1 . 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。

The 2024 Competition for the Transmission and Promotion of the Beijing Central Axis    1    (host) at the Capital Museum in Beijing on March 31st.

    2    (aim) at promoting the Central Axis, the core structure of Beijing that runs 7.8 kilometers    3    south to north, the annual competition has been hosted since 2021, attracting    4    total of more than 400,000 contestants from home and abroad.

This year’s competition featured six tracks,    5    includes three periodic ones focusing on old town rebuilding, creative expression via the art forms of video, painting and design, and cultural ambassadors who have made    6    (significance) contributions to the protection and promotion of the Central Axis.

    7    (additional), three new tracks have been added, focusing on travel, pattern design, and quality living, encouraging contestants    8    (explore) sightseeing routes, create diverse    9    (pattern) and images, and promote tea and food culture.

The competition, which is scheduled to run until mid-July, will include five stages of registration, review, preliminary, semifinal, and final rounds.

Entry details have been made available on the competition’s official website and WeChat account, seeking creative approaches to    10    (protect) cultural heritage and advancing the Central Axis’s promotion.

4 . Students to Compete in 34th National Science Bowl

Thousands of students from middle and high schools across the country have committed themselves to extra study hours as they prepare to compete in the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s)34th National Science Bowl(NSB). These students are hard at work now to win their regional competitions, hoping to advance to the final competition.

The first regional event will take place on January 13th with high schools from the D. C. /Maryland area. Teams will face off in a fast-paced, question-and-answer format, and their knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics will be tested. Regionals will continue weekly until mid-March.

The winning team from each qualifying regional competition will be qualified to compete in the National Finals to be held in Washington, D. C. , from April 25-29, 2024, with all expenses paid by DOE. The national event consists of several days of science activities and sightseeing, along with the competitions.

In the National Finals, the top two teams will earn $5, 000 for their schools’ math and science departments. Schools ranking in the top 16 will receive $1, 000 for their science departments. But to many, the ultimate prize is simply the honor of winning the National Championship.

Today, the NSB annually draws more than 10, 000 middle and high school competitors. Since the first competition in 1991, approximately 344, 000 students have faced off in the NSB Finals. The 2024 competitors will follow in the footsteps of previous NSB contestants and will blaze a trail for students in science, math, and engineering. For more information, please visit the Office of Science website.

1. Which word can best describe the regional competitions?

A．Fair.

B．Interesting.

C．Special.

D．Challenging

2. What can we learn about the National Finals?

A．The championship victory is highly valued.

B．The event only involves fierce competitions.

C．Most of the expenses will be covered by DOE.

D．The prize money will be awarded to individuals.

3. What is the text?

A．A news release.	B．A survey report.
C．A learning project.	D．A scientific review.

5 . Great Places to Enjoy Books

Sinan Books，China

Sinan Books offers a space for learning and thinking to the general public living in the city. Its door has red decoration, showing Sinan Books’ attitude of openness, and its reading space is beautifully decorated with yellow lights. The color green sets off the exhibition spaces. Spaces on the fourth floor are decorated with black and white colors to encourage readers to face themselves.

Paju Book City，South Korea

As the name suggests, it’s a city of books. The bookstores make lots of book lovers come here. In particular, the yearly Booksori book festival attracts nearly one million visitors. At the festival, the organizers present Paju Book Awards to the great Asian writers, editors, and designers. Besides, you can give your old books in return for those books you want to read in these bookstores. The most popular bookstore is Bomulseom, which carries a quality selection (挑选) of Korean, English, and Japanese books, as well as magazines and albums.

Bonjinsha，Japan

Bonjinsha is a bookstore dedicated to (致力于) the teaching and learning of the Japanese language. The store in Tokyo has a wide variety of teaching materials for all levels, from beginners to advanced learners. If you are studying or living in Japan and need to improve your Japanese language skills, then Bonjinsha will be a good place to start. Not only is Bonjinsha an established bookstore, but it’s also a famous publishing house in Japan.

College Street，India

Although it is only 0.9 km long, there is a range of bookstores and publishers right on the street. Perhaps the most well-known bookstores in this neighborhood are Dasgupta & Co., the first bookstore on College Street founded in 1886 with a large number of rare books, and the Bani Library, a family-run business for five generations housing all kinds of textbooks related to all things academic.

1. What is unique about Sinan Books?

A．It’s more popular with teenagers.

B．It uses colors to create a better reading atmosphere.

C．It often introduces the latest good books to readers.

D．It often holds colorful reading festivals.

2. When book lovers go to Paju Book City, they can ________.

A．communicate with some famous writers

B．visit many bookstores with particular themes

C．get a special discount on books in Korean

D．exchange used books in the bookstores

3. What do Dasgupta & Co. and the Bani Library most likely have in common?

A．Both have a small space.	B．Both encourage guests to buy used books.
C．Both have a long history.	D．Both offer rare books at affordable prices.

6 . Language clubs are friendly and supportive places where like-minded students can learn and practice a different language.     1    .

Chinese Club

The Chinese Club offers chances for you to appreciate the most widely spoken language in the world. In the club, we not only have conversation hours to practice speaking Chinese, but also watch films and listen to music.     2    . For example, we attend Chinese New Year Party. If you are interested in learning more about China, Join us from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. in the Grand Lecture Hall on Tuesdays!

French Club

    3    . It will organize events including conversation tables, language workshops, and museum visits We meet for two hours on Saturdays in the online meeting room for a variety of topics throughout the school year.

Russian Club

It is a club for both knowledge exchange and personal growth to students who want to learn about Russia. We offer a chance to discover Russian culture and history while making new friends.     4    . Every week, the lessons are held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays, in Room 135 of the Teaching Building. All levels of Russian learners are welcome.

Italian Club

It is a club for those who share a strong interest in Italian culture and language. Join our extra-curricular activities to meet native Italian speakers, make pizzas, and host opera workshops! We meet every Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Overseas Student Center.     5    , you are welcome to join in the fun and celebration of all things Italian!

Make new friends and join us today! For more information about the latest activities, please feel free to contact languageclubs2023@gmail.com.

A．If you are interested in museum visits

B．Here are some clubs that you need to know

C．Moreover, we also celebrate traditional festivals

D．It is a club for those who long to learn cooking skills

E．Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced speaker

F．Besides cultural events, we also run many weekly lessons

G．It is a club offering group events about language and history

7 . We’ve collected some of the greatest royal (皇家的) palaces and castles to visit in Britain. Here are our picks.

Windsor Castle, Berkshire

Windsor Castle is the oldest castle in the world. It used to be an official accommodation for Her Majesty the Queen and was the place where the wedding of Prince Hary and Meghan Markle was held. The site of Windsor Castle was chosen and built by William in around 1070 to guard the western ways to London from a possible attack.

Open all year round to the public.

Buckingham Palace, Westminster

The official accommodation of the King and Queen and one of Britain’s most recognized historic sites, Buckingham Palace is often used for national celebrations and events. It was bought in 1761 by George II for his wife Queen Charlotte.

Buckingham Palace is open to the public during the summer months and for a limited number of tours in December, January and at Easter each year.

Kew Palace, Richmond-Upon-Thames

Sitting on the banks of the River Thames in London, Kew Palace might be the smallest of the royal palaces. With the big Kew Gardens around, the palace was built in 1631 for the London silk businessman, Samuel Fortreas.

Kew Palace is open for the summer season.

Hampton Court Palace, Surrey

Set on the edge of the River Thames, Hampton Court Palace in Surrey was a Tudor palace created by Cardinal Wlosey in the early 16th century and was once home to Henry VII over the years. There are beautiful gardens nearby and the palace was opened to the public in 1838 by Queen Victoria.

Open all year round, except 24-26 December.

1. Why was Windsor Castle built?

A．To promote western culture.

B．To find new ways to the west.

C．To guard London from attacks.

D．To protect the roads to London.

2. What do Kew Palace and Hampton Court Palace have in common?

A．They are very small.

B．They are near the River Thames.

C．They were built by a businessman.

D．They were opened to the public by a Queen.

3. Which palace has the shortest opening time in a year?

A．Windsor Castle.	B．Buckingham Palace.
C．Kew Palace.	D．Hampton Court Palace.

8 . Strawberry U-Pick at the Boyd Farm

Strawberry U-Pick Season is starting! For now, we are open Monday to Friday from 10 a. m. to 3: 30 p. m. and every weekend from 9 a. m. to 5: 30 p. m. !

Not only do we have our u-pick strawberry fields, we also have fresh produce, prepicked strawberries, snacks and other farm goodies for you to buy. We also have lots of fun activities for the family—hayride with the cows, horse ride, animals to pet and feed, swings, slide, sand pile, corn hole, corn pile and more!

Admission
Admission is $5/person (3 and under free)
Admission includes:
◆Access to u-pick fields
◆Access to swings, corn hole, sand pile, slide, corn pile and petting zoo
◆1 pound of free-to-take-home strawberries
Admission does not include:
◆Hayride with the cows—$5/person
◆Horse ride—$3/person
◆Animal feed—$2/cup
Important information
★Please don’t leave children unattended in strawberry fields and please don’t walk on the plant beds.
★We recommend bringing something to carry berries home to cut down on waste, but we will have plastic bags if needed.
★Usually strawberry season runs through April. This is entirely weather dependent, however.
★We recommend sunscreen / hat / water / closed-toed shoes!
★Pets are not allowed in the fields due to Food Safety regulations.
1. When is the Boyd Farm open to the public in April?

A．9 a. m. Monday.	B．5 p. m. Tuesday.
C．4p. m. Friday.	D．10 a. m. Sunday.

2. What activity is included in the $5 admission?

A．Hayride.	B．Horse ride.
C．Corn pile.	D．Feeding animals.

3. What is encouraged for visitors?

A．Bringing their pets.	B．Wearing open-toed shoes.
C．Playing in strawberry fields.	D．Taking their own strawberry containers.

9 . Using dozens of cameras set up throughout Sweden’s big forests, weeks-long live broadcasts (电视节目) of deer and other wild animals have caught Swedish audiences’ hearts. As three deer nervously come to a lake on screen, comments on the live TV program flood in. “Go on!”; “Jump in!”; “They’re beautiful!” The program Den stora älgvandringen has attracted a large community that watches and comments on the animals’ every move.

Den stora älgvandringen is another example of the so-called “slow TV”, where things are just left to happen at their own pace (节奏). Broadcast for a few weeks each spring on TV and online, the video is recorded in real time from a control room lined with screens. Teams work day and night to offer different viewpoints from 30 cameras, some of which can be controlled from a distance. “We can’t decide what happens. We don’t want everything to be perfect. I mean that this is nature and anything can happen. And we really want to show what it is like,” producer Johan Erhag said. “On all the social media, most things are very stressful. There’s a lot of music in programs. There’s a lot of speaking. But this program is the totally opposite way.”

A hunter in his spare time, Persson said he enjoys the slow and natural pace of the show. “It’s kind of calming and also interesting. It’s basically wind blowing and you are waiting for something hopefully to show up. You might think that a day spent waiting would be a day lost but it’s not. Instead, it could be an activity that is quite healthy for more people,” Persson said.

“After watching the program, I find there are many things to look at and feel about nature,” Anders Lindberg, a columnist said. “The whole idea of sitting and watching nothing happening for hours in nature is wonderful. We can practice meditation (冥想), which ] think for many people is something they lack in big cities. Nature could be a powerful tool used to bridge the gap between the mind and the body, making us feel close to the world around us.”

1. What is special about Den stora älgvandringen?

A．It features animals’ fun activities.

B．It follows wild animals’ life in a natural way.

C．It records animal experiments in natural settings.

D．It uses digital sound effects to impress the viewers.

2. What does Persson say about the program?

A．It teaches him to protect animals.

B．It gives him a sense of achievement.

C．It brings him pleasure and relaxation.

D．It causes him to pay attention to health.

3. How can the program benefit people according to Anders Lindberg?

A．By showing humans’ role in wildlife care.

B．By raising their interest in outdoor activities.

C．By speeding up local tourism development.

D．By encouraging a deeper connection with nature.

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

A．Sweden calls for wildlife protection.

B．A realistic nature TV show attracts attention.

C．The beauty of Swedish forests comes into sight.

D．Directors show their creativity in a slow TV program.

10 . People have been predicting (预测) the death of cable TV (有线电视) for a long time, but this really might be it. Just a decade (十年) ago, nearly all Americans — more than 85 percent of U.S. households — paid for packages of TV channels from cable or satellite ( 卫 星) companies. That started to drop slowly at first and then far more quickly in the past few years. Now, the share of American homes that pay for traditional TV service is approaching 50 percent, according to expert Craig Moffett and S&P Global Market Intelligence’s Kagan research group.

For comparison, cellphones were around for decades before the percentage of Americans who didn’t have a landline ( 座 机) at home reached 50 percent, around 2017. Maybe it seems predictable that cable TV would go the way of the landline. I promise you that it was not necessarily obvious, even once Netflix started to take off. Old habits die hard. Old industries that make a lot of people rich die even harder. And don’t forget that some new technology habits catch on fast but don’t stick.

What may be a final drop in America’s cable TV industry is a big deal. It shows that technology can change deep-rooted ways of doing things slowly, and then suddenly.

Ian Olgeirson, a research director at Kagan who has been following America’s TV market for about 20 years, told me that he was surprised by how quickly the monthly cable bill went from being standard to outdated for many Americans. Olgeirson and other TV experts I’ve been speaking to didn’t single out a turning point in cable TV’s big drop. They said the downward trend ( 趋 势) was more like a series of progressive changes building up.

It’s clear that the cable TV system that for decades brought joy and headaches to tens of millions of Americans is wearing thin. The wild card is whether Americans keep turning away from cable and satellite TV relatively slowly, or whether it will fail suddenly.

I have always loved TV. I felt like a real grown-up when I first started to pay a huge bill for television, partly to watch my favorite football team. I had reduced my cable TV package, but then a few months ago I was told that my bill was going to increase by about $10 a month. That was it. I’m a no-cable household now, too.

1. What does paragraph 1 mainly tell us about cable TV?

A．Its falling popularity.	B．Its increasing payments.
C．Its various TV channels.	D．Its high service standard.

2. Why does the author mention cellphones and landlines in paragraph 2?

A．To prove technology can change the world.	B．To show it is not easy for cable TV to go away.
C．To illustrate there is no market left for cable TV.	D．To explain technology can bring fortune to people.

3. Which of the following is beyond Olgeirson’s expectations?

A．America’s TV market was down suddenly.

B．The death of cable TV will come in about 20 years.

C．Americans turned away from cable TV so quickly.

D．There are still many Americans showing interest in cable TV.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Cable TV won’t be replaced by satellite TV	B．Cable TV brought joy to Americans
C．Cable TV has existed for decades	D．Cable TV is the new landline