The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Although the calmness of the atmosphere should seem to ease my state of mind, my fear of heights overpowered any positive thoughts about the coming dive. Although I was terrified, I grew the courage to take a glance and was shocked by the breathtaking view that my eyes laid upon. The tops of the cloud gave forth a gold lining around them. “Oh, how beautiful!” I said to myself.
It was time to start preparing for my first dive. We rode into town and purchased some equipment such as a vest, a regulator and a tank. Everything seemed to be in good condition to dive with. All of my equipment was ready to see the waters.
We then ventured across the island to the spot where we were to begin our dive. Getting out of the car, I noticed that the air was quiet and misty. The wind was curiously strong and carried a cold chill(寒意)with it. “This is where we will get in,” the diving instructor said.
I was told that, in order to access the water, I had to jump. Now, this was not a simple “jump”. “There is little chance that I can do that. Do you even realize how high up we are?” I said to my mother. “Yes, you can! Just trust yourself. Just think of it as your chance to feel like you are flying,” my mother encouraged me.
My mother just could not seem to understand how fearful I was. My heart was beating violently. I was almost certain that the fish could even hear my heartbeat. Terrified and shaking uncontrollably, I could not make myself jump. The sound of the waves made me terrified. The waves were rhythmically pounding into the side of the bank, so violently that the water reached the same height that I stood.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Although terrified, I gathered courage and told myself that I could do it.
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Once in the water, I opened my eyes to a whole new world.
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The International Ice and Snow Festival kicked off in January in Harbin, capital city of China’s northernmost Heilongjiang Province. Harbin came as the hottest
Harbin Ice and Snow World,
The theme park,
“This year’s scale of ice-and-snow sculptures in the park is the
Sun said the number of ice slides in the park
“My wife and I had thought about going to somewhere warm for a winter trip, but we were attracted by short videos that went viral online about ice-and-snow fun in Harbin. That is
3 . I was watching over Dad that afternoon. He was unable to walk due to his stroke (中风) and had to rely
Sometimes he’d get so frustrated because all he saw were his
So
Ahh, there’s my
And as we
A.rarely | B.merely | C.equally | D.instantly |
A.working | B.traveling | C.sinking | D.exchanging |
A.thrilled | B.pleased | C.frightened | D.defeated |
A.weaknesses | B.mistakes | C.trends | D.advantages |
A.cheat | B.remind | C.suspect | D.rid |
A.quit | B.survive | C.advertise | D.engage |
A.fund | B.hope | C.settlement | D.will |
A.in a mess | B.in an attempt | C.in a hurry | D.in a way |
A.focus | B.idea | C.sight | D.intention |
A.submitted | B.persevered | C.froze | D.advertised |
A.worked out | B.showed up | C.broke through | D.lit up |
A.fault | B.opportunity | C.alternative | D.motion |
A.calming | B.awkward | C.amusing | D.thrilling |
A.ignored | B.seized | C.recalled | D.cherished |
A.urgent | B.bound | C.competent | D.ready |
4 . Starting a new job can be stressful, and doing so when you work fully from home can bring added challenges.
Get to know your colleagues
Not sitting beside your colleagues can feel like a barrier to connect remotely. Attend any online training or other meetings that your team holds, even if they are optional.
Communicate with confidence
“
Understand your workplace
Working remotely can mean it takes a little longer to know about how people like to work. See if your organization provides things like diagrams that show the team’s structure. You can start and maintain conversations with your line manager and other team members.
Introduce simple techniques like going for a walk, listening to music to achieve this, and making time to meet with friends after work can all help, too. When you’re in a better mindset overall, you’ll be in the best position to settle into your new venture.
A.Keep in a good mood |
B.Eye contact is still relevant |
C.Pay attention to their immediate responses |
D.This will surely help you get to know others |
E.This will definitely contribute to your better mindset |
F.You can adjust yourself to settling into a remote role, though |
G.Understanding how they like to work will help not just you but them |
5 . For many runners, a marathon can often be a challenge—but sometimes what gets a runner through the tough 26.2 miles is looking out into the crowd and seeing his or her loved one holding up a sign and shouting words of encouragement. For one mom, though, her loved one was a bit more hands-on.
While running the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon in Salt Lake City, Courtney Rich, a self-taught baker and mother of two, was beginning to run out of energy just yards from the end when she was suddenly joined by her 10-year-old daughter, Avery.
The touching moment, caught on video and posted on social media, shows Avery running to her mother’s side to support her as she approached the end of the race. Rich’s face lit up when Avery joined her and helped her cross the finish line.
Rich later said in the video’s caption that being joined by her daughter to finish the race was “a moment I hope neither of us ever forget”. Rich said that her daughter could tell she was struggling after a phone call near the end of the race. “She knew I had struggled the last few miles,” Rich said. “She saw tears in my eyes when I called on mile 24.”
In the video, Rich’s facial expression changes from tiredness to a smile after seeing her daughter emerge from the crowd to join her. Then, Rich and her daughter ran hand-in-hand to the finish line. “Nothing could have prepared me for the moment my 10-year-old daughter would jump out of the crowd and run with me to the finish line,” she said. When the race was done, the two hugged each other at the finish line. The video ends with a final caption, “And then she just held me. She held me.”
In the past, the REVEL Big Cottonwood Marathon has had other memorable moments of mothers caring for their children, but perhaps not as hands-on as this one.
1. What happened to Rich when she was coming to the finish line?A.She felt herself struggling. | B.She was far behind others. |
C.She fell down all of a sudden. | D.She was interrupted by Avery. |
A.She ran the rest in place of Rich. | B.She tried to call for help at once. |
C.She helped Rich run to the finish line. | D.She shouted encouraging words to Rich. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Content. | C.Concerned. | D.Expected. |
A.A Daughter Cheered For Her Mother By Joining In Her Race |
B.A Mother Encouraged Her Daughter To Pursue Her Dream |
C.A Daughter Got Involved In Her Mother’s Race By Mistake |
D.A Mother Would Never Give Up On Her Marathon Dream |
1. 你方观点;
2. 陈述理由。
注意:
1. 写作词数应为 80左右;
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Honorable judges and distinguished friends,
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Thank you!
7 . Selecting gifts for your beloved ones can be one of the most difficult parts. But don’t worry! We can help! Here are some gift ideas to suit all pockets.
Air purifierDo you have a loved one who suffers from allergies (过敏) or other skin diseases? Why not gift him or her an air cleaner? Research has shown that air purifiers can help reduce allergy reactions, remove asthma (哮喘) causes such as dust by improving air quality in your home. Look for purifiers with more than one filter and, especially, a high efficiency air filter.
Electric toothbrushOne review of 56 studies has found that a powered toothbrush resulted in a 21 per cent reduction of plaque and an 11 per cent reduction in gingivitis (牙龈炎) after three months, compared with a manual toothbrush. It’s also a fun way for children to look after their dental hygiene.
Dark chocolateNothing screams a gift quite like chocolate. Good news is that dark chocolate is associated with several health benefits. Small amounts of this sweet treat may lower the risk of heart disease, improve brain function and give your immune system a boost, potentially reducing infection.
Your timeQuality time spent with your nearest and dearest is completely free, but is the most precious gift you could give them. If you’ve been too preoccupied of late, determine to put aside more hours to do fun things together, or if you have time to devote to others outside your immediate circle, consider volunteering with Age UK as a friend to an elderly person.
1. Which of the following is suitable for someone with a dental problem?A.Air purifier. | B.Electric toothbrush. |
C.Dark chocolate. | D.Your time. |
A.They belong to tech presents. | B.They are non-physical objects. |
C.They are intended for the elderly. | D.They help promote healthy living. |
A.It is priceless. | B.It is worthless. |
C.It is physical. | D.It is rare. |
8 . Both Vijayan and his wife Mohana grew up on the streets of Kochi, India. They married 49 years ago, making a(n)
Each day, they
Mohana had always been
Traveling has opened up the couple’s minds so much. They’ve been to many natural and man-made
Vijayan and Mohana aren’t finished with their adventures and their
A.mistake | B.difference | C.living | D.apology |
A.explore | B.change | C.control | D.support |
A.added up | B.took in | C.gave out | D.set aside |
A.exchanges | B.failures | C.adventures | D.proposals |
A.saving | B.applying | C.competing | D.renting |
A.annoyed | B.curious | C.positive | D.concerned |
A.confuses | B.protects | C.attracts | D.requests |
A.anxious | B.frightened | C.inspired | D.addicted |
A.still | B.quite | C.hardly | D.immediately |
A.organizations | B.greenhouses | C.civilizations | D.sights |
A.improving | B.admiring | C.recommending | D.recognizing |
A.relaxed | B.amazed | C.confident | D.awkward |
A.design | B.strategy | C.arrangement | D.goal |
A.reminds | B.orders | C.awards | D.offers |
A.debates | B.responsibilities | C.challenges | D.directions |
9 . Geologists have long been fascinated by a missing piece of Earth’s history — a lost continent called Argoland. Around 155 million years ago, the 5,000-kilometer continent broke off from Western Australia and began drifting(漂移), leaving behind a basin deep below the ocean known as the Argo Abyssal Plain. But where did Argoland actually go?
The seabed structure suggests that the continent drifted northwestward and ended up Southeast Asia. But surprisingly, there is no large continent hidden beneath those islands, only small continental fragments(碎片) surrounded by ancient oceanic basins. Using this theory, geologists at Utrecht University discovered that Argoland hadn’t really disappeared but survived as a “very extended and fragmented collection” under the islands to the east of Indonesia.
Unlike other continents like Africa and South America, which broke neatly into two pieces, Argoland split into many smaller fragments that were dispersed, which made it difficult for scientists to locate and study the continent’s geological features. However, with advanced technology and the discovery, scientists can now piece them together.
Tracing the continents is vital for understanding processes like the evolution of biodiversity. It could help explain something known as the mysterious Wallace line, which is an imaginary boundary that separates mammals, birds, and even early human species in Southeast Asian islands. The boundary has puzzled scientists because of how clearly it separates the island’s wildlife. To the west of the line are placental mammals like apes and elephants. But these are almost completely absent to the east, where you can find marsupials and cockatoos — animals typically associated with Australia. Researchers have theorized that this may be because Argoland carried its own wildlife away from Australia before it crashed into Southeast Asia, which helps explain why different species are found in different nations.
The story of Argoland is not one of complete disappearance but of transformation. As the world continues to evolve, this lost continent serves as a powerful symbol of the fragility of life on this planet, and a reminder of the importance of respecting and protecting the world that we live in.
1. What do we know about Argoland?A.It split into two pieces many years ago. |
B.It broke away from the continent of Africa. |
C.It sank to the bottom of the Argo Abyssal Plain. |
D.It exists as fragments under the eastern islands of Indonesia. |
A.Crashed. | B.Connected. | C.Distributed. | D.Disappeared. |
A.To introduce the early history of Argoland. |
B.To stress the significance of tracing Argoland. |
C.To prove the biodiversity of Southeast Asian islands. |
D.To explain the evolutionary process of Australian species. |
A.The Discovery of a Lost Continent | B.The Boundaries of Wildlife Habitats |
C.The Geological Features of Argoland | D.The Formation of the Argo Abyssal Plain |
10 . A lunar crystal (水晶) was found in lunar basalt particles (玄武岩颗粒) collected from the moon in 2020 when the Chinese moon mission landed in Oceanus Procellarum, returning with more than 1.7 kg of lunar samples delivered safely to the Earth.
The crystal found on the near side of the moon is giving scientists hope of providing limitless power for the world forever. It is made of material previously unknown to the scientific community and contains a key ingredient for the nuclear fusion (核聚变) process, a form of power generation that uses the same forces that fuel the sun and other stars. It is transparent and roughly the width of a single human hair, and it formed in a region of the moon where volcanoes were active around 1.2 billion years ago.
One of the primary ingredients found in this crystal is helium-3 (氦-3) , which scientists believe may provide a stable fuel source for nuclear fusion reactors. The element is incredibly rare on the Earth, but it seems to be fairly common on the moon. China’s next moon mission is expected to be carried out by Chang’e 6 in 2024, which will attempt to collect the first samples from the far side of the moon, which never faces the Earth.
Although it is too early for scientists to have made financial estimates on such a fuel source, it will undoubtedly be extremely costly. There is, of course, the matter of bringing the crystals back from the moon, especially in large amounts that are needed to fuel fusion reactors.
Helium-3 produces significantly less radiation and nuclear waste than other elements. The current nuclear fusion process has raised serious safety concerns, and as a result, scientists have been searching for a way to create nuclear power from nuclear fusion. During the fusion process, radioactive waste is not produced, potentially making a securer and more efficient fuel source.
Around 25 tons of helium-3 could power the US for a year. Multiple private companies and countries with space agencies have signaled their intentions to mine the moon for helium-3, and this latest discovery could kick start the race.
1. What can we learn about the crystal?A.It is 1.7 centimeters wide. |
B.It is expected to power the Earth. |
C.It is commonly found on the Earth. |
D.It is made of previously familiar material. |
A.Collect up nuclear waste. |
B.Find out the elements of helium-3. |
C.Set up lunar nuclear fusion reactors. |
D.Take back the samples of lunar crystals. |
A.It is low in cost. | B.It is clean and safe. |
C.It absorbs radiation. | D.It produces no waste. |
A.A Struggling Race to Make Crystals |
B.An Undoubted Discovery Powering the US |
C.An Efficient Way to Collect Crystals from the Moon |
D.A Rare Moon Crystal Discovered by Chinese Scientists |