1 . We often take sleep for granted, but not getting enough shut-eye can increase our risk for many serious health issues such as poor mental health, heart problems or even early death.

The ideal bedroom temperature for people to fall asleep is relatively cold — between 17 to 20℃. A drop in our core body temperature is essential for us falling and staying asleep because it stimulates sleepiness.

Obradovich and his colleagues found unusually warm temperatures had the largest effect on people’s bedtime duration by delaying falling asleep. Short sleep durations were the worst during the summertime and among the elderly, probably because they have more difficulty regulating their body temperature. The team also found warmer locations experienced the most sleep loss, suggesting people’s bodies haven’t adapted to their geographic location. Lower income countries are also heavily affected, which Obradovich supposes could be because of a lack of air-conditioning. But he plans to investigate further. Data show global warming also will have the biggest sleep loss in the Middle East, southeast Asia and Australia. By the end of the 21st century, people in the warmest regions are expected to lose another three nights of sleep per year due to higher nighttime temperatures.

Obradovich said his team’s findings could help communities or policymakers better improve the sleep environment for people, such as helping to cool bedrooms more effectively. On an individual level, Robbins, a physician at Harvard Medical School, said people also need to practice generally good sleep behavior. For instance, reducing screen time 15 to 20 minutes before falling asleep as the blue lights from cellphones or computers can work like the sun and throw off our body clock. She suggested meditation (冥想) before bed can significantly help people relax, making it easier for people to fall asleep.

“There’s still belief that ‘I’ll sleep when I’m dead’ kind of attitude towards sleep,” Robbins said. “There’s so much work to be done to improve our collective view of sleep.”

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Temperature affects sleep duration.

B．Global warming improves sleep quality.

C．Sleep loss leads to serious health problems.

D．Sleep quality influences attitude towards life.

2. From Paragraph 3, we can know that __________.

A．those in the warmer regions can well adapt to the temperature

B．the elderly suffer from sleep loss due to their sickness

C．it is harder to fall asleep in warmer temperature

D．unusual warmth contributes to earlier wake-up

3. What does Robbins intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．People should pay more attention to sleep.

B．People have different attitudes towards sleep.

C．Scientists will solve the problem of sleep loss.

D．Scientists should help to improve humans’ sleep quality.

2 . Running with Heart

My name was missing from the list. All my friends had made the cheer-leading team. But somehow my name was not there. I felt lost and embarrassed. Knowing that next year would bring a new round of try-outs, I began practicing routines on my own, hoping to become a cheerleader the next year. But my dad suggested that I get involved in running track — just to try it out for a year. I had always been the fastest kid to run a mile in gym class, so I figured that I might as well sign up for running for just one season.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In the first race on the track team, I took the last place. Race after race, I continued to place last and I felt my lungs burning from the effort. I wanted to quit, feeling like a failure. But my dad reminded me that once you are committed to something, you should always follow through. So I finished my first track season, placing last in every race.

The next year came. Although running was not a popular activity, like cheer-leading was at our school, I signed up again to run the long-distance races. I wanted to challenge myself. Within one year, I became the fastest female cross-country runner on our school’s team. A few years later, I placed 3^rd in the Ohio State meet. Not only that, but I was offered an athletic scholarship for college.

Classmates may have laughed at me for choosing running over cheer-leading, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t running track to be cool or to prove anything to anyone else. Running made me proud of who I was. When I chose to be a runner, I chose to be true to myself. We all make that choice every day — we can be who we were born to be or we can simply follow the crowd. For me, I am happiest to be...just me.

1. After failing to make the cheer-leading team, the author ________.

A．wanted to quit

B．blamed her father

C．turned to her friends

D．continued to practice

2. The author managed to finish her first track season mainly because she ________.

A．wanted to prove herself

B．was inspired by her father

C．got an athletic scholarship

D．performed well in the races

3. Which of the following words can best describe the author?

A．Confident and honest.

B．Creative and ambitious.

C．Generous and committed.

D．Hardworking and determined.

4. In the passage, the author mainly wants to show that we should ________.

A．follow others’ opinions

B．try out for popular activities

C．appreciate who we really are

D．help those who are in trouble

3 . Are you passionate about Academic Essay Writing? Do you want to share your knowledge of Academic Essay Writing with others? Then come join us as an online Academic Essay Writing teacher and help students who are eager to learn.

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Job responsibilities

Deliver online Academic Essay Writing lessons to students of all ages (you choose what age groups you want to work with).

Respond to questions and messages from current and potential students.

Work with your students to schedule lessons efficiently.

Actively communicate with Lessonpal support about any questions.

Job requirements

Knowledge of Academic Essay Writing

Strong communication skills

Stable internet connection

Proficiency (熟练) in using online meeting platforms

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1. What is available for the applicants?

A．Deciding the class size.

B．Keeping all the earnings.

C．Getting promoted at work.

D．Receiving high-quality training.

2. The applicants are required to _________.

A．follow Lessonpal’s teaching schedule

B．be good at organizing meetings

C．deliver online writing lessons

D．have teaching experience

3. Where is the passage probably from?

A．A science report.	B．A website.
C．A storybook.	D．A brochure.

4 . 语法填空

    1     (locate) in the northeast of the Tibetan Highland, Qinghai Lake is usually No. 1 on “Most Beautiful Lakes in China” list. It has very different scenery in different seasons. In spring, the surrounding mountains and wetlands take on a fresh green look with     2    (colour) flowers and white snow. In summer and autumn, the lake     3     (decorate) with golden clothing, as thousands of hectares (公顷) of rape flowers spread out from Qinghai Lake’s shores. In winter, snow and ice cover the surface of the lake, and the lake becomes quiet.

5 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。请在答题卡指定区域作答。

When advising children and adolescents who are learning to regulate their emotions, experts explain that how they think affects how they feel. After children learn to use some basic techniques to regulate their emotions, a greater sense of internal control arises. Thereafter, people start to notice the power they can feel in their minds by changing their thought patterns.

“I believe that changing our thinking patterns helps engage different parts of the brain,” said Ran D. Anbar, the author of Changing Children’s Lives with Hypnosis: A Journey to the Center, “For instance, we may find ourselves habitually thinking in a particular way that predictably makes us feel poorly, for example angry, anxious, or sad. People can become angry when they feel that they have been treated poorly or have not gotten their way. The anger occurs because the person focuses on the perceived (察觉到的) injustice. When we shift our thinking, we can more easily create new, healthier thought patterns.”

For instance, 14-year-old “Sarah” became angry with her parents for restricting her use of social media. While discussing why her parents did so, Sarah recognized that they were attempting to protect her from some of the ill effects of overusing social media. Sarah let go of her anger. She switched from thinking about her frustration with her parents’ restrictions and instead focused her thoughts on how to solve the dilemma (困境) regarding her overuse of social media. She was able to recognize that her parents were her valuable friends rather than her opponents.

Frequently, people explain to themselves and others that their poor mood is related to unfortunate circumstances. While holding such a belief, people sometimes take comfort in the idea that since they cannot change their circumstances, there should be no expectation that they take charge of improving their feelings.

However, as demonstrated in this post, our emotional response to unfortunate circumstances can be brought under our control and improved through a change in our thinking patterns. Sometimes, that change can even help us figure out new ways to act that also will improve our situation.

1. What happens after children regulate their emotion?
_________________________________________________________________________________
2. Why does the author mention the example of Sarah in the 3^rd paragraph?
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
People always believe their poor mood is due to unfortunate circumstances, so they will try to change their situation in order to have a good mood.
4. Besides changing thinking patterns, do you have other way(s) to control your emotions? (In about 40 words)
_________________________________________________________________________________

6 . I still remember the day when I came home from work at two o’clock one afternoon. Imagine my _______ when I heard my daughter Megan and her friend Joann laughing in the house since it was the right time for class. They finally _______ that they came home for lunch and never returned to school. But they said they had forgotten to look at the clock.

I told Joann to go home because I needed to speak to Megan _______. When Joann left, I _______myself and managed to ask Megan very quietly, “You forgot to look at the clock?” Megan lowered her head and said, “Well, we were just experimenting to see what it would feel like not to go back to school.” For the moment I was getting angry. I considered _______ her, but instead I said, “I’m very upset by all this. When you’re supposed to be in school, that’s _______ I expect you to be. Now I’m probably going to get a phone call from your teacher.” Megan said, “ Write me an absence note, say I was sick and then you won’t get a call.” I said, “Megan，the note has to come from you and it has to be the _______.”

Well, she wasn’t very _____ about that, but she did write a note saying she was just “experimenting” and that she wouldn’t do it again.

Although the teacher gave her a _______ time over the note, I still felt I did the right thing. I knew I had helped Megan face up to what she did and take ________.

1.

A．joy

B．shock

C．relief

D．shame

2.

A．believed

B．realized

C．admitted

D．predicted

3.

A．privately

B．carefully

C．equally

D．normally

4.

A．encouraged

B．blamed

C．warned

D．controlled

5.

A．comforting

B．punishing

C．changing

D．annoying

6.

A．when

B．why

C．where

D．how

7.

A．truth

B．plan

C．advice

D．wish

8.

A．surprised

B．worried

C．scared

D．pleased

9.

A．hard

B．lucky

C．boring

D．free

10.

A．opportunities

B．responsibilities

C．suggestions

D．advantages

7 . 阅读下面短文，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。

Most students feel that IQ is     1     determines how well they will be doing in life. But further research made by Professor Salovey suggests     2     (different). According to him, in terms of future career, EQ matters more than IQ. People with high EQs can adjust well on all areas of their     3     (life) and careers. They can manage their emotions and thoughts and are less likely to be troubled by negative internal feelings and thoughts.

8 . 阅读下面短文，根据题目要求用英文回答问题。

There are many historical sites and places in the world that give us insight and evidence of the past civilization. These sites help us learn about our ancestors, their living and culture. These sites can be called common or universal heritage (遗产) of humankind and our world heritage.

These sites from the past civilizations are for all humans. We must live in them today and also pass them on to future generations. They teach us about our past and represent the great achievements of our ancestors and make us proud. World heritage has historical, cultural and economic significance. It has exceptional value and importance for humankind from history, science and arts points of view and must be cared for.

Many UNESCO sites that stand today are under threat. There is a list of thirty sites by UNESCO that are endangered. There are many external factors responsible for damaging the world heritage, some of which are climate change, natural disasters, urbanization and unchecked tourism etc.

With the growing strength of these external factors, it is becoming more and more important to take proper measures to save and preserve these timeless achievements of humankind. There are many communities and organizations in the world which are working to protect these sites. We can work with these organizations, travel agencies, government groups and local communities. We should join them to support their cause. Another way to play our part is to shoulder travel responsibility Tourism can generate funds for the restoration of historical sites but at the same time unchecked tourism can damage them seriously.

The younger generation must preserve the identity of the people who came before them. No matter what is our reach, we should help protect them through effective means. Our every step would count and help in protecting the world heritage sites.

1. Why can many historical sites be called world heritage?
__________________________________________________________
2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly talking about?
__________________________________________________________
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
 Tourism can bring economic benefits which are used to restore the historical sites, so we should remove the limitations on tourism.
__________________________________________________________
4. What can we do to shoulder our responsibilities to protect world heritage sites? (In about 40 words)
__________________________________________________________

9 . Communion is a very difficult art. To commune with one another over many problems that we have requires listening and learning, which are both very difficult to do.     1     To commune with each other, we require a certain capacity, a certain way of listening-not merely to gather information, which any schoolboy can do, but rather listening in order to understand.

    2     Learning is not merely the accumulation (积累) of knowledge. Knowledge never changes the way you think; experience never flowers into the beauty of understanding. Most of us listen with the background of what we know and we have experienced. Perhaps you have never noticed the difference between the mind that really learns and the mind that merely gathers knowledge.

    3     It is always translating what it hears in terms of its own experience or in terms of the knowledge which it has gathered. It is caught up in the process of accumulating and adding to what it already knows, and such a mind is incapable of learning. I do not know if you have noticed this. So it seems to me very important that we commune with each other quietly, in a dignified manner, and for that there must be a listening and a learning.

When you commune with your own heart, when you commune with your friend, when you commune with the skies, with the stars, with the sunset, with a flower, then surely you are listening so as to learn. It does not mean that you accept or deny.     4     When you commune with the sunset, with a friend, with your wife or with your child, you do not criticize, you do not deny or support, translate or identify. You are communing. You are learning. You are searching out.     5    

I think it is important to understand that a man who accumulates can never learn. Self-learning implies a fresh and eager mind-a mind that is not committed, that does not belong to anything and that is not limited to any particular field. It is only such a mind that learns.

A．Most of us hardly listen, and we hardly learn.

B．Here is a personal story that illustrates this difference.

C．The mind that is accumulating knowledge never learns.

D．How can we make the shift from accumulating to learning?

E．It seems to me of the utmost importance that we do listen in order to learn.

F．From this inquiry comes the movement of learning, which is never accumulative.

G．You are learning and either acceptance or denial of what is being said puts an end to learning.

10 . Do you know forests are one of our planet’s greatest carbon sinks? This means that they absorb an enormous amount of carbon released into the atmosphere, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change and the earth’s rising temperature.

The poplar tree, standing tall and regal, is known for its fast-growing nature and its gray, white, or black bark. A biotechnology firm in San Francisco, CA, genetically modified poplar trees. According to a four-month study conducted in their greenhouse, the engineered trees grew 53% larger than their normal counterparts and stored 27% more CO2. In February 2023, the company also planted modified poplar trees in southern Georgia. This marks the first time in the United States that engineered trees have been planted outside of a controlled lab setting!

All plants experience photosynthesis (光合作用), where sunlight, water, and CO₂ are transformed into glucose and oxygen. However, almost all trees release a poisonous substance in the process. To remove this substance, trees must use up newly-produced energy in another step known as photo-respiration (光呼吸作用), which does not produce any energy and releases CO₂ back into the atmosphere. To prevent plants from wasting their energy, the biotechnology firm engineered their poplar trees with genes found in green algae. First tested in tobacco plants, the foreign genes change the poisonous substance produced by trees into sugars, so that more energy can be used for removing carbon and tree growth.

Researchers from the company are planting their poplar trees on private land that has been previously disturbed, such as abandoned coal mines in Pennsylvania. The modified trees will be planted between natives like sweet gum and bald cypress to boost biodiversity and maintain soil fertility (肥沃).

Plant biologist Norberto Martinez from the University of Illinois suggests the engineered poplar trees may not thrive outdoors or will require more water and fertilizer to maintain their fast growth. Many sustainable forestry organizations have also banned engineered trees from being planted in forests. The Global Justice Ecology Project argued that these trees could interfere with efforts to protect and regenerate forests.

Though there may be opposing opinions regarding genetically modified poplar trees, one thing is for sure: they hold the potential to lower greenhouse gases in our environment at a faster rate. This company’s attempt is certainly an innovative approach to the ongoing climate crisis.

1. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The necessity to absorb CO2.	B．The basic idea behind engineered trees.
C．The effect of photosynthesis on plants.	D．The importance of energy transformation.

2. What does the underlined phrase “interfere with” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Save.

B．Measure.

C．Interrupt.

D．Strengthen.

3. What can we infer about the engineered poplar trees?

A．Their first planting state was Pennsylvania.

B．Their potential to absorb CO2 outweighs concerns.

C．They can release more oxygen than normal poplar trees.

D．They will grow better if planted away from normal plants.

4. The main purpose of the passage is to ________.

A．inform and argue	B．analyse and advise
C．argue and discuss	D．examine and assess