2 . Many people agree that pets are family. It’s because they
Julia Earheart knows
When elderly and sick pets
And these pictures couldn’t be more beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time. “The shoots can be emotional and difficult, absolutely,” Julia said. “But when you look at the pictures, you can see that
Julia wants the owners to be able to spend the money on vet bills and toys
“I won’t be able to get to all of them and that’s the hardest thing for me,” Julia said. Even though she can’t help all of the owners, she is an angel for giving this
| A．love | B．notice | C．understand | D．remember |
| A．slower | B．quieter | C．shorter | D．poorer |
| A．enough | B．special | C．important | D．crazy |
| A．immediately | B．mostly | C．hardly | D．exactly |
| A．comes up | B．comes down | C．gives back | D．gives in |
| A．potential | B．friendly | C．paying | D．regular |
| A．approach | B．prepare | C．waste | D．attach |
| A．fun | B．free | C．sale | D．good |
| A．trust | B．pride | C．happiness | D．health |
| A．time | B．money | C．memory | D．space |
| A．apart from | B．rather than | C．due to | D．as for |
| A．control | B．describe | C．create | D．treasure |
| A．surprised | B．faithful. | C．interested | D．grateful |
| A．affordable | B．priceless | C．simple | D．common |
| A．possess | B．spread | C．complete | D．exchange |
3 . A year ago, I started working out with a personal trainer and the results were obvious. The reflection in the mirror was fit and strong, with a narrow waist. This month I’ll be celebrating my 74th birthday, but I feel more like I’m about to turn 40. In fact, I’m in the best shape of my life. And I’m here to tell you that it’s never too late to make changes. If I can do it in my early 70s, then you can do it too.
I haven’t always felt so body confident. As a busy working mum I had the same hang-ups as so many other women. In my forties I fell into the trap of trying to do it all. I raised my daughter Laura, now 43, while working as a NHS clinical leader, which left me feeling stressed and exhausted. By 50 I’d reached breaking point. I ended up breaking down in the doctor’s surgery. And I was signed off work with stress-related depression.
I began to do a lot of soul searching. My burnout had set me on a completely different path. Around this time, my approach to my health was also shifting. So many women hit 50 thinking that’s it and they’re done, but for me it felt like a new beginning.
I enrolled in a gym and learned how to use the equipments. Over the next few years, I went to the gym roughly twice a week. Sometimes I didn’t want to go—but at the end of every session I always felt better.
I wrote and self-published a book called Journey to Chocolate about my seeking for a more balanced and satisfying life. I started eating “clean” with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, avoiding processed food and not drinking alcohol from Monday to Thursday. The changes to my diet made me feel more energetic and alert. I slept better, and managing my weight was much easier.
1. Why does the author write this article?| A．To inspire. | B．To inform. | C．To discuss. | D．To show off. |
| A．Annoying. | B．Tiring. | C．Rewarding. | D．Amazing. |
| A．The meaning of life. | B．The way to keep clean. |
| C．The author’s pursuit. | D．The benefits of chocolate. |
| A．Keep Energetic at 74 | B．Hold on to Your Dream |
| C．Retire as Early as Possible | D．Make Use of Old Age |
4 . What comes to mind when you think about chocolate? A candy bar at Halloween? Ice cream on a hot day?
For Ibrahim, a 12-year-old boy from the West African country of Ghana, chocolate is not about sweet treats; it is about bitter work.
To change the harmful practices like this, some farms use an approach called Fairtrade.
Consumers like you can play a role as well. You can buy Fairtrade chocolate if possible, pressure candy companies to change their labour practices, or ask local stores to sell Fairtrade products.
Chocolate has a hidden story that affects children like Ibrahim—children who want a happy future just like you do.
| A．You have the power to change the story. |
| B．The labels on chocolate do not tell his story. |
| C．Fairtrade is a way of doing business that prohibits child labour. |
| D．You can also take action through the Fairtrade Schools network. |
| E．On many farms, children like Ibrahim perform difficult farming tasks. |
| F．Cocoa trees grow in the tropical climates of Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia. |
| G．With more income, farmers can pay adult workers and can send their children to school. |
5 . We all love butterflies. Their beautiful wings attract us, and their presence lights up our garden. Well, that’s our view of butterflies, but have you ever wondered what plants think of them?
The butterflies’ eggs lie on the underside of the leaves. The eggs themselves don’t damage plants. However, upon coming into contact with the eggs, the plants become oversensitive. It means that once a plant recognizes a pest, it will cause death in the contacted plant part. When these dead leaves or partial leaf parts break away from the plant, the eggs on them fall off. Along with the hypersensitivity response, plants also produce something special, which can attract animals to cat the eggs, thus preventing damage in the future.
After the baby butterflies come out of their eggs, the caterpillar (毛虫) stage begins. Most caterpillars feed on the leaves of the plants, damaging some of the plants in your own garden. Incredibly, they are major plant pests that bring about major losses to farmers. The next stage is pupa (蛹). The caterpillars begin their change into an adult. They don’t depend on the energy that the leaves provide. Finally, they become adult butterflies that have wings and move from one plant to the other. They feed on the sweet liquid produced by flowers.
While on their search for food, the butterflies carry pollen (花粉) on their body. They are key pollinators that place pollen from one flower to another in ecosystem. Plants that have flowers will create some special features to draw these pollinators’ attention. Certain plants have flowers giving off smells that can charm butterflies when they are looking for a mate. Some plants even have flat flowers to assist butterflies when landing.
Butterflies aid in pollination during their final adult stage. Thus, they change into beneficial insects to plants. This change makes butterflies an important friend of plants, despite being a hated enemy in previous life cycle stages!
1. How does a plant respond to butterflies’ eggs?| A．It tries to get rid of them. | B．It tries to appeal to them. |
| C．It grows a little better with them. | D．It protects them from being eaten. |
| A．In the period of egg-laying. | B．In the period of pupa. |
| C．In the period of caterpillar. | D．In the period of adult. |
| A．Describe the process of pollination. |
| B．Show how flowers attract butterflies. |
| C．Stress the importance of pollination. |
| D．Explore how adult butterflies develop. |
| A．Why do flowers need butterflies’ pollination? |
| B．How do plants defend themselves from pests? |
| C．Are butterflies’ life cycles similar to the plants’? |
| D．Are butterflies beneficial or harmful to plants? |
6 . Most of us look forward to the weekend as a time to relax, connect with friends and family, and handle items from a to-do list that gets unnoticed during the work week. But as the weekday does come to an end, many of us are missing out on enjoying the weekend and instead experiencing a sense of anxiety and even fear for the upcoming week. Experts call this phenomenon Sunday scaries.
Sunday scaries, also known as the Sunday blues, arise when individuals expect the upcoming work week with a combination of various factors such as work-related concerns, unfinished tasks, the end of weekend relaxation, and the pressure to start the new week. As a result, individuals may find it challenging to unwind and relax before the new week begins.
A clinical psychologist, Renée Goff, said, “Sunday scaries are more than a physical heaviness for them, but they could even jump out of their skins due to the upcoming week. The negative emotions associated with Sunday scaries can have a significant impact on one’s mental well-being and overall productivity.”
“As a matter of fact, such anticipatory anxiety is a natural response that happens in preparation for anything that can cause pain or discomfort,” explains psychotherapist Angela Ficken. “Sunday scaries might even start bubbling up as early as Saturday, but tend to become less intense by the time Monday morning rolls around when you start your work week. This doesn’t mean we leave them unchecked.”
To battle anticipatory anxiety for the upcoming week, individuals can adopt self-care practices that promote relaxation and stress reduction. This may include engaging in hobbies, spending time in nature, exercising, practicing mindfulness or simply dedicating time to disconnect from work-related thoughts. Additionally, we can organize tasks for the upcoming week in advance to create a sense of control, reduce the Sunday scaries and promote a healthier work-life balance.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To lead in the topic of the text. | B．To tell background for the text. |
| C．To offer suggestions to readers. | D．To stimulate readers to imagine. |
| A．Avoidable. | B．Imaginary. | C．Normal. | D．Harmful. |
| A．They strengthen on Monday morning. |
| B．They tend to die down before Saturday. |
| C．They should be brought to our attention. |
| D．They will in no case disappear naturally. |
| A．Theoretical basis for Sunday scaries. |
| B．Approaches to fighting Sunday scaries. |
| C．Positive aspects of anticipatory anxiety. |
| D．Extreme suffering from Sunday scaries. |
7 . Orla Walsh was not exactly an example of good health. Back in 2014, the 25-year-old then was fully occupied with her work and graduate study in Dublin, mostly eating on the go. “I was feeding on quick, easy food like sandwiches,” she said. “I stayed up a lot and the gym was a foreign concept for me for I did not work out at all.”
That changed the following year when Walsh needed a convenient, reliable and budget-friendly way to get to and from class. “Driving was expensive, and public transportation in the Irish capital left much to be desired,” she said. She turned instead to cycling.
At first, Walsh was doubtful. “I didn’t want to wear the same suits like other riders because it looked strange for me,” she joked. But as soon as she gave it a go, she was spellbound. The six miles she had to cover on her commute (上下班往返) each way didn’t seem like so much. “I can’t believe how quick and easy that was,” Walsh said. “The more I cycled, the easier it got, and I started getting faster. I think what I enjoyed the most was the freedom the bike gave me.”
In early 2016, she took the next step and joined a local cycling club, where she took part in long group rides. But something incredible was happening at the same time. As her weekly mileage (里程数) increased, her unhealthy habits fell by the wayside. She cleaned up her diet and cut back on burning the midnight oil. “I gradually got rid of that bad habit after joining in training,” she said.
Then, thanks to the encouragement of other club members, she tried open road racing. At first, she was overwhelmed by the competition, getting dropped by other members on every climb. Yet she kept pushing and viewing the failures as learning experience. “I was enjoying the challenges and was more confident,” she said.
1. Which of the following can best describe Walsh’s lifestyle in 2014?| A．Simple. | B．Decent. | C．Fashionable. | D．Unhealthy. |
| A．Poor means of transportation. | B．Her wish to break bad habits. |
| C．Her curiosity about cycling. | D．Club members’ encouragement. |
| A．Threatened. | B．Bored. | C．Fascinated. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．By inspiring her to realize her dream. |
| B．By teaching her to brave challenges. |
| C．By encouraging her to be competitive. |
| D．By pushing her to connect with others. |
Placed among the busy streets of Washington, D. C. is a large public garden that many Americans have never heard of. The U. S. National Arboretum (植物园) includes
Government scientists are in charge of the 180-hectare area. Their main goal is
The arboretum is home to one of the
While the scientists do their work, the public
9 . Antarctic blue whales have been perceived again in the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. An international-team of researchers discovered the animals five decades after whaling (捕鲸业) nearly caused them to disappear forever. “The ocean resources at South Georgia were heavily developed during the early 20th-century industrial whaling,” says lead author Susannah Calderan, an ecologist with the Scottish Association for Marine Science.
Antarctic blue whales were plentiful in the area until whaling began there in 1904, kicking off the beginning of industrial whaling in the Southern Ocean. While hunters originally focused on species that could be easily caught, like the humpback whale, the focus quickly moved to the blue whale. Between 1904 and 1973, 345,775 Antarctic blue whales were killed in the Southern hemisphere (半球）and in the northern Indian Ocean. Around South Georgia, blue whale catches were reported year-round without stopping. Between 1904 and 1971, industrial whaling caused 42, 698 blue whales’ death, Blue whales almost disappeared in these areas.
Researchers studied all Antarctic blue whale data from the last three decades. They examined sightings (目睹)from scientific surveys collected by observers on ships, as well as opportunistic sightings reported by seamen and ship passengers to the South Georgia. They also examined acoustic(声音的）recordings of blue whale.
They found that whale surveys from ships off South Georgia resulted in just one blue whale sighting between 1998 and 2018. But more recent surveys suggest better news. A survey in February of 2020 found nearly 60 blue whale sightings, and several acoustic detections (探测).A total of 41 blue whales have been recognized through photos from South Georgia between 2011 and 2020.
“Their return is very meaningful, as it was widely thought that blue whales at South Georgia might have been hunted beyond a point where they could recover, and might never be seen again in great numbers at South Georgia,” Calderan says. “Our research shows that, populations can recover even from very low levels if they’re given enough protection.”
1. What does the underlined word “perceived” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Kept. | B．Found. | C．Hunted. | D．Destroyed. |
| A．The development of industrial whaling. |
| B．The cause of blue whales’ disappearance. |
| C．The wide spread of blue whales in the past. |
| D．The tricks of catching blue whales easily. |
| A．There is an increasing return of blue whales. |
| B．Blue whales are in a more dangerous situation. |
| C．More and more people like watching blue whales. |
| D．South Georgia is a good place to watch blue whales. |
| A．The risk of killing whales at higher rates. |
| B．The sign of Antarctic blue whales’ return. |
| C．The way of protecting Antarctic blue whales. |
| D．The effect of the great loss of ocean resources. |
10 . Sarah Ramadan had always been a perfectionist to draw more attention from others. “It’s hard to say if I ever did things for myself,” she said. Her drive for perfectionism even influenced her body. “I thought I would be a better person if I lost weight since that meant I cared for my figure,” she said.
Ramadan started to make changes, slowly by cutting food intake (摄入).However, things began to get worse and she developed anorexia (厌食症). “Gradually, I was having greater food fears. I related weight increase with shame,” she said. The extreme weight loss seriously affected her health. She was always freezing, had dry skin and thinning hair, and developed an irregular heartbeat and low blood sugar.
To hide her weight loss, Ramadan wore thick clothes. Then one day her mother walked in her room while she was only in a T-shirt. Her mother began to cry. Only then did them other know her poor condition. Realizing the trouble, her parents placed her in a treatment center. Ramadan’s weight increased, and she looked recovered, but mentally she was still fighting with anorexia. After half a year, her weight went to the lowest again and she could no longer walk without her mother’s support. She left university for that.
Ramadan finally realized she had a choice to make: To beat her anorexia or to die. She turned to her brother, Aladdin, a bodybuilder for help, who set up a meal plan to increase her food intake. “I knew I needed to eat to gain weight, but eating is actually physically exhausting when you’re not used to it. I had to learn how to enjoy food again,” said Ramadan. She started to feel a difference and was motivated to continue. In addition, Ramadan also hit the gym to build herself up physically. She said, “Where there is a will, there is a way. I eventually make it. Not only did I get weight, but most importantly, I got life.”
1. Why did Ramadan want to lose weight?| A．To present herself better. | B．To get a healthy body. |
| C．To help recover from diseases. | D．To satisfy her parents. |
| A．She felt ashamed of her weight. | B．She failed to get dressed on her own. |
| C．She was suffering from anorexia. | D．She was disappointed with her diet. |
| A．Her determination. | B．Doctors’ advice. |
| C．Aladdin’s encouragement. | D．Her mother’s attention. |
| A．A girl’s advice on how to battle anorexia | B．A girl’s fear of suffering from anorexia |
| C．A girl’s journey to becoming a bodybuilder | D．A girl’s choice between life and death |
