1 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What’s the topic of the conversation?| A．The news media. | B．The food production. | C．The economic situation. |
| A．It sounds funny. | B．It tells the truth. | C．It’s encouraging. |
| A．The prices of certain goods will decline. |
| B．The materials will cost even more. |
| C．The workers will get higher wages. |
2 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do the speakers need to do according to the man?| A．Respond to the demands of the customers. |
| B．Participate in the company contest. |
| C．Give a name to a new product. |
| A．Turning to a consulting company. |
| B．Asking for the customers’ opinions. |
| C．Organizing an unusual meeting. |
1. How many vehicles did China produce in 2021?
| A．1.06 million. | B．2million. | C．3million. |
| A．Mexico and America. | B．Germany and Japan. | C．Japan and Canada. |
| A．It’ll expand production. | B．It’ll move to Japan. | C．It’ll lose to BYD. |
4 . Students who sat for the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) can apply for funding under the new University financing model rolled out by the government on May 3, 2023.
In the new funding model, students from extremely needy backgrounds will receive 100 percent financing, while those from needy and less needy backgrounds will get 93 percent.
Priority will be given to students from poor backgrounds in terms of scholarship allocation as those from less needy backgrounds will be covered by loan financing from the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) .
All students who received letters from Universities and TVET colleges after applying on the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) website are qualified for funding. Additionally, students joining private institutions also qualify for the HELB loan.
Students applying for the funding can visit the New Higher Education Financing portal (入口) at www. hef. co. ke. to apply.
They will require a valid email address, KCPE and KCSE index numbers and the year examination was done, a passport size photo, and a copy of the student’s national ID.
Other items required to make the application include a copy of the student’s birth certificate, college or university admission letter, and their parents’ national ID number.
Other documents area death certificate in the case an applicant’s parents are deceased (已故的), two guarantors’ ID numbers and registered phone numbers, and copy of the sponsorship letter if you were sponsored in Secondary school.
Continuing students will not be affected by the new funding model and will continue to receive their funding based on the Government’s existing model.
1. Who will have the priority in terms of scholarship allocation?| A．Students from developing countries. | B．Students from poor backgrounds in Kenya. |
| C．Students from private institutions. | D．Students having receiving letters from Universities. |
| A．An effective email address in use. | B．A copy of student’s driving license. |
| C．A recently taken photo with no glasses. | D．Their parents’ national telephone number. |
| A．Their funding will be reduced. | B．They will apply for funding again. |
| C．It depends on the government’s decision. | D．The new model has no effect on them. |
| A．The online marketing campaign. |
| B．The extra salespeople. |
| C．The discount prices. |
Two giant pandas
“It is the first time giant pandas have traveled to the Middle East,” the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda said. The center has also sent breeders and veterinary( 兽医) experts to help the giant pandas adapt
The Qatari government has built
More than a month ago, physical examination of the two giant pandas
China also sent expert
In May, 2020, China and Qatar signed a cooperation
7 . Popular topics during 2023 Spring Festival
E-CNY
Currently, 17 provincial-level regions in China have begun the use of digital yuan, or e-CNY. The Tianjin branch of China Construction Bank has also launched a digital yuan promotion activity, offering discounts of up to 50 percent to those who spend digital yuan on shopping during the Spring Festival holiday.
January box-office market
The first month of 2023 took a giant leap and became the highest-earning January of all time in China, selling a total of 201 million tickets for 10 million screenings in over 10,000 cinemas. Insiders said people started a new custom of going to cinemas during the Spring Festival and China’s improvement of COVID-19 control measures further made the January box-office earnings rise.
Tourism market
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said the tourism market recovers remarkably, with an increase of 23.1% compared to the same period last year. As for the income of the domestic tourism industry, travel data showed Chengdu, Shanghai and Guangzhou were the top 3 domestic destinations. It is also said that more than 2.3 million people have crossed the border, with 1.2 million entering and 1.1 million exiting.
The year of the cat instead of rabbit
Why? Legend has it that the cat and the rat were riding across a river on an ox to win the last seat in the zodiac (生肖) when the rat pushed the cat into the water and won the race. However, in the Vietnamese version — where there was no rabbit — the cat could swim and ended up arriving first. Funny as the story is, the change actually has something to do with language misunderstanding, as the word tied to the sign of the rabbit and pronounced mao (卯) is similar to mèo, the Vietnamese word for cat.
1. What may people in Tianjin do during the Spring Festival?| A．Get encouraged to go shopping. |
| B．Use e-CNY to promote an activity. |
| C．Start a new custom of traveling. |
| D．Offer discount to someone in need. |
| A．Bouncing back out of the same reason. |
| B．Encouraging a new trend during the holiday. |
| C．Experiencing a sharp decline several years ago. |
| D．Using statistics to show the industrial recovery. |
| A．Lack of rabbit in their country. |
| B．Different legends about the zodiac. |
| C．Similar pronunciation with certain Chinese. |
| D．Vietnamese’s preference for swimming eats. |
8 . Among the constant adjustive education standards and requirements, it’s important to ask a question: exactly what do we want in a high school graduate?
Some people think the goal is to enter college and earn a bachelor’s degree. Others find that interpretation too narrow, preferring that young people leave school with the skills to move into living-wage jobs. But one thing many people can embrace is that high school graduates are skilled in basic math and English.
A proposed law, House Bill 1308,could ruin that goal. Students must do the following things to get a diploma: earn 24 credits of coursework; complete a High School and Beyond Plan matching those courses; meet one requirement of a series of “graduation pathways”. The problem is that these pathways don’t work for all kids.
In large part, that’s because they guide students toward college standards. Last year, after surveying nearly 1,000 students, researchers discovered that 18% of students said they were “not good” at math, and 33% said they were poor test-takers. For them, the current pathways are a barrier because of their emphasis on these skills.
The new pathway is instead focused on performance. It would allow kids to create a presentation—say an exhibit or report — demonstrating mastery of two core subjects, but not necessarily math or English. When the bill came up for discussion, over 350 people showed their support, because it’s possible that through the performance pathway, a student could create a project emphasizing mastery in “fine arts” and “health and fitness”. Rep. Sharon favors the proposal. In a hearing, she spoke of her granddaughter, who wrote and self-published a novel while still in school, to illustrate the kind of project is workable. While Tafona Ervin worries that the lack of emphasis on math and English could lead students to graduate without solid skills.
If the purpose of education is to ensure that young people are prepared to pursue a fulfilling life, finishing school uncertain of one’s abilities in math and English weakens education’s goal.
1. Why is the question mentioned in the first paragraph?| A．To make an argument. | B．To introduce the topic. |
| C．To raise an education problem. | D．To clarify a concept. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By offering statistics. |
| C．By providing suggestions. | D．By doing experiments. |
| A．Workable. | B．Effective. | C．Awful. | D．Reasonable. |
| prohibit expect set to make sure fasten make stow switch off |
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome onboard Flight SP432 from Beijing to Hong Kong. We are currently third in line for take-off and
…
Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please
10 . In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city.
Some theorists argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. The price, which is the wage that employers must pay, increases. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics claim, an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage.
Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages.
Economic theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be correct only if “other things are equal” Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions.
1. There is the possibility that setting maximum rent may ______.| A．cause a shortage of apartments | B．worry those who rent apartments as homes |
| C．increase the profits of landlords | D．encourage landlords to invest in building apartment |
| A．will always benefit those who rent apartments | B．is unnecessary |
| C．will bring negative effects in the long run | D．is necessary under all circumstances |
| A．if the minimum wage is set too high | B．if the minimum wage is set too low |
| C．if the workers are unskilled | D．if the maximum wage is set |
| A．the relationship between supply and demand | B．the possible results of government controls |
| C．The necessity of government control | D．the urgency of getting rid of government controls |
| A．The results of economic decisions cannot always be predicted. |
| B．Minimum wage cannot always protect employees. |
| C．Economic theory can predict the results of economic decisions if other factors are not changing. |
| D．Economic decisions should not be based on economic theory. |
