1 . A man took a little too long to complete his PhD. While a majority of PhD programmes are _________ to be finished in five or six years, a 76-year-old student who studied for a PhD in 1970 completed it after 50 years.

Dr. Nick Axten received a scholarship for a PhD in mathematical sociology in 1970 at the University of Pittsburgh. _________, he returned to the UK after 5 years with an unfinished PhD.

Dr. Axten _________ his studies again in 2016 when he was aged 69, studying an MA in Philosophy at the University of Bristol. He then studied for a PhD in Philosophy at the same university and _________ in 2022, aged 75. This year, he _________ his doctorate in front of his wife and 11-year-old granddaughter.

“What I was trying to do in the early 70s was extremely _________,” said Dr. Axten. “Some problems are so _________ that it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them. This one has taken me 50 years, which is simply _________.”

Dr. Axten’s research is a new theory for understanding human _________ based on the values each person holds. Dr. Axten says it can __________ our view of behavioural psychology.

“I have loved being a __________ again at the University of Bristol. All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23 but they __________ me as one of their own,” said Dr. Axten. The 76-year-old considered his classmates as __________ and expressed that he loved spending time talking to them.

“Nick was a(n) __________ energetic and hardworking student,” said his professor. “It’s great to see him graduate half a __________ after he started his original PhD.”

1.

A．applied

B．designed

C．hosted

D．created

2.

A．Otherwise

B．Therefore

C．Besides

D．However

3.

A．took up

B．made up

C．put up

D．broke up

4.

A．returned

B．dropped

C．finished

D．died

5.

A．wanted

B．mentioned

C．discovered

D．obtained

6.

A．wrong

B．tough

C．funny

D．strange

7.

A．great

B．minor

C．clear

D．urgent

8.

A．available

B．satisfactory

C．unimaginable

D．embarrassing

9.

A．mind

B．personality

C．speech

D．behaviour

10.

A．change

B．appreciate

C．control

D．follow

11.

A．teacher

B．student

C．doctor

D．leader

12.

A．held

B．pushed

C．chose

D．accepted

13.

A．small

B．foolish

C．clever

D．rude

14.

A．incredibly

B．traditionally

C．hardly

D．gradually

15.

A．fortnight

B．century

C．billion

D．decade

2 . International Day of Education

24 January

Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed (宣布) 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education for peace and development. Today, 250 million children and youth are out of school, and 763 million adults are illiterate (文盲的). Their right to education is being violated (侵犯) and it is unacceptable. It’s time to transform education.

International Day of Clean Energy

26 January

The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the General Assembly as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition (过渡) to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet. 26 January is also the founding date of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a global intergovernmental agency established in 2009 to support countries in their energy transitions.

World Health Day

7 April

It is celebrated annually and each year draws attention to a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world. The date of 7 April marks the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948.

The theme for World Health Day 2024 is “My health, my right”, which was chosen to champion the right of everyone, everywhere to have access to quality health services, education and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions.

World Environment Day

5 June

World Environment Day, held annually on 5 June, brings together millions of people from across the globe, engaging them in the effort to protect and restore the Earth. People from more than 150 countries participate in this United Nations international day, which celebrates environmental action and the power of governments, businesses and individuals to create a more sustainable world. The event has been led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) since its start in 1973.

1. On what day is the event about world energy marked?

A．24 January.

B．26 January.

C．7 April.

D．5 June.

2. Which of the following event began in 1973?

A．International Day of Education.

B．International Day of Clean Energy.

C．World Health Day.

D．World Environment Day.

3. What do the four events have in common?

A．They have a common goal.	B．They have a long history.
C．They’re international events.	D．They benefit world environment.

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

My mum died on a cold and rainy December morning. The dark clouds and constant light rain over her Cape Cod neighbourhood fit our sadness as my brothers and sisters and I arranged with the local funeral (葬礼) home for Mum’s last departure from her beloved house on the edge of the river.

All five of us were there, having been alerted (警觉) earlier that week. As soon as we had gotten “The Call”, we had immediately flown or driven from our homes in California, Florida, Georgia and New York to the house by the river.

As I joined my brothers and sisters at the house on the Cape, I felt oddly peaceful. Though I was afraid to lose my mother, I wasn’t anxious about the process. I knew that Mum had prepared well for her death. All we had to do was be present for her and each other during this final stage. She had done everything else.

Mum was a born teacher and a natural organizer. When she had received the diagnosis (诊断) of incurable cancer that September, she had planned her death as practically as she had planned her busy life as a wife, mother and professional.

Mum did think fondly of her neighbours and friends. Even though she had declined to share her remaining time with them, she wanted to acknowledge their friendly care and express her lasting affection for them. So Mum had asked my older sister to purchase, on her behalf, a case of wine. The small bottles were to be decorated with ribbons (缎带) and delivered by us in person, after Mum’s death, to those neighbours who had been her favourite local companions.

Accordingly, in the early afternoon, as the cold morning rain gave way to a watery blue sky, all five of us set out to walk through the neighbourhood together, braving the cold air. Taking turns carrying the heavy boxes, we visited every house. Together, we carried the news of her death, that final gift of beribboned bottles, and her instruction to her friends: “Please use this Champagne to toast to our friendship.”

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。

We hugged, and cried, and laughed, with neighbour after neighbour.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As the five of us returned to the house, we saw, against the backdrop of the grey sky, a breathtakingly beautiful rainbow.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

In the ancient Shuowen Dictionary, trust is defined as a combination of sincerity and reliability,     1     (emphasize) the importance of keeping one’s word. This concept was     2     (deep) valued in ancient China, with many proverbs highlighting the significance of integrity in personal and professional relationships. CaoCao, the     3     (rule) of the Wei state during the Three Kingdoms period, embodied (体现) this spirit of trustworthiness, which played a crucial role in his ability     4     (draw) numerous heroes to his side.

During the Three Kingdoms era, a time     5     (mark) by division and conflict among the states of Wei, Shu, and Wu, loyalty was a prized yet rare commodity (商品). Cao Cao’s relationship     6     Guan Yu shows his understanding of trust and respect as foundational     7     (element) of leadership. After capturing Xu Province, Cao Cao encountered Guan Yu. Guan Yu’s surrender (投降) to Cao Cao, under the condition     8     he would leave once he learned of Liu Bei’s whereabouts, presented     9     unique challenge. Cao Cao’s acceptance of these terms, and his subsequent efforts to win over Guan Yu, demonstrate a strategic approach to leadership that     10     (value) talent and honours personal loyalty.

6 . Accents in English

Accents are fascinating and usually come with kinds of information.     1    . So many people, especially actors, are interested in learning accents.

Thanks to the development of technology, various handy accesses are available for people to share and pick up accents. English actor and accent coach Sarah Valentine is an expert in teaching the tones which can change the English language.     2    .

Valentine has been working in TV since the 1990s. She appears to have found success coaching other actors to speak in a variety of dialects.     3    , TikTok is a medium to educate the masses. Valentine’s TikTok takes simple phrases, such as “I’m hungry” or “the milk smells funny”. Valentine then repeats these simple words in accents including German, Dutch, and New York. She also highlights the rich variety of dialects within the UK, including Yorkshire, Scouse, Cockney, Geordie, Welsh, and Northern Irish.

“    4    ,” James Lantolf, a professor at Penn State, said. “Isolated (偏僻的) areas, such as New Orleans, develop different dialects. Since there is no contact between regions, entire words and languages can grow and develop independently. Social standing and education also affect the language of an individual person.” It is thought that accents have psycho-social purposes, allowing individuals to identify oneself and others as part of a group.

Everyone has an accent. A dialect coach like Valentine can help one learn to speak differently, for an acting job or for fun.     5    . Learning a second language as an adult is difficult; for much the same reason, it’s tricky to change your accent. With that in mind, watching Valentine change accents at the drop of a hat is all the more impressive.

A．In fact, all accents are worthy of pride

B．One’s birthplace can affect his accent

C．However, not all accents are worth learning

D．While much work with actors is done in one-on-one coaching

E．They can signal one’s living places, education and personality

F．On TikTok, she gives examples of simple phrases repeated in over 20 accents

G．A region’s location has a direct influence on the development of a local language

7 . REGISTRATION OPENS FOR STUDENT ROBOTICS 2024

We’re excited to announce that registration for the 2024 season of Student Robotics is now open! Based in the UK, Student Robotics challenges teams of 16 to 19 year-olds to design, build and program fully autonomous robots to compete in our annual competition. Teams will have just three months to engineer their creations. As well as supplying teams with a kit, which they can use as a framework for their robot, we mentor (指导) the teams over this period. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we provide all of this to our teams at no cost.

The competition cycle will start with a live streamed Kickstart event on our YouTube Channel. During the event, the game and the structure of the competition will be announced and kits handed out to teams.

The competition year will culminate (达到高潮) in an in-person competition from September 30 to October 1, 2024, which will see the robots compete through a league stage and a seeded knockout. As usual the prizes will recognise not only the teams which come top in the knockouts, but also those who are excellent in other ways.

Details of the game and prizes will be revealed at Kickstart. Details of the Kickstart and competition events will be published when they are available. We expect to confirm places towards the end of August, 2024.

If you would like a chance to compete in Student Robotics 2024, please fill in the entry form with the required information. The deadline of the registration is May 30, 2024. Places are limited, so please click here and sign up soon to avoid disappointment.

We look forward to seeing your teams!

1. What should participants do in Student Robotics?

A．Prepare a kit themselves.	B．Design a robot on the spot.
C．Work as a team.	D．Pay for the framework.

2. How long will the robots competition last in 2024?

A．Two days.

B．Two weeks.

C．One month.

D．Three days.

3. Where does the passage come from?

A．A brochure.

B．A magazine.

C．A newspaper.

D．A website.

9 . HOW TO DO HARD THINGS

It’s an inconvenient truth that the road to success isn’t a secret. Most of us know exactly what we need to do to improve our lives.     1     We prefer things that feel good and avoid things that we know are hard but most effective. Follow these tips to get hard things done with less struggle.

First, you need to make sure you know what the hard, but effective thing is in the skill or job that you want to improve.     2     It’s usually the thing that creates the output. For writers, it’s writing. For musicians, it’s writing a song. For athletes, it’s doing a workout.

Figure out your why. Make sure you know why you want to do this hard thing.     3     So figure out your why and frequently remind yourself of it. Write it down and put it where you can see it. The stronger your why, the better.

    4     Every day at a particular hour, you will do this hard thing. Pure focus, no multi-tasking. Take it easy at first and gradually lengthen the amount of time you spend on this. Enjoy it, too. You’re a winner and you can do it.

Leave the doubts behind. When you’re doing something hard, your brain will try to find ways to stop doing it. You’ll want to look things up or find easy ways of doing the hard thing. Don’t give in to these tempting arguments during your hard work sessions.     5    

If you keep improving yourself by doing hard things, you’ll be getting better at your targeted skill. So don’t spend too much time working around the hard task. Just do the hard thing instead.

A．This should be easy to figure out.

B．Change your thinking so the hard thing looks good.

C．But we don’t do those things because they are hard.

D．Make a commitment and turn the hard thing into a habit.

E．If you are not clear about it, you’ll lose motivation quickly.

F．Do whatever you want after or before, but stay focused during.

G．Life is hard sometimes, and you will have to do hard things at some point.

10 . The twins ________ the guitar at this time the day before yesterday. I think they might be preparing for the art festival these days.

A．were heard playing

B．heard to play

C．heard playing

D．were heard to play