1 . Great whites, the largest predatory(捕食性的)sharks in the world with the most fatal attacks on humans, are tough to imagine as newborn babies. That is partially because no one has seen one in the wild, it seems, until now.

Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and UC Riverside biology doctoral student Phillip Sternes were scanning the waters for sharks on July 9, 2023, near Santa Barbara on California’s central coast. That day, something exciting appeared on the viewfinder of Gauna’s drone camera. It was a shark pup(幼崽)unlike any they’d ever seen.

“We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed(脱落)from the body as it was swimming,” Sternes said. “I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”

These observations are documented in a new paper in the Environmental Biology of Fishes journal. What Gauna and Sternes observed could help solve the longstanding mystery of great white birthing habits. This may well be the first evidence we have of a pup in the wild. Great whites, referred to only as white sharks by scientists, are gray on the top and white on the bottom. But this roughly 5-foot-long shark was pure white.

Though the paper authors acknowledge it is possible that the white layer the shark shed could have been a skin condition, the two believe what they saw was in fact a newborn great white. First, great white females give birth to live pups. A second reason is the presence of large, likely pregnant great whites in this location. Finally, this location off the coast of central California has long been proposed as a birthing location for great whites. Many scholars believe great whites are born farther out at sea.

Great whites are listed as an international endangered species. “Further research is needed to confirm these waters are indeed a great white breeding ground. But if it does, we would want lawmakers to step in and protect these waters to help white sharks keep thriving,” Sternes said.

1. What do we know about what appeared on Carlo s Gauna’s camera?

A．It is rare in the world.	B．It is tough to identify.
C．It is not open to the public.	D．It is unbelievable to scientists.

2. What does the white shark pup look like?

A．Pure gray.	B．White only on the bottom.
C．Gray on the top.	D．Pure white.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．How great white females give birth to pups.

B．How the authors prove they saw a baby shark.

C．Why the authors believe they saw a newborn shark pup.

D．Why the authors think the white layer is a skin condition.

4. What does Sternes hope for if their assumption is confirmed?

A．Helping white sharks to stop breeding.

B．Using laws to protect shark pups and their habitats.

C．Listing white sharks as endangered species.

D．Further study to confirm white sharks breeding waters.

2 . Why didn’t the woman go to Yunnan with her boyfriend?

A．She couldn’t get time off work.

B．She went to Germany.

C．She will go there with someone else.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. How long has the speaker been getting headaches?

A．For the past ten years.

B．For about ten days.

C．Only since yesterday

2. What did the speaker do about his headache yesterday?

A．He took some medicine.

B．He asked his neighbor to come over.

C．He did nothing about it.

3. How did the speaker’s neighbor help him?

A．He sent for a doctor.

B．He gave the speaker some painkillers.

C．He gave the speaker a special kind of treatment.

4. What does the speaker mean in the end?

A．The pain almost killed him.

B．His headache was already cured.

C．The pain had gone by itself.

4 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What does the woman think of her city?

A．It’s exciting.

B．It’s small.

C．It’s noisy.

2. What is true about the city center?

A．There is a famous statue .

B．It’s not crowded at all.

C．Life is interesting there.

3. What’s the weather like in the city?

A．It’s hot most of the time.

B．It’s quite wet.

C．Temperatures are too high in summer.

5 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What do we know about War Horse?

A．It’s an action movie.

B．It doesn’t win any awards.

C．It’s a sad movie.

2. Why does the man enjoy action movies?

A．He is an action star.

B．They are very exciting.

C．They have a great story.

6 . Imagine suddenly waking up at midnight, ______ for air, heart pounding, feeling tense and experiencing this night after night. The ______ of the lack of sleep was the ______ need to lie down and fall asleep for 2-3 hours. This was my experience throughout the summer of 2021.

I guess it may have been in part the ______ the pandemic had on my mental health as well as other worries. During the daylight hours, I ______ myself in various ways but at night during sleep my fear and ______ would come to the surface. I ______ I needed to find ways to deal with my worries.

After much ______, I began to seek the assistance of medicine, which was a tough decision to make. But it ______ well. I made sure to walk in nature as much as possible and continued my yoga practice. Slowly, I found my way back to myself.

However, life ______ another curve ball into my life. In December 2023, those nighttime feelings that ______ me flowed into my days again. I turned to friends and family, who encouraged me to seek professional help. I ______ to a therapist specialized in this field, and together, we analyzed the problems and applied the related ______ to coping with them. While the process didn’t go ______, my symptoms gradually disappeared with my efforts at last.

In conclusion, this is what I would like to say —when in trouble, reach out for help, talk to family and friends, your doctor or a counsellor. Take time to take care of yourself, you are worth the ______.

1.

A．struggling

B．searching

C．begging

D．waiting

2.

A．cause

B．result

C．price

D．condition

3.

A．anxious

B．practical

C．temporary

D．urgent

4.

A．pressure

B．emphasis

C．effect

D．limit

5.

A．found

B．displayed

C．occupied

D．enjoyed

6.

A．concern

B．surprise

C．puzzle

D．guilt

7.

A．suggested

B．recognized

C．claimed

D．guaranteed

8.

A．complaint

B．debate

C．preparation

D．resistance

9.

A．went

B．worked

C．behaved

D．reacted

10.

A．slid

B．threw

C．rolled

D．sank

11.

A．ignored

B．ensured

C．robbed

D．disturbed

12.

A．left out

B．pointed out

C．reached out

D．passed out

13.

A．approaches

B．disciplines

C．assumptions

D．patterns

14.

A．permanently

B．potentially

C．smoothly

D．thoroughly

15.

A．passion

B．freedom

C．strength

D．effort

7 . Vegetarians would rather not be forced to eat meat. Yet the reverse compulsion is hidden in the proposals for a new plant-based “planetary diet.” Nowhere is this more visible than in India.

Earlier this year, the EAT-Lancet Commission released its global report on nutrition and called for a global shift to a more plant-based diet and for “substantially reducing consumption of animal source foods.” In countries like India, that call could become a tool to aggravate an already tense political situation and stress already undernourished populations.

The EAT report assumes that “traditional diets” in countries like India include little red meat, which might be consumed only on special occasions or as minor ingredients in mixed dishes.

In India, however, there is a vast difference between what people would wish to consume and what they have to consume because of innumerable barriers around class, religion, culture, cost, geography, etc. Policymakers in India have traditionally pushed for a cereal-heavy “vegetarian diet” on a meat-eating population as a way of providing the cheapest sources of food.

Currently, under an aggressive Hindu nationalist government, Muslims, Christians, disadvantaged classes and indigenous communities are being compelled to give up their traditional foods.

None of these concerns seem to have been appreciated by the EAT-Lancet Commission’s representative, Brent Loken, who said “India has got such a great example” in sourcing protein from plants.

But how much of a model for the world is India’s vegetarianism? In the Global Hunger Index, the country ranks 102^nd out of 117. Data from the National Family Health Survey indicate that only 10 percent of infants of 6 to 23 months are adequately fed, which is why calls for a plant-based diet modeled on India risk offering another whip with which to beat already vulnerable communities in developing countries.

A diet directed at the affluent West fails to recognize that in low-income countries undernourished children are known to benefit from the consumption of milk and other animal source foods, improving cognitive functions, while reducing the prevalence of nutritional deficiencies as well as death.

EAT-Lancet claimed its intention was to “spark conversations” among all Indian stakeholders. Yet vocal critics of the food processing industry and food fortification strategies have been left out of the debate. But the most conspicuous (明显的) omission may well be the absence of India’s farmers.

1. What is more visible in India than anywhere else according to the passage?

A．People’s positive views on the proposals for a “planetary diet”.

B．People’s reluctance to be compelled to eat plant-based food.

C．People’s preferences for the kind of food they consume.

D．People’s unwillingness to give up their eating habits.

2. What would the EAT-Lancet Commission’s report do to many people in countries like India?

A．Radically change their dietary habits.	B．Keep them further away from politics.
C．Make them even more undernourished.	D．Substantially reduce their food choices.

3. What do we learn from the passage about food consumption in India?

A．People’s diet will not change due to the EAT-Lancet report.

B．Many people simply do not have access to foods they prefer.

C．There is a growing popularity of a cereal-heavy vegetarian diet.

D．Policymakers help remove the barriers to people’s choice of food.

4. What does the passage say about a plant-based diet modeled on India?

A．It may benefit populations whose traditional diet is meat-based.

B．It may be another blow to the economy in developing countries.

C．It may worsen the nourishment problem in low-income countries.

D．It may help narrow the gap between the rich and poor countries.

8 . 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。

You can be happy even when you’re suffering from illness, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the aspects of your health     1     are in your control. Exercise and sleep are particularly important when it comes     2     happiness.

Making exercise a regular habit isn’t just good for the body. It also has a     3     (power) effect on mental well-being. People who exercise regularly are happier across the board. Plus, they’re also less stressed, anxious, and     4     (depress).

It doesn’t really matter     5     kind of exercise you do, so long as you do it regularly. For the best results, aim for an hour of exercise at least five days a week. If you find something you enjoy, you’ll be more likely     6     (stick) to it. So don’t think you’re limited to     7     (go) to the gym. Find something that suits your lifestyle and preferences. If you’re having trouble thinking of activities you enjoy, think back to when you     8     (be) a kid. What sports or games did you like to play?

Also, getting quality sleep every night directly     9     (affect) your happiness, and emotional stability during the day. When you re lacking sleep, you’re much easier to stress. It’s harder to be productive, think creatively, and make wise     10     (decide). The average person needs at least 7.5 - 9 hours each night.

9 . I’ve always loved horses, but for years my riding took a back seat to my four kids’ soccer games, dance recitals and so on. As my children became more _______,I decided it was time to put myself _______the calendar, not always being at the beck and call of my family.

I have a work-to-ride rent at a nearby stable (马厩). As soon as I arrive at the stable, I always _______ to take a deep breath or two, inhaling the sweetness of freshly mown hay (干草). Then I go for a joyride. Sometimes, I’m_______by a friend and other times I ride solo, but it’s always a reset and _______ of my batteries for another week in the real world.

One day, as I wiped off my bridle (马笼头), my friend Mary asked with sad eyes, “Did you hear about Heather? She _______ her son last week.”

“No, how awful! Heather’s son is around my age.” I murmured.

“Yes, it’s tragic,” she said. “I _______to her yesterday. She seemed okay despite everything.”

“Yesterday? She was out here?”

“She and her grandsons went for a trail _______. This is the best place to be when you need to _______real life,” Mary commented knowingly.

I nodded ________. Mary’s husband had just ________a horrible disease, and whenever she wasn’t taking care of him, she was here to take care of herself. We all ________ various levels of heart-hurt on a daily basis. Our stable is pure________— from worry, frustration, hurt, even unimaginable loss.

Relief from real life. We all need it, somewhere, somehow, because life is ________. I’m so glad I’ve found that horse time can make the hardest landings a little ________.

1.

A．ambitious

B．enthusiastic

C．independent

D．responsible

2.

A．on

B．in

C．off

D．behind

3.

A．forget

B．hesitate

C．regret

D．stop

4.

A．persuaded

B．joined

C．refused

D．forced

5.

A．replacement

B．recovery

C．recharge

D．repair

6.

A．lost

B．beat

C．abandoned

D．raised

7.

A．wrote

B．talked

C．explained

D．whispered

8.

A．adventure

B．walk

C．visit

D．ride

9.

A．get through

B．get over

C．get away from

D．get across

10.

A．silently

B．hurriedly

C．gratefully

D．eagerly

11.

A．spread

B．developed

C．controlled

D．prevented

12.

A．result from

B．recover from

C．depart from

D．suffer from

13.

A．concern

B．affection

C．escape

D．value

14.

A．tough

B．precious

C．simple

D．unclear

15.

A．neater

B．smoother

C．softer

D．higher

10 . It is not hard to learn more about a piece of famous painting, but identifying an unknown painting can be tricky. What do you need to do to get its specific information? Here are tips to identify a painting.

·Use the signature or monogram (字母组合图案) to dig online and find the image. Look in the corners of the painting to see if there is a signature or monogram.     1     If it’s harder to read, see if you can break down the letters and read them. This will let you narrow down the search and figure out who the artist is.

·Turn to an image recognition app to identify the painting immediately. If you’re struggling to remember an artist’s name or you want additional information on a particular painting, download an image recognition app designed specifically for art. There are several apps for both Android and iPhone that allow you to snap a photo of a painting to search through museum catalogues, university databases, and art history texts.     2    

·Ask an expert to identify the era, style, or painter of an image.     3     The reason is that an expert like a professor in the field of art will be able to offer insights about the period, style, and give you a better sense for where to look. He may even know who the artist is as soon as he takes a look at it.

·    4     Contemporary painters may paint people or objects from the past, but they can’t time travel. If there’s a train, company logo or some other time-specific component of it, this is a great way to set a baseline (基准) for your search.

In a word, the tips above are helpful.     5     In this way, you will effortlessly identify the unknown painting.

A．This is the easiest way to find a specific painting.

B．Locate its exact location when you appreciate the painting.

C．If the name is easy to read, search the artist’s name up online to find it.

D．Email or visit an art history professor to ask whether he can look at the image.

E．Take advantage of obvious clues in the subject matter to narrow down the date.

F．Thus, you’ll find it easier than you think to find the information you’re looking for.

G．If the professor mainly focuses on newer artists, a contemporary abstract piece is going to be easier to identify.