1 . Everyone complains. Even if you argue that you are the happiest person in the world, you still complain sometimes. Sometimes you complain without even realizing it, but rarely is it ever helpful.     1     Here are some tips to stop complaining and give up the negative thoughts.

    2    

When you find yourself thinking or saying a negative comment about something or someone, stop and force yourself to say something positive instead. Seek the help of a cheerful friend to change you when you complain and help you to see the positive in the situation.

Make a list of things you are grateful for.

You often complain about the things you don’t have without noticing those things you already have. Be grateful for what you have in your life because you are lucky simply for being yourselves.     3    

Learn to adapt to the changes.

There are many things you can’t change.     4     Always find the positive side of each situation, regardless of however difficult the situation is. With parents’ and friends’ support, you can survive any life changes.

Allow yourself to vent (发泄) your feelings every once in a while.

Constantly ignoring negative thoughts could add up. If you are really going through a rough time, don’t be afraid to share your feelings with a close friend or family member or see a therapist.

Find what makes you happy.

    5     Maybe it is time to make the hard decision to move on to another job or career. Uncover what your biggest complaints are about and see if you can change the situation to make you happy. Choose happiness, focus on the positive, and be kind always!

A．Sometimes this list can be easy, full of hobbies you enjoy.

B．The best and only thing you can do is to accept them.

C．Change the way you think.

D．Are you constantly complaining about your present job?

E．Set down things you are thankful for and you’ll see that you don’t have any reason to complain.

F．Make friends with positive people.

G．So how can you manage to force yourselves to end complaining?

3 . 假设你是红星中学高二学生李华。你的英国笔友 Jim 对中国传统文化很感兴趣，近日他看到了伦敦孔子学院(Confucius Institute)的海报，很想去那里学习，写信询问你的意见，请你给 Jim回信，内容包括：
1. 简要介绍孔子学院；
2. 表达你的想法。
注意：1.词 100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours,

Li Hua

4 . To learn to think is to learn to question. Those who don’t question never truly think for themselves. These are simple rules that have governed the advancement of science and human thought. Advancements are made when thinkers question theories and introduce new ones. Unfortunately, it is often the great and respected thinkers who end up slowing the progress of human thought. Aristotle was a brilliant philosopher whose theories explained much of the natural world, often incorrectly. He was so respected by the scientific community that even 1,200years after his death, scientists were still trying to build upon his mistakes rather than correct them.

Brilliant minds can intimidate up and coming thinkers who are not confident of their abilities. They often believe they are not as good as the minds of giants such as Aristotle. leading many to accept current ideas instead of questioning them.

I like many thinkers of the past, once believed in my mental weakness. I didn’t question what was written on those pages. I respected them, and accepted whatever they told me. But that attitude soon changed. My mind’s independence was first developed in the classroom.

A 65-year-old science teacher once told me that light is a type of wave. I confidently believed that light is a wave. One day, however, I heard the German exchange student mentioned that light could be made up of particles(粒子). As the others laughed at his statement (陈述), I started to question my beliefs.

Maybe the teachers and textbooks hadn’t given me the whole story. I went to the library, did some research and learned of the light-as-a-wave vs light-as-a-particle debate. I realized I had gone through life accepting only half of the story as the whole truth.

Each new year brought more new facts, and I had even more questions. I found myself in the library after school, trying to find my own answers to gain a more complete understanding of what I thought I already knew. Even textbooks can be challenged. I learned to question my sources, I learned to be a thinker.

Questions are said to be the path to truth, and I plan to continue questioning. How many things do we know for sure today that we will question in the future? I know nothing can escape the gravity of a black hole. This knowledge may change in the next 20 years. The one thing we can control now is our openness to discovery. Questions are the tools of open minds, and open minds are the key to intellectual advancement.

1. In the first paragraph, Aristotle is taken as an example to show that __________.

A．he is the greatest and respected philosopher of all time

B．advancements are made when thinkers question theories

C．great thinkers often make mistakes and then correct them

D．huge influence of great thinkers may block human thought

2. What does the underlined word “intimidate” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Frighten.

B．Encourage.

C．Strengthen.

D．Disappoint.

3. We can conclude from the last paragraph that __________.

A．the author is not quite sure about his future

B．we human beings don’t dare to predict future

C．the theory of black holes will be true forever

D．questioning is necessary to promote advancement

4. According to the passage, the author __________.

A．determines to be a thinker and questioner

B．always throws himself into the laboratory

C．looks down upon great thinkers all the time

D．never doubts what he has learned in the textbook

5 . Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the old object s launched into space, such as rockets and satellites? It’s called space junk, and much of it is still out there now. According to NASA, the definition of space junk is “any man-made object in orbit (轨道) around Earth that no longer serves a useful function”.

One large piece of space junk, an abandoned rocket, hit the dark side of the moon on March 4. The rocket’s origin is not clear, but scientists know that it was massive—weighing about 3 tons. It must have left a large crater (坑), estimated 10 to 20 meters wide, on the moon’s surface. It won’t be visible right away, but scientists are trying to locate it. “We will find the crater, eventually,” Mark Robinson, lead investigator for NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, told USA TODAY. “Depending on its location, it could take as long as 28 days.”

What’s significant about this space junk crash is that it draws attention to some of the potential dangers of space junk. First, the accumulation of space junk in Earth’s orbit means that satellites and the International Space Station (ISS) are at risk. In 2016, tiny space debris (残骸),smaller than a millimeter, caused a tiny chip in the ISS’ window. Imagine the damage that a larger piece of debris could cause. The European Space Agency website states that objects “up to 1 cm in size could disable an instrument or a critical flight system on a satellite” while objects over 10 cm “could shatter a satellite or spacecraft into pieces”. If this sounds terrifying, that’s because it is. Any collision (碰撞) with larger pieces of debris could be especially dangerous for manned spacecraft.

In addition to potential damage to spacecraft and satellites, space junk also poses a threat to the Earth itself Crashes can send debris into the atmosphere where it can remain for many decades. Some powerful collisions can even send large debris hurtling (猛冲) toward Earth’s surface where it can affect the local environment. Leftover rocket debris can contain toxic materials that are harmful to plant and animal life. Some people in Siberia have even reported serious health problems after rocket debris landed in their regions in 2012, a local doctor told the BBC.

1. Which of the following can be regarded as space junk?

A．A disused space station.	B．A spacecraft orbiting the moon.
C．A crater on the moon’s surface.	D．A satellite working in low Earth orbit.

2. What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A．Locating the crater.	B．Tracking the rocket.
C．Cleaning up the space junk.	D．Finding out the rocket’s origin.

3. What can be inferred about space junk from the last paragraph?

A．It’s likely to cause a global environmental crisis.

B．It’s impossible to stop it from entering the atmosphere.

C．It can cause a lasting threat if it remains in the atmosphere.

D．The toxic materials contained in space junk are the biggest risk.

6 . 2023 Illustration(插画) Competition

Welcome to enter for the Communication Arts Illustration Competition, most respected and admired in the industry for creativity in illustration. Each winner will receive a professionalized Award of Excellence, a trophy (奖杯) and a certificate. This award is one of the most desired awards. If chosen, winning will place you in the highest position of your industry.

What To Enter With

Any illustration first published or produced from Jan. 2023 to Jan. 2024 is qualified. Entries may originate from any country. Descriptions in English are necessary for the judges to read.

Entries Can Be Submitted (提交) In The Following Formats

Digital Images: RGB images in JPG format with a maximum file size of 2 MB. GIF images may be livelier, but would be turned down, and so would the PNG ones.

Dlustration Competition Categories & Entry Fees

Category	Single illustration	Series of illustration
Books (covers, jackets, etc.)	$40	$80 (limit of 5)
Motions (media for films, videos, etc)	$90	$180 (limit of 3)
Student Work	$20 (Image) $45 (Video)	$40 (limit of 5) $90 (limit of 3)

For more categories, please download the category PDF.
Late Fees

Entries must be registered no later than Jan. 13,2024. Entries registered after that date will be charged a fee of $ 10 each. No entries can be registered after Jan. 27, 2024.

1. What will the winner get?

A．A tailor-made award certificate.	B．A chance for overseas study.
C．Widely accepted in the industry.	D．Prize money from Communication Arts.

2. Which of the following is qualified for the competition?

A．An image with 1MB JPG format.	B．A motion published within 2 years.
C．A series for jackets of 10 illustrations.	D．A student work without English introduction.

3. How much should be charged for a series of four cover illustrations submitted on Jan.25,2024?

A．$ 80.

B．$ 120.

C．$ 110.

D．$ 90.

8 . 阅读下列短文，根据短文内容填空。在未给提示词的空白处仅填写1个适当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。

Harry is an American businessman. His job     1     (require) him to do a lot of traveling In the past six months he has made nine trips,     2     purpose is to attend meetings and make presentations. Harry loves to travel and feels each country has a charm of its own. After graduation, Harry decided to make travel part of his career. He wanted to experience different cultures of other     3     (country). He was dreaming of working for an international company. Then his dream came true.