2 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容或括号内所给词的恰当形式填空。
Hi Kelsey,

Happy 18th birthday! You’ve officially reach     1     (adult) in a lot of ways, even though I know you’re already mature beyond your years.

Many bittersweet events will happen in the next ten years. There will be highs. Stick to     2     (cherish) every single second. There will also be lows, and you may feel     3     (dishearten). But you’ll surely be committed to     4     (make) it through, and    5     (gradual) you’ll get stronger than before.

The world will always throw new challenges at you.     6     a consequence, your strength will be tested again and again. Looking back to what has happened over the last decade, I feel proud of how far you’ve come. Approve     7     everything that contributes to your     8     (become) fearless and independent.

As you become an adult, jump at every opportunity     9    comes your way. Celebrate every chance you get. No doubt you’ll always ponder     10    it and make the right decision.

Happy birthday, Kelsey! See you in ten years.

28-­year-­old Kelsey

3 . In a small, rough shipyard on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, a small team is building what they say will be the world’s largest ocean-going clean cargo ship.

Ceiba is the first ship built by Sailcargo, a company trying to prove that zero-carbon shipping is possible, and commercially available. Made largely of wood, Ceiba combines both very old and very new technology: sailing masts stand alongside solar panels, a uniquely designed electric engine and batteries. Once on the water, she will be capable of crossing oceans entirely without the use of fossil fuels, which sets her apart.

“The thing that is striking is the fact that she’ll have one of the largest marine electric engines of her kind in the world,” Danielle Doggett said. The system also has the means to capture energy from underwater propellers (螺旋桨) as well as solar power, so electricity will be available for the engine when needed. “Really, the only limit on how long she can stay at sea is water and food on board for the crew.”

Despite some hold-ups due to the global disaster, the team hopes to get her on the water by the end of 2024 and operating by 2025, when she will begin transporting cargo between Costa Rica and Canada.

“There are actually loads of innovations happening that could transform shipping emissions, but few companies are willing to apply them to building ships like Ceiba.” says Lucy Gilliam. “So it’s not that we don’t have great ideas. The problem that we have is that fossil fuels are still too cheap. And we don’t have the rules to force people to take up the new technology.”

When it comes to promoting this kind of boat, it has to be said that Ceiba is small for a cargo ship — tiny in fact. She will carry around nine standard shipping containers. She is also relatively slow. Being a world-first, there are some aspects of Ceiba’s design that have yet to be proven at sea.

1. What is unique about Ceiba as a cargo ship?

A．It is the world’s largest.	B．It is environment-friendly.
C．It is wooden with old technology.	D．It is modern with unique equipment.

2. What determines Ceiba’s length of staying at sea according to Danielle Doggett?

A．The size of the sail.	B．The weather of the ocean.
C．The power of the electric engine.	D．The quantity of the living supplies.

3. Why are companies unwilling to build ships like Ceiba?

A．The rules are disobeyed.	B．The fuels are affordable.
C．The bigger ships are preferable.	D．The innovations are distrusted.

4. What is the author’s attitude to the innovation of Ceiba?

A．Objective.

B．Doubtful.

C．Critical.

D．Favorable.

5 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

For years, putting up Christmas lights had been a family tradition for the Patrick’s household. It was an occasion when they would busily prepare for the celebration of Christmas.

Their Christmas light display was always a highlight of the neighborhood and brought much delight to the whole community. Typically, Anthony would invite the neighbors over as they decorated the Christmas tree in the front yard. Emily, who lived next door and had known Sara’s family for long, often came to admire their wonderland of Christmas lights.

In early December, Anthony would string colorful lights all around their roof until it looked dazzling. On the front lawn, he would blow up a large white Frosty the Snowman and a Rudolph with a glowing red nose. Sara always joined in, along with their warm-hearted neighbors, hanging gifts on the tree and playing “White Christmas” over and over to keep everyone in the spirit.

Yet the bad news came in the midst of the festive mood, before they could finish the Christmas decoration. Anthony fell desperately ill. The symptoms suggested acute heart failure and he was soon admitted to hospital. Sara spent days and nights in the ward, attending to Anthony and praying for his recovery, though the hope was slim. On Christmas Eve, Anthony passed away.

It came as a huge blow to Sara. In the following days, she had to manage the funeral while struggling to figure out a way to cover housing and household expenses, and tackling a seemingly endless list of difficult to-dos. Perhaps hardest of all, she had to persuade herself into accepting the loss of her father. It was too much to take.

When she pulled up to the house after a long day on the go, the only thing that could comfort her were the twinkling Christmas lights, which brought her a spark of hope-it felt as if the brightness of the lights could cancel out some of the darkness of the past days’ misfortune.

Wanting to help, Emily shared their story on a community website.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Touched by their kindness, Sara decided to fulfill the lighting decorations, though Christmas was gone.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Many quick service restaurant owners are looking ahead to a future where automation will play an important role. They believe it will be the key to greatly     1    (increase) their thin profits and allow their workers to shine in the tasks no machine can do.

Many people are afraid of being replaced by a robot. But the    2    (smart) and most creative robotic companies are creating intelligent machines that work alongside workers to make efficiency and profits increase     3    (dramatic). Take Flippy, the arm-like robotic kitchen assistant    4     an example. It turns burgers over, cooking them to     5    (perfect), and lets its co-workers know the orders are ready. Not competing for people’s jobs, such robots    6    (design) to be cooperative ones, the cost-effective machines created to work with humans, not against them.

Quick service restaurants with tools like Flippy are the kind of places     7     you keep coming back--you know the staff will always have time to give you    8     answer to your detailed question and you will have your order on time, perfectly cooked.

Automation in restaurants will become even more crucial in the future. Owners then     9    (need) workers to enforce updated safety regulations and interact with dissatisfied guests. With Flippy having their back in the kitchen, they won’t have to worry about     10    (burn) burgers.

7 . Last summer I talked with my daughter studying in her last year in high school about her graduation album. I asked which _________ she selected to take her pictures for it. She told me she _________ no one, adding she’d rather have a friend or family member snap a few candid (抓拍的) shots and _________ from them. It would be a good idea to me since she _________ available photos of herself, and it would be a _________ to spend hundreds of dollars and have her like none of the photos. Of course, I asked her several times to be _________ afterwards.

After two _________ she still didn’t like any of the photos I took for her very much and told me she wasn’t submitting one for the graduation album. As the _________ was fast approaching, I warned her that the school might use her _________ from her school ID and asked again if she was certain she wanted to go this route. Her answer was __________ so I decided to let it go.

Yes. I could have picked a photo my daughter didn’t like and submitted it behind her back, but I knew it wouldn’t have __________ well. So I didn’t do that.

My daughter is __________ enough to make such a decision on her own. It’s her senior year. The fact that she doesn’t want to __________ a senior portrait for the graduation album doesn’t __________ there’s anything wrong with her. I need to let her do her thing.

I had my senior year and did it the way I wanted. Now it’s my daughter’s __________.

1.

A．reporter

B．photographer

C．volunteer

D．teacher

2.

A．paid

B．imagined

C．declined

D．chose

3.

A．buy

B．deliver

C．pick

D．borrow

4.

A．keeps

B．expects

C．loses

D．dislikes

5.

A．shame

B．joke

C．punishment

D．hit

6.

A．helpful

B．sure

C．safe

D．happy

7.

A．seconds

B．hours

C．months

D．decades

8.

A．celebration

B．schedule

C．semester

D．deadline

9.

A．drawing

B．design

C．picture

D．number

10.

A．disappointing

B．positive

C．strange

D．unclear

11.

A．worked

B．looked

C．covered

D．moved

12.

A．great

B．old

C．calm

D．kind

13.

A．laugh at

B．exchange for

C．hand in

D．care about

14.

A．hope

B．explain

C．determine

D．mean

15.

A．turn

B．result

C．action

D．answer

8 . Matthew Cuthbert and his sister, Marilla, live on Green Gables farm, in Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. They want to adopt an orphan boy, but Matthew doesn’t find the boy at the train station. Instead, he is attracted by a sweet, talkative 11-year-old girl called Anne. Having heard about Anne’s poor childhood, they think Anne might not be the “useful boy” they’ve wanted to work on the farm, but she needs their sympathy. Anne is overjoyed to be allowed to stay.

On Anne’s second morning at home, however, Matthew abruptly suffers from a heart attack. Soon, Marilla sees a specialist and learns that unless she takes measures to prevent her eyesight, she will be blind within six months. Anne finds herself involved in a dilemma.

Anne, anyway, gradually gets familiar with the beauties of Green Gables, the household duties she will have to fulfill. Even though Marilla often scolds Anne for daydreaming and ignoring her chores, both she and Matthew find Anne’s imaginative talk amusing, and soon they can’t picture the farm without her.

In the fall, Anne starts off well at Avonlea School, but then she’s teased by Gilbert Blythe, a handsome boy in her grade, for her red hair. Anne hits Gilbert on the head, and she is punished by her teacher and refuses to attend school for a while. After Anne returns to school, she takes a renewed enthusiasm in her studies and a growing academic competition with Gilbert. Besides, Anne forms a story club to help her friends improve their imaginations.

When she is 16, Anne studies for the entrance exam to Queen’s Academy. With intense effort, Anne and Gilbert both get the highest exam scores in Prince Edward Island, broadening Anne’s ambitions for the future. The following September, Matthew and Marilla, both tearful over Anne’s growing up, say goodbye when Anne settles into Queen’s for the year. Anne earns teacher certificate, and though she’s defeated by Gilbert for the highest academic honor, she wins a scholarship.

1. What makes Matthew and Marilla decide to adopt Anne?

A．Anne’s pitiful childhood.	B．Anne’s attractive appearance.
C．Anne’s easy-going personality.	D．Anne’s familiarity with farm work.

2. Why is Anne punished by her teacher?

A．She teases her classmate.	B．She hurts a handsome boy.
C．She fails to get good scores.	D．She refuses to attend school.

3. What can we infer about Anne in the last paragraph?

A．She defeats Gilbert academically.

B．She is full of hope for the future study.

C．She earns the highest academic honor.

D．She is discouraged not to be admitted into the college.

4. How do Matthew and Marilla feel about Anne’s growth?

A．Doubtful.

B．Amused.

C．Indifferent.

D．Content.

10 . Older people traditionally struggle with new tech, but it doesn’t have to be this way. With the right design, even the most unwilling user can obtain the benefits.

A lack of understanding of technology and its benefits, along with difficulty in using hi-tech products, such as a smartphone or computer, leads to the result that many seniors hesitate to migrate from the old to the new. This is a mistake.

Older people themselves must consider whether they want to embrace new technology, or let the benefits pass them by. Technology, often in the form of social media, has enabled seniors to meet new friends, keep in touch with old ones and learn new skills.

The reasons why some older people adopt new technology are likely to be twofold: they’re forced to do so and they want to make their lives easier. These reasons are important for anyone who realizes seniors need to be convinced to engage with technology to consider.

Adopting new technology is often imperative for modern people to do, yet some elderly still insist, “I have managed before without technology. Why do I have to use it now?”

Seniors often become frustrated with technology. “It’s not working, ” is a complaint co-author Lucia heard many times from her late father, especially when it came to his cell phone-and he used technology well, for the most part. Often, the problem was that he was unable to use the small keypad( 键盘) on his phone or read the letter size of the words in text messages he received.

One issue that needs to be addressed is the design of technology. Seniors want web pages to be simple and clear, and navigation easy. One study from 2005 shows that many seniors like a website to be user-friendly with a simple interface (界面).

“A simpler and more uniformly designed internet would help to break down the psychological barriers outlined, ”it states. While that study was carried out years ago, this problem with web design still stands.

1. Why do older people hesitate to embrace new techs?

A．They misunderstand computer’s design.

B．They are unwilling to change into the new.

C．They lack access to smartphones and computers.

D．They have difficulty in using technological products.

2. What does the example of Lucia’s father tell us in paragraph 6?

A．Seniors often feel upset about new technologies.

B．Seniors always face the breakdown of smartphones.

C．Seniors refuse to use the small keypad on their phone.

D．Seniors can’t understand the text messages they receive.

3. What might be discussed in the next paragraph?

A．Ways for web-designers to make internet easier to navigate.

B．Psychological barriers of seniors to adopt new technology.

C．Methods of tackling breaking down issues of computers.

D．Other researches related to seniors’ dissatisfaction.

4. What is the best title of the passage?

A．To use or not to use: a technological dilemma

B．Exploring benefits for seniors to accept hi-techs

C．To say yes to the smartphone: a beautiful mistake

D．Bridging the gap between seniors and technology