1 . It was the first Sunday in December and I was in the Sunday School to learn about a family that was in real need of clothes and food.

Our director began to _________ what he saw. The mother was working two jobs trying to _________ and clothe three children. She has been working hard all year to save money to buy Christmas gifts, but she just _________. All her money was _________ to buy food.

Hearing what he saw, I began to _________ all the Christmas’s that I had as a child. I can still smell the _________ of various delicacies wafting from my mother’s kitchen. The sight of a big Christmas tree with _________ piled all around and the looks on each of the faces of my family as we opened Christmas presents. I just couldn’t _________ what it would be like to have a Christmas that was being described to us. What—no food, no presents, no family gatherings and no Christmas tree?

The _________ said he would like to take up an offering and anything that was received would be used to help the __________. As the plate began to make its way around. I opened my wallet and only found one $100 bill. I thought for a(n) __________ and then realized that they needed it far worse than I did. So, I put the money in the __________. He looked __________ and said “Are you sure you don’t want any change?” I nodded with a smile.

When returning back, I told my son what I had done, and more __________, I didn’t have any extra money to prepare Christmas gifts for him anymore. I thought I would see my son’s __________expression, instead, he gave me a big hug and said, “No, I already have the best gift in the world —a kind Dad.”

1.

A．draw

B．remember

C．write

D．describe

2.

A．feed

B．cheat

C．wear

D．ride

3.

A．succeed

B．made

C．stuck

D．failed

4.

A．supposed

B．used

C．bound

D．related

5.

A．recall

B．rebuild

C．review

D．recover

6.

A．number

B．amount

C．rest

D．flavors

7.

A．food

B．clothes

C．presents

D．money

8.

A．imagine

B．tolerate

C．say

D．hear

9.

A．mother

B．director

C．kid

D．son

10.

A．school

B．community

C．family

D．district

11.

A．hour

B．year

C．decade

D．second

12.

A．pocket

B．plate

C．wallet

D．table

13.

A．annoyed

B．upset

C．shocked

D．unsatisfied

14.

A．basically

B．actually

C．importantly

D．unexpectedly

15.

A．disappointed

B．unplanned

C．amused

D．touched

2 . How to Stay Cool and Save Money in Summer?

Although summer is filled with various fruits, food, and various water entertainment activities. But how to enjoy summer while saving energy and expenses?     1    , and you may find some that suit you.

Set your air conditioner to 28 degrees or higher.

An obvious pointer, but also one of the most ignored. Running your air conditioner at colder temperatures won’t cool down a room any faster than a more moderate setting, but it will force your system to work harder. Worse yet, it’s easy to forget to turn it back up.     2    , and move on to other stay-cool ideas.

Wear cool, loose clothing—even indoors.

Shorts, absorbent fabrics and loose-fitting clothes all work outdoors. They’ll work in-side, too. It’s your space: dress for comfort.     3    , the less you’ll need air conditioning.

    4    

If you live in an area experiencing water shortages, skip this one. Otherwise, a quick three-minute cold shower is a fantastic way to cool down. Going longer than three minutes won’t make you feel much cooler, so skip the soap and just enjoy the relief. For regular showers, avoid using hot water during the summer. In most temperate locations, tap water is plenty warm for bathing by July. The cooler you run your shower, the less heat and steam you’ll need to remove from your living space. Use the exhaust fan if it’s vented outdoors.

Clean your air conditioning filter.

    5    . Check your filter once a week, and clean as often as necessary. Filters are generally throwaway items, but some may be reusable if thoroughly cleaned. Clean window-unit filters once a week. Some window air conditioners have a warning light to indicate when air flow is restricted.

A．Wear sunglasses

B．Take cold showers

C．The cooler your clothing

D．We have summarized some ways

E．It may also provide other health benefits

F．Stick with the warmest setting you can tolerate

G．Dirty filters will reduce air-conditioner efficiency

3 . Giving and receiving gifts is one of the great pleasures of the holiday season, but that pleasure is somewhat reduced when you behold the pile of packaging waste that’s left behind. And this year, in the midst of America’s Great Recycling Crisis, the remainder packaging waste is a bigger deal than ever.

However, the US has failed to build additional recycling facilities, launch waste-reduction campaigns or even simply pressure manufacturers to come up with better packaging designs. Even a few of those things could have helped cope with this enormous problem. Instead, the recycling situation is in a state of chaos.

USA Today reports that countless cities across the country cannot find a market for their recyclables. Many are driving their trucks directly to the landfill. Others are paying recycling companies to take away their trash.

These issues, which are big enough on a day-to-day basis, are intensified during the holidays, when people are shopping and consuming more than ever, particularly online. Although UPS predicts it will deliver fewer packages this holiday season, it still expects to process several hundred million packages. If FedEx’s numbers match those from previous years, it will deliver around 400 million packages. That’s a whole lot of cardboard boxes, plastic bags, and packing peanuts.

Unfortunately, the lack of recycling infrastructure cannot change the unfortunate fact that our society has not yet been established to handle this level of waste. But knowing that, we have a clear responsibility to minimize this waste as best we can, and tackling it on a personal level is all we can do. We can avoid unnecessary packaging when shopping for and wrapping holiday gifts in a number of ways.

It’s not going to solve the recycling crisis overnight, but neither will improve our recycling facilities. What’s needed more than that is a dramatic shift in the way we shop and handle our goods, always moving toward less packaging.

1. Why is “Giving and receiving gifts” mentioned in Paragraph 1?

A．To prove a theory.	B．To introduce a topic.
C．To present an opinion.	D．To show current situation.

2. According to USA Today reports, what can we infer?

A．The recycling problem in the USA is severe.

B．Recycling companies play a vital role in America.

C．The landfill is the only way to solve package waste.

D．Government tries to find a market for their recyclables.

3. What causes an increase in holiday waste?

A．Fewer packages are delivered on holiday.

B．400 million cardboard boxes are delivered.

C．People shop more online during holidays.

D．FedEx fees are more favorable during holidays.

4. What is the purpose of this article?

A．Emphasize UPS’s forecast for this year.

B．Inspire the setting up of recycling companies.

C．Criticize the inaction of the US government.

D．Appeal to people to reduce packaging waste.

4 . When Alex Walker was four, she had to stay in the hospital to get some tests for her epilepsy (癫痫). Her dad had given her a stuffed animal, Sky Bear, which kept her ________. But when she saw other kids in the hospital without stuffed animals, she felt ________.

Alex had ________ up some money that she had ________ to use at Chuck E. Cheese. ________, she used it to buy stuffed animals for the other ________ on her hospital floor. They were so happy to receive the gifts that Alex decided to ________ even more. She called her project Alex’s Fluffy (绒毛的) Buddies and began ________ money by growing and selling tomato plants and flowers. “I love growing things,” she says. “And I know people love to eat tomatoes because they’re really good.”

As people heard about Alex’s Fluffy Buddies, they wanted to ________. They sent her stuffed animals and money to buy more. In the last six years, Alex has ________ almost 8,000 Fluffy Buddies to hospitals, shelters, and other programs. “People are ________ to help so that I can make kids happy,” she explains.

Alex also raises ________ for Canine Assistants, the organization that recently provided her with a service dog. “I want other kids to have a friend to help them through ________ times too,” Alex says. “I still give away Fluffy Buddies and donate to Canine Assistants. I want to help as much as I can! If you want to help others, look for something people ________ but they don’t have, or look for a way to ________ someone’s day. See how you can help.”

1.

A．promise

B．company

C．touch

D．contact

2.

A．annoyed

B．superior

C．upset

D．awkward

3.

A．saved

B．picked

C．used

D．gave

4.

A．performed

B．managed

C．pretended

D．intended

5.

A．Instead

B．Moreover

C．Otherwise

D．Therefore

6.

A．parents

B．volunteers

C．doctors

D．kids

7.

A．give out

B．give in

C．give away

D．give off

8.

A．earning

B．raising

C．spending

D．counting

9.

A．help

B．update

C．bond

D．cover

10.

A．passed

B．donated

C．showed

D．introduced

11.

A．grateful

B．hesitant

C．desperate

D．eager

12.

A．fund

B．responsibility

C．desire

D．awareness

13.

A．limited

B．pleasant

C．tough

D．free

14.

A．compare

B．need

C．consume

D．keep

15.

A．remember

B．celebrate

C．make

D．honor

5 . 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。

Mother’s Day was around the corner. Everyone in the class was discussing what gift they should give to their beloved moms. Their teacher, Ms. Jenkins, was instructing them to make pretty postcards with a soulful message.

On Monday morning, Ms. Jenkins entered the classroom. Before she could say something to greet the kids as usual, 8-year-old Simon raised his hand as quickly as possible.

“Yes, Simon?” asked the teacher with a questioning look and the big smile often hanging on her face.

“Excuse me, Ms. Jenkins. What did you get for Mother’s Day?” he inquired.

All his classmates looked at their teacher and Ms. Jenkins smiled again, struggling to hide her sadness, which flashed across her face. “Sadly, nothing. Simon, I don’t have kids.”

Simon felt sorry for his teacher. He could not figure why. It seemed unfair that she didn’t receive anything for Mother’s Day when she was surrounded by kids all the time. She should have received something. Suddenly a good idea hit him.

That afternoon, school over, Simon flew home like a rabbit. After having finished counting the few dollars in his piggy bank, he asked his mother to take him to the flower shop nearby.

When they got in the car, Simon explained to his mother what he would do. Having understood the whole story, his mother looked at him with a loving expression.

The following day, Simon arrived at his classroom with a bunch of flowers and presented it to Ms. Jenkins with a bright smile. “I know you’re not a mother, but you treat us with kindness, affection and patience. You surely deserve a Mother’s Day gift, too,” he said to his teacher, whose jaw dropped in shock. The other kids applauded as Simon hugged Ms. Jenkins.

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。

Astonished and joyful, Ms. Jenkins stood there still.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The other kids came up one by one.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . 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。

China has been working hard to promote exchanges between its young people and the ones from other countries around the world on culture, innovations, working skills and entrepreneurship. China launched (发起) an activity, which is dedicated to promoting the     1     (develop) of young people worldwide.

So far, some big companies in China     2     (start) different projects and benefited young individuals from 19 countries, including Laos, Vietnam, Uganda and Portugal.     3     typical example is a project in Uzbekistan by a Chinese company. It offers some excellent college graduates opportunities for employment and to learn in China.     4     is worth mentioning is that some local youths got access to training courses and lectures and some youths     5     (invite) to China to visit some projects last year. Leaders from these Chinese groups say this effort is not just about jobs and learning but about building various     6     (bridge) between cultures and making the world a more connected place. They’re planning to grow this project even more and get more companies     7     (involve).     8     short, an important platform is offered to let youths engaged in International communication, and it is expected     9     (improve) passions of the young generation. The goal is to let young people around the globe     10     (extensive) understand China and each other, hoping to make the future brighter for everyone.

7 . Now I finally understand how much my mother loves me.

Back home from the _________, during the first few weeks of my daughter’s life, it seemed like I was never doing anything besides _________ the baby. Life was little more than a thin stream of milk _________ any body to hers, _________ interrupted by a peanut-butter sandwich.

Of course I’d heard _________ were always waking up. But this now seemed like a joke. How did anyone get them to _________ in the first place? Every time I put the baby down, she cried and cried. She slept only when she was being held. So my husband and I _________ by turns. Usually I _________ her till eleven or so, my husband was with her until two or three or four, and then I got up to hold her again until morning. The Internet said babies _________ comfort at dusk because of their primal (最初的) __________ of being deserted in the dark. “Don’t worry, baby,” I told the crying baby in my arms. “I won’t __________ you in the dark.”

My mother finally arrived to help. I had __________ for her arrival every morning. Her __________ meant I could get some rest. Every few hours, my mother put a plate on my lap, loaded with __________. She said, “You need to eat.” She held my baby girl against her chest and __________ in her car, “You know how your mama loves you? That’s how I love her.”

1.

A．restaurant

B．hotel

C．street

D．hospital

2.

A．educating

B．nursing

C．observing

D．measuring

3.

A．connecting

B．preferring

C．describing

D．comparing

4.

A．eventually

B．previously

C．occasionally

D．frequently

5.

A．mothers

B．fathers

C．doctors

D．babies

6.

A．move

B．talk

C．sleep

D．jump

7.

A．moved away

B．wrote down

C．settled down

D．stayed up

8.

A．fed

B．held

C．awaited

D．amused

9.

A．needed

B．offered

C．refused

D．allowed

10.

A．fear

B．desire

C．freedom

D．passion

11.

A．touch

B．abandon

C．meet

D．cheat

12.

A．accounted

B．answered

C．applied

D．longed

13.

A．presence

B．departure

C．complaint

D．permission

14.

A．books

B．clothes

C．foods

D．toys

15.

A．sang

B．whispered

C．cried

D．screamed

8 . Have you ever tried to persuade a friend to do what he didn’t really want to? If so, you may have made them uncomfortable and even annoyed, and crossed a boundary (界限).     1    . How to respect others’ boundaries?

Communicate clearly. It can be helpful to ask them frankly how they feel, rather than guess you can borrow their sweater or expect them to drive you to the airport. Apart from their words, it can also be helpful to pay attention to their tone (语气) and body language.     2    , it could indicate that they’re not very comfortable with what you’re asking of them.

    3    . Every individual needs to set boundaries based on their own preferences and abilities. It’s important to respect others’ boundaries and avoid finding fault with them even if they seem silly to you or are different from what you consider acceptable.

Deal with your emotional reactions. When someone sets a boundary in their relationship with you, you may find yourself feeling let down, which can cause you to feel hurt, angry, shocked or embarrassed.     4    . Dealing with your emotional reactions can help you either accept the boundary or look elsewhere to fulfill your needs.

Try to understand the reason behind the boundary. When you disagree with someone’s boundaries, exploring the reason why they’re setting them can help you understand their opinion better. If the boundary seems too rigid (僵硬的), you can offer your opinion.     5    .

A．Depend on the boundary they’ve drawn

B．If they’re not familiar with sign language

C．Remember that everyone’s needs are different

D．Boundaries are limits set by people to protect themselves

E．It can be helpful to reflect on why you’re feeling that way

F．If their tone is unclear, or they’re trying to change the topic

G．Be kind and willing to let the person decide what’s best for them

9 . Taking between 9,000 and 10,000 steps per day appears to reduce the risk of an early death or heart-related event, adding reason to an idea that has been considered as unscientific.

The exact origin of the commonly held belief that people should aim for 10,000 steps a day is unclear, but it has been linked to a marketing plan promoting pedometers (计步器) in Japan. Now, a study by Matthew Ahmadi at the University of Sydney, Australia, and his colleagues suggests the figure could hold some truth.

The team studied more than 72,000 participants, with an average age of 61, in the UK Biobank study as they wore a movement-tracking accelerometer (加速度计) on their wrists for one week. “We were able to know their daily steps,” says Ahmadi. The participants were then tracked for an average of just under seven years.

During that time period, 1,633 people died and 6,190 heart-related events occurred. After adjusting other factors that could influence the risk of illness or death over that period—such as diet quality, smoking and doing other forms of exercise, the researchers found out that the best number of steps per day appears to be between 9,000-and 10,000, with the benefits then starting to tail off. Doing so was linked to a 39% lower risk of dying during the follow-up period and a 21% lower risk of a heart-related event. “It does appear to support the belief that the originally non-evidence based 10,000 steps target may indeed be about right,” says Dale Esliger at Loughborough University in the UK.

However, while the study was “extremely well designed” with “careful methods and statistical analysis”, Esliger says wrist-worn accelerometers aren’t always the best indicator of step count. The researchers also didn’t consider the number of steps taken per minute. “It’s possible that around 6,000 steps performed at a higher pace may be just as health protective as 10,000 slower steps,” says Esliger.

1. What’s the finding of the study?

A．More than 10,000 steps a day do harm to the body.

B．21% of the participants died of heart-related events.

C．Walking 10,000 steps a day benefits physical health.

D．Hitting the target of 10,000 steps a day makes no sense.

2. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How the study is carried out.

B．Whether a previous belief is true.

C．What is concluded about the study.

D．Why other factors should be removed.

3. What is Esliger’s attitude towards the study?

A．Objective.

B．Unconcerned.

C．Favorable.

D．Doubtful.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．A science magazine.	B．A technology report.
C．A history book.	D．An educational website.

10 . Monarch butterflies (帝王蝶) are edging dangerously close to extinction despite a decision late last year to remove the orange-and-black insects from the endangered species list, a new study has found.

An annual survey led by the World Wildlife Fund(WWF)of the species wintering in central Mexico found the second-lowest number of monarch butterflies on record, meaning they took up just 2.2 acres of regional forests, 59% less than during the 2022 — 2023 winter season. The findings are troubling to scientists determined to protect the species.

Each year, monarch butterflies migrate (迁徙) thousands of miles from southern Canada and the northern and central US to the mountain forests of central Mexico. They require a large and healthy forest to protect them from winds, rain and low temperatures in the areas where they migrate for winter. Yet because of heat and drought brought on by climate change, scientists say, their natural habitat is quickly depleting. Scientists with the WWF considered this winter season’s findings serious and said they represented the second-smallest area taken up by monarch butterflies in Mexico since 1993.

What’s worse, in recent years, their breeding areas in Canada and the US have seen a reduction in milkweed leaves where female monarch butterflies lay their eggs. “Land-use changes in the United States, combined with the widespread use of chemicals, also contributed to the loss of milkweed and other plants that adult monarch butterflies feed on,” the WWF said.

Monarch butterflies play an important role in maintaining plant ecosystems and are also an important food source for birds, small animals and other insects, according to the National Park Service. It’s necessary that all governments, communities, scientists, and others continue to strengthen our protection efforts to support their unique migration.

1. Why do monarch butterflies fly to central Mexico each year?

A．To spend winter.	B．To lay eggs.
C．To search for shelter.	D．To escape from enemies.

2. What does the underlined word “depleting” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Shifting.

B．Disappearing.

C．Recovering.

D．Increasing.

3. What may have nothing to do with the reduction in monarch butterflies’ number?

A．The loss of food sources.

B．The widespread use of chemicals.

C．The land-use changes in the United States.

D．The threat of being eaten by other animals.

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

A．To raise people’s awareness about climate change.

B．To call for more measures to protect monarch butterflies.

C．To inform people of the serious situation of monarch butterflies.

D．To prove monarch butterflies should be on the endangered species list.