1 . Nguyen Thi Thu is one of the few remaining artists practicing and constantly enhancing the traditional Vietnamese art of sculpting realistic-looking flowers out of papaya (番木瓜树) fruits.

Thu became ________ in carving various flowers from papaya fruits at the age of 15, when she ________ a class on the art of sculpting fruit. She was fascinated by the ________ art form, but then she had to ________ to Russia and stayed there for 15 years. Thu couldn’t ________ her favorite art form because she was too busy working and had no ________ to green papayas. She ________ it with all sorts of other fruits and vegetables, but nothing was quite like the papaya she ________. When she returned to Hanoi in 2009, she ________ got back into papaya sculpting, and she has been practicing the art ever since.

Over the years, Thu has ________ herself to carve various types of flowers, but her favourite by far is also one of the most ________, the chrysanthemum (菊花). Creating a single flower takes between 45 minutes and over an hour,________ the complexity of the design. “I often fall asleep thinking of how to ________ a certain flower, and then I get out of bed to practice,” Thu said.

Apart from ________ her art form during various public events and creating delicate papaya flowers, Thu also holds classes in Hanoi, as a way of ________ the traditional art form.

1.

A．confident

B．interested

C．expert

D．talented

2.

A．missed

B．held

C．quit

D．took

3.

A．traditional

B．modern

C．fashionable

D．contemporary

4.

A．return

B．turn

C．move

D．adjust

5.

A．appreciate

B．practice

C．change

D．adopt

6.

A．access

B．reaction

C．solution

D．resistance

7.

A．described

B．imagined

C．painted

D．tried

8.

A．grew

B．offered

C．knew

D．bought

9.

A．occasionally

B．immediately

C．randomly

D．definitely

10.

A．expected

B．reminded

C．forced

D．taught

11.

A．abstract

B．expensive

C．complicated

D．fundamental

12.

A．depending on

B．accounting for

C．focusing on

D．calling for

13.

A．plant

B．sculpt

C．feed

D．invent

14.

A．exhibiting

B．judging

C．updating

D．transforming

15.

A．replacing

B．celebrating

C．recovering

D．preserving

2 . It seems every country has one major event on the annual calendar. Here we’ve boiled down the choices to the absolute top events to add to your bucket list.

Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

This over 50-year-old good time held on the shores of Lake Geneva is the second-largest jazz festival in the world. It’s more than jazz, though. You’ll find broad-ranging acts from pop to rock and blues. And, best of all, a large portion of the performances are free, in keeping with the festival’s purpose to make music accessible to anyone.

Palio di Siena, Italy

Twice a year, the Tuscan town of Siena recalls its past in the Middle Ages with a bareback horse race. Each of the 17 horses in the race and each of their course riders, represent one of the city’s districts, adding to the roar (咆哮) of the crowd. And to make things even more entertaining, riders are allowed to do anything to their opponents other than pull their reins (缰绳), so expect as many falls as thrills.

Saint Patrick’s Festival, Ireland

Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated anywhere in the world where there is an Irish group, but there’s no better place than Dublin, Ireland. This four-day festival in March is packed with a program of music, performing arts, literature, tours and food events. Centered around the national holiday, this festival of Irish pride, achievements and talents will be well supplied with Irish cheer.

Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival, China

Harbin is transformed into a winter wonderland with huge ice sculptures across the city, decorated with lights and lasers, drawing thousands of artists and art enthusiasts alike. And if that’s not enough to satisfy your fancy, there’s also the Ice Lantern Art Fair, sledding to watch and our favourite, “winter swimming watching”.

1. What features Montreux Jazz Festival?

A．Its programs are mostly charged.	B．It aims to make jazz free to anyone.
C．It includes various styles of music.	D．It is the oldest jazz festival globally.

2. Which festival will attract an adventurer most?

A．Montreux Jazz Festival.	B．Palio di Siena.
C．Saint Patrick’s Festival.	D．Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival.

3. What do the last two festivals have in common?

A．They last just as long.	B．They are held nationwide.
C．They take place in cold days.	D．They offer artistic experience.

3 . The National Heritage Responders is a volunteer network of around 100 experts in cultural heritage conservation from around Puerto Rico. They assist individuals and institutions in figuring out how to save important objects and buildings after disasters. Their crisis hotline has been busier than ever in recent years because of more frequent and severe weather brought on by climate change. In 2023, there have been around 70 calls so far, up from fewer than 10 in 2008, when the hotline first appeared.

Ann Frellsen, the Atlanta-based book and paper conservator, is a longtime heritage responder volunteer with more than three decades of experience in helping out cultural institutions after disasters. She was among those sent to Puerto Rico over several visits starting a couple of months after two hurricanes hit it in 2017.

After providing initial support via the phone, Frellsen and her team came in to help La Casa del Libro and other local institutions in crisis with equipment, supplies and advice. In fact, much of the advice the hotline provides is via phone or video-chat; volunteers are sent out into the field in certain cases, on an as-needed basis.

“There were no stoplights and signs on the highways because they’d all been blown away,” Frellsen said. She added that figuring out how to reach the more than 20 institutions that needed assistance in Puerto Rico was challenging—not to mention the on-the-job hazards.

When Frellsen isn’t heading into disaster zones to help save artifacts (文物) from fires, hurricanes and floods, she trains others in the heritage conservation field to do the same. Some of the participants may eventually take the test to become National Heritage Responders. But at this moment, they are deep in a hands-on training exercise, based on an imaginary situation cooked up by Frellsen and her co-trainers.

1. What can we say about Puerto Rico?

A．It calls on people to keep in contact.	B．Natural disasters are increasing there.
C．It works hard to build highways.	D．The weather is really nice there.

2. What can be learned about the National Heritage Responders?

A．It teaches individuals how to protect themselves.

B．New volunteers can join it with no tests required.

C．Victims all over the world can contact it by hotline.

D．It sends experts to the disaster areas when necessary.

3. What does the underlined word “hazards” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Dangers.

B．Skills.

C．Trainings.

D．Rights.

4. What are Frellsen and her team busy doing at present?

A．Taking various tests.	B．Entering a new disaster area.
C．Conducting a practical exercise.	D．Restoring priceless artifacts.

6 . 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。

For more than 20 years I have been traveling the world, preferring often to spend a year or two in different countries rather than to just visit as a tourist. It has become an important part of my personality as I grew older and shaped the way I saw the world and myself.

My little taste of this amazing life was when I was 19 years old. I was selected among a small group of college classmates to spend a year abroad. This was long before people could travel the world through social media like Facebook and Twitter. In order to see a place, you had to go there and experienced it.

I was raised in a middle-class family and couldn’t afford to travel around the world the way I wished I could. The only way I knew about the world outside was through letters I wrote to pen pals from over a dozen countries as a kid, and from television. Growing up, I always loved the very funny British comedies that were shown on local public television every Saturday night. So when I got the chance to apply for a study abroad program, I chose London.

Living abroad can be exciting, scary and challenging. I thought it would be easier because I spoke the same language as the local people did. But I also like to relish (享受) the little differences between the British and American culture and language. I also learned that in England, they spell words differently than in the U. S. In British spelling, they put a “u” in words like favor to make it “favour” and an “s” in words like analyze to make it “analyse”. I was able to adapt quickly to this new way of writing since I was submitting papers all the time for my classes.

Academically, I got to take classes that weren’t offered at my college back home. For example, I had a course in sociology and learned about the native people of Papua New Guinea.

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: But there were also challenges that year too.   

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Paragraph 2: Sometimes the difficult times made me sad and homesick.

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7 . 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。

Taoism (Daoism) is one of China’s best-known religions. It’s an ancient tradition of philosophy that reflects a deep-rooted Chinese worldview. But what exactly is Tao? We visited the largest Taoist establishment in Beijing, the Baiyun Temple,     1     (find) out more.

Zhong Daosong is a Taoist master at Baiyun Temple. “The Tao, or the Way, is the approach in tune with the flow of Nature.     2     different counties and various regions have their own cultures, if we pursue harmony between humanity and nature, there will be no friction-and no     3     (violent).” said Zhong.

Taoism is China’s native religion.     4     is evident in its best-known symbol, the circle of yin and yang, it’s also a religion of unity and opposites. This represents two fundamentally opposite forces in     5     universe: light and dark, male and female, hot and cold.

“The supreme good is like water, which benefits all of creation without trying to compete     6     it” That’s a very famous sentence     7     (note) by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu in Tao Te Ching, the ancient Taoist text, over 2,000 years ago. This philosophy     8     (fascinate) and inspired people in China, as well as those in many Asian countries and more recently in the West, over the course of many centuries. “The culture of Taoism is universal without any barriers,     9     (promote) cultural exchanges and mutual learning. The reason why western people like Taoism so much is mainly because Taoism has no boundaries.” Taoism has become increasingly     10     (influence) around the world.

8 . 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。

As I unzipped my lunchbox, the whole place was turned into a spicy curry (咖喱) dream. I immediately hid it under my seat, hoping no one would take notice.

Mom had really outdone herself with masala — our family’s all-time favorite dish back in India. But today, it wasn’t just about me and my lunch. A warm smile on his face, Ricky invited me, a new transfer student from India to New York city, for lunch.

“Ava, come sit here!” Ricky called out, gesturing towards a vacant seat.

As I made my way over, memories of those awkward lunchtimes when I studied in Kansas, one of the most conservative states, flooded back. I could still recall how everyone would wrinkle their noses and stare curiously when I unpacked my Indian food. It always made me feel like an outsider, like I didn’t belong.

Therefore, before my first day in this school, I had demanded my mom pack “normal” western-style food for me. I still remembered the look on her face upon hearing it, as she signed in disappointment and confusion, “Isn’t there a moment when you feel proud of your origin?” That was hurting, but not more hurting than others’ giggles and whispers. Honestly, long queues were common in Indian restaurants in New York city, a cultural melting pot, but I wouldn’t take that risk.

Unfortunately, this morning, Mom had forgotten to make sandwich or any “normal” food, so I had to bring leftovers from our dinner. At the thought of the possible oh-no-second (社死), I felt like being thrown into darkness.

However, before I came back to reality, Ricky noticed my sneaking (躲躲藏藏). “What do you have for lunch?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with interest. I tried to brush it off (搪塞), claiming I wasn’t hungry. But Ricky wouldn’t let it go, and before I could protest, he had the lid of my lunchbox open and I prepared myself for such familiar responses as “Ew” or “What is that?”

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。

However, I did not get what I was expecting.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After school, I found Mom preparing sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch.

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