5 . If you look at the dynamic “Global Temperatures” map on NASA’s website, you can see the historic temperature change over time across the planet as the timeline goes from 1880 to the modern day. By 2019, the entire planet is in red, orange, and yellow colors, indicating temperatures much higher than the historical average in every country and human inhabitance.

If the timeline went to 2023, the map would look even worse. That’s because the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever, according to ocean monitors. July was the hottest month in recorded history. Next July could be worse. Unless we do something quickly, we face dealing with more and more dangerous and expensive natural disasters in the future.

Forest fires sent smoke from Canada across the North American continent, causing New York City to have the worst air quality in its recorded history. Heavy rainstorms fell on Vermont and the Northeastern United States in just a couple of days in the middle of July, which exceeded the amount that area would usually receive in two months and caused extreme damage to homes and businesses. Around the same time, flash flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — north of Philadelphia — killed nearly a dozen people.

Erich Fischer, a researcher specializing in climate studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is concerned that natural disasters could get much worse in the future—and in ways we cannot predict. He called for a “strike for climate justice,” which actually took place on Sept. 15, 2023. “The strategy needs to be twofold (双重的) . We need to decrease carbon emissions as much as realistically possible. That is already happening with people using electric cars and other green technologies. At the same time, we also need to find ways to predict the risk of natural disasters ahead of time,” said Erich Fischer.

1. Why does the writer mention the data on NASA’s website in paragraph 1?

A．To explain a concept.	B．To introduce a topic.
C．To provide a solution.	D．To make a prediction.

2. What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?

A．The severity of natural disasters.	B．The worst air quality in New York City.
C．The extreme damage by flash flooding.	D．The cause of the forests fires in Canada.

3. What did Erich Fischer suggest to deal with the current situation?

A．He advocated a twofold strategy.

B．He suggested forbidding carbon emissions.

C．He required people to use more electric cars.

D．He emphasized the awareness of climate changes.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．The Hottest Month in History	B．Natural Disasters in the World
C．Extreme Weather Could Get Worse	D．Green Technology Would be Needed

7 . Top 4 must-see ancient villages in Beijing

Beijing is a world-famous historical and cultural city with a history of more than 3, 000 years. The rich and profound ancient village culture found in and around the city remains an important part of the capital’s history and culture. Below we recommend 4 must-see ancient villages in the Beijing area as the 2024 May Day holiday approaches.

Lingshui village

Located in the northwest of Mentougou district, Lingshui village was formed in the Liao and Jin dynasties. The ancient dwellings in Lingshui village are a model of rural residential buildings during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) in northerm China, and their original appearance is well preserved. Tourists can explore over 120 folk houses, alongside many cultural relics in the village.

Shuiyu village

Shuiyu village is in Fangshan district. The village was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. With 600 houses and more than 100 sets of courtyard houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the original cultural ecology of the village has been well maintained. Facing both north and south, the village is laid out in a circular shape, forming a unique architectural style.

Sangyu village

Sangyu village lies in the north of Mentougou district, Beijing, next to Lingshui village. Prior to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) , Sangyu village was called Sanyu or “encountering” in English, named for the three water channels that meet in the village. Dense mulberry tree forests surround the entire village, and when they bear fruit, purple mulberries light up the village valley.

Malan village

Malan village, which means “horse stable” in English, had a history of keeping horses that dates back to the Ming dynasty. The ancient buildings in Malan village are made of stone and mud. When building and repairing houses in the village, people try their best to maintain their original appearance. There is also an exhibition hall, a row of old houses, as well as 12 gate bridges in the the village.

1. Which village is designed round according to the text?

A．Lingshui village.	B．Shuiyu village.
C．Sangyu village.	D．Malan village.

2. What does Lingshui village and Malan village have in common?

A．They are models of rural buildings.

B．The houses are made of stones and mud.

C．Their original appearance are well maintained.

D．They were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

3. From which column of a newspaper can this passage probably be taken?

A．Nature.

B．Agriculture.

C．Geography.

D．Tourism.

8 . Defeating Daniil Medvedev in New York on Sunday, Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis player, bagging 24 Grand Slam (大满贯) singles titles, equalized the record held by Australian Margaret Court, the same number of singles titles in the all-time count.

With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era. In total, he has 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, four US Opens and three Roland Garros titles, making him the only man to win all four majors at least three times. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams,” he said afterwards.

Djokovic reached all finals in the Grand Slams in 2023, and the only loss was at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 20, brought home the champion after an intense battle lasting four hours and 43 minutes.

Djokovic, at 36, shows few signs of losing physical edge. He stays healthy, keeps exceptional skills and always desires to win more. Capturing his first Grand Slam in 2008, Djokovic bagged half of his 24 major titles after he turned 30.

“One of the biggest lessons I have learned probably mentally throughout my career is that even if you find a formula (方案) that works, it’s not a guarantee, and actually most likely it’s not going to work the next year, so I keep reinventing myself and always trying to find better ways to win,” said Djokovic.

For Djokovic, who always gets tough when the going gets tough, 24 is just a number that he can go beyond. “I’ll continue to prioritize Grand Slams as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis. That will stay the same in the next season, or I don’t know how many more seasons I have in my legs,” he added, “So, let’s see.”

1. What does the underlined word “equalized” in the first paragraph probably mean?

A．Set.

B．Broke.

C．Levelled.

D．Approached.

2. What can we know about Djokovic according to the passage?

A．He won 12 Grand Slams in his thirties.

B．He won all the finals in the Grand Slams in 2023.

C．He attached the same importance to all the matches.

D．He is the oldest men’s singles champion in the open era.

3. What seems the “secret” of Djokovic’s great achievement?

A．Losing physical edge.	B．Attending more Grand Slams.
C．Following a good formula.	D．Finding flexible and proper strategies.

4. Which of the following can best describe Djokovic?

A．Confident and emotional.	B．Ambitious and devoted.
C．Aggressive and stubborn.	D．Enthusiastic and generous.

9 . The maleo (塚雉), a bird with black feathers and a pink chest, is native to Indonesia’s Sulawesi island and a few neighboring ones. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which identifies wildlife across the world currently facing threats, estimates only 800 to 1,400 adult maleos remain in the wild. Experts do not know how many maleos still live across West Sulawesi island. They were only able to record the presence of nesting grounds in 23 villages based on reports from locals in the area. But of those, only 18 are considered active nesting areas.

Recently, the birds have been faced with new threats, which accelerate their decline. The Indonesian government plans to move the nation’s capital from Jakarta to a new city on Borneo island, which is just a six-hour boat trip apart from Sulawesi island. The island takes on the building of new roads and seaports to be used to transport materials to the new capital. Activities also include tree clearing, digging, and removing stones. The process already has changed the forest environment on West Sulawesi and is harming maleo nesting areas near the beach. These changes have made the trip for maleos to lay their eggs increasingly difficult.

Another problem has been poachers. The Associated Press reports that, regardless of official ban, they steal maleo eggs that the males’ parents have hidden in the sand, and sell the eggs for about $1 to people as food. The eggs are a traditional gift for many people in Mamuju and other parts of Sulawesi.

“As far as I know, maleo birds are in decline,” said Andi Aco Takdir, chief of the West Sulawesi Forestry Agency. He pointed to several reasons for the decline, including destruction of beach areas, and expanding human development activities. He added that government officials there are prepared to take steps to protect the maleos even with the new capital development. Andi said, “Nature conservation must be used as an achievement and must not be built leaving behind problems.”

1. Which word can be used to describe the maleos?

A．Endangered.	B．Adaptable.
C．Widespread.	D．Extinct.

2. What causes a further drop of the maleo population?

A．The sudden changes of climate.

B．The disappearance of the forests.

C．The development of Sulawesi island.

D．The supporting work for the new capital.

3. What does the underlined word “poachers” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A．People who hunt maleos for their meat.

B．People who live by selling maleo eggs.

C．People who engage in illegal hunting.

D．People who regard maleo eggs as gifts.

4. What can we infer from Andi’s words?

A．The new capital development might be stopped at once.

B．The government will balance conservation and development.

C．There seems to be a tough way for the new capital to develop.

D．The government will concentrate on solving urban problems.

10 . 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。

Jennifer, a middle school student, was in Mr Green’s class. After only a month at school, she began to be home on a regular basis asking for plenty of crayons, paper, etc. At first, her mother, Sophia, just dutifully provided whatever she needed, never questioning her.

After ongoing requests for the items for several weeks, Sophia became concerned and asked her, “Jennifer, what are you doing with your stationery (文具)?” However, Jennifer would always respond with an answer that satisfied Sophia.

One day, after supplying the same things to Jennifer, Sophia seriously asked her once again, “Jennifer! What is exactly going on with your stationery?” Knowing her excuses would no longer work, Jennifer bent her head and kept silence. With her mind filled with confusion, Sophia lifted her daughter’s chin and looked into her eyes, asking, “What is wrong? Are you making money by reselling school supplies?” Sophia waited for what seemed like a long time for Jennifer to answer.

“Mom,” Jennifer said, “I’ve known a boy, called Jack, who is a student in the nearby school sponsored by a charity. He is an immigrant and has two brothers. He doesn’t have enough stationery to do his work. He only has two crayons to color with, and his art paper is messy. I have been putting the new stationery you bought me in his desk before the others came in, so he still doesn’t know I gave it to him. Our teacher, Mr Green, always told us to be an honest person. I knew I didn’t do it. Mom, don’t be angry. I didn’t mean to tell you a lie, but I didn’t want anyone to know it was me.”

Sophia stood there in disbelief. Jennifer had took on the role of an adult and tried to hide her good intentions. Sophia hugged Jennifer tightly, saying, “Baby, I will never get mad at you for wanting to help someone, but why didn’t you just come and tell me?” This time, Sophia did not have to wait for her quick answer, but decided to act.

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。

The next day, Sophia told Mr Green what Jennifer had said, and invited him to visit Jack’s family together.

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The acts of Sophia and Mr Green unexpectedly set off a wave of donations in Jennifer’s school.

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