” he said. “I’m a care-collector. But what I collect does not fit in a bag or a box. I offer to collect people’s care like worries, sadness and difficult times-all kinds of things that weigh them down, and they feel better.”
Quickly, one pan-collector asked him how he collected care, and he replied. “Well, there is probably something in your life that troubles you right now. Just tell me about it and I will add it to my collection.”
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。
“Can I have a try?” asked the pan-collector doubtfully.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon words spread, and there were a group of people coming to the care-collector.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________5 . 14-year-old Harini Logan won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the United States. She correctly spelled 22 words during 90 seconds. Most Americans, however, would find it difficult to spell any of these words!
Native English speakers know there are clear differences between how words are pronounced and spelled. But they do not know that the differences are unique to English among major languages. Languages like Italian or Finnish can be spelled more easily because each letter matches one sound. Students studying these languages can have 90 percent reading accuracy after the first year.
In English, many letters have two or more sounds. This is why even after years of learning, students of English are still far below Italian or Finnish students in reading accuracy.
English started as a Germanic language. It is most closely connected to German and Dutch, especially in grammar and basic vocabulary. During the Norman attack in the 12th century, Old English was spoken but French was used in government and formal papers. As a result, more French and Latin words entered the English language.
The printing machine was invented in the late 1400s. This helped to establish English spelling and strengthen the connection between how English is spoken and how it is written. The English of today is how the language was written at the time.
However, the spoken language started to change in the 1500s with the pronunciation of all long vowels, especially in southern England. For example, the word “bite” was pronounced closer to “beet” in the 1400s, before changing through the years to its present sound. The effect was that the English language had old spellings but new sounds.
English has 26 letters, but over 44 different sounds depend on the difference of spoken English. There are several sounds from only one letter. For example, the letter “C” can sound like an “S” as in “city”, and it also sounds like a “K” as in “cat”.
1. Why is English harder to spell than Italian and Finnish?| A．English has more letters. | B．English is used more widely. |
| C．Some English letters have more sounds. | D．English words are made up of more letters. |
| A．Grammar. | B．Writing. | C．Spelling. | D．Pronunciation. |
| A．Words were simpler to spell. | B．Words were easier to pronounce. |
| C．Words had old spellings but new sounds. | D．Words spellings matched with their sounds. |
| A．How English Developed | B．Why English Is Hard to Spell |
| C．How to Spell English Correctly | D．Why English Letters Have More Sounds |
6 . The Internet plays a big part in human life. We use it for work and entertainment. We can find new recipes on the Internet or advice on staying healthy. We can even use it to learn a new language and connect with family and friends.
As far as the Internet being a part of our lives —well, that train has left the station. This expression means there is no going back to an Internet-free life. But can using the Internet too much be bad for our health? It might be, say researchers.
A new study finds that heavy Internet use may be connected to high blood pressure in an unlikely group— teenagers. The study results show that teens who spend at least 14 hours a week online were more likely to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure can cause heart and kidney (肾) disease. It is also closely linked to some forms of dementia (痴呆), a brain disease. Dementia is marked by memory disorders, personality changes, and a reduced ability to reason.
The Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan did the study. 335 young people from 14 to 17 years old participated in it. One hundred and thirty-four of the teens were described as “heavy Internet users.” Researchers found that out of these 134 teens, 26 had high blood pressure.
The lead researcher of the study is Andrea Cassidy-Bushrow. In a statement she said, “Using the Internet is part of our daily life but it shouldn’t consume us.” For the purpose of the study, she explains, teens considered heavy Internet users were online on “average 25 hours a week.” Ms. Cassidy-Bushrow adds that it is important for teens to take “regular breaks from their computers or smartphones” and to do some “kind of physical activity.”
1. Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．The train has stopped at the wrong station. |
| B．There is something wrong with the train. |
| C．Life without the Internet is nowhere to be found. |
| D．The train has changed its course. |
| A．will remember everything clearly | B．will change his character |
| C．will develop a brain cancer | D．can do analysis accurately |
| A．40% | B．19% | C．25% | D．7% |
| A．The Internet Does Harm to the Study. |
| B．Too Much Internet May Be Bad for Teenagers. |
| C．We Should Stop Using the Internet. |
| D．High Blood Pressure Is around the Comer. |
7 . A lot of people find it difficult to do exercise regularly, even though they know it’s good for their physical and mental (身心上的) health. Yet keeping on a workout routine doesn’t necessarily go to the gym or run around your neighborhood. Gardening is a great example of a popular hobby that can be used as a workout.
Nashville resident Tom Adkinson, 72, is on board with the idea of gardening to stay fit. He has three gardens, which he uses primarily to grow tomatoes, sweet banana peppers and okra. Like traditional exercise, Adkinson does a lot of preparation before gardening, and then he spends hours watering and weeding (除草) all three gardens, involving bending and stretching, which he compares to performing garden yoga.
“It is wise of Adkinson to do so. Even though gardening may not appear difficult, using the body in new ways can make you hurt if you don’t warm up beforehand,” said Zeller, who teaches at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County in New Jersey.
Working in your garden just two hours a week could improve your mood. And the communal gardening, which is done by a number of people as a group in communities and schools, provides social benefits that can reduce stress and help fight against loneliness and even dementia according to studies.
“With all these benefits, gardening for fitness will be a trend (趋势) in the coming year,” announced Mandal, CEO of the fitness coaching app Future, “Our users at Future have already been asking their coaches to add gardening and landscaping activities into their routines because it’s easy to get and fit into their lifestyle.”
1. What do the underlined words “on board with” mean in paragraph 2?| A．In support of. | B．At the risk of. |
| C．Under the control of. | D．In opposition to. |
| A．Having a good rest. |
| B．Getting enough water ready. |
| C．Doing warm-up exercise. |
| D．Preparing tools for weeding. |
| A．Tips for gardening. |
| B．The benefits of gardening. |
| C．The process of garden management. |
| D．The difference between personal and group gardening. |
| A．Running. | B．Yoga. | C．Gardening. | D．Walking. |
8 . Yue-Sai Kan was born in China. In 1972, she moved to New York. When Kan was a child, she was told by her father that she should always aim to (力争) be the first because no one remembered the second. What her father said has been a driving inspiration over the years for her to become a bestselling author and a successful businesswoman.
Her new book Be a Pioneer, which is the tenth she has written and her first Chinese-language autobiography (自传), was produced after three years, inspired by her father’s words.
When writing an autobiography, the biggest challenge is not how to present one’s life, but to remember it. To help with reconstructing her story, Kan asked many friends and colleagues she made over the years to write down their memories of her from earlier times. So besides featuring Kan’s own words, the new book is also filled with those of her friends’s, which gives Kan a new understanding of herself — a woman who works hard, studies hard. and the most important thing is that she is a woman filled with a sense of responsibility.
“My helper Stephanie mentioned that I was worried because we were running out of money for the company. My housekeeper reminded me that before the start of one of my events she found that I had fainted (晕倒) in the bathroom. I was so tired that I was getting sick. They know more about me than myself,” Kan says.
“Writing a book is a good business to be in, not so much to make money but to grow the brain. I believe what I do will benefit the world. All the things I have done in Be a Pioneer — my successes and my failures — can be a good example to young people in particular. That’s the main reason why I wrote the book,” adds Kan.
1. What can we know about Kan’s book Be a Pioneer?| A．It took her 10 years to finish. |
| B．It is full of her father’s words. |
| C．It was completed with her friends’ help. |
| D．It tops the tenth on the bestseller list. |
| A．Being short of money. | B．Having no supporters. |
| C．Having to write it in Chinese. | D．Remembering her past. |
| A．To tell Kan is weak in health. |
| B．To show Kan is a worried woman. |
| C．To report the path of writing is difficult. |
| D．To state how Kan’s story was reconstructed. |
| A．Setting an example. | B．Earning money. |
| C．Making herself popular. | D．Proving herself to her father. |
9 . Welcome to Chelsea FC Foundation Soccer Schools. Our camp programs in these schools offer players aged 9-17 the experience of a living and training like soccer experts with world-class coaching. Players will learn what it takes to become a world-class footballer at Chelsea FC and learn about Chelsea’s unique coaching philosophies. Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches are skilled in challenging players of every level and their specialist programs cover technical, physical, psychological and social aspects of the game. Players will be grouped by age and their ability on the first day of the camp, and then they will start their training at different places.
Groups:
| Boys | Girls | |
| Senior players | 13-17 | 12-17 |
| Place | Charterhouse School | Seaford College |
| Junior players | 9-15 | 10-14 |
| Place | Lancing College | Ardingly College |
We offer you Soccer Only Camp and Soccer and English Camp to choose from.
Soccer Only Camp (2 weeks):
•Up to 32 hours per week of soccer training.
•Campers need to be able to speak at least an intermediate level of English.
•Campers need to pay $2,295.
Soccer and English Camp (2 weeks):
•Up to 19 hours per week of soccer training, along with 14 hours per week of English language lessons.
•Campers need to be basic level English speakers at least.
•One-to-one instruction from Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches.
•Campers need to pay $3.200.
1. What is an advantage of Chelsea FC Foundation’s coaches?| A．They come from different countries. |
| B．They have specialized programs in different fields. |
| C．They provide one-to-one instruction for Soccer Only campers. |
| D．They can help campers achieve an intermediate level in two weeks. |
| A．At Lancing College. | B．At Seaford College. |
| C．At Ardingly College. | D．At Charterhouse School. |
| A．14 hours. | B．19 hours. | C．32 hours. | D．33 hours. |
10-year-old Kyuta Kumagai stood out among all the young wrestlers (摔跤运动员)
His father created his training routine. And the training is not easy. The 10-year-old boy trains six days each week and does many different exercises. He lifts weights, moves huge tires, swims, and runs. The goal is
