1 . It was a little after midnight when I heard footsteps approaching my tent. Normally when wild camping, a sound like this would cause me to sink further into my sleeping bag, hoping I wouldn't be seen. Yet that night on the hillside, there was no need to remain hidden. I was surrounded by six other women in tents, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase “girl's night out”. As an adventurer and passionate solo wild camper, I have been exploring the wilderness alone for more than 15 years. I have never needed company on adventures. I'm not afraid of sleeping out solo. But wild camping in a group scares me.

Of the six with me that night, four had never wild camped before, while the other two were fellow adventurers Sophie Roberts and Anna McNuff. I arrived late. Already the conversation was in full swing and I felt worried about joining them. While the camping beginners were talking about their fears of sleeping outside, I, on the other hand, worried about socialising.

Yet as soon as I arrived I was welcomed into the fold. I was handed a plate of food, offered a drink and included in the conversation. There was no campfire, but I felt unexpectedly warm in their presence. We spent at least an hour talking. Anna asked the newbies the main barriers to them getting into the outdoors. They said they were worried about safety. They would only be able to sleep knowing there was a group of us.

A couple of months after our camp, Anna and I cofounded an online adventure community for women called Adventure Queens. “We wanted to create a space for women to share ideas and exchange tips,” says Anna. “Adventure Queens began as a single Facebook group, but it has grown.” Now there are 13,000 community members, 60 volunteers, 25 regional groups, three international ones and a mums’ group too. Not bad for something that began as a night out on a hillside for a small group of friends.

1. Why did the author stay calm upon hearing footsteps at midnight?

A．She felt too tired to respond.

B．She was familiar with the footsteps.

C．She felt safe with a group of companions.

D．She was a brave solo wild camper at heart.

2. What worried the author concerning wild camping in a group?

A．Sleeping with strangers.	B．Organizing satisfying adventures.
C．Training camping beginners.	D．Communicating with others.

3. Which word can best describe the atmosphere of the group camping trip?

A．Romantic.	B．Pleasant.
C．Competitive.	D．Embarrassing.

4. What can we learn about Adventure Queens?

A．It has been well received.	B．It needs to expand further.
C．It is targeted at mums.	D．It is highly profitable.

2 . The view from the top was breathtaking. It was 2023 and I had just climbed the Hvannadals Peak in Iceland, almost seven years after becoming paralyzed from the chest down after a climbing fall. My two teammates and I were on our way to becoming the first all-disabled team to cross Europe’s largest ice cap, the mighty Vatnajökull glacier, unsupported and unassisted.

A year before, when Niall McCann first suggested making the 100–mile trip, I was excited by the prospect of returning to this lost world of crevasses (冰裂缝), mountains and ice, but upset and anxious about whether I’d struggle. Back then, I still would have given anything for my legs to work and to be able to walk again. But I was eager for adventure and signed on to do the trip with McCann, who had broken his back when paragliding, and EdJackson, a former professional rugby player who had broken his neck in 2017.

This was going to be the toughest challenge of my life. And yet, with each drive of my poles into the snow, I pushed myself further from civilization — and closer to the man I’d once been.

My mind drifted to the last time I was on a mountain before my accident, climbing Monte Rosa in the Italian Alps and feeling the addictive mixture of excitement and trepidation. Those same emotions returned as we battled through powerful storms and hidden crevasses before we reached the ice cap’s highest point.

I was at the top when I was hit by an unexpected wave of emotion. I realized that, despite all that I had been through — all the challenges and setbacks I had faced — if someone asked me if I wanted my legs back, I would have said no. That moment affected every aspect of my life and the way I perceived my disability. No longer did I consider myself disabled or injured, because, if I could reach the summit of a remote ice cap, I could overcome the frustrations and setbacks of day-to-day life with resilience and persistence. Yes, I do still have a life-changing injury — but, for me, it’s been for the better.

1. What can you know about the team?

A．It got assistance from an organization.	B．Its members all had a form of disability.
C．It followed the steps of a similar previous team.	D．It consisted of people paralyzed down the chest.

2. What might have really caused the writer to hesitate about the trip?

A．His paralyzed legs.	B．Fear of potential danger.
C．The lost world of ice.	D．Lack of proper equipment.

3. What’s does the underlined word “trepidation” in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Fear.	B．Bravery.
C．Happiness.	D．Disappointment.

4. What did the writer think of his injury after he made it to the top?

A．It left him nothing but all setbacks.	B．It caused his unexpected bad emotion.
C．He wouldn’t know his potential otherwise.	D．He was tortured by the frustrations it caused.

3 . 阅读下面的材料，根据其内容和段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

In the quaint village of Elmsworth, nestled in the heart of the countryside, lived an elderly woman named Agnes. Her days were filled with the simple pleasures of gardening and painting, but her nights were haunted by memories of her late husband, who had been the village schoolteacher. They had dreamed of traveling the world together, but life had other plans, and now Agnes was alone with her dreams unfulfilled.

One afternoon, while tending to her roses, Agnes found a peculiar stone with an inscription she couldn't decipher. Intrigued, she took it to the local library, where the young librarian, Thomas, suggested it might be a key to a forgotten treasure. The village elders whispered about an old legend of a treasure hidden by their ancestors (祖先), meant to be found only by someone with a pure heart.

Agnes, with Thomas's help, embarked on a quest to uncover the truth behind the stone. They deciphered the inscription, which led them to a series of riddles and clues scattered throughout the village. Each clue was more challenging than the last, but Agnes's determination never wavered. The village watched in awe as Agnes, once a quiet figure in their midst, became the heart of an adventure that united the community.

As the days turned into weeks, the treasure hunt brought Agnes closer to her late husband's spirit and the village closer to her. The treasure, they realized, was not gold or jewels, but the shared experience and the stories that brought them together. However, just as they were about to solve the final riddle, a sudden storm threatened to wash away the last clue.

注意：
（1）写作词数应为150词左右,已给出的部分不计入总词数；
（2）请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

As the rain poured down, Agnes stood defiantly (挑战地) at the edge of the village, her eyes fixed on the ancient oak where the final clue was said to be hidden.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The storm passed, and with the first light of dawn, the village awoke to find Agnes had not given up.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the Geocaching?

A．A treasure hunt.

B．A GPS device.

C．A fitness coach.

2. What do we know about the boxes?

A．They are controlled remotely.

B．They contain varieties of goods.

C．They are placed in the neighborhood.

3. How does Geocaching benefit the kids?

A．It develops their social skills.

B．It exposes them to traditions.

C．It makes them willing to walk.

5 . 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 race to the South Pole was between Captain Scott and the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen. Captain Scott left London to begin his journey to Antarctica on 1 June, 1910. On his way to Antarctica, he received a message from Amundsen     1     said he was going south, too. Then the race began.

To get prepared for their journeys the next year, both teams organised their food     2     (base) during the polar summer of 1910～1911. Then came the total     3     (dark) of the polar winter. The two explorers waited     4     (anxious) for spring. The first to leave was Amundsen, who set off on 8 September, 1911, with teams of dogs     5     (pull) the sledges. All his men were on skis. Because of this, he made rapid progress. On 1 November, Scott left and soon     6     (have) problems. His two sledges broke down and then the horses had difficulties with the snow and the cold. As     7     result, Scott and his men had to push the sledges     8     (them). So, when Scott and his four team members finally arrived at the Pole, they were shocked to see the Norwegian flag there. They realised that they had failed to win the race.

Then, they prepared for the return journey. It was one of the     9     (bad) in the history of exploration. They had to face 800 miles of hard pushing. They were soon very tired and what was worse, they were running out     10     food. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it to their food base. The news of Scott’s death was really shocking. But the great courage shown by Scott and his team members made them heroes.

6 . Two weeks ago, 93-year-old Joy Ryan set a world record. In her words, “I’m the _________ lady to ever visit every national park.”

In just eight years, she and her 42-year-old grandson Brad Ryan _________ to go to all 63 national parks, an adventure they’ve written on Instagram. Their _________ stop was the National Park of American Samoa in the South Pacific, some 6,700 miles from their home in Duncan Falls, Ohio. The pair received certificates (证书) from the park in _________ of their achievement.

In a way, the journey began 21 years ago when Brad’s parents got divorced (离婚), and he became _________ from Joy. It wasn’t until 2008, at his sister’s wedding, that he _________ her again. She was 78 and she didn’t look good.

“She came into the church and she was dry,” Brad _________. “Very unsteady (不稳定的). It was hard to see this woman that was so important to me in my growing years on the side of _________, knowing that there was so much _________ between us.”

But over a period of months, Joy __________. And Brad, who’d just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail where he’d been thinking through what mattered to him, __________ the courage to call Joy and __________ they make raisin-filled cookies together.

__________, “there was a little too much awkwardness for my liking,” he says. “You can’t pick up where you left off, I learned that quickly.” Still, they __________ in touch. Over the last eight years, Brad and Joy have had little dust-ups (吵架) to be sure. And this tour of the national parks has __________ the crack (裂缝) that once separated them.

1.

A．strongest

B．happiest

C．fastest

D．oldest

2.

A．managed

B．attempted

C．preferred

D．intended

3.

A．usual

B．extra

C．final

D．major

4.

A．favour

B．honour

C．charge

D．need

5.

A．free

B．different

C．tired

D．separate

6.

A．invited

B．saw

C．touched

D．understood

7.

A．describes

B．replies

C．requires

D．reminds

8.

A．progressing

B．disappearing

C．dying

D．quitting

9.

A．concern

B．shock

C．pleasure

D．distance

10.

A．recovered

B．adapted

C．struggled

D．flashed

11.

A．got in

B．worked up

C．concentrated on

D．made out

12.

A．debate

B．focus

C．suggest

D．explain

13.

A．Therefore

B．Moreover

C．Otherwise

D．However

14.

A．lost

B．stayed

C．got

D．buried

15.

A．created

B．ruined

C．mended

D．hit

7 . Andrew McCarthy stars roles in era-defining movies such as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo’s Fire and Less Than Zero. But he is also an award-winning travel writer whose books include The Longest Way Home (2012) and Walking With Sam (2021). In the new book, he looks back on an epic adventure, where he walked 500 miles across Spain’s Camino de Santiago with his 19-year-old son, Sam.

McCarthy had hoped the trip would be a way to re-examine their evolving relationship, as Sam was just stepping into his own manhood. “I wanted to get to know my son. Not just in the parent-child, dominant-submissive or unruly roles, but as adults, as equals, as peers (同龄人),” he said. “The Camino gave me the greatest luxury you have with adult children — which is time.” For McCarthy it was a chance to spend time with Sam, and perhaps avoid repeating the history he had with his own father. “My relationship with my dad ended pretty much when I left home at 17 years old, and I didn’t want that happen with my kids,” MeCarthy said.

The book’s structure follows the path of the Camino, with a chapter per day over the course.

It creates a pleasant rhythm of the trail. It also establishes a gradual sense of community and friendship among the other walkers they encounter, and paints a clear picture of McCarthy as somebody extremely in touch with his feelings.

Sometimes physical togetherness and shared experiences are the most you can ask for in a relationship, and there are lovely examples of both here. In one scene McCarthy realizes Sam is suffering from a sugar crash, and offers him a protein bar he’s been saving for just such a moment. “I reach out and rub his shoulder,” McCarthy writes.“He nods softly, gratefully. We sit together as thousands upon thousands of dandelion puffs (蒲公英) float in the air like dancing diamonds.” Walking with Sam captures this encouraging and hopeful expedition as the pair walk across the country and towards one another.

1. What do we know about Walking With Sam according to paragraph 1?

A．A fantasy novel.	B．A travel memoir.
C．A prize-winning diary entry.	D．An era-defining movie.

2. Why did McCarthy start the adventure?

A．To honor his father.	B．To help his son fly the nest.
C．To bond with his son.	D．To seek for writing inspiration.

3. McCarthy develops Walking with Sam by ______.

A．comparison and contrast	B．cause and effect
C．facts and opinions	D．sequence of events

4. What does the author think of Walking With Sam?

A．Plain but functional.	B．Inspiring and touching.
C．Brief but informative.	D．Humorous and straightforward.

8 . In May 1869, John Wesley Powell, a former Union Army major who had lost most of his right _________ in the Battle of Shiloh, led 10 _________ in launching four heavy wooden boats loaded to the gunwales with 10 months of supplies.

Three of the boats were made of oak, more suitable for cruising lakes than busting through rapids (急流). None of the men were _________ boatmen. The one-armed captain of the crew had maps with gaps in them. _________, it was the grandest expedition (探险) since Lewis and Clark. Over 500 rapids and 1,000 miles of _________ currents awaited them.

Though Powell had boats custom-made for the _________, they were heavy. He recruited men who knew how to _________ in the wilderness but had never navigated (横越) a river. He packed so much food that it _________ sank the boats from the start.

Much of the journey was spent _________ boats damaged while portaging around rapids and carving new oars out of driftwood. Food was lost or spoiled, game was scarce, and Powell went inland to __________with the Indians for food. The expedition spent days in __________ water and 115-degree heat. Three men deserted the cause along the way. The crew slept on boulders and __________ wet clothing the next morning. And most of the time, they had no idea what lay ahead. But at the end of the arduous journey, they had successfully __________ the challenges and mapped a wilderness previously labeled as “territory unknown.” As the West expanded, Powell’s maps would be __________.

Beauty is in the living of life, in looking beyond the challenges to the __________ of the small moments we achieve — sometimes against all odds.

1.

A．leg

B．arm

C．ear

D．finger

2.

A．explorers

B．soldiers

C．heroes

D．boatmen

3.

A．rude

B．greedy

C．experienced

D．honest

4.

A．Still

B．Otherwise

C．Thus

D．And

5.

A．remote

B．quiet

C．unknown

D．vast

6.

A．trip

B．journey

C．travel

D．tour

7.

A．live

B．hunt

C．hide

D．survive

8.

A．nearly

B．already

C．mostly

D．never

9.

A．making

B．handling

C．rowing

D．repairing

10.

A．talk

B．discuss

C．fight

D．negotiate

11.

A．shallow

B．freezing

C．violent

D．polluted

12.

A．pulled in

B．pulled up

C．pulled on

D．pulled at

13.

A．adapted to

B．stuck to

C．saw to

D．got to

14.

A．reliable

B．priceless

C．measurable

D．considerable

15.

A．strength

B．attempt

C．position

D．wonder

9 . Texan 81-year-old good friends Ellie Hamby and Sandy Hazelip toured the world in 80 days, proving that adventure doesn’t have an age limit.

Their first stop was a location challenging even many experienced travelers: the Antarctic. Getting to the southernmost continent first required crossing the Drake Passage, the waters between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic’s South Shetland Islands. “For almost two days, we were rocking and rolling, slipping and sliding through the Drake Passage and we were holding on for dear life, “Hamby said. The voyage, however, faded from their mind as they set foot on the ground of the Antarctic, fascinated by the breathtaking beauty of penguins, icebergs and glaciers.

Since that first venture, the pair have visited 18 countries across all seven continents. And despite the challenges international travel presented, the good friends said they had finished their trip without any argument. Though they’re both independent and stubborn, they respect each other’s feelings. And what they remember the most are the people that they met. “We met some of the most wonderful, kindest, friendliest people. We just have friends now all over the world that we love dearly,” Hamby said.

The two shared a crucial piece of advice for travelers worrying about the language barrier on their own adventures.” You know, people often ask us about it,” said Hamby.” We tell them there’s one universal language, and that’s the smile. We found it worked wonders because we were often aware that English was not always spoken and that the smile could cover all languages.”

They also encouraged other older people not to let age hold them back. Aside from some minor changes in plans, their age didn’t affect their itinerary(旅程)abroad. They said they felt confident that if they were injured during their trip, their children would have been at peace knowing that they were doing what they absolutely wanted. And Hazelip described 81 as the perfect age to embark on a trip.”Getting older does give us a little bit of wisdom of making decisions,” she said.

1. What might the pair think of their trip to the Antaretic?

A．Brief but exciting.	B．Tough but worthwhile.
C．Interesting but fruitless.	D．Unpleasant but memorable.

2. What is the highlight of the pair’s adventures for themselves?

A．Meeting nice people along the way.

B．Experiencing many challenging activities.

C．Learning about different cultures from travelers.

D．Avoiding conflicts despite their stubborn nature.

3. What helped the pair communicate with people during the adventure?

A．English.	B．The smile.
C．Crucial advice.	D．Universal gestures.

4. What can we infer about the pair from the last paragraph?

A．They fell down when riding a bike in Bali.

B．They regretted not exploring the world earlier.

C．Their children understood and supported them.

D．Their wisdom saved them lots of time during their trip.

10 . People normally look for a bit of adventure in their lives. They hunt for something new, something unknown, and they learn new things about the world and themselves.     1    . Sailing in the Arabian Gulf, camping in the desert and traveling to Qatar — these could all be called adventures.

Most of the time, adventures can be rewarding, because they make you feel satisfied after doing them.     2    . For example, Ibn Battuta who lived 700 years ago had the courage to travel around the world, visiting new places and meeting new people. His journal, called the Rihla, can still be read today.     3    . There is another example, if you sail to an unknown part of the sea, you can tell people about what you discover in it like new islands or good fishing areas.

    4    . People have died when climbing dangerous mountains, racing cars or sailing ships. That is why staying safe is more important than looking for excitement.     5    . After all, there are plenty of other ways to explore this beautiful world we live in!

A．Adventures come in many forms

B．That may be followed by disasters

C．However, some adventures are risky

D．It is the best way to live a life of adventure

E．It tells us about what life was like during his time

F．And one’s adventures also provide others with useful information

G．We should weigh the dangers against the rewards before our adventures