1 . Music has a role in even the most unexciting activities from grocery shopping to commuting or simply doing homework. It’s the soundtrack to our lives. But have we lost focus of what initially attracted us to music?

Recently, there has been a rise in the popularity of collecting vinyl records (黑胶唱片) across the world. According to a survey conducted by market research company YouGov last year, one in four 18-24-year-olds bought a vinyl record in the UK. It has reminded some that music is not just background sounds to guide us through our routines, but an art to be appreciated.

Of course, access to music via mp3 players or services and platforms is more convenient, but the appeal of vinyl comes in the authenticity of the sound itself. Older records can have a bit of a “scratchy (带沙沙的杂音的)” sound or have the occasional pop. For some, this makes the music sound more real, particularly if it’s from a musician or band from decades ago. This also gives insight (领悟) into the actual history of the music and the record itself, as each pressing may have its own quirks (奇事).

I myself own records that my parents passed down to me. I can pick one up and see my father’s name on the cover that he scrawled when he was a kid. Putting it on my turntable (唱盘), I get to hear what he heard. Because records are tangible objects, it is a unique way for people to pass music on to younger generations and leave a legacy (遗产) of sorts.

Another benefit to listening to vinyl is that it makes the listener focus on the music itself by its medium alone. As opposed to just pressing a button on your phone, those who listen to records have to pick out the album and play it on a turntable. This requires a conscious effort when making a selection — not just hitting the button to play a pre-recorded playlist. As this is not a mobile medium, the focus is more likely to be on the music.

Of course, the popularity of DJs has also helped bring vinyl into the spotlight in recent years. As more young people are getting into this type of music, they are starting to see how DJs use analog equipment. Rather than armed with just a computer, young artists are toting (携带) around bags of vinyl records and setting up turntables to spin for eager youths.

Without a doubt, this medium has given more focus on what we sometimes take for granted: the joy of music.

1. What did the survey of YouGov show?

A．Music is everywhere in people’s daily lives.

B．Many young people are buying vinyl records.

C．Background noise can also be treated as an art.

D．Teenagers were the main buyers of vinyl records.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?

A．Vinyl records improve your taste in music.

B．Mp3 players have been replaced by vinyl records.

C．Scratchy sounds on vinyl can make the music less enjoyable.

D．Vinyl records can give a good sense of the history of the music.

3. Which statement about vinyl records does the author probably agree with?

A．They can be family treasures.	B．Selecting an album is difficult.
C．Their collectors are mostly DJs.	D．They are too complicated to operate.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?

A．To express her love for music.	B．To recall her memories of vinyl.
C．To compare vinyl with digital music.	D．To tell why vinyl is gaining popularity.

2 . I always imagined I’d be a good birder one day. But it was not to be. I finally had to acknowledge this the day I met a real birder. Toward evening, a beautiful song erupted from the woods. “Oh! What’s that one?” I asked. She looked at me with unbelieving eyes and said, “That’s still a cardinal (红雀).”

Nevertheless, after decades, I’ve gotten pretty good at the 20 or so regular bird visitors to my garden. And now I have a new ambition. I want to be able to tell individual birds apart. You know, my personal birds.

I thought my ability to distinguish our local hummingbirds (蜂鸟) would be limited to telling the females from the males, which is easy, because their feathers look different. But there’s way more going on than that. I get a good look because, like many people, I put out a nectar (花蜜) feeder. That’s mainly for my benefit, to draw them close. Hummingbirds get plenty of juice from my flowers. But they also eat insects and spiders. Some more than others.

The hummingbird that has dominated (控制) our feeder — Hannibal Nectar — is one round, spider-filled little ball. But then there’s Noodle. She visits the feeder any time she senses Hannibal isn’t looking. She always picks her place carefully so she can look out for Hannibal. She looks right, left, up, down, and only then lowers and sucks everything she can. Hannibal comes way more often and drinks less at a time, because he knows he’s the boss. But he’s also the only hummingbird I’ve seen that makes a regular habit of checking out the nectar feeder from underneath. I know what he’s doing: There might be ants.

Poor Noodle. She’ll be attacking spider webs for material for her nest one of these days, and I hope she’s real comfortable in there, because that’s one place Hannibal will not be invited. I’d love to bring her a housewarming gift. Maybe a nice spider pot pie.

1. How did the author probably feel after hearing the real birder’s answer?

A．Excited.

B．Moved.

C．Frightened.

D．Embarrassed.

2. For what major purpose did the author set up a nectar feeder?

A．To hunt hummingbirds.	B．To train hummingbirds.
C．To observe hummingbirds.	D．To give hummingbirds a home.

3. How is Hannibal different from Noodle?

A．He is more battlesome.	B．He eats insects and spiders.
C．He sucks more nectar at a time.	D．He is particular about the material for his nest.

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

A．The joy of raising birds	B．Useful advice from a real birder
C．There are birds, and then there’s Noodle	D．Hummingbirds bring music to my garden

3 . What are you watching?

I love CBS’s Everybody Loves Raymond. The characters are so real and the drama, though humorous, deals with serious questions of self-worth and how it plays out in family relationships. I especially love the parents and the older brother, Robert. Even when they’re awful, you have to love them!

——Jennifer Quinn

Too Cute airs on Animal Planet. You’ll find yourself smiling and laughing at the funny stories of puppies and kittens(小狗和小猫) as they grow. Their interactions with other animals are fun, too. You’ve been warned!

——Neena Lurvey

I am currently watching the Netflix series Ozark, which stars Jason Bateman and is now in its second season. The crime drama is set at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Although the area in Georgia where the show is filmed looks nothing like the hugely popular Missouri tourist area the series portrays(描绘), it’s one of the best crime dramas available.

——W.S.Blevins

Solaris is one of my favorite movies to watch and rewatch. It is a sci-fi film based on a book by Stanislaw Lem and stars George Clooney. The film is set almost entirely on a space station orbiting the planet Solaris. Clooney’s character struggles to work out and understand why mysterious things are happening to the people near Solaris. The film mainly consists of questions, both spoken and implied, none of which are really answered. The endings are many and are what the individual viewer wants them to be.

——Karen Neff

1. Which of the following deals with family relationships?

A．Ozark.	B．Solaris.
C．Everybody Loves Raymond.	D．Too Cute.

2. Who is watching a crime drama?

A．Karen Neff.

B．W.S. Blevins.

C．Neena Lurvey.

D．Jennifer Quinn.

3. What do we know about Solaris?

A．It is an open-ended movie.	B．It is based on a true story.
C．It focuses on people living on Solaris.	D．It answers many questions about space exploration.

4 . 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个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

The scientists already knew that keeping cubs(幼兽) safe, healthy, and fed is a full-time job for a female tiger. But they weren’t exactly sure how mother tigers did it. By     1    (combine) modern technology and traditional tracking, scientists could get a unique look at how Varvara, a momma tiger, managed to get it all     2    (do). With only an estimated 600 Siberian tigers left in the wild, scientists hope that the more they learn about     3     tiger families need, the better humans we’ll be able to keep them safe.

5 . 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个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

When I was a little boy, I     1    (convince) I wasn’t “smart”. However, Ms. Jambard totally changed me. Ms. Jambard,     2     taught me in the fifth grade, took an instant liking to me. Of all the subjects in school, reading was my favorite. She would tell me, “Terry, you keep reading. If you can understand what you’re reading, you’ll be     3    (smart) than most kids.” I did as she told me to. Soon I couldn’t find enough to read, and I started to     4    (true) like school. Because of Ms. Jambard’s confidence in me, I went on to have a successful career in engineering and law.

6 . 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个恰当的单词，在给出提示词的空白处用括号内所给词的正确形式填空。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

“Children look at screens for too long every day, and don’t exercise and sleep enough, and it’s affecting their cognitive(认知的) ability”, researchers have said     1     a new report. Researchers     2    (study) how many children are following recommended screen time, exercise, and sleep guidelines.     3    (publish) on Wednesday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, the study showed that most U.S. children aren’t meeting the recommendations and it could be affecting their cognition.

7 . Brothers Cole and Blake Meyer are aged 10 and 8. They were on their bikes headed to go fishing in June when they saw something _______ down the road from their northern Iowa home.

There were a bunch of dead baby turtles, _______ by cars on the main road between two wetlands, Ventura Marsh(沼泽) and Clear Lake. The two boys felt sad for them, so they climbed off their bikes and began helping other small turtles that were _______ crossing to the other side of the road. Pretty soon, the brothers were joined by three friends and the boys _______ they would spend as much time as they could this summer giving turtles a _______ across the road.

The boys are still at it, spending at least an hour or two a day picking up Western Painted Turtles that _______ between the marsh and the lake. They safely watch for turtles from a nearby bike path and cross the road themselves _______ there’s no traffic. But occasionally, they’ll hold up their arms to stop a car if there are turtles on the move. The boys estimate they’ve _______ more than 200, and they don’t seem to mind that it’s cut into their fishing time.

“What these kids are doing is _______, and I hope their love of __________ stays with them throughout their lives,” fisheries biologist Grummer said.

1.

A．common

B．awful

C．confusing

D．desirable

2.

A．flattened

B．strengthened

C．brightened

D．weakened

3.

A．safely

B．regularly

C．slowly

D．finally

4.

A．pretended

B．commented

C．suspected

D．decided

5.

A．lift

B．chance

C．name

D．trial

6.

A．fall

B．choose

C．cross

D．wait

7.

A．so that

B．only if

C．even though

D．in case

8.

A．collected

B．used

C．trained

D．saved

9.

A．wonderful

B．strange

C．embarrassing

D．legal

10.

A．adventure

B．freedom

C．conservation

D．observation

8 . 根据句意，选择单词或短语或并以其适当形式填空。

1. Betty did not_______at all when she first came to the senior high school.
2. Han Jing always_______each experiment in chemistry class because he loves this subject very much.
3. Next weekend, we are going to have a camp tour. I’m quite_______it.
4. Everyone will meet with some difficulties in their studies, but never_______!
5. Adam’s adviser_______that he should sign up for advanced literature.
6. Spending too much time online is unhealthy and makes it very difficult to_______other things in life.
7. If you want to travel abroad, remember to_______a visa first.
8. This four-day walking tour will take you on_______paths through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu.
9. I started thinking about fitness_______weight, things began to change.
10. Stay in a local hotel, visit the museums,_______the architecture, enjoy the excellent food, and go shopping at the local markets.

9 . For many travelers these days, finding a way to make travel more meaningful has become a top priority. They are increasingly pursuing journeys that include time to volunteer, work on a conservation project, protect endangered animals or to do other activities that allow for giving back while exploring a new part of the world. Here are some opportunities that combine travel with doing good deeds.

The Azores

The trips offer the opportunity to work on carefully selected projects alongside famous scientists while also enjoying encounters with some of the world’s most fascinating sea creatures in water. It allows participants to join a research team in the Azores that s studying the animals to support future conservation of the species. Advanced diving experience is required.

Red Sea, Egypt

Combining an opportunity for world-class diving with being part of an important research effort conducted by Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association. The seven-night trip includes learning how to gather water data with state -of- the -art scientific equipment and conducting onboard and underwater experiments.

Australia

Explore Queensland, Australia, while also supporting a registered charity that rescues farm animals from abuse, neglect, and situations where they’re in danger. Participants help with daily cleaning of barns (牲口圈) and cages. feeding, health checks, light repair, monitoring animals’ movements, and intensive care of ill, old and baby animals. The experience includes free accommodations with Wi Fi and a swimming pool.

Romania

Work with bears at Romania’s largest bear sanctuary (庇护所), a place that was created as a heaven for bears that have been abused. Located in the Carpathian Mountains, the sanctuary needs volunteers to help with preparing food, monitoring animal well-being and leading conservation tours. The sanctuary is home to 84 bears, with 20 more due to be rescued.

1. What do the first two trips have in common?

A．Both involve underwater activities.

B．Both provide free accommodations.

C．Both require advanced diving experience.

D．Both teach how to use scientific equipment.

2. Which place best suits a girl who likes horses?

A．The Azores.

B．Red Sea.

C．Australia.

D．Romania.

3. Why are the bears adopted by the sanctuary in Romania?

A．They have no food.	B．They are badly treated.
C．They should be monitored.	D．They need to live in mountains.

10 . My home is in Demonton near a river valley. It is a beautiful area that has been made into a park with meters of hiking trails (小路) along the river.

One day I discovered a trail I had never seen before. It was extremely steep and very slippery as it was covered with ice. I was alone at the time and even though I was terrified, I still wanted to go for a walk. Just this thought made my heart beat faster. I shook, not from the cold, although it was probably around -15℃, but from the fear. I knew I had to do it.

I moved forward slowly and put one foot on the trail, then the other. Thus I continued, one foot in front of the other I went very slowly down the trail, shaking with every step. I was sweating despite my cold. I had no idea how long it would take me to travel along the trail, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to conquer my fear.

At last, I succeeded! At least that’s how I felt. I nearly ran down the trail. Well, not exactly ran, but it felt like that compare with my extremely slow speed in the beginning.

Maybe you don’t think this is much of a story, but I just want to tell you that we never know what’s around the corner. If you compare this story to life, you’ll see that we have no idea where life is going to take us, or how many easy or difficult trails there are to choose from until we make a choice! The point is: we have the freedom to choose!

1. Which of the following words can best describe the trail the author discovered?

A．Steep and muddy.	B．Icy and slippery.
C．Rough and wide.	D．Narrow and wet.

2. What do we know about the author?

A．He liked taking adventures.	B．He covered the trail with fear.
C．He ran quickly along the trail.	D．He went down the trail with his friend.

3. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．it was very warm that day

B．the trail was not far from the river

C．the trail was far from the author’s home

D．the author had walked along the trail before

4. By talking about his experience, the author mainly wants to tell us that ________.

A．Rome was not built in a day

B．things may not seem so dangerous in the end

C．it’s worth challenging our fears and pushing on

D．we don’t have the freedom to do anything we like